DownsofFire: Medabots Episode 1

DownsofFire: Medabots Episode 1

It’s Nostalgia Fest 2012, End o’ the World Edition. Why? Simple. Because I FUCKING LOVE MEDABOTS! Seriously. Next to Pokemon, it was THE kids show.

Now, it’s one of those obscure anime from my youth I didn’t know was an anime and only ever watched a couple episodes a year or so. But I always enjoyed it. Now then, flash forward to 2012. I’m watching a Top 10 video of someone’s favourite nostalgia shows. Number 10 is Medabots. So I decide to go to one of my 3 anime websites. And then I proceed to go nuts. I’m actually RE-re-watching Medabots now. But let’s leap out of the past and get back…. To the FUTURE. Or present. Ahem.

Medabots is about people using Medabots as tools for help, to settle bets, or just for fun. The main function, however, is Robattling. A robattle is a battle between two or more Medafighters and their Medabots. The winner of a robattle takes a single piece of the loser (Left/right arm, head, legs) Those are submission matches, watched over by a referee commissioned by the World Medabot Federation. The most prominent is Mr. Referee in Japan.

Medabots starts off with a man stumbling away from a flaming car wreck with a suitcase clutched in his arms. He falls down as a bunch of guys in rubber suits with antennae take the suit case, but are alerted to the presence of an odd mask-wearing man who calls himself the Phantom Renegade (Awesome name by the way). He manages to wrest the case from the group of people, claiming that what’s in the case is a rare medal for a Medabot.

After making his escape, the Phantom is hanging from under a bridge, fawning over his newly acquired medal. And, after a well-placed comment about the medal slipping through people’s fingers, drops it in the river below him.

The next day, at an elementary school, the leader of the Screws Gang, Samantha, challenges the student council to a Robattle so that the Screws can use the Student Council room as their main base of operations.

Now, the thing about Samantha is that in the English dub her voice is kind of rough and she is sometimes called Sam. This led a 10 year old me to think Samantha was a guy. But I’ve learned.

Anyway, Samantha and her Medabot, Peppercat, go against the Student Council president and his Dr. Bokchoy. And now, some stats

Peppercat: Cat Type. Medafighter: Samantha. Specialty: Electric Shock Attack.

Dr. Bokchoy: Student Type. Medafighter: Student Council President. Specialty: Scanner.

            

            Samantha and Peppercat win quickly, winning the student council room. However, watching the robattle was a boy named Ikki Tenryou. He makes a comment regarding Peppercat’s speed, noting that Samantha removed some armor and that with one good hit, Peppercat would’ve crumbled. This leads the Screws to make fun of Ikki since he doesn’t have a Medabot. Ikki then meets his friend, Erika, and her Medabot, Brass.

            

            Sailor-Multi (AKA Brass): Sailormate Type. Medafighter: Erika. Specialty: Shooting.

             

            

            Ikki then finds a medal in the river, a Hercules Beetle medal with the image etched in the medal a Hercules Beetle in, I think, larva or pupa form.

            Ikki then retreats to a 24 hour mart where the shopkeeper, Henry, almost talks Ikki into purchasing an outdated KBT (Kabuto) type Medapart set, even offering a Tinpet (The “Skeleton” of a Medabot) as a freebie. Ikki and Erika laugh it off as pathetic. Later that night, Ikki is at home, begging his mother once again for a Medabot. The news at the time says that Medabot bandits are overpowering Medafighters and stealing their Medaparts.

            This comes to fruition when a Screws member, Spyke, and his Medabot Cyandog encounter the Rockers.

            Cyandog: Dog Type. Medafighter: Spyke. Specialty: Shooting.

            

            Spyke loses his newly bought Bombardier (Launches missiles) Medapart to the Rockers. When relaying this information to Samantha, Samantha goes to confront the Rockers, only to then serve under them since they’re more powerful than her. She actually made the choice herself without a robattle.

            Erika and Ikki confront the Rockers, but they surround Erika and Brass with their Medabots, Blackram and Hellfire Phoenix (In the English dub it’s just Phoenix, but Hellfire Phoenix just sounds awesome) Ikki runs away from the fight to try and find a way to beat the Rockers. He encounters a chicken salesman who gives him a life lesson in not running away. Ikki then runs to the store and asks Henry for the Tinpet and Medaparts.

            Ikki puts it together and is given a Medawatch by Henry. A Medawatch is used by a Medafighter to control their Medabot during battle and to transport Medaparts and the Medabot itself. Once together, Ikki names the yellow robot before him Metabee.

            Metabee: Hercules Beetle Type. Medafighter: Ikki Tenryou. Specialty: Seeker Missile.

              

Running off with the medal in his Medawatch, Henry watched Metabee as Ikki confronts the Rockers. Mr. Referee declares a submission match.

He summons Metabee and inserts his medal. But Metabee doesn’t move. He gets bombarded with punches and set aflame, but he won’t move. Ikki, running out of options and getting frustrated that his first Medabot is seemingly defective, activates Metabee. But here’s how. It’s not a tearful “Runs up, want’s to protect him, Metabee awakens to protect his master” or a simple “Ikki pleads for Metabee to wake and he does to protect his master.” No. None of that shit. Here’s how Metabee activates: Ikki pissed him off.

That’s right. Ikki yells into his Medawatch “Move you stupid piece of JUNK!” Metabee activates and shakily gets up and shoots down the Blackram with Spyke’s bombardier arm. He then runs at Hellfire Phoenix and the other Blackram, dodging fire from Phoenix. He then punches Blackram into Hellfire Phoenix, who then goes into the Rockers. Their medals eject, signaling ceased function, and Mr. Referee declares Metabee the winner.

Ikki then basks in some pseudo glory as Erika berates him for running away. Ikki claims that he controlled Metabee perfectly. To which Metabee responds “Correction: You called ME a piece of junk.” Asking Ikki who the piece of junk is now, he starts firing his laser at Ikki as he runs away, with Henry lamenting that Metabee must be defective.

Final Stats: Peppercat wins Dr. Bokchoy’s Right arm. Metabee wins Blackram’s bombardier arm.

Now, to do some analyzing.

Characters: Honestly, this may be nostalgia talking, but I loved them. From the Screws to the Phantom Renegade, each main character is memorable. Ikki is that kid who knows what he’s doing, but doesn’t have the ability to show it. Erika is the friend who’s supporting, but can be somewhat harsh in her way of motivation. And Henry is that advice character with his alter ego as the Phantom Renegade.

Now before you all fire your Spoiler/Butthurt cannons at me, let me explain something. The reason I said Henry is the Phantom Renegade is that the show makes it so blatantly obvious that it’s a comedy point in the show. Hell, there’s a whole god damn episode based on it. Seriously, a 10 year old can figure it out. You know who the 10 year old was? Me. And everyone else. Basically, either Henry’s excuses are really good, or every character is dumb in the aspect of identifying masked people. Also, as a shopkeeper, Henry is your typical whipped employee who is just trying to do his job. But as the Phantom Renegade, he's got gadgets for days, knows what he's doing (Mostly) and is generally an all around bumbling thief/cool "mystery" figure.

The Dub: Honestly, is it super orgasmic? No. But, it’s good. The voices fit the characters, they’re relatively in sync (Some minor bits here and there but nothing major) and it’s just good.

Music: All I can say is this: The Intro. Watch it every single episode. It’s fucking awesome.

Animation: For 1997, it’s really good. The characters, especially the Medabots, move smoothly and you know what’s going on.

The Plot: Awesome. People using small robots to battle each other? Sign me up. And Metabee’s relationship with Ikki is very rocky and fragile. Metabee’s anger issues coupled with Ikki’s own stubbornness and mistakes lead to several fights between the two. But they do work well together, and they do become close.

Final Statement: It’s a nostalgic trip for me. Not only is this show awesome, but it’s awesome to the max. It’s not over the top. It’s got great characters, great music, animation, etc. To be honest, it’s not perfect. But to me, it’s one of those classics that can’t be replaced. Now this bit is actually for the whole series (Up to episode 53, the later episodes don’t count.) but my opinion still stands. It’s classic, and irreplaceable.

Final Score: 10/10