Okay, maybe I'm committing anime blasphemy here, maybe I'm incredibly biased here so feel free to take what I say with massive grain os salt - but I need to get this off my chest: my favorite Gundam series of recent years isn’t Witch from Mercury, GQuuuuuuX, or anything like that. It’s Gundam Build Divers Re:Rise. Yep, the sequel to (admittedly mid at best) Build Divers that everyone skipped and only 10 people ever watched.
Yes, I'm not joking to say that not only do I enjoy this show more than both WFM and GquuuuuuX combined— I honestly even go as far as to say that
...
it's one of Gundam's best shows in recent years.
For me, Re:Rise succeeds where a number of recent Gundam series like Witch from Mercury and GQuuuuuuX fell short of - Both of those shows looked nice, shiny and flashy at first, but quickly collapsed under the weight of trend-chasing, nostalgia overload, or rushed, overstuffed storytelling. Re:Rise, on the other hand, simply just told a story. A real story — with stakes, with growth, with emotional payoff.; Where we follows the journey of four broken, isolated teens — Hiroto, Kazami, May, and Parviz — who have no reason to trust each other, let alone fight together at first. But over time, through grief, failure, and growth, they slowly become a true team. Not because they’re "Chosen Ones" or the script says they must, but because they earned it. And when they fight together by the end, it matters. It's honestly of the most satisfying “found family” arcs I’ve seen in Gundam, and frankly, better than what most Gundam ensemble casts ever get.
Unlike its predecessors (Build Fighters, Build Fighters TRY, Build Divers), which were fun but very obviously “shows about Gunpla / toy commercial with plot dressing”, Re:Rise breaks the mold entirely by being a grittier, grounded character-driven drama that just happens to include Gunpla, VRMMORPGs, and isekai elements. And honestly? The show is better because of that blend, not in spite of it. Instead of trying to dazzle you with nostalgia or gimmicks, Re:rise instead focused on telling a compelling story about broken people learning to heal, and finding purpose through each other.
Hell — even just Re:Rise’s Episode 22 "Seltsam's Deadline" alone, got me more hyped and emotionally invested than anything in GQuuuuuuX.
That episode works for me, not just because of the intense action or how well HATENA, Re:Rise's 2nd opening was used as an insert (though let’s be real, that opening was still a banger), but because everything in it felt earned. The entire episode is the culmination of real character development across the whole show, where the BUILD DiVERS, who started off as a ragtag bunch of estranged strangers, each carrying their own inner demons, have now truly become a proper team of heroes. These are the same broken teenagers who, early on, nearly walked away when they realized Eldora and its people were real. And honestly? That’s what most people might do in that situation. They could’ve logged out and left those Eldorans to die, and no one in their world would’ve even known. That moment of doubt was powerful, because it gave their later heroism real weight. So when they finally come together, bringing their A-game to rescue Masaki, to become the heroes that the Eldorans needed, it means something. It matters. Kazami’s development especially hit me. I despised him early on — he was an annoying, try-hard trope character, all talk and no self-awareness. But the show redeems him, not with a sudden 180 turn, but with patient, meaningful growth. He slowly becomes the very hero he pretended to be: someone thoughtful, selfless, and genuinely brave. You believe in him by the end. And frankly, most mainline Gundam series don’t give their secondary characters this level of care or payoff.
And then there’s Hiroto, a protagonist who’s already been through deep personal trauma, pleading with Cuadorn to not repeat the same mistakes he once made. It's a quiet, introspective moment in the middle of the chaos that speaks volumes. That plea wasn’t generic, it was rooted in Hiroto’s own arc. It mattered. That episode showed a team of heroes that had earned their place, not because they were chosen or special, but because they grew into it through pain, failure, and learning to trust each other. It’s the culmination of a story about redemption, grief, teamwork, and purpose, and damn it hits hard.
I’ll say it outright: just the Seltsam’s Deadline episode along is enough to pushes this show into “peak modern Gundam” to me, because it did what something GQuuuuuuX never could - make me genuinely care the characters and their choices, struggle and growth.
And yet… almost nobody gave the show a chance. Because it had the misfortune of being the sequel to the original Gundam Build Divers — a series most fans dismissed as shallow or underwhelming — Re:Rise was almost dead on arrival. Everyone skipped it, ignored it, or never realized the show even existed. Even among hardcore Gundam fans, it's barely a blip, and that honestly breaks my heart. Because Build Divers Re:Rise was a show that didn’t have to be great. Nobody expected it to be. But it chose to rise above its baggage, and tried everything it could to be the best possible anime that it could be even if the show got every cards stacked against it from the start. And the fact that Re:Rise would never ever get the recognition it deserves is, to me, a massive tragedy.
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Nov 15, 2025
Okay, maybe I'm committing anime blasphemy here, maybe I'm incredibly biased here so feel free to take what I say with massive grain os salt - but I need to get this off my chest: my favorite Gundam series of recent years isn’t Witch from Mercury, GQuuuuuuX, or anything like that. It’s Gundam Build Divers Re:Rise. Yep, the sequel to (admittedly mid at best) Build Divers that everyone skipped and only 10 people ever watched.
Yes, I'm not joking to say that not only do I enjoy this show more than both WFM and GquuuuuuX combined— I honestly even go as far as to say that ... 
Oct 31, 2016
Sword Art Online
(Anime)
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Well, Sword Art Online (aka SAO) isn't really the worst anime I ever watched, but it's still kinda "meh" or kinda bad. I'll explain why at below:
Story: The concept "A bunch of people trap in a MMO or whatever and want to escape" is actually pretty good and I think with the correct direction and writing, it can completely shines. But my problem with the story is the story is very convoluted and and boring at most of the time. This anime literally let me sat through 3-4 hours of "people standing and talking, walking and talking, taking a sit for more talking, sitting in a ... 
Jul 21, 2016
Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei
(Anime)
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"Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei is the most disappointing thing since my son." - Mr Plinkett
I know that Mr Plinkett never say this, but he'll if he will ever review this show. Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei (aka The Irregular at Magic High school) is actually one of the most disappointing anime I ever watched. I started to watch the show without any expectation whatsoever, and this show still disappoints me. Almost everything in this anime make no sense whatsoever. Now shall we enter to the review? Story: 2 One of the biggest problem with this show is the story. The premise of the show is interesting but the ... |
