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Cross Ange: Tenshi to Ryū no Rondo

クロスアンジュ 天使(てんし)と竜(りゅう)の輪舞(ロンド)(Cross Ange: Rondo of Angel and Dragon) is a mecha Anime about lesbians fighting dragons using transforming mecha…at least, that’s what the first half is about.

Review

As alluded to in the initial summary, the series is split into roughly two parts, which becomes obvious to almost everyone watching. I don’t remember many details of the series, so this review will be general. Once (or rather ‘if’) I re-watch this series I’ll be sure to add more detailed critiques.
The first half is what I’d consider to be a fairly standard mecha seriesA) with added fanservice. The sexy stuff didn’t bother me all that much when I first watched itB), as I believe there are other shows that have way more sexual contentC). This part is mostly focused on the main characters battling dragons every episode and resolving personal drama. There are hints for the second part sprinkled in every now and again.
The second part of the series is what I’d believe most viewers would consider the ‘cool’ part. The focus shifts away from repeated battles against dragons to a story about rebelling against the creator god of the world. I won’t go into further details, because I don’t remember them.
I mentioned before that it’s obvious to viewers that the series is split into two halves, and that’s sort-of the issue. While the two parts do flow together moderately well, it isn’t to the same degree as Koutetsujou no Kabaneri, where I didn’t even notice the transition when I first watched it.
There were a few times I felt some of the characters were off, particularly Jill, although I don’t remember the details exactly. I found the worldbuilding interesting, and I do still occasionally think about that aspectD).
I remember being impressed with the soundtrack of the show, which shouldn’t be surprising when we consider the name of the series.
The final note I have is that the CG is noticeably better than in most anime, although it isn’t good enough for it to not be obvious.

Speculah & Analysis

What I was expecting

One thing I noticed after watching the series was that it wasn’t what I had expected to happen when I was first watching itE). I initially thought that the Norma were going to rebel against the people of mana, starting a civil war; eventually being joined by the dragons.
While this did happen, to a certain extent, there was more of a focus on ‘cosmic forces’F), which did annoy me a little.
I don’t necessarily dislike the story that was there, but I thought it would have been more interesting to see a more ‘grounded’ story.
I’m not sure if I feel this way nowadays, although I do still remember the story felt awkward in places. I’ll leave figuring out if this would have been better than what we got for after I re-watch the series.

,
A) I used to repeatedly state that I don’t watch much mecha, but I think at this point I’ve seen a few.
B) At least according to the previous version of this review.
C) The obvious choices, which I’ve seen, would be Strike Witches, Prison School, No Game No Life, and Highschool Of The Dead. Strike Witches and NGNL are quite reserved compared to Prison School and HOTD however.
D) The previous version of this review mentions I felt the worldbuilding was inconsistent sometimes, but it doesn’t expand further. I don’t remember the details at all, so I’m only mentioning this in this note.
E) This is most definitely because of how this series was constructed in two parts. To be clear here though, I’m not saying that the series was produced in two parts, but that the story comes off as having been two separate stories glued together.
F) This was the best term I could come up with to describe it with the least number of words.