When ordinary high school student Aoba Watase is suddenly targeted by a giant robot known as a "Valiancer," he is saved by his mysterious classmate Hina Yumihara. After revealing that she and their robotic enemy are from the future, Hina suddenly propels Aoba 70 years forward in order to prevent his death.
Upon arrival, Aoba finds himself in the cockpit of a Valiancer called "Luxon," stuck in the midst of a firefight between the military forces of the Free Pact Alliance (FPA) and Zogilia Republic. After he shows high compatibility with an FPA pilot named Dio Weinberg, the two perform a successful "coupling," allowing them to share experiences and subsequently increase their capabilities and skills. Although Aoba is able to survive this unexpected battle, he is taken into custody by the FPA ship Cygnus, who wishes to interrogate him. While the student's main concern is whether he will ever be able to return home, what he doesn't realize is that he is about to get caught up in a war to protect the world.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
Nenhum episódio encontrado.
Comentários
notforge
Story: Buddy Complex is a new mecha anime from Sunrise that does not push any boundaries, unlike Valvrave. However, the execution is very well done and keeps me entertained every week. The battles display differing tactics after failed attempts rather than having the same few machines doing the same few moves against each other, which happens in quite a few of Sunrise's previous mecha series. It is a delight to see how our main characters get out of the various difficult situations they are forced into. Art/Sound: Coming from Sunrise, it is not much of a surprise that the art and sound are well done. The background musicduring the battles and while they are on standby fit in very well, and the OP and ED are catchy. The battles scenes are amazing and do not have a noticeable amount of re-used scenes. It is a joy to watch for the art and sound alone.
Characters:
All of the characters seem ordinary. However, they are easily likable and feel human enough not to feel two-dimensional. Also, when they get emotional, there are clear reasons behind them (i.e. their emotional spurts do not seem to be pulled out of nowhere). There are also no noticeable plot holes that I have noticed while casually watching the show.
Enjoyment:
This is where the series shines for me. The anime does not become too ridiculous or too boring, and nothing about it bugs me.
Overall, this anime does not try to be anything out of the ordinary, but its excellent execution and animation keeps me coming back for more every week.
Stark700
Buddy Complex implicates two dramatically different ways from its setup. We get a normal high school student named Aoba Watase with friends, a smile on his face, and like most kids, likes to play sports when they’re bored. Then, it quickly shifts to a mysterious girl coming from the future to apparently save Aoba, giant mecha dropping from the sky to terminate him, and a time travel phenomenon that changes his life forever. Sounds complex right? That’s just the tip of the iceberg as the show doesn’t reveal much in the beginning. Everything comes out as cryptic and plays you around like a jigsaw puzzle.The only clues from the beginning are from the mysterious girl named Hina. Let the complexity ensure.
As a show produced by Sunrise, the classic genre of mecha comes to mind. It doesn’t waste any time in the beginning as we witness several of those causing chaos and havoc at Aoba’s school. The confusing part is not only the HOW but also the WHY. It’s no surprise that the audience will have many questions. But for what’s worth, we do know that Aoba Watase is a loyal friend. Despite having no military experience in the beginning, he listens to every word that Hina has to say and even attempts to save her like the way she is trying to save him. But this initial setup also identifies itself as cliché in the beginning with its gimmicky characters. Taking a look on the surface, the story itself adapts a supernatural device (time travel) and forwards 74 years into the future. But the more complex part is what goes on in that future. For instance, there’s two sides that are seemingly begrudged in a war – the Free Pact Alliance and Zogilia Republic; two sides existing opposite of each other sharing the common goal to win through absolute victory.
Events that does come together may sound typical but what happens in the future really ticks one’s mind when characters forwarded in time are seemingly different. For instance, Hina is almost nothing like the high school girl she debuted as. Instead, we are introduced to a Hina fighting for the Zogilia Republic as a loyal soldier. There’s little explanation in the beginning as to why her character went so much change and how she is there in the first place. But nonetheless, we also find out a character (Dio) that was mentioned by Hina as someone significant and possible benefactor to this futuristic world. Of course, Aoba remains clueless about everything goes on, probably in the same state as the viewers. Luckily, Aoba doesn’t change much and still maintains his characteristics as a loyal friend. Taking on the promise to find Dio, we quickly discover that Aoba has a special ability, the skill to perform the ‘coupling’. Again, this comes as a mystery because we know little about Aoba’s background besides his time at high school. What we still hope for are answers to these questions. The show itself explains in packages, little at a time. It does this first with the mechanics involving what ‘coupling’ is and how it’s performed. Then, it goes on explaining the two nations and its backgrounds in diligent yet unnerving ways. While all this makes sense, there’s a lack of interest because the big mystery still remains to why Aoba is involved with all of this. But do take time to familiarize with this show’s concepts as it does take patience to get through. After all, these concepts are complex by origins and even with cliches formulates a story for thought.
Tossing theories aside, there’s something innovative about Buddy Complex with its character dynamics. Initially, the three main characters (Aoba, Dio, and Hina) have little to nothing in common with each other. Yet, they all somehow get connected in the story not through a coincidental match up but rather through fate. It brings back the time travel trope with the story as the show likes to pander around with secrets and revelations. At the apex of the story, we also find the mysterious pilot that came from the future to kill Aoba. Of course, Hina is there again but this time is seemingly confused by her own identity. And seemingly enough, identity is another issue as Hina doesn’t seems to know exactly who she is beyond her outer persona. As mystery would have taken hold at the core, Buddy Complex slowly yet vividly reveals little by little of its purpose. Whether it’s done through conversations, flashbacks, or just what’s there, the show does actually attempt to pull this out concisely. It also allows viewers to formulate their own theories and see if their predictions are valid in this typhoon of complexity.
Despite the serious nature and warfare dedication of the series, there are moments for lighthearted scenarios. Although it sheds away some of the more tragic moments and brings out a different side, it follows a standard direction of witless context. For instance, the romance subplot between Aoba and Mayuka, another member of the alliance, often comes out as cheesy. It’s not just the dialogues but execution with the usual blushes, misunderstandings, and tawdry interactions. Then, there’s Aoba himself who stands out as nothing really appealing besides his dedication to his friends. Furthermore, we also have Fromm, another supporting character that exploit the princely figure that people seems to idolize. And although Fromm proves himself to be quite a capable player in the war, there’s little characterization besides his initial skill. The series also lacks a bit originality with the classic deserted island encounter, Zogilia’s conception relating to bigotry, and even Gundam Seed-esque installations. What we also do have is clash of ideologies and what the two sides are fighting for – Zogilia’s ambition to conquer the world and Free Pact Alliance fighting for freedom. It’s essentially a duel of wits to bring about a legend to be foretold; a crass legend but nonetheless.
The action battles, in general, are outstanding with the rapid pace and intensity. One of the most mysterious device is the ‘coupling’ system, a weapon that can essentially turn the tides of the war. And while some of the battles lacks integrity, the show has strategy from both sides that demand teamwork, innovative maneuvers, and technological demonstration. Each mecha has its own specifications and designs with key elements. The results often serves as evidence to its performance. Whether successful or failure, it creates a sense of credibility with how technology has involved in the future. Even when not in a mecha suit, the characters also show various degree of military experience such as usage of firearms, explosives, and art of deception. On the other hand, the environment as well as the battlefield of the series can feel to be quite stale and generic. It negates a sense of embellishment for what the war has already created.
Visual quality is courtesy of Sunrise, a studio no stranger with mecha themed shows. Therefore, expect similarity with some of its previous works in terms of mecha designs. Although most of them seems standard, more prominent mecha such as Aoba’s Luxon and Dio’s Braydon are featured with showcase moments. Character designs are also typical with Hina being the most mysterious with her beauty and secretive backgrounds. On the other hand, Aoba stands out as dull with nothing distinguishing to write home about. Fan service is minimal although poorly coordinated when the time calls for it. Nonetheless, it is consistent by Sunrise standards with its portrayal. Nothing earth shattering but acceptable.
Soundtrack plays various roles throughout the series. While some of the OST undermines the serious nature of the atmosphere, there are also moments when it creates variety. In other words, it can shift quickly and simply depending on its scenario. For what’s worth, the OST makes sense whether it’s for emotional scenes, aerial warfare, or climatic moments. The OP song also plays on a decorative way of presenting nearly all the main and supporting characters with decent coordination. And technical wise, most of the characters’ voice mannerisms works well. I do criticize a bit for Aoba’s voice tone as he sounds dull and sometimes forced. The only moments his voice seems to come to life is during arguments he has with Dio and concern for Hina. It’ll take time for the ears to get used to so patience will be key here.
Buddy Complex isn’t a mecha series that will influence future generations of mecha on what’s to come. After all, the term ‘mecha’ has a long history with the anime fandom. Sunrise built its studio on this foundation and presents Buddy Complex with a mixture of its ideas. Yet, to dismiss it entirely as cliche should be an overstatement. The show does offer a hook, to draw viewers into its story especially with so many questions. Whether this is an appeal to you or not will differ but simply put, the show isn’t just about robots fighting mindlessly. Just do be aware of its repetitive gags and some episodes that seemingly serves little development or characterization. It isn’t rocket science to understand Buddy Complex but neither is it that simple. Hopefully the second season will answer questions of complexity in the eye of the hurricane.
diioff
"Connect with Dio" "Acception" You would think that this is just some other Gundam rip-off, but no. It's a new kind of mecha where they bring in time travel and buddy thing as how the title is. Story: 9/10 Its simple, the guy in the past go to future then become some cool character then the story slowly unfold how it ended up in 1st episode. War between two nations/country... robot mecha fight around, yea. I like mecha. Art: 8/10 The character are normal, but the art of Luxon and Bradyon is nice, and when both of them in coupling mode is so damn cool, like how the wings glowand all the cg effects stuff. But the 2 mecha still look like some No-grade Gundam. If Buddy Complex have more budget, the mecha will definitely look nicer with a bit of more detail.
Sound: 9/10
I like both the opening and ending, not bad except the ending give me the feel of watching gundam seed ending. Nevertheless, everything sounds right in this anime.
Character: 10/10
I gonna admit, I like Hina a lot in this anime, just because of her long black hair and purple eyes and definitely how pretty she is. HINA HINA HINA!!!! And seeing how Aoba and Dio slowly become good buddy is really fun, like how they always quarrel with each other but still care about one another. Other character in the anime are also well developed.
Enjoyment: 10/10
All the coupling scene is damn nice! Like how fast Luxon and Bradyon move after they coupled. The fight scene and laser everywhere!!!! I also enjoy how Aoba always talking about Hina as though Hina is his only one. But it's really enjoyable to see fast action mecha fight that is not one sided, even when it is, it will and must be overwhelming!
Overall: 9/10
SEASON 2!!!!!! So yea, they execute the ending for season 1 nicely, I thought it would be some Mahou Sensou's ending. The anime is enjoyable and no need to think so much when watching, because everything will be known episode after episode. And it's very straightforward anime.
So if you are interested in Mecha genre anime, it's not a bad idea to catch this one because you won't have much disappointment in it. Not the best mecha but one of the few good one! :)
naekiyo
I found myself to like this show very much, surprisingly. You may think this is some weird, nerdy mecha anime with painstakingly slow plot progress your too lazy to watch, but Sunrise Studios has done it again. I really liked the funny interactions with each character in each episode, along with the love triangles and the "world war" vibes. The main character, Watase Aoba may look like those generic male characters and kinda is, but there is depth in many of the characters. I can't also wait for the second season, cause this time they'll be romance, trust me, you won't regret watching this anime.The only mecha show I ever watched is Code-geass, and this show is just a mix of shonen and shoujo.
Adakkar
This is my first Review of an anime since signing up with this site. I have used it for a long time, but never actually used it to keep track of what I had watched until recently. Buddy Complex turned out to be a fantastically enjoyable experience for me. It actually surprised me at how much i ended up enjoying it. Story - 8 I found the story to be rather interesting. Sure, the premise has been done before, but buddy Complex handled it well. I never felt like i was being forced to accept the storytellers point of view at any time. It was written ina way that let me accept things right along with the protagonist. This is something that I feel is important when trying to tell a story, that I should never have to just accept that this or that happened for no obvious reason. There is no real complications to the story, so if you are looking for something to engage your mind, this won't be doing that. But it will entertain you like a good story should It lets you sit back and enjoy it without having to try an wrack your brain trying to figure out what is going on.
Art - 10
I really enjoyed the ship and mecha designs, and the characters were all done very well. Smooth animation, up to today's standards. Effects and action scenes were all done very well, and if you see a re-used scene then you would have had to be looking for it specifically. I didn't notice one while watching. Not much more to say here, top notch art for this one.
Sound - 9
OT and ET were good, the battle scenes music was great and fit very well. Sounds fit, characters voices were all done very well, there was depth to battle sounds that needed it, and I enjoyed the music. Not too varied, i will admit, but they used what they had well.
Character - 9
Not sure if people would disagree with me or not, but I really enjoyed the characters in Buddy Complex. They all felt so real. Relationships within the anime between characters felt like they were moving forward at a true pace, not forced or fake. Characters reactions happened realistically and you could understand each persons decisions when they got mad, or depressed. The main two characters Aoba and Dio really stood out for me. Aoba was not too over the top, considering his situation, and his personality was not unfirm. He made his decisions based on who he was, and what he knew. He was a strong, caring person who was stuck in an abnormal situation. His and Dio's relationship really mattered as things moved forward, and each step that it took the viewer could understand exactly how and why it did so.
Perhaps no groundbreaking character personalities here, but you could tell the writers cared about why things happened in the anime, and not just what needed to happen.
Enjoyment - 10
So much enjoyment for me in this. I really wasn't expecting to enjoy it this much when i started it. But each episode i watched i just liked it more and more. The fight scenes, the characters the story, it all wrapped up an engaging little package that made me feel happy to have opened it.
Dark_Sister
Second season? Seriously? I will probably watch it because it’s gonna be hard to make it more boring than first one, so maybe I won’t be so disappointed next time, but why just 4? Story: 2/10 What story? Only the first and the last episode were really worth watching - even though the whole “time travelling” thing doesn’t make any sense… Hey, I’m really curious how Aoba got into the future first time? Cause there must have been reason for Bizon to find him in the past, right? But I expected too much – the whole plot aimed to explain how Hina got in Aoba’sworld and that’s all. Rest of the story is vague and we would have not lost anything significant if they had cut off this 11 episodes.
Characters: 5/10
Sorry, but cuteness is not any determinant for me. Characters are 100% schematic and their decisions tend to be reckless at least – with Aoba at the helm, and there’s nothing worse that irritating protagonist.
Art+ Animation: 8/10
The only point to watch this anime. If you like to watch fighting mechas and colorful, bright and precise animation that’s anime for you. Plus – pretty girls and fancy uniforms;)
Music: 5/10
Not bad, absolutely neutral. I have to admit that I am not able to call in my memory anything which could disturb my reception in some way.
Enjoyment: 4/10
… Which was powered by unceasing expectation for something MORE than next the same looking battle or another character who disappears on following episode and doesn’t play any role in the series. As I wrote earlier – only animation met with my expectations.
Overall: 4/10
This anime is wasted. It could be really great mecha series with some dose of mystery bound up with time travelling, which is just perfect instrument to make a little mess in our heads, but…
It wasn’t such a waste of time after all, but I think this effect was possible only if you watch it week after week, because if you watch it at once there’s a danger that monotony will kill your enthusiasm.
raps
At first glance the Buddy Complex looks generic... but perhaps it's one of the reasons which makes it more enjoyable... From studio SUNRISE... that makes Gundam series... from time to time do an original mecha series like this... Buddy Complex plot and story is basically the basic fundamentals of mecha series... spaceships, mechas, war etc... However the story gets interesting when they include the "time travel" twist... ok I'll stop with that... Like any other SUNRISE original mech series... Buddy Complex also borrows a lot of idea from Gundam franchise which is not bad if it's done correctly... it works fine on this one... Themain story revolves on Aoba the aka mysterious pilot... it's about his journey upon a familiar yet different world his living... plus the two key characters for him are Dio and Hina... both have roles to play on how his journey ends...
If I were to say that it's an all star seiyuu too even the supporting cast... the three main characters notable voices are: Kirito (SAO), Raku (Nisekoi) & Yukino (Oregairu)... as for the supporting cast notable characters: Charlotte (I.S.), Yoko (Gurren Lagann), Gintoki (Gintama), Misaka (Toaru Majutsu), Madoka (Mahou Shoujo Madoka) etc... ooopsss Master Asia's seiyuu is also included...
Overall I can't say anything bad on this series... because to be honest it's a really fun and enjoyable series to me... just give it a try...
I almost forgot to mention that there are 2 OVA's which are episode 14 & 15... it's a good closure to the story...
FuttButar
I have seen many anime and most of the top ones. So what do I think about this anime compared to the likes of Steins gate and Code Geass? Well this anime is shit. There is absolutely nothing new here and everything is rather mediocre.... BUT I found a great deal of enjoyment watching it. Dio was ok and the main guy, whose name slips my memory, was rather enjoyable to watch as he has a strong personality and doesn't have an affinity for finding himself in awkward boob grabbing situations where he blushes and gets all embarrassed. The main reason to watch this animeis Yumihara. One of my favorite Character designs and good voice acting. Really this anime hit all my weak points, and while it fails to break ground on anything it succeeds in entertaining and there is definatly merit in that. If your looking for a good Mecha/Romance anime give this one a try, you might be pleasantly surprised
Ghostfriendly
An astonishingly vapid and pedestrian mecha anime, which tries to score points with the yaoi fans, but boasts two males leads with all the chemistry of those two dead ducks served up 'side by side in death'. One is mildly straitlaced, one is impulsive in the miserably predictable way that only bad shonen heroes can be, and all the two have in common is their unwavering desire to protect their friends. The single most ubiquitous trait among male protagonists of cheap action anime. The female lead is somewhat proactive, but nothing to write home about. Everyone else, we've seen before done a lot better; the straitlacedfemale XO, the disabled imouto, the lazy but brilliant commander, the eccentric good scientist, suave evil scientist and of course, the bridge bunnies. All of these archetypes can be good, with development and backstory, but the complete absence of these ingredients is shocking. And then as for plot we have the pointlessly evil empire, superpowered mineral, arrogant supporting villains, missile massacres and search for a loved one, adding up to a dreary world of cardboard. Does the series get some points for a reasonably sensible time-travel plot? No, it gets no points, because SPOILER the loop relies on travellers being de-aged by time travel sometimes, but not other times, with any explanation.
To be fair, this thinness of plot lets the series get in about one solid aerial mecha battle per episode, which is probably what the writers were going for, and the reason that only the central three characters have any development; they're the only ones we need to care about for these battles to have significance. Essentially the rest of this cardboard world exists to get them into the cockpit. And the mecha battles are...kinetic, and competent, with decent music, but nothing to write home about. That really is the best that can be said for this series, and the worst is pretty terrible.
One other good point is that most of the villains are developed about as well as the supporting good guys; the evil empire's rank and file really are ordinary soldiers fighting for their own motherland. In fact an anime about Commander Razan could have held much more interest...
Finally, there was noise in some quarters that Slaine Troyard from mecha series Aldnoah.Zero was a copy of Bizon, from Buddy Complex. The character-types are similar, but while the former series spends half its runtime building sympathy for Count Troyard, Bizon's far more aggressive, brashly controlling, openly selfish and eventually psychotic prosecution of his feelings for Hina had no adequate justification at all (something to do with his mother?). Hence both in presentation and substance, one is a well-written anti-hero, the other a badly written villain, thank you and goodnight.
LittleBrownFox
I expected Buddy Complex to be just another Mecha that I watched for shameful enjoyment. It was, but it was also a bit more. Admittedly Buddy Complex is NOT going to change the face a Mecha, but it has some good characters and an interesting story-line. I watched through the whole series surprisingly quick. Now for the bad things. The ending to the anime (minus the special) is meh, and the special just MADE ME MAD! The pacing is really off at times and there are a fair number of unanswered (or poorly answered) questions. The art style is nothing amazing and the dialog is better if you arethe type to dissect every line (otherwise it can be a bit flat at times).
All that said, the series is definitely a fun and easy watch. The dynamic between Aoba and Dio by itself can keep you smiling.
Buddy Complex - A fun watch that won't become a favorite, but isn't a waste of your time either.
samkhoa
Buddy Complex is a action/mecha type of anime recently aired in January 2014. I recently watched it and I find that it's very interesting and entertaining to watch. -What I would like to point out first is the Overall Design and the Sound of the anime: It bugs me a lot seeing that the designing is so much similar to another mecha anime, Kakumeiki Valvrave. I understand that they have the same producer, and possibly some artists who worked on Valvrave, but it just annoys me. Otherwise, the other designs besides from the characters I find very original and it hardly boresme with this art style. The battle scenes are perceived very well as well as the music (OP/ED) and some background music during the anime.
-Secondly, the story:
No offence to any Buddy Complex fans here but in my opinion, the story is highly predictable. However, it didn't stop me from being extremely excited and it is very tempted to watch the next episode after finishing one. The plot did a great job creating a scifi-action anime with a romantic kind of atmostphere at some parts.
-Overall:
This anime is extremely fun to watch and it is very intriguing to find out what's going to happen next. I would recommend this anime to anyone finding an anime with great artworks.
ue6o7
Buddy Complex is yet another addition to the string of near-indistinguishable mecha series that Sunrise seems to have no problem effortlessly churning out year after year alongside their usual Gundam installments. It's a pretty standard mecha show that on closer inspection has both standout qualities and heavy flaws. Right from the first episode alarms were going off in my head; this was going to be another time loop story. I really didn't have faith that the creators could successfully pull one off here, and to put it bluntly: they couldn't. It makes absolutely no sense and is barely understandable even once things are explained. The sheeramount of logical leaps and assumptions that have to be made when it comes to this time travel plot are astounding. It's like they saw Steins;Gate and Madoka Magica and thought they could do the same thing, without actually understanding how those shows work.
However, with all of that being said, the time travel story has little to no bearing on the meat of the show, and merely bookends what is otherwise a typical mecha action series with its usual grab bag of tropes. So, for eleven of the show's thirteen episodes, you can almost forget about it and all of its stupidity—almost.
Our protagonist, Aoba, finds himself sent seventy-or-so years into the future by his mysterious classmate, Hina, where he's flung right into a war between two opposing factions. As expected, he ends up piloting a giant mecha to fight for one of them. The series' main gimmick, and explanation for the title, is actually something called the "Coupling System," which involves two pilots connecting—not combining, but rather syncing up—mid-battle to increase their fighting abilities. A surprising amount of detail is given about how this system works and what effects it has on the pilots, although it can get a little jargon-heavy. At the end of the day, it's clearly a plot device to get the series' main protagonists, Aoba and Dio, to develop as characters together. And, for what it's worth, that aspect of the show works pretty well.
Aoba's disoriented outlook on the world and selfish desire to meet with Hina again naturally conflict with Dio's cold front and strict adherence to the military's rules, causing them to frequently butt heads. At first, Dio only values Aoba as a necessary component to the "Coupling System," but does learn to respect and care about him as a person. Their interactions and chemistry become some of the series' strong points, for sure.
However, the same can't be said for the mechas themselves. Honestly, the mecha designs just don't appeal to me at all in this series. They're very much like those of Code Geass: sleek, vibrant, neon-colored, and complete with all sorts of jagged edges and pointy bits. Except, unlike with Code Geass, none of them have particularly interesting designs, and trying to tell the difference between each of them becomes a challenge in its own right amidst the fast-paced cuts of the action scenes. The action scenes as a whole fail to be too exciting, being that they almost always take place in the sky above never-ending oceans. Fight choreography is almost nonexistent, with most battles consisting of mechas firing lazers in ambiguous directions at ambiguous targets. Then, once the protagonists' "Coupling System" activates, the battles further devolve into incomprehensible lazer light shows of flashy orbs that zip around the screen causing explosions in their wake. There's no real tension as you're unable to follow the flow of the action. The only response it might elicit from the viewer is the thought: "Well, I guess they've got it under control." From that point on, it's probably okay to space out.
Though, I will give a shout out to the main theme that pops up near the end of most of these action scenes. It's one that's sure to catch your attention and maybe even have you believe that the fight you've just slept through was actually grandiose and satisfying; hey, it worked for me at least. Unfortunately, while I have to give props to Sunrise for still bothering to traditionally animate their mechas, they're also guilty of resorting to CGI occasionally, and in this show that ratio is somewhere around 50/50. Some great animation could have really made up for the uninspired mecha designs, but more often than not it feels like you're just watching some toys floating around on screen.
This show is by no means always ugly to look at, though. Strangely, this show has simultaneously generic and appealing character designs. I'd be lying if I didn't say that the girls were super attractive, and if I swung a certain way, that the boys were as well. However, on their own they probably wouldn't stand out too much in the larger sea of anime designs. That's why it's definitely to the animators' credit that the characters are consistently well-drawn and look great regardless. Particularly, their eyes are given lots of detail, and close-up shots are gorgeous. The character animation is also consistently fluid enough and comfortably above average.
Given my contempt for this show's mecha fights, it's no surprise that I find its slower-paced episodes to be the strongest. Aoba's reflective trip to his dilapidated hometown was nice, as he reminisced about his school and his family. It was cool to see and put things into perspective. There's also a nice amount of comedy and lightheartedness among the different characters and crew of the Cygnus. Most of them are likeable enough, but just don't receive enough screen time. The same is true for the opposing faction, whose similarly large cast of characters just don't get the development that they need. Because of this, there are certain scenes that attempt to solicit more emotions from the audience than are probably deserved.
Later in the show, we learn that Dio has certain family issues, concerning both his father and his sister. Aoba tries to act as a sort of mediator between them, initially much to Dio's chagrin. It's interesting to see Aoba's perspective on Dio's shaky relationship with his father as someone who no longer has the ability to talk with his own, and the drama that comes from this is not bad, although it does feel like more could have been done with it by the end of the series. Nevertheless, it serves as a nice counterpart of Dio's to Aoba's ongoing obsession with finding Hina.
Hina herself is a double-edged sword of a character. Her character arc is fairly interesting, but it ultimately stems from the terrible time loop plot that sets the story in motion in the first place. However, if you can ignore that—and ignoring it isn't too difficult considering the worst of it only comes at the end when you learn what was supposed to have been happening—she's a worthwhile character with compelling hardships, who's forced to make decisions with real consequences. It helps that her design is especially great to look at, too.
Now, allow me to go on a bit of a tangent:
This show features a textbook example of what I like to call the "Hopeless Third Wheel" character. It's not that I necessarily hate these characters—they can be cute and have their own fun quirks—but rather, I hate the inevitable purposelessness that they're doomed to. These characters are always immediately identifiable: They're air-headed, soft-spoken, super nice towards the main character, and for whatever reason, they usually have short hair; tsundere varieties exist as well, and sometimes they're a childhood friend. You know they aren't going to matter to the main story, and they won't ever reach their one goal in life. What is that goal? To fuck the protagonist, of course; it's their main defining trait. Problem is, in the shows they usually inhabit, it's incredibly obvious who the main character's true love interest is, and therefore any progression with this "Hopeless Third Wheel" feels like a waste of time for her and for the viewer.
Mayuka, here, fits this role to a T. That's a shame since she looks quite good and her personality is one of the less grating of this archetype. To be fair, she does get one nice episode where she accompanies Aoba on his aforementioned trip to his hometown, where she gives him support and helps him figure out what he needs to be doing. But, at best, that's all the "Hopeless Third Wheel" can ever accomplish: locking herself in the ground to provide support for the male lead and subsequently staying there, never moving for her own sake, and never having the resolve to actually get with him as an equal. That's why they lose, and that's why they're frustrating to watch.
Anyway... It's important to note that this show ends on an extremely rushed final episode that even leaves off on a cliffhanger. But, everything is okay, for a short two episode finale was made to finish it all off. Well, it would've been okay if the sequel wasn't actually even stupider than the series was at its dumbest. If you thought the time shenanigans weren't too bad here, just wait until you watch that.
It's hard to say if Buddy Complex was too ambitious or just incompetent. Because it's a solid show when it's doing things right; certain characters are well-developed and the production values can be great. However, when it comes to mecha action and time travel scenarios, this show falls flat on its face.
moo_nee
A basic mecha anime with an extremely interesting gimmick ruined by a boring setting, generic characters with half-baked relationships and time travel shenanigans. Given that the very cool Coupling system hinges on the main leads' growing comradeship the anime would've probably benefitted from having more episodes, as the relationship between Aoba and Dio feels severely underdeveloped and I couldn't help but roll my eyes at the "bond" between Aoba and Hina. I ended up much more invested in Hina's friendship with a certain secondary character, who seemed pretty nice and reasonable until the writers decided to make him do a 180 and make him irredeemably eviland unlikeable in what I assume was an attempt to make us root for Aoba and Hina instead.
The voice cast is positively STACKED and Hayamin smashes her role as per usual, so the sheer amount of notable actors might make this worth watching if you're a seiyuu enthusiast.
The mecha designs are pretty cool if a little on the generic side, but I know how difficult it is to design totally unique-looking robots. The fight scenes are all made in (THANK GOD) 2D animation, which is increasingly rare for the genre these days. The action sequences are pretty neat and when activated the Coupling system adds a nice visual flare to the robots.
The character designs themselves aren't all that noteworthy other than Hina, who I found really visually appealing. Everyone wears these basic as hell futuristic military uniforms so if you dig that aesthetic you're in luck.
Overall, I think I went into this show with my expectations too high. While it is a perfectly serviceable mecha anime I saw in it the potential to be something truly special and found myself very disappointed and frustrated when it failed to live up to that potential.
Mecha fans will probably get some enjoyment out of this show for the fight scenes alone (though they feel rather short), and there's got to be Someone out there who'll actually care about the character drama; unfortunately that someone wasn't me.
Also the opening goes hard as hell.
BadAshley
Gotta wonder what Sunrise has been up to lately. Below is an actual conversation between the writers. Hey, you know that Gundam show we made about Vampire Gundams and immortals? Let's do something even more stupid! I'm listening... So you have these two dudes flying robots. Same robot?No, two robots, but they're going to propose, accept, and couple--because they're best buddies!
Like gay sex?
No, nothing like gay sex. One guy is the feisty one, the other is the brooding silent one. They don't get along at first, like when another cute buddy shows up, their coupling goes down, but when they fight with one another their coupling is super awesome and lasts longer.
...like gay sex.
What is wrong with you?
Can we make one of these... buddies a girl?
Get the hell out of my office you sick pervert! Wait, no, we can make some backstory up about time travel and the girl is interested in one of the buddies, but it's not the same girl. And we can just recycle leftover scripts from Gundam Nacho Supreme Fartkontrol Omega Niner Extreme about how the super cool bad guys are chasing the buddies! You know, like every Gundam show we've done since the 1980s. Don't worry, the audience won't notice.
...I wonder if Production I.G is hiring?
Fortress_Maximus
Story: 4 - Of the three original Sunrise mecha series from the early 2010s that didn't have a big name attached to them, Buddy Complex plays it the safest and by-the-book. The ongoing war in the series backdrop is the most generic real robot setting there is, it's not below average, it's decent at best. But it does have some innovation or things done before but rarely seen like time travel and the titular buddy system. The big issue with the story, though, is its pacing, most of the content it copies were series that did them in 2 to 4 cours, this does it in 1cour and leaves us on a cliff-hanger
Art: 5 - The character designs were okay, not the best fit for a series of this genre but it's not bad. The mechanical designs were fairly unique.
Sounds: 5 - Nothing too special. The OP and ED at okay to listen to.
Character: 5 - The inclusion of a time-travel element works in this regard; the fish-out-of-water journey of Aoba was quite captivating, how he adapts to life in the future, searching for his old home and school. Most of those outside the main characters felt like clichés, however.
Enjoyment 5: A series a few good ideas held back by its pacing and vast amounts of genericity.
Overall: (4+5+5+5+5)/5 = 4.8, rounds up to 5
Alolanroy
This show made me remember why I love Mecha Anime. This thing is a Gundam in all but name, but it has enough of its own identity. Its standout aspect is its absolutely breakneck pace. You could argue it is tropey, but this thing blasts through what usually takes 25-50 episodes. It trims enough fat to only leave the exciting moments and it only has a slow point in retrospect. You know how Gundam 0079 had an insane last handful of episodes because they compressed the last season? this show feels like 12 (14 including the 2-episode sequel, which is a must see) of that energy.Most of it is take it or leave it...but it is no exaggeration that the last few episodes had me hooting and hollering. and I cant remember the last time I did that.
kottadragon
Buddy Complex is okay. It’s fine. This show has serious potential, but it fails to deliver on any of it or knock you out of your seat, so what you’re left with by the end is a fairly bog standard anime that leaves no lasting impression, to the point where reviewing it actually took a fair bit of introspection just to tackle what it does wrong and what it does right. The main critique I would level at Buddy Complex is its story and its main cast. I have never seen somebody so slow on the uptake when it comes to the mechanics of a timetravel plot; it’s one thing that Aoba does not grasp the exact nature of the situation thrust upon him, but he spends so much time repeating the exact same talking points to people about events they clearly have no knowledge of, due to not experiencing them yet, that you are left with the impression Aoba grew up under a rock. It’s the kind of handling that blows straight past portraying somebody ignorant of a trope into a denial of common sense and basic deduction.
Then there’s Hina, who has a whole lot of problems and is a pretty big can of worms that’s difficult to tackle while remaining spoiler-free. Suffice it to say, I’m surprised she’s portrayed as having any real loyalty to Zogilia, our main antagonist, when it seems to mean nothing in the face of her defection—an inevitable story point you will be aware of by the end of episode 1.
Ultimately, to praise Buddy Complex after ragging on it for a minute, the cast of side characters are rather likable for what screen time they get. The only real complaint in regards to any of them is that they would have benefitted from time in the spotlight that was wasted on the main cast without really adding extra dimensions to them.
As things progress, you definitely feel that things are picking up momentum. But the highs of the climax were damaged by the inane nature of Hina’s arc, to the point I was actually sympathizing with Bizon who was feeling more and more like the lone sane man in a mad world.
As for the visuals, Sunrise was once again doing what they do best. The artistry of the show is consistent, there is never a noticeable drop in quality and said quality is quite good for the year it was released without being anything exceptional. However, they do deserve praise for delivering more 2d mechs rather than resorting to taking the lazy, easy way out with CG.
The mechs themselves are sadly nothing to write home about on this one, which is the biggest mark the show has going for it after the characters. Bradyon and Luxon are some of the most generic and forgettable MC suits I’ve seen in a long time, and as for other ‘Valiancers’, they sadly don’t get enough time to leave an impression. For the most part, fights spend as much time in the cockpit as they do showing you the actual battle, so you never really get the chance to appreciate what you’re looking at.
Fights that could be much worse. Enemy commanders do a good job of not falling into the same tactical rut. Once something loses its tactical edge, they tend to approach the issue from a different angle, so you are exposed to a nice bit of variety at least in that regard. Praise that I have to immediately damage because every fight ends in the exact way. The MCs break out their special technique, the show’s one piece of memorable music kicks in, and then it’s over or time for a retreat.
That sums up Buddy Complex pretty well. It does something good, then it does something to damage that. 8s? 7s? Buddy Complex is no higher than a 6 and it gets a 5 from me. There are much better pickings out there for you.
Ringrose
Though it has been largely forgotten at this point, except by Banpresto, "Buddy Complex" is a fairly formulaic mecha show, yet it manages to entertain me every time. The story involves, as you guessed, a young man being thrust into war due to falling into the cockpit of a mecha, but this time through time travel shenanigans. After piloting the mech, our hero, Watase Aoba, is conscripted into the war between Zogilia and the Confederation. Despite its brevity, one of the show's strengths is its ability to make the most of its runtime. It doesn't dwell on anything unnecessary to the story it aims to tell.The main character and his partner, Dio Weinberg, develop a genuine bond over the course of the series.
This storytelling style is highly effective for a short series like this, and everything comes full circle by the show's end. However, it's also one of its more unfortunate aspects because the show's short duration leaves some plot elements and characters underdeveloped.
The nice characters are, well, nice, but who are they really? We never learn this. We might catch glimpses, but ultimately, we get nothing more. Meeting other soldiers or delving into some drama beyond the time travel plot, like focusing on the commanders or soldiers of the Federation, could have helped establish deeper connections.
Nevertheless, there are other positives. The action scenes involving the mechs are stellar and never become dull, and the music is a joy to listen to. The Japanese voice acting is top-notch, and it's evident that the actors put their A-game into their characters.
It's regrettable that "Buddy Complex" won't see more than this or its two-part finale. Apparently, it was prematurely ended due to poor ratings, but I personally believe that banking on a smartphone game, where additional character backstory was also left, instead of model kits, isn't the best way to sustain a show.
In conclusion, if you're seeking a light yet enjoyable mecha show, give this one a watch. Just don't expect much beyond that. No matter how many years pass, I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for "Buddy Complex."
spacenewtype
Nice little show, though it feels like it had enough steam to go at least for a 25 episode run, if not a full 50. I don't know why it wasn't longer... Amazingly, it does manage to wrap the story up well enough in a two-parter which is quite impressive. I wish there were more, though, and as a result there isn't as much to dig into and love as there might have been if it were longer. It is very competent in just about everything it tries, though it does not break new ground anywhere really. If you've ever enjoyed a Sunrise mecha animein the past, you'll likely enjoy this one too.
The Japanese performances are excellent as you'd expect, the music is good - especially the opening theme. The strongest element in this show for me was the character designs. There's something about them I find really appealing, something like a cross between Cross Ange and Eureka 7.
