Will every episode end with a brief soliloquy from Soushi? I can see it now...

Soushi: "When piloting a Fafner, one must first seek out that sacred place deep within the soul, where fear and anguish dance amongst warmth and joy, ignorant that, together, they are like acid to base, sunshine to eternal darkness, awaiting the day when the candle burns no more, extinguished in a momentary flicker as the window of time throws open and all the sadness of the world intrudes and is no more."

Everyone else: "And now we know!"

Soushi: "And knowing is half the battle."

After which, they all pile into their giant robots and kick some "Can you hear me now?" ass.

Or maybe not.

Anyway, fangirls, start your engines.

This show is really loud. Between the explosions, the yelling, and the bombastic musical score (which I really like, by the way), it gives me a headache.

It seems as if the children of the island had no idea what had become of the world around them, their parents keeping them in the dark all their lives. I'm not entirely sure how they managed to pull that off. I mean, all those nifty defensive measures built into the island...didn't they have to, you know, test them once in awhile? I can see it now: "The day has come! Raise the defenses! What? What do you mean someone opened a ramen stand on top of the launch bay? And why is this damn computer just beeping at me? Someone call IT!"

But, logic aside, it's a cool concept that pits children versus adults, son against father, daughter against mother. Perhaps they'll all come together to fight as one, but the angst potential is there. I like it.

Oh, and the OP theme and animation are great. I think I watched it five or six times before continuing with the episode.

A little heavy on the drama, but interesting nonetheless. Honestly, the episode was almost tiring to watch given the fast-paced action and drama that bordered on the ridiculous, but if it can calm down a little in later episodes, it may prove to be a good show.

I actually like the character designs, although I can't help but wonder why everyone is so pale. I mean, they live on what looks to be a subtropical island and all. You'd think they'd all have pretty healthy tans.

But, that aside, the character designs work for me. And I love the detailed backgrounds (of course!). I want to see more of the show simply so I can ogle the beautiful setting.

Also, the show looks to have a true musical score. It's overblown at times, but it fits the mood. Regardless, full orchestral scores have become a rarity - I'm already looking forward to the soundtrack.

I'm by no means a big mecha fan, but there looks to be enough here to hold my interest for now. I'll continue watching.