Megaton-kyuu Musashi immediately feels like it’s taking ideas from numerous mecha series old and new. Those who pilot the “Rogue” all take the helm of a different section—main man Yamato Ichidaiji is the offensive section while his new ally Ryuugo Hijikata is defensively focused—and that system screams out olden days of mecha anime. We are loving the designs of the mechs and the “Dracters”—the main enemy of Megaton-kyuu Musashi—and can’t wait to see future enemy designs or if our main Rogue will get some well-deserved upgrades!

One major gripe we have with Megaton-kyuu Musashi is that the animation is literally all over the place. There are times where the animation is stellar and other times the series looks like a kid’s anime series.

When Megaton-kyuu Musashi focuses on combat, the animation looks incredible. Battles have a CG feel but are explosive and impactful. Watching Rogue use his dual swords or his Megaton Punch leads to some gorgeous eye candy. However, when Megaton-kyuu Musashi focuses on the teenagers and the regular cast, the animation looks like Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh combined. Character models range from extremely goofy—we’re looking at you Kouta Akutagawa—to ripped from a 90s mecha series. Megaton-kyuu Musashi shines when the mechs are let out to play but fails to deliver during the story segments.

The beauty of modern-day mecha anime is the ability to craft characters that tug at your emotions and make you truly care. In Valvrave the Liberator, we fell in love with the struggles endured by main man Haruto Tokishima and in series like Gurren Lagann Simon’s growth was a true testament to strong storytelling. Megaton-kyuu Musashi is unfortunately focused on the fights first and foremost and the main cast ends up being generic and dull.

Take the male lead, Yamato. We learn early on that he lost his family during the Dracters’ invasion but how he goes from being revenge-focused to just a young punk itching for a fight is sad and off-putting. The other characters don’t fare much better—watching Ryuugo cry for his mommy several times during episode 2 was just weird—making us not care about anyone in Megaton-kyuu Musashi.

Ending on a good note, we need to make mention of Megaton-kyuu Musashi’s phenomenal soundtrack. Not only does the opening make you feel ready for a giant robot battle but the numerous rock and pop songs within the show just work flawlessly with the action. If Megaton-kyuu Musashi ever releases a soundtrack you can bet we here at Honey’s Anime will be picking it up and having these tunes on repeat all day!