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Gundam Build Divers Re:RISE Ep. 1: Wandering Core Gundam

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Summary

In Gunpla Battle Nexus Online, two Divers named Eesaku and Balloy play a survival mission and try to avoid attacks from the custom Gunpla Akatsu-Ghe after a flare is fired. They shoot at it while running away, but their attacks are ineffective. The Akatsu-Ghe fires its DRAGOONs at them, but the blast is blocked by incoming fire from a Diver named Hiroto, who tells them to jump. He then has an Adzam Leader contain and shock the Akatsu-Ghe, and his small Core Gundam speeds by on a sub-flight system and opens fire to blast the Akatsu-Ghe’s legs. He then smashes its face with his foot and slices apart the DRAGOONs before beheading the Akatsu-Ghe and ending the mission. Hiroto tells Eesaku and Balloy that he doesn’t want the reward and just wants to explore the field with the remaining time. One of them asks Hiroto if he fired the flare to use them as decoys, but he says nothing and walks away. After searching the area, Hiroto determines that this isn’t the right place and thinks of a girl named Eve. A GBN video touts the game’s Version 1.78 update, which adds many features, such as new dimensions, revamped immersive feelings, new quests and a secret mission into the unknown. In the GBN lobby, a Diver named Parviz tries to approach Hiroto, but he’s beaten to it by a loud Diver named Kazami, who also calls himself Justice Knight and Captain. Hiroto tries to leave, and Kazami asks him to team up on the new hard missions. Kazami mentions the battles of the Coalition of Volunteers and the Build Divers from two years earlier and suggests he was a big part of them, but Hiroto answers that he’s not interested. Other Divers nearby joke about Kazami’s endless boasting over his inflated battle record. Hiroto says he’s not here for Gunpla Battle and logs out. In the real world, Hiroto Kuga talks to shop clerk Ken Matsumura at The Gundam Base. Ken wants Hiroto’s help building new display models, and Hiroto answers that he’ll think about it. Hiroto goes home and is surprised to see his friend Hinata Mukai helping his mother, Yuriko, make dinner. The three sit down for dinner without Hiroto’s father, Osamu, who is in his office trying to beat writer’s block. Hinata asks Hiroto if he went to The Gundam Base, and he explains he just felt like it today. Hinata asks him to meet her Sunday at The Gundam Base, and when he shows up, she explains that she’s interested in a job at the G-Cafe. She tells him he should log in to GBN during her interview since he always carries his Gunpla with him. Hiroto thinks to himself that there’s no way he’ll run into Eve.

In the GBN lobby, Kazami examines Hiroto’s records and sees that he doesn’t log in often. Parviz nervously approaches Kazami, but he’s unable to say what he wants and leaves. Kazami then spots Hiroto and grabs him. Parviz walks through a street in the GBN Downtown and wonders how he can make friends when he spots Kazami dragging Hiroto into an alley. Hiroto asks what’s going on, and Kazami explains that he heard this alley contained the entrance to a secret mission, and he wants to get there first. Hiroto is about to logout when Kazami mentions it’s an entirely new area, so he stops. Parviz hears indistinct yells and screams when he sees a screen open ahead of him. A woman named May then drops down from a rooftop. A dog-looking child asks them to help him because he’s being chased by enemies. Hiroto asks for more information about the enemies, and Kazami asks them if they’re going to enter too. Despite there being around 40 enemies, Kazami accepts the mission, which transports all four of them to the new area. The dog boy, Freddie, greats them as Creators and thanks them for coming. May notices their Gunpla are on the field, and Kazami sees that the specs are different. They go outside the temple and see their Gunpla: Hiroto’s Core Gundam, Kazami’s Gundam Justice Knight, Parviz’s Valkylander and May’s Wodom Pod. An explosion marks the approach of enemies, and Hiroto spots two Eldora Bull Brutes and a Hover Brute with his binoculars. Freddie admits that he exaggerated the amount of enemies, and Kazami boasts that he can take them all out. May launches in her Wodom Pod and unleashes a barrage of missiles. Kazami and Parviz run to their units, but Hiroto doesn’t since he doesn’t know the battle strength of the enemies. Kazami rushes in to attack and comes under fire from a Hover Brute. Parviz uses fire attacks on the Hover Brute and is attacked. One of the Bull Brutes fires a grappling arm at Kazami and knocks him into May just as she was about to destroy the other Bull Brute. Parviz is pinned down by enemy fire until Hiroto’s Core Gundam defends him. Hiroto’s core spray gun isn’t powerful enough to destroy the Bull Brute, so he initiates a core change and docks with his Earth Armor to form the more powerful full-sized Earthree Gundam. Hiroto blasts the Bull Brute with his beam rifle and then slices it apart with his beam saber. May prepares to fire at the enemy even though Kazami is in the way, but he manages to move in time before she fires. The Hover Brute falls back, but Hiroto connects the shield to his beam rifle to fire a more powerful shot that destroys it. Freddie proclaims that the Build Divers are strong, and everyone gets a popup naming their Force BUILD DIVERS with a 20-second timer. Parviz notes that they aren’t the real Build Divers, and May quickly edits the name to register them as the BUILD DiVERS. The mission ends, and Hiroto logs out of GBN.

Commentary

Build Divers Re:RISE picks up two years after the first series and seems to be going a dramatically different route. Instead of focusing on a newcomer like Riku Mikami, our protagonist this time is Hiroto Kuga, an experienced Diver who uses an odd looking small Core Gundam that combines with armor packs to become full-sized. Hiroto is consumed by a search for a mysterious girl named Eve, who at first impression seems like an EL-Diver. Hiroto ends up with a motley crew of accidental teammates, including boastful Kazami, shy Parviz and enigmatic May. They end up together on a mission for a dog boy and fight against enemy suits inspired by G Gundam’s Death Army, which is all pretty odd. So far, this series is making a better first impression than its predecessor, but it remains to be seen how well it will compare.

Overall Rating
3/5

Gundam Build Divers Re:RISE Info

Director:
Shinya Watada

Writer(s):
Yasuyuki Muto
Yasunori Yamada
Atsuo Ishino
Tatsuto Higuchi
Shogo Yasukawa

Mechanical Designer(s):
Kanetake Ebikawa
Kenji Teraoka
Ippei Gyoubu
Fumikane Shimada
Kunio Okawara
Junya Ishigaki
Takayuki Yanase
Shinya Terashima

Character Designer:
Shuri Toida

Musical Composer:
Hideakira Kimura

Format:
26 episodes

Airdates:
Japan 10.10.2019 – 08.27.2020
Streaming 10.10.2019 – 08.27.2020

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