Kiddy Grade Impressions *Spoilers Ahoy*

[Relwarc]

Okay...why the hell is this show called Kiddy Grade? I just finished episode 18 and haven't heard either of these words mentioned yet. At first, I was ready to write this show off as scifi-lite, but it grew more interesting as the story progressed. The tone and atmosphere of the show grew darker, but for some reason, I feel like it's still missing something more...substantive. Has anyone else felt the same way?

And this whole "body switcheroo" business that's happened with Alv and Dverger following Eclair and Lumiere's attack on GOTT HQ has me scratching my head a little. I'm going to hope that in the next six episodes, a reason for Eclair and Lumiere's seeming "immortality" is explained.

It'll be a tall order for this show to wrap up loose ends, but I'm optimistic. Right now, Kiddy Grade's hovering at a B-/B for me. And that usually means "sell! sell!" :sd:

[Splitter]

You'll get your immortality explanation, though you'll have to read between the lines during a certain flashback for the answer.

Kiddy Grade was a bit of an experiment for me, as it was the first series I stuck out no matter how boring the first third of the series was, and I was pleasantly rewarded for my perserverance. Granted, the show is anything but perfect but it's a nice little self-contained story set against a seemingly endless backdrop. So much could have been told with the characters and settings we had been given but in the end, Goto-san decided to go for a "Everyone gathers to defeat a cliche "almighty indestructable enemy".

With luck the new season, unbelievable as it is that they made, will provide more depth into Eclair and Lumiere's pasts (yes, I know they're not the main characters anymore, but we can always hope for another R.O.D. The TV halfway mark) but at the very least do something that will deliver an ending more satisfying and less wanting.

[Chacranajxy]

I thought the high point for the show was discs 4-6. After that, the show completely fell apart. You get that immortality thing explained... as well as a lot more... but the answers aren't particularly satisfying.

I sold it.

[cjed]

Wierd coincidence. I've had the box set for a while, but until this last weekend never got beyond the first disc, which I'd rate as C or C-. Well, I finally got some time and have also made it to the end of episode 18 (last one on disk 6). It has got better, but I'd now only put it at C+/B-. I will finish it, but I have to say that I havn't connected with any of the characters.

I certainly don't see it as having any replay value.

[unknownfatehome]

I believe it is called Kiddy Grade due to the ranks the girls are assigned i.e C Class,S Class etc.

I watched the entire series (once) and that is enough. It just doesn't hold any real appeal to me.

[Westlo]

I really enjoyed the nobles episode upto the attack on the hq, before and after that wasn't anything special though.

I am looking forward to the sequel though.

[HitokiriShadow]

I think I once heard a decent case made for the name of the show, but I don't remember what it was. The show itself certainly doesn't offer a clear explanation for it.

It was decent show overall. The beginning was so-so, got good around episode 10, started going downhill around 17, and the last few episodes were dumb. It wasn't bad, but it was disappointing. I originally bought the singles, but sold them with the intention of getting the boxset at some point, which looks better, takes up less space, and should have all of the cards.

I'm hoping Kiddy Grade 2 will be a lot better, it certainly has some potential and it would be nice if it lived up to it.

[something]

Kiddy Grade remains one of the best Gonzo series I've seen, and I've at least tried most of them, and a liked a fair number. I loved it the first time, I loved it for the DVD rewatch, and I'll love KG2.

As you mentioned earlier, it seems like fluff at first but then gets darker and more complex. The first time I watched it, I agreed with the general complaint that the ending made no sense. I didn't care one bit, mind you, because it was all fantastic to sit back and watch. When I rewatched the show, it made a lot more sense, so it was fantastic and reasonably logical within the bounds of the world they created, which just made it that much better.

As usual, it's about characters over plot for me. Plot isn't nearly as important. And with Eclaire and Lumiere being one of my favorite pairs in all of anime, I was hooked pretty much instantly. If those two don't really suck you in, everything else is a bit tougher to get into.

[Shiroi Hane]

I'm not sure how good a 'case' it is, but the best explanation for the name is IIRC the one the Armbrust gives the captain in the 3rd episode.

[neo-pactio]

As usual, it's about characters over plot for me. Plot isn't nearly as important. And with Eclaire and Lumiere being one of my favorite pairs in all of anime, I was hooked pretty much instantly. If those two don't really suck you in, everything else is a bit tougher to get into.

I feel the same way. No matter how good a plot is, if the characters stay the way they are, it doesn't feel real (I do excuse comedy anime that does this on purpose).

I've only watched a few random episodes of KG, and enjoyed every aspect, mostly the characters, animation and music, especially the theme song (in Japanese anyway, Funimation's english version is as devoid of passion as Masane Amaha from Witchblade is devoid of clothing.)

[HitokiriShadow]

It's been a while since I heard it, but I thought the English version of the opening was pretty good.

[Splitter]

I never liked either variation of the opening... the ending however is amazing, and not just because of the view from behind :virgin:

[J-Syxx]

Yeah, I can't help feel that this show is over-rated and not all it's cracked up to be. I think it's probably due to Funimation's marketing power that people think it's so great.

Not that I didn't enjoy watching it, but it's the kind of show you watch for dumb fun. It's very influenced by 80's fem-scifi anime, and like those I think it only appears complex on the surface. Some part of me would rather be watching actual 80's space-girl anime than this, although I had fun watching most of it.

The references to the Dirty Pair and Gall Force were amusing.

The edges on things looked terrible on my tube-HDTV. I don't know if this was Funimation or the original source material's fault, but at times it was unbearable.

On the other hand, I found Funi's dubbed OP an amusing addition.

I found the yuri in this show to be extremely over-exaggerated by yuri fans of it, although Lumiere does show a preference towards girls a few times.

Two of my favorite characters were Tweedle-Dee and Alv, maybe just becuase their character designs were so sexy. lol

Definitely not the best Gonzo show. Of what I can recall being Gonzo from what I've watched, Kaleido Star is vastly superior, imo.

[Shiroi Hane]

Yeah, I can't help feel that this show is over-rated and not all it's cracked up to be. I think it's probably due to Funimation's marketing power that people think it's so great.
My fan site went up long before FUNi announced the license, so marketing had nothing to do with it. The only "marketing" I received was an raw episode downloaded at random from someone on WinMX (RIP).

[something]

Yeah, I can't help feel that this show is over-rated and not all it's cracked up to be. I think it's probably due to Funimation's marketing power that people think it's so great.
1) It's a very divisive series, quite love it or hate it for most, so please don't even try to act like it's being blindly praised/fanboyed about, either in this thread or in general.
2) I watched it years before Funimation ever touched it. Clearly I'm just a sheep who fell prey to Funi's marketing power! So, how's that work? I watched it fansubbed, hated it, and then was brainwashed/memory wiped by Funi into buying the discs and loving it? Or maybe I'm just lying?

Once again, people around here really need to quit saying that "people love a show because of 'x'" where 'x' is something mind numbingly silly and impossible to prove, in addition to being ridiculously over-skeptical and downright mean-spirited.

It's truly a sad state of affairs when the first assumption some of you make when someone either 1) likes something more than you do or 2) likes something you don't like, is that clearly the other person is motivated by some reason OTHER than having genuinely enjoyed the show. Genuinely meant everything they said about it. Genuinely experienced the emotions they describe feeling.

How is that not the first idea that comes to mind? I'd never be so pompous as to assume differently. If someone says they like or love a show far more than I do, I believe them. I don't look for utterly ridiculous reasons like "it's the marketing!" or "they're all pedophiles!" or "they're just following the crowd!" That crap is pretty much the parallel (and even more annoying) situation to claiming that if someone doesn't like Show X, then clearly that person "just didn't get it!" or "is narrow minded" or some other form of absolutely eye-roll inducing tripe I read here almost daily.

In short, some of you posters really need to back off and accept that not everyone is going to agree exactly with your tastes. And that disagreement doesn't indicate stupidity, or naiveté, or dishonesty, or lack of experience.

Hell, I'd make this entire post my sig if I could, because I'm sick it.

[touma]

Yeah, I can't help feel that this show is over-rated and not all it's cracked up to be. I think it's probably due to Funimation's marketing power that people think it's so great.
Over-rated by whom? I see as much negative as positive written about it here.
I have watched Kiddy Grade four times so far. Do you really believe that I think that it is great because of "marketing power"? Really, what are you talking about?

[touma]

Excellent post.
It inspires plagiarism. :>

[Relwarc]

And it's something to the rescue again as the voice of (what should be) common sense! ;)

[relentlessflame]

In short, some of you posters really need to back off and accept that not everyone is going to agree exactly with your tastes. And that disagreement doesn't indicate stupidity, or naiveté, or dishonesty, or lack of experience.
So very true, and well said. And, for what it's worth, it's certainly not limited to this place. If we want and expect people in general to be more open-minded about anime, we should probably start by being more open-minded about the interests of other anime fans. Otherwise, we're nothing but a bunch of hypocrites.

[J-Syxx]

Yeah, I can't help feel that this show is over-rated and not all it's cracked up to be. I think it's probably due to Funimation's marketing power that people think it's so great.
Over-rated by whom? I see as much negative as positive written about it here.
I have watched Kiddy Grade four times so far. Do you really believe that I think that it is great because of "marketing power"? Really, what are you talking about?


Yeah, I can't help feel that this show is over-rated and not all it's cracked up to be. I think it's probably due to Funimation's marketing power that people think it's so great.
1) It's a very divisive series, quite love it or hate it for most, so please don't even try to act like it's being blindly praised/fanboyed about, either in this thread or in general.
2) I watched it years before Funimation ever touched it. Clearly I'm just a sheep who fell prey to Funi's marketing power! So, how's that work? I watched it fansubbed, hated it, and then was brainwashed/memory wiped by Funi into buying the discs and loving it? Or maybe I'm just lying?

Once again, people around here really need to quit saying that "people love a show because of 'x'" where 'x' is something mind numbingly silly and impossible to prove, in addition to being ridiculously over-skeptical and downright mean-spirited.

It's truly a sad state of affairs when the first assumption some of you make when someone either 1) likes something more than you do or 2) likes something you don't like, is that clearly the other person is motivated by some reason OTHER than having genuinely enjoyed the show. Genuinely meant everything they said about it. Genuinely experienced the emotions they describe feeling.

How is that not the first idea that comes to mind? I'd never be so pompous as to assume differently. If someone says they like or love a show far more than I do, I believe them. I don't look for utterly ridiculous reasons like "it's the marketing!" or "they're all pedophiles!" or "they're just following the crowd!" That crap is pretty much the parallel (and even more annoying) situation to claiming that if someone doesn't like Show X, then clearly that person "just didn't get it!" or "is narrow minded" or some other form of absolutely eye-roll inducing tripe I read here almost daily.

In short, some of you posters really need to back off and accept that not everyone is going to agree exactly with your tastes. And that disagreement doesn't indicate stupidity, or naiveté, or dishonesty, or lack of experience.

Hell, I'd make this entire post my sig if I could, because I'm sick it.

I was not really talking about people at this board. The people who come here are obviously very much hardcore super-fans of anime in general. But I've noticed this show is well known among much more casual fans all over the place. People who spend more time watching prime-time reality shows and footbal than fansubs and DVDs of every anime known to man. So yeah to me for this show to be known by them, means Funimation did it's just marketing/distributing it. To me I don't see why it received so much fame over other shows, most noticably non-Funimation shows. I would probably say the same thing for FMA.

And maybe it's Funimation's market power that there is the number of people who like this show, as opposed to it being the reason why they like it. Would you at least agree to that? I know you guys came in with fansubs or whatever, but that's not the case for the vast majority.

[something]

So very true, and well said. And, for what it's worth, it's certainly not limited to this place. If we want and expect people in general to be more open-minded about anime, we should probably start by being more open-minded about the interests of other anime fans. Otherwise, we're nothing but a bunch of hypocrites.
Certainly, but this is the only place I post regularly so I don't have too much to say about other sites.

[something]

And maybe it's Funimation's market power that there is the number of people who like this show, as opposed to it being the reason why they like it. Would you at least agree to that? I know you guys came in with fansubs or whatever, but that's not the case for the vast majority.
So, basically, you think it's even remotely noteworthy that "people who weren't aware of the show only became aware of it because it was marketed!" ...isn't that an R1 company's job?? Aren't we constantly on their asses for not marketing enough? For not pushing shows enough? For not selling as much as they could?

Besides, being aware of a show because of marketing is completely and utterly different than what you initially said, which was "It's probably due to Funimation's marketing power that people think it's so great." The former is how things should be, if it's even true anyway -- KG never struck me as a super mainstream show. The latter is just silly and insulting.

A company can make me aware of a show. They can't make me like it. Only the show itself can do that.

[GrateSaiyaman]

I was kind of disappointed how it turned out. This was another anime that could have been better if they didn't screw up the ending, I might've forgotten the earlier problems.
I stuck it out to the end, I don't feel like I got screwed.

The ANN fans seem to think it was worth a 7.2 . . .
I'd say, personally, a 6.6 (c+). I wish I would have rented it.

:roll:

[The Great Bear]

Clearly I'm just a sheep who fell prey to Funi's marketing power!

Baaaaaaaaaa. Baaaaaaaaaaaaa.

…

Okay, seriously, this is a problem that does crop up here a lot.

Taste is a matter of opinion, not fact.

And you know what they say about opinions…

something has basically summed up what needs to be said.

For Kiddy Grade, I like the show, but it's not in my top 10, 20, whatever (I generally don't keep lists--in fact, don't pay any attention to my Top 10 list in the forum thread, if I put that list together today, it could be 10 different shows), because of the ending. I didn't like it (don't hate it, but not really satisfied with it).

I'm looking forward to the second season.

So, am I a Funimation sheep?

[Fencedude]

Kiddy Grade was, for a while, my favorite series.

And yes, its trash, but that doesn't matter because it was highly enjoyable trash.

[touma]

And maybe it's Funimation's market power that there is the number of people who like this show, as opposed to it being the reason why they like it. Would you at least agree to that?
I would agree with that, but the key there is "number of people."
If more people watch a show then it is probably true that more people will like the show. However, it is probably also true that more people will dislike the show. I do not think that marketing can change the percentage of people who like the show.

I do believe that the opinions expressed here, both positive and negative, are based on people's perceptions of the show, and not on marketing power. Well, mostly. We do sometimes get people who say things like "Avoid this show like the plague because I have heard that it really sucks." But that is really a different issue. :sigh:

[cjed]

I've now finished it as well - and I'd also give it a C/C+ rating. I never really cared about the characters, and the 'plot' for want of a better word was a mess. Not even the copious fanservice could save it for me.

It's a shame as around the halfway point something more interesting seemed to be developing. Certainly not one of Gonzo's finest.

[Suwako Moriya]

It's been a long time since I've seen the series myself. From what I remember I found the series to be rather nice in some ways, but in the long run I'm not sure if it was really that great. The fact is the collection of the series R1 wise was never finished and the volumes that were gotten were sold off. Perhaps one day I'll decide on truly taking it over and collecting it, but as of right now that still has yet to happen. If it ever does I'll consider watching Kiddy Grade 2.

[Suwako Moriya]

A company can make me aware of a show. They can't make me like it. Only the show itself can do that.

A company's marketing is most effective for the first volume in terms of getting people to want to check out the show. However I'm sure most people who blind buy singles are going to want to actually watch the first volume before they decide on buying more. No matter how awesome the marketing may be for a show if volume 1 is not good enough for them, they won't want to get volume 2 or beyond. Granted the criteria of what qualifies as good enough for a person blind buying singles is another story and can only be decided by each individual consumer.

[J-Syxx]

And maybe it's Funimation's market power that there is the number of people who like this show, as opposed to it being the reason why they like it. Would you at least agree to that? I know you guys came in with fansubs or whatever, but that's not the case for the vast majority.
So, basically, you think it's even remotely noteworthy that "people who weren't aware of the show only became aware of it because it was marketed!" ...isn't that an R1 company's job?? Aren't we constantly on their asses for not marketing enough? For not pushing shows enough? For not selling as much as they could?

Besides, being aware of a show because of marketing is completely and utterly different than what you initially said, which was "It's probably due to Funimation's marketing power that people think it's so great." The former is how things should be, if it's even true anyway -- KG never struck me as a super mainstream show. The latter is just silly and insulting.

A company can make me aware of a show. They can't make me like it. Only the show itself can do that.

Yeah I stand by exactly what I said. People will like something that is marketed better if they are a casual fan, becuase they haven't seen enough to compare it to. I obviously wasn't talking about someone like you who has seen god knows how many different anime. That's what I meant, if you don't believe that, I don't care. I'm not trying to be an elitist here, I even said I liked the show. Don't take my comments so personal.

As for Kiddy Grade not being a mainstream show, everything that is Funimation is more mainstream than everything else. Their slice of the market-place is huge. It's a proven fact. Some shows like Kodocha might not have followed that trend, but I'm pretty sure Kiddy Grade was a good seller for them.

[Fencedude]

Shockingly, quality and enjoyment are not, quite, the same thing.

Also, shockingly, things that you dislike can be very popular and enjoyed by other people.

[kimmiepooh]

I know this is OT, but I'd thought I'd throw it in FWIW:

at FYE I saw Kiddy Grade - Emerging Anew and Mirror Image volumes for $7.99 each. I was very tempted to pick up both volumes, but I didn't. Maybe if they're still there at the end of August, I'll cave and get them. But I just wanted to let everyone know about that, since this is a Kiddy Grade thread. Sorry for going OT, mods. :( :D

[Fencedude]

Oh lord, thats not off topic at all. Jesus, you think you'd get in trouble for saying that?

[evilarrex]

Kiddy Grade (or Donut Grade) is very much like the namesake of its character Eclair
Fluffy character designs by Gotoh, shiny Gonzo animation, some service moments and action make for a superficially attractive show.
But ultimately sadly lacking in substantial content - there is nothing in the story justifying protracting this out to 24 episodes.

[Fencedude]

Fluffy character designs by Gotoh

*smack*

Kodonosono, not Gotoh.

Dammit. Gotoh directed, Kodonosono designed.

[nakimushi]

A company can make me aware of a show. They can't make me like it. Only the show itself can do that.


Well, I guess Funimation influenced me to buy it by packaging it in a relatively inexpensive collection. :)

I just watched it this past weekend, and although I didn't think it started out too well, and I disliked Lumiere's character design, I was won over by Eclair. Especially in the episode where she was ordered to disperse the protesters.

I can forgive plots that aren't great if I like the characters, and after the scene with Eclair on the bridge, Kiddy Grade could have been worse and I still would have liked it.

I started liking Lumiere's character much more in the episodes that followed as well. So, although I'm not adding Kiddy Grade to my top 20, I did enjoy it.

[evilarrex]

*smack*

Kodonosono, not Gotoh.

Dammit. Gotoh directed, Kodonosono designed.


*Shrugs*
"I never held the pencil!"
"Honest!" "It was all her designs and doing!" :>

Donuts! :P

[something]

Yeah I stand by exactly what I said. People will like something that is marketed better if they are a casual fan, becuase they haven't seen enough to compare it to.
So you still maintain that there's no fundamental difference of being made aware of a show because of marketing (again, thats the R1 company's JOB) vs. being a fan of a show because of marketing?

And you do this while backpedaling to saying you "only meant it for casual" fans, a distinction you did not initially make, and one that doesn't make your argument any more logical anyway.

If someone likes a show, then they like the show. Period. Accept it as is. Don't try to apply qualifiers to it and definitely don't pretend "it's just the marketing!" or "they're just newbies/casual/inexperienced!" If they change their mind about a show later on when they get more exposure to anime, that's fine. The hobby is supposed to evolve for people. But that doesn't mean you can pretend they didn't genuinely like the show the first time around, every bit as much as they said they did.

And do you know why? Because the casual/hardcore dichotomy makes no sense anyway. If I like it, it's genuine because I've seen hundreds of shows of all kinds, but if a casual fan likes it, it's less genuine or even not genuine, because they're allegedly influenced by marketing? Even though they saw the exact same show I did? ...Do I even need to point out how nonsensical that is?

What you're doing is imposing levels of legitimacy or worth to enjoyment. Circumstances for person x make their love of show z more genuine than person y's. Nonsense. You're being patronizing and, whether you want to hear it or not, a plain old poster child for elitism by doing so. It's exactly the sort of attitude that creates almost all the problems in fandom.

[Relwarc]

I've now finished it as well - and I'd also give it a C/C+ rating. I never really cared about the characters, and the 'plot' for want of a better word was a mess. Not even the copious fanservice could save it for me.

It's a shame as around the halfway point something more interesting seemed to be developing. Certainly not one of Gonzo's finest.


Okay, so I just finished watching up to episode 21. I have to say that Eclair and Lumiere's abrupt transitions to new bodies seems so...anticlimactic, especially the big battle with Alv and Dverger. Then, a new "big bad" kind of jumps out of nowhere to take center stage. It feels like the writers just ran out of ideas and simply started sticking in random things in the hope that something will stick.

Personally, I've always liked Eclipse's cold shrewdness. This sudden 180-degree turnaround just doesn't suit. And Armblast and Mercredi have a relationship!? I love how Gonzo just crams everything in at the last possible moment...despite having little to no set up beforehand. I'm still hoping for a good conclusion to wrap up all these teeming loose ends. :sd:

[Shiroi Hane]

Armbrust and Mercredi shouldn't really be much of a surprise if you've seen the PV, especially if you also pay attention in episode 16.