Kiddy Grade Volume 8

It says a lot about my opinion of Kiddy Grade when I find myself struggling to summon up the energy to just sit down and endure these final three episodes, such is my utter indifference to this terribly mediocre sci-fi yarn from Gonzo.
My problem stems from it’s safe but convoluted style of storytelling; it’s fair to assume Eclair and friends will eventually save the day and so the Kiddy Grade writers have taken this blunt predictability and tried to squeeze in as many head scratching plot twists as possible before allowing us to gorge in the inevitably climatic, heroic moment at the end. Disappointingly, much of the good characterization seen earlier in this series has now all but vanished, scrubbed from our memories as yet another bizarre revelation comes to light.

We join this volume with the Chevalier’s rebellion from the G.O.T.T. reaching a head as he commandeers the super spaceship Deucalion and aims it squarely at the corrupt Nouvlesse; the twisted aristocrats sitting above the G.O.T.T who have been secretly concocting plans to ditch the rest of mankind and fly off to where the grass is greener.
Eclair and Lumiere are hence stranded in limbo; left pondering whether to save mankind or protect their malevolent employers, a tough choice indeed- but there’s not much time to think though as the uptight and rather psychotic Alv and her pink haired partner Dvergr are fast on the scene and easily grasp the power of the Deucalion, quickly transforming it into an indestructible sky scraping robot and opting to strike a deadly blow at their most hated of enemies, the Nouvlesse, by attacking theirs and humanities beloved home planet; Earth!
And so our last hope of salvation is the plucky and talented G.O.T.T ES team members who, armed with their blood red lipstick and cute fluffy toys, are nothing if not a determined bunch.

At the risk of lacing too much sarcasm into one paragraph, I think I will stop describing the events of this volume but leave you in the knowledge that I have barely scratched the surface of what is revealed in these final three episodes, such is the eye-rolling audacity I felt as the flashbacks kick in and we discover some of these characters are far more than just work colleagues.

It would be harsh to say this final volume of Kiddy Grade is a complete disappointment though, because it isn’t. The action hits us thick and fast and Gonzo have done well with their animation again, consistently creating a colourful and vibrant setting that prevents us from ever thinking too hard about what is going on. The real highlight however is the ensemble cast of beautiful heroes and mad-villains, instantly burned into our memories with their eye catching character designs, funky hair styles or not, and all of which make fleeting appearances in the climatic battle to halt the Deucalion.

In Summary

Kiddy Grade #8 is a fittingly mediocre conclusion to a series that I had lost interest in a few episodes back. Most importantly, this climax lacks the tension required to schmooze me into submission, with Éclair’s outstanding ability to return from the grave nulling any possible life threatening situations.

Kiddy Grade #8 was a fast moving, action packed last volume that will no doubt please the established fans but left little to no real impression on me.

Kiddy Grade Series Summary

From the off set Kiddy Grade was a series that had a lot to prove to me. Not being the biggest fan of these panty-shot friendly sci-fi-lite adventures, I found myself struggling through the first few episodes with the expected pretty animation failing to cover-up what was a story with very little substance or personality.

But then slowly but surely, I started to come around as Eclair entered psychoanalytical mode and the narrative finally started pointing in some interesting, twisting directions. With hindsight, this was my favourite period of Kiddy Grade, leading right up to where Eclair quite literally bites the hand that feeds her and decides to blow up the G.O.T.T headquarters! However, everything after this point lurches from laughable to just plain ludicrous, with the show obviously suffering under the weight of it’s large ensemble cast as many of the characters quickly become horribly one-dimensional, dropping any pretence of emotional depth.

To its credit, Kiddy Grade has certainly left an impression on me, but I can’t say this is a series I plan to revisit. It’s just an attractive looking, fan-service filled action show with nothing interesting to say and full of dull characters who present little to no growth or development over the course of the 24 episodes. It’s not a terrible series by any means, the inventive action and likable characters maintain mediocre standards, but after a while, the widening cracks of a story desperately clutching at straws eventually negated any passing enthusiasm I felt for Kiddy Grade.