SHOGUN’S NOTE: We’re still taking a break from our regular episode-by-episode write-ups in Watch & Learn to cover as many new shows debuting this season as we have time for. Read our blurbs on…
Good lord. I had myself such a gut laugh after seeing that title card
above. I didn’t stop for the entire episode. Maybe any show is going to look
better when you’re watching it through eyes that’ve tear-ed up from laughter (intentionally
caused, or otherwise), but I ended up giving this show a pass for a lot of
things that I would’ve poo-pooed other shows for doing.
It’s a weird dichotomy. This felt like the most Jack Kirby of any anime
I’ve ever watched. And no, I’m not talking the early Marvel stuff you’re all
aware of. I’m talking about the just patently bizarre stuff he did towards the
end of his run at Marvel, and the beginning of his stint at DC. You know, wackiness
like DEVIL DINOSAUR & MOON BOY and the FOREVER PEOPLE. This show actually
does have a red dinosaur (duh!), but what fits the most is that the show’s namedfor an indistinct
horde of card-based evil creatures literally referred to as “Zillions of Enemy
X.”
Obviously, that’s the Engrish, but it also totally sounds like
something Kirby would’ve cooked up.
What about the other half of that dichotomy, though? Well, this show
still hits plenty of marks of Stereotypical Anime, so it’s crossing a lot of sensory
wires for me. I honestly couldn’t decide what to think or feel when Z/X was throwing all this batshit absurdity at the screen while still insisting
on this dour tone and gloomy color palette. It was almost like watching DEAD LEAVES as remade by
the director of TEXHNOLYZE.
So, I don’t know… this pilot is an undeniable mess. Another first step that’s
buckling under the weight of its own frontloading. But, still… I enjoyed it for the
sheer, mad novelty. How'd your mileage vary?
Watch “Phase
1” and decide for
yourself.
About the Author
 | Tom Pinchuk’s a writer and personality with a large number of comics, videos and features like this to his credit. Visit his website - - tompinchuk.com - - and follow his Twitter: @tompinchuk |
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