Girls' Frontline The Echo

The third episode of Girls' Frontline could be called Griffin Dolls or M4 on the run as she is the center of attention. Scarecrow discovered her location in episode two. Unfortunately, with Scarecrow's untimely demise, the task belongs to Sangvis Doll, "Executioner."

The Sangvis model observes the action from the bell tower following the formula of Girls' Frontline, which is the introduction of new enemies at the end of each episode. In the same way, players encounter a new boss after each level. This sameness could get stale; however, getting to see a game of cat and mouse has piqued my interest.

M4 is behind enemy lines, and numerous Jaegers, Sangvis lower-end models, are on patrol. Additionally, other Griffin Dolls are in the area rooting out the enemy.

M4 is a T-Doll model created by 16Lab. Unlike her counterparts, she carries a command module allowing certain operational advantages not possessed by other Griffin Models. She is brilliant and very stubborn. She also holds great compassion for her comrades, a trait she shares with Gentiane.

This trait is most apparent when she is hiding nearby. She sends a signal to Persica though the dolls FNC and FN49 are nearby. Despite their presence, M4 does not recruit their help. She does, however, leave bread crumbs a gamble that will pay off in the future.

It is possible M4 knew she had a "tail," and it was better to see the pursuer before involving others. Nevertheless, Griffin is working behind the scenes to extract her before Sangvis does.

This involves the intelligent but new commander Gentiane working with Persica from 16Lab. Persica assigned the AR Team to retrieve the Lyco software in episode one.

Persica has a direct personality. She is not the most personable and eccentric, as seen from her cat ears and tendency to move about her office sans shoes. Like a cat, she is mysterious and independent. Kruger, who has only appeared via a monitor, was curious if Gentiane would like cats. A contrast to the more upbeat Gentiane.

As seen in the last episode, Gentiane continues to have issues separating her military duties from her concern for her subordinates. This is a trope common in many anime that feature AI robots. Whether it's Beatless, Chobits, or movies like Terminator 2 and I Robot machines, that appear humanlike will be perceived as such by some.

While her character seems out of place at times, she is slowly easing into her role as commander. This is a unique move as many military anime tended to place more mature characters in charge of soldiers. Initially viewed as a negative trait, it has become a positive as her concern is no different from a commander of human soldiers.

My initial favorites were not always the most considerate of their troops, if we're being honest. My own bias in having liked commanders such as Col. Un from Gundam Wing or Mysa Hayase from SDF Macross preferred someone like Helian instead of Gentiane in this capacity. But like Gentiane MP5 has assured us, it is okay!

The pacing for episode three does not disappoint; it is better, and the climax is on point. Gentiane gets kudos for caring the way she does. That being the case, Girl's Frontline should, at this point, be viewed as a military anime set in the middle of a mission. As M4 is discovered, she has thought ahead to defeat her pursuer.

This episode's villain is the powerful Sangvis Executioner. A Doll with a more significant right arm. She carries a multi-use melee weapon, and her design is more robust than the previous high-end models we've seen. She is quick-witted, and her speed is unmatched.

Because of her design, she can absorb more punishment from most firearms, even deflecting them with her right arm. She can also absorb damage from heavy objects using the same arm. This ability seems to work best at longer ranges as close-quarter rounds can render her inoperable. She, like her counterparts, hates the Dolls and dons her callous disposition on her sleeve.

She has the ability, like her sisters, of independent thinking and can choose not to engage enemies of her discretion. Her focus being M4, she excuses herself from the Griffin field units in the area to pursue her prey.

It is unclear if she regards her Sangvis sisters as comrades as she uses the Jaegers as pawns. She does, however, harbor feelings of revenge regarding Scarecrow, seeing her demise as a loss and a waste.

Believing her kind to be ideal places her at a disadvantage against M4. M4, like her colleagues, were civilian Dolls modified for military use. But unlike most Griffin, the 16Lab designs are almost on par with the higher-end Sangvis models. The fight between the M4 and Executioner made for a significantly high watermark in episode three, and it was fulfilling to see M4 blow off some steam letting off a few rounds.

Are you still looking for ecchi? That has been a significant complaint amongst viewers and might be solved by gazing elsewhere as it won't be found in this episode unless you enjoy the artistic designs of Gentiane and Kalina.

The artistic designs for the various Dolls are still on the point though the backgrounds are sometimes lacking. The scenes are too dark at times, making characters challenging to see. This is apparent during a training footage viewing.

There is also the haze or filter that makes the animation look cheap and not as refined. Despite this, the action was enjoyable and built well for episode four.

A better soundtrack where the music fits the scenes has been noted and aided with the pacing. Voice acting is also on point though MP5 is somewhat annoying, and Gentiane`s voice acting is sometimes flat.

While there has been improvement, many fans have probably walked away by now. That is unfortunate, but a flaw of this anime is that it is straight-laced and lacks the ecchi and emotional heartbreak to keep the "demon boys entertained!" Should you continue with anime, the short answer is yes. But only if you are a fan of the franchise or military anime.