Today I’ve got a review of… a deeply mediocre giant robot show. Regalia has some sweet robot fights and cool sound design, but its actually storytelling is pretty darn bad. I like the base concept of a giant robot show centered not on Masculine Power but on the nature of sisterhood, but Regalia’s writing was just not strong enough to capitalize on that premise. Still, it does have some sweet traditionally animated robot fights, if that’s what you’re into.
You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my episode notes below.
Episode 1
Solid effects and giant robot animation
“Twelve years ago – the kingdom of Rimgarde”
Also really punchy sound design – you can really feel the impact and power of these robots, the consequence of them smashing against each other in the rubble of this city
“The Enastorian Empire”
The two sisters, right
Yui is the blonde, Rena is the tiny one
But the tiny one is “big sis”
Aoi seems to be Yui’s manager. Yui’s apparently an important figure
The animation is pretty strong, though the background art is so-so
Kei, a mysterious white-haired girl
More great traditional robot animation
Regalia Gear are the robots
The enemy mech has a retractable ball and chain
Man, Rena’s mech looks so sweet. Awesome cape
Good orchestral music too, if fairly archetypal
Magne Alecto is Rena’s other name, as the core of her mech. She’s not actually human
I like that Yui immediately shuts down this thinking. “We’re family. I want to be your strength, big sis”
A mecha show about two sisters fighting as one is a very good idea
The choreography of the mech, and these flame effects, is phenomenal
I like how agile their mech is, too
Lots of Ominous Figures to conclude this episode
Episode 2
Welp, Yui’s the Empress of Enastoria
She holds a press conference discussing the incident
Rena reveals she was the Regalia at the not-Bastarl incident, and they discuss how to potentially fight back against more mechs
The intimate scenes between the sisters are good
Retty, some other friend of Yui’s
This three sizes joke sure isn’t funny
Ingrid and the other white-haired bad guys want the Regalia, Rena
“The country versus my sister” is a fine conflict, but this country feels totally unbelievable
Very good mech design for this magic show battle
I do really like that Yui’s cabinet is actually supportive
The fight choreography remains strong, and these magic tricks gimmicks do make this fight pretty unique
Episode 3
The sound design continues to be very impactful
Whoa, some Eva-style mecha body horror as this fight concludes
A blue-and-white mech appears to fight Rena’s mech
More distinctive effects animation, too. Though this fight is super busy
SHADOW RENA. This narrative’s major beats are all pretty tired stuff
Tisis is the other mech. Tia and Sara, the little girls who like eating, are its pilots
Looks like we now get a comfy festival segment
Tia and Sara know Rena. Tia is another Regalia
This episode’s mostly just really dull. This show doesn’t do slice of life well
Yeah, this episode was likely intended to be “the world we’re trying to protect,” but just came off as really boring
Episode 4
Humanizing the white-haired antagonist crew. Ingrid and the rest of them
Abel, the older man, volunteers to head out
The green-haired kid seems like the worst of them
Ingrid Tiesto, the first princess of Rimgarde – she’s apparently just as she was 12 years ago at the incident
So her whole royal crew are now the white-haired bunch
Kei, the young girl, is also a Regalia
This larger setting definitely doesn’t feel real at all. It’s a monster of the week world
“If you continue to fight us, your people will surely suffer.” The thematic battle is the text itself, but it’s so threadbare. This world needs to be more real for this conflict to feel meaningful
Rena’s losing her cool
“Why don’t you let Yui help you, Rena?” This episode’s big conflict
This sequence of Yui visiting the bridge being repaired is very good. Helps give a sense of this country and its people as real things
Episode 5
This world and narrative are just barely there. Everything outside of the bond between the two sisters is so floaty
They decide to broadcast their battle with Butlerman to the whole country
Yui makes some kind of pact with Rena and Alecto
Pretty solid animation and choreography this fight
Abel bites it heroically, as was foretold
Episode 6
Time for a hot springs episode, I guess?
Sara and Tia spent 2,000 years searching for Rena
This show’s biggest problem continues to be the incredibly threadbare nature of its narrative and world. Only the things the show cares about at any given moment feel meaningful or real at all
They get contacted by another Regalia who wants to meet them
Meanwhile, the white-haired girls visit their ruined country
They arrive at what looks like a decrepit regalia warehouse
Again, there’s no connective tissue pulling these dramatic touchstones together
Ryu and Enki are the wielder and Regalia-bearer. Lowe is the regalia
“Erinius… three Regalia governing the power of revenge”
Lux Ex Machina is the big bad sealed monster, lol
Another of those shows defined by a shadowy group of bad guys who meet nowhere to cackle over their evil plots
They decide to go to Rimgarde to understand Ingrid’s feelings
And the bratty kid attacks
Episode 7
A mech battle during freefall is a sweet idea, and this scene executes on it well
The animation is also solid
The way Rena’s mech uses its scarves as appendages is also very clever
The main group exploring this ruined city is pretty charming
Also allows Yui to genuinely come off as the little sister
They arrive at Kei and Ingrid
Rimgarde was researching some new energy source, a mysterious advisor appeared who furthered their research, it turned out they were just looking to revive Lux Ex Machina
Ingrid tries to explain her motivation, but the mech attacks! Artificially concealing her sympathetic motives is pretty meh
Right, Johann’s the bratty kid
Kei turns into a golden mech
I do like how distinctive all the mechs are. They even have their own unique transformation motif – Rena with her chains, Tia with lightning, Kei with the golden crystal
This fight is just a lot of flashy stuff happening, though. No real back and forth
Episode 8
“That over there – it’s not the real Kei!”
They go on a journey through Kei’s memories
Johann is the evil scientist who progressed their research
“You must have someone you care about, too!” Yui trying to reason with Johann
“The three Regalia of Erinius are together. We can cause a resonance”
Kei is freed by the other two
Everybody fighting Johann now. How does this show go on for another four or so episodes?
Lots of sweet robot attacks specific to their models. If you’re here for that, the show is pretty good at it
And remarkably good effects animation
Episode 9
Time to remember Abel for his sacrifices, I guess
“Succession.” So now Kei and Ingrid are just part of the main cast? I guess?
“What exactly was Johann after?” Time for the true big bad, I guess?
Some fuwa fuwa scenes of Ingrid trying on a dress
This show’s humor sure is bland
Ingrid recalling Yui’s mother
“Why do we have kings?” Jeez, Ingrid
“What do you like about your country?” The story sure is going in some odd directions now that it’s run out of plot
Talking about royalty being a symbol of pride for the people
A nice conversation about mothers and daughters
Ingrid congratulating Yui in her mother’s place
JOHANN ARRIVES
TWO JOHANNS
FOUR JOHANNS
Mechs appear around the palace
Ah, his plan is the end of the world. Of course
Yui collapses
Apparently there really is some curse associated with being bound to a Regalia
All the regalia and their pilots except Rei get swept up into some portal
Episode 10
Opening with a repeat of the first episode, Yui cooking breakfast in her home
RENA HAS DISAPPEARED FROM THE TIMELINE WHOAOAOAOA
“Isolation” Dun dun dun
This is such slapdash storytelling. Just a bunch of “and then this happened” events. There was no reason to suspect any of this
Apparently Yui’s not the princess anymore. But she… still has a personal assistant?
I guess the colors are okay, at least
Ah, seems like everyone is forgetting Yui gradually over time
Use the special rings, Yui!
“They are reminders that you are family.” Family is sort of a theme in this series, I guess
She runs into Sara and Tia in some alley
Oh right, Lux Ex Machina. That was the ancestral monster thing
Lux Ex Machina is… a giant satellite with tendrils that surround the earth
“Little by little I’ve begun erasing people’s memories. Especially their memories of Yui.” This is the dumbest fucking story. This is seriously just “alright, does anybody have any ideas for what happens this episode?” “Uh, maybe everyone gets… selective amnesia???”
Episode 11
“Prison”
Noah, Tia/Sara’s sister, is another of Johann’s slaves
Gold-haired Rena teleports the other three back into battle
Sweet transformation animation for Tia this time
Johann’s monologuing about how tragic his other giant robots are
“Your sister will never go back to her original form… and it’s all your fault! Let that sink in… she’s left like this, all because of you!” Writing
Johann is suuuuch a boring villain
A brief memory of just after Yui’s mother’s death. The strictly familial material is easily the show’s strongest stuff, along with the animation of its battle scenes
These three mechs have a good gimmick – they can all replace each other in battle, making it almost impossible to exploit each one’s distinct weaknesses
Really nice flute-led orchestral trill for Ingrid’s mech going overboard
Ah, golden Rena is Alecto
Episode 12
I like the somber tone of this opening segment
Lux Ex Machina is a repository of human souls or something
So they blow it up
And then crush it
All the souls come back
Bad guy’s still laughing though
How can this still fucking be his plan they’ve ruined like three of his plans
Oh no there’s some ancestral monster in the center???
The three sisters are having a rough time of it
Very badass entrance by Yui and Rena
“The power of love and friendship.” There it is
“The only power anyone can rely on is their own.” And there’s Johann
He emerges out of the wreck of his big mech in a normal-sized mech
Episode 13
This is an admittedly badass confrontation. This show’s mech designs and powers are very good on the whole
The mech’s gone full black sphere
Gold-Rena is actually the source of power for all regalia, Lux
Yui asks Lux for an extension
Lux joins the team!
The show’s thematic core burns down to “working together versus being alone,” and that’s just… pretty trite
The three mechs join into one mech
Fantastic effects animation for the final charge