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A fusion of Gundam warfare and supernatural wonder — only to buckle under the weight of convoluted political intrigue and overstuffed lore.
Story - 6.2/10 Although I’d hoped to connect more, this being my first Gundam experience, I didn’t come away with a strong impression. This spin-off is not really a great experience for new viewers trying to get into the franchise. I'm not sure if it's meant to be or not, but that is what I gathered from my watch.To start this series off I was pretty excited, I'm generally a big fan of the mecha genre and I've always hear good things about this franchise, so I said why not give it a try with this running spin-off. And while the story has promise, its premise is way too complicated, leading to confusion throughout. My biggest issues were the heavy political implications in the plot, and I'm not the most enthusiast fan of politics in general. In other series I’ve powered through political tangles and still found value, but here the sequences dragged so much I assumed I was missing crucial backstory from previous spin-offs or originals. There were episodes where I was left at the end wondering of what all of the connections done in that episode are for, what do they mean... they are really vaguely covered. To add insult to injury, it layers on a complex supernatural system, intriguing by itself, but combined with convoluted politics and nonstop combat, the result is overkill. How am I supposed to follow hype Gundam battles that cut to characters’ inner thoughts then pivot to supernatural twists all within five minutes? So to that I say, this series has strong story elements, but the execution of cramming them all together falls flat.... It leaves for a lot of confusion, making stuff overly complex.
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Despite its flaws, I mostly enjoyed the series. The characters are really fun, and the story is still good, even though it takes three-quarters of the season to clarify the political conflicts. The narrative’s most flawed aspect is its attempt to unite all these elements. The supernatural system is amazing, for the most part, the way it compliments the mecha system is really well done, resulting in a complex yet balanced fusion. The world-building is amazing, the whole space network is really impressive, with interesting locations and really cool designs. The pet robots are one of the additions which I liked a lot, they were really cute and added a soft touch to the action. The implications on Earth were pretty good as well. It all comes down to the lacking execution, if it wasn't for the really overly done moments, this series would've been a lot higher in my rankings...
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Characters - 8.5/10 There are some standout characters, but others who show promise get lost in the confusion and feel overshadowed. Some of those being Xavier, which to me felt heavily dragged down by the complexity around his political background connections, Deux was an intriguing debut but served no purpose this season. Char, important in other Gundam shows, feels irrelevant here. His late appearance adds more confusion than clarity. his appearance towards the end serves little purpose and just adds confusion to the narrative in my opinion.Now onto the main cast. It features some really fun and interesting characters, as well as some oddly complex and weird ones. First off, I count the robot pets as characters, and they’re amazing. They add a really cute touch as well as an interesting concept, those 'creatures' really made for this series to have a slight comedic element which I really enjoyed and are not characters that should be missed. Both Amate and Nyaan are really well done characters, and the story following both of their journeys really elevated their depth, a nice touch I really appreciated. Amate is a more clumsy person, someone guided more by emotions than anything else which add a great contrast between her and Nyaan, who is more calm and collected, they both come from really different backgrounds and create an amazing dynamic, along with Shuji, a character tied into the supernatural plot, comes off as flat and strangely dull. When it comes to the overarching plot he serves his purpose well I feel, but when it comes to him being a human being for the first half of the series, it leaves a lot of awkwardness and just emotionless moments.
#####There are also other decently relevant characters, the likes of Annqi or Challia, which I feel are really well represented and balanced, I don't have much to say about them as their purpose is more or less to serve guidance in this series, and that is done well, no issues there. Annqi serves as an early villain, her narrative role is well-crafted and coherent. Her connections felt purposeful and easy to understand as well, making for the early arc of the series to be a lot more cohesive compared to the rest of the series. Challia is one of the most involved characters in this series. He has a complex and well done background, a good gundam pilot with experience, highly important connections, multiple implications in politics, and just a really interesting approach when followed in the story. My only issue was how his political background was handled, it created confusion at first, but, with time his background became more and more clear, making for his character to shine as it was supposed to.
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Visuals - 9.4/10 The animation is stunning... world-building, character designs, and a distinctive style I’d love to see again. This series has a lot of standout moments when it comes to animation, the ones that are coming back the most are the gundam fight scenes, they are really well animated as well as beautifully integrated along with the supernatural element of the series. While speaking of the supernatural elements, those are absolutely stunning... The ‘Kira-Kira’ scenes burst with color, creating an ethereal spectacle each time. As well as other less common supernatural elements which look really good. This series really surprised me with how vibrant and intense the visuals are. 
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Closing Notes If you’re an experienced Gundam fan familiar with past entries, you’ll likely enjoy this spin-off. But as I used it, placing for an introduction to the franchise, it leaves for a lot to be desired, causing half the series to feel overcooked, confusing, and underwhelming. The story elements as well as the main narrative have promise and hold a lot of value, making for a somewhat rewarding experience towards the end. For the most part, this series is a mess despite its great supernatural system and engaging narrative. Enjoyment Level - 7.9/10 Favorite Character - Amate Yuzuriha Favorite Episode - Episode 5 ‘Nyaan Doesn't Know About Kira-Kira’
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