Girls' Frontline: Wake Up
Episode One, titled "The Seed," ended on a somber note. The Dolls of Team AR and their human commander M4A1 go in separate directions hoping that M4 would find HQ and return the newly acquired data as they run through the frozen landscape. The scene shifts to a humvee carrying Gentiane, a violet (looks pink) haired female casually dressed. The first impression of her is that she is a slacker and not up to the task of leading a formidable foursome like Team AR.
If there was the assumption that episode two would somehow pick up with M4A1 or Big Sis M16 or the team or part of the team making it to HQ, then don't count on it. Recaps can be deceiving.
Episode two, "Wake-up," opens with Gentiane, who has just arrived at Griffin HQ. She is dressed in full uniform and seems uneasy as she is assigned a mission immediately after she arrives. Gentiane is the Lt. Gorman (Aliens) of the episode having had zero combat experience outside of simulations.
She proceeds to interview and select her Dolls for the mission showing that while she lacks combat experience, she does possess combat intelligence when gauging how a soldier might behave on the battlefield.
Considering that the T-Dolls are basically machines, it would be juvenile to think that they can feel; however, it's been shown in episode one that, unlike the Mobile Dolls from Gundam Wing, these Dolls are Damn near humans even to the point of needing to eat.
This fact does not go unnoticed, and while the first combat scenario was a test, Gentiane sees the girls as human and will probably struggle with attachments in the future. This sets up a bit of intrigue, so fingers crossed that the writers use her Anakin issues in later episodes. Nevertheless, she proves herself as a capable commander.
New Dolls are introduced in this episode, including P45, FN49, FNC, G36, and P7. The animators did an excellent job giving them a unique design and configuration. A specific favorite of the allies was the T-Doll nun, who was given cat-like features instead of being entirely human.
Another highlight of the T-Dolls is their ability to copy their appearance and personality onto other Dolls, which before being taken out of the box look like mannequins. This ability provides the T-Dolls with expanded military capabilities, ratcheting up the potential kill count or cannon fodder depending on the opponent.
Several human characters were also introduced, including Helian and Kalina. The former is the Superior Officer, while the latter is the support staff and will work directly with Gentiane. Character development is minimal outside of formalities though it is noted that Kalina does not share the same view as Gentiane regarding the T Dolls.
"Wake Up" moves slowly in its first half but flies from 0 to 60 as soon as the next mission begins. A great mystery of anime and sci-fi films alike is why do villains possess the best-looking weapons and the most excellent uniforms?
Sangvis Ferri may be the highlight of Dolls' Frontline, introducing a new Doll obviously influenced by Altair from Re: Creators or maybe the other way around. Known as a High-End Sangvis Doll or Scarecrow, this unit has higher combat ability and cognitive functions than her Griffin adversaries. This one kicks ass and has a self-destruct feature as well. Scarecrow was able to capture a member of the Griffin team to learn of the whereabouts of M4.
Defeated by a "Fire Team" group, Scarecrow transmits the data to a Sangvis Doll located in the Bell Tower. The scene closes with M4 still eluding the enemy.
Episode two is an improvement over its introductory episode. The episode is much improved in terms of art and animation. While Asahi Production is created as the animation studio, it should be noted that other studios had a hand in this work, including Silver Link, which appears in the credits. While good animation is a huge plus, it can only carry a series so far. Nevertheless, the anticipation increases and episode three is around the corner.
