Jan 11 2009
Winter Season Review: Chrome Shelled Regios - Episode 1
Chrome Shelled Regios
Studio: ZEXCS
Premiere Date: 1/10/09
Genre: Fantasy Action
My second sci-fi series of the day to be absolutely nothing like I thought it would be.
The Story
In this futuristic society, humanity has been driven into large encapsulated, traveling habitats called Regios due to giant, roaming monsters created from pollution. Each Regios hosts its own population and each one specializes in something, be it transportation or in the case of Zenri; education. The hero of ‘Chrome Shelled Regios’ is Layfon Alseif, a new student who intended to join the academy Regios as a general student working his way through. After seeing his talents on his first day though, the student council president insists that he be bumped to the top scholarship rank and be assigned to join the 17th Military Arts Platoon in order to help the school survive.
Good and the Bad
Absolutely nothing like I thought it would be. That is all one can say about this amazing first episode of ‘Chrome Shelled Regios’. The opening sequence to ‘Chrome Shelled Regios’ starts the series off on a very tense note; a bus wants to leave the Regios but a pollution monster is attacking. Enter the platoon assigned to take care of it and we have an introduction that has audiences glued to their screen instantly.
‘Chrome Shelled Regios’ manages to do things well in its first episode that some series don’t manage by their third. In the opening sequence, everything is set up for the audience. The world is created in a way that can be felt by the audience right away and the action is driven from the beginning. From here the series manages to gently segue back though.
The introduction of characters throughout the first two acts of the episode is very smooth. From scene to scene, the introduction of characters throughout each event never feels rushed. All of the characters get some time to be introduced and yet none of them ever feel like they’re on screen for too long.
The humor in this first episode is where I found the biggest surprise though. When I originally watched the trailers and promo videos for this series, it seemed as though every couple of seconds someone was being shown having a reaction shot. This led to me taking away the idea that the series was going to be filled with stupid over the top reactions that spent too much time trying to be funny instead of actually funny. In reality though, the humor in this series is inserted at a nice easy pace. None of the jokes or reaction shots ever feel forced and the jokes always manage to get at least a small chuckle.
Music
From start to finish one of the biggest reasons why this first episode is so enjoyable is because of the soundtrack composed by Daisuke Asakura (‘Gravitation’ as well as themes for ‘Code Geass’, ‘Rurouni Kenshin’ and ‘Soul Eater’). From the driving electronic beat that pushes the opening battle scene to the soft tranquil theme that plays during the opening animation and beyond, the music in this first episode refuses to be ignored. Every scene in this first episode owes some sort of thanks to the music for making them better just by creating perfect atmospheres.
Cast
The big reason why the comedy in this first episode works so well is because the cast doesn’t reach for them. Giving strong performances that are never over-performed the cast really comes across well. Leading the cast in this regard as Nobuhiko Okamoto as Layfon and Ayahi Takagaki as Nina. Both of these seiyuu do such a great job of not working too hard to sell the line or the jokes that they deliver. The simple and natural reactions go such a long way towards creating the laugh.
The one role in this first episode that did manage to grate on my nerves a little is the perky Mifi played by Eri Sendai. To be fair, part of the reason why this character might be so annoying though is that she’s the only one in the series with such a hyper personality. Compare this to the much more laidback attitudes of everyone else and any character would feel out of place or over-performed.
Overall
Once again, I’m finding myself pleasantly surprised by the first episode here. With the premiere episode, ‘Chrome Shelled Regios’ has managed to start a story with a strong hook, delivered by intriguing and entertaining characters while being presented with better than average animation and a wonderful musical score to go with it. If this series can manage to find a theme to run with and manage to stick with it, this could be the surprise hit of the season.
Final Grade: A-
