It’s been a while since I’ve discussed the G-Reco films. Well, the third film legally on YouTube for a limited amount of time and I had to jump on it. As I’ve probably already mentioned on my posts about Movie 1 (Link) and Movie 2 (Link), I didn’t like as much the G-Reco as much because it was so frantically paced that it was more about the world building and not much about the characters there other them being vehicles for carrying all over it there too. I don’t think that the film really improves on that fact but it’s much better paced that it feels much more restrained Tomino like to me. Maybe it’s because I’ve watched more Tomino things recently that I’ve just come to enjoy whatever he puts out more. Or maybe it’s the fact that G-Reco is a lot of fun.
So obviously I am not going to recount what happens in movies 1 and 2. You can read my reviews about that and how I feel about them. Movie 3 takes place in space. Not just in one singular place, but over the Earth’s atmosphere, eventually to the moon itself, and beyond. The movie itself has three different destinations in mind which leads to it helping in explaining its world a bit more. Or at least as much as it can because a lot of exposition does go by pretty fast with the way Tomino writes the way these characters speak. You know, exposition as normal dialogue. Yet, there is plenty of time in this film that allows the world to explain itself too. This is the best film because it isn’t an introduction piece and it can do that now even as more and more elements are thrown into the mix.
There is some inherent awkwardness and dialogue and speech mannerisms, but there is so much energy and life put into everything that I can’t help but enjoy it. It is hard to process that and the speech at the same time in a few points, but it was all worth it. I can talk about one character alone and her name is Steer. She of course pilots the Megafauna and never leaves that spot, but the way she handles herself and dresses from when she cools down for some obvious fanservice reasons too, gives her extra energy and character that I like it. She is only one character out of many who this show carries that characterization to character animation. I mean, this is a beautiful film after all.
The first major mix of this world explanation comes from the everything that happens at the giant space station Sankt Port. That is the port which is a taboo to attack and is owned mostly by the forces in the moon called the Towasanga Fleet. That’s an area that no one is allowed to fire at otherwise the entire economy of the world from the delivery of its batteries would be cut off. Thus, the Earth would collapse into chaos again. So with that, it’s fun to see Bellri and Aida in their Megafauna ship align themselves with the “genius” Klim Mick and his second in battle Mick jack (she’s cool) and their ship and Captain Mask with his female second Barara Peor’s ship. Three sides that join together to fight for Earth while trying not to break any taboos.
I mean, there were also dialogues in Sankt Port itself considering the technology of the Earth and the talk of taboos. The meeting of these strange personalities that feels like it should go somewhere and yet doesn’t right now. But that’s ok. It establishes the questionable relationship between the three Earth ships through out the rest of the film as they go to the moon and it’s special colony Towasanga. Supposedly, we would think that all three of these fleets would work together because the moon forces are after them, yet that’s not the case at all as each side gains their own schemes as the stakes change. I feel like the dynamic between the three ships and their leaders is what holds the entire film together for me. It’s just so hilarious in the most cartoony way possible, yet it works.
What the Gundam, or the G-Self, of this series is and why its around gets explained a bit more too and that happens as Raraiya, our girl who suffered from oxygen deprivation for the past two films started talking and acting like a real human being instead of a monkey. The moon forces see it as only a model they didn’t choose until Bellri starts owning their faces with it. And they really do constantly lose face as Hermes foundation continually fails to gather it which leads to everyone not in the Megafauna ship to wanting it. The G-Self was also a suit that was sent out to discover Aida and Bellri, our two main kids, as well, because there is some weird genetic coding too it to detect them. Yeah, that’s pretty whatever but it helps give the G-Self much more of a purpose and explained why Bellri and Aida can pilot a moon mecha.
So yes, the second location the Towasanga colony. A lot of plot and character moments happen here. Mainly, the reveal that Bellri and Aida are brother and sister that have long been separated from each other. Something which makes me like their relationship better because had this non relationship thing going on despite the two clearly liking each other or something from what they’ve told each other in the second film. Their chemistry is much better as brother and sister because there is actual chemistry there now. The fact that they happen to be the prince and princess of Towasanga is whatever, but the fact that it complicates the lives of the moon forces who constantly think they are Earthlings is good.
It also makes me so happy that the three Earth ships and the Herme’s foundation ship worked together, even while completely hating each other, broke from their fight around the Crescent Ship which delivers the batteries from Venus to the Earth Sphere, to clean up all the space debris so the ship doesn’t get hurt and cause a breaking of the taboo. I mean, eventually it leads to chaos as the Megafauna and the G-Self against literally everyone. Well, it was a four-sided conflict but the main goal was the Megafauna who got those two things when they didn’t own it first which made that final battle happen.
Yeah, the final battle was some of the most fun that I’ve had watching a mecha fight in a long time. I mean, this entire movie was a slow build up to it and it all worked out. The megafauna head over to the Crescent Ship while there was some crazy shenanigans going on in the bridge. IN the mean time, the G-Self versus everyone else was great as all sides tried their best to not damage the Crescent ship or the G-Self. So many complications that were so well directed I always knew what was going on in it. The final conflict with the G-Self versus the Herme’s foundation mecha was incredible. This was always a beautiful movie, but that final battle had everything and it made me so hype for the next film. The megafauna is going to Venus with the Crescent Ship and I am excited to see what happens next in deeper space.
I just had a lot of fun watching G-Reco 3. It had some problems too as I’ve mentioned, but I’ve had a lot of fun with it. I don’t have any problem with simple characters and characterization with the conflicts around that world carry it. That is the case with G-Reco 3 and it just is a lot of fun. Some things are unexplainable or com across quickly, but for the most part all of the dialogue scenes where characters sit down and discuss things for a couple minutes in film time are represented by how all the characters carry that weight of the world with them. That is enough to make it work so well. It’s a solid film I would say. Yeah, absolutely solid because flaws are not what
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