Mech Cadets

Don't know whats up with the negative reviews but this is a fun show! Short too with only 10 episodes. The pacing, music, story, animation is all on point without any unnecessary drama.

The writers have done a great job developing each of the characters, be it the main leads or support team. The robots are just too adorable.

It works well for kids and adults alike so you can even enjoy it as a family. Those who enjoy transformers and similar movies will probably enjoy it more.

I haven't read the comics or anything but I found this to be a fun and enjoyable watch. Definitely hope for a second season.

There isn't enough time to grow attached to the characters. I believe this is more of a fault from Netflix, rather than the writers. Netflix bought too few episodes so the writers had to work around it. Towards the end of the season, our MC says "we're family" to his fellow pilots and while it was a sweet moment, it felt kind of unearned. Why? Because we've barely seen these characters properly interact. In one episode, our MC gets his Robo and one of the pilots is like "he hasn't earned it like the rest of us" and she clearly holds some sort of resentment. By the next episode, they're all chill with each other. This show should be like...twice as long. I enjoyed the cute character interactions but there were too few so their bonds don't feel fully developed. The dynamics between characters who've already known each other is smart and enjoyable but between new ones, that could use work. Aside from that relatively small criticism, I really like the story and animation. The character and monster designs are very aesthetically pleasing and perfectly fit this story. It took an episode before i liked the Robo designs and they steadily grew on me throughout. I think the crew involved has done a good job so i'm excited for the next season. The concepts and execution are done well for the most part so i'd suggest this.

But otherwise a disappointingly juvenilise and derivative waste of a strong voice cast. This is essentially a mash up of Gundam, Evangelion and Pacific Rim by way of a 1980s Saturday morning kid's cartoon, with bizarrely stunted proportions, eerily incompetent animation, and low frame-rates that seem to be all keyframes and no tweening.

There's no real plot, characterisation, or drama here, just an absolutely basic presentation of Deus Ex Astra mechs who choose teen pilots (for no reason, since they don't need pilots) versus giant space bugs, with a plucky underdog wish fulfilment motif.

For those easily confused, stereotypes may be recognisable and even satisfying but that doesn't mean they're well conceived, original, or developed. And dialogue composed of little more than straight exposition of ultimately selfish and egotistical desires is not growth.

That's all you get, and it's fine for what it is, but Netflix should have been clearer in the marketing and synopsis. The 10-star review-bombing at the moment of release to get the initial numbers up was embarrassingly obvious.

Yes, the cons are real:

• The frame-rate can be awful in scenes. There is a cool fight seen early on that is completely ruined by the frame-rate.

• I don't know the source material, but if you're married to it it seems you'll be disappointed.

Otherwise, this is a fun show. While the frame-rate is bad and absolutely needs to be improved, the 3D modeling is good. The world depiction is good. The storytelling is fun and not too cheesy.

You've got all the typical character roles and messages about teamwork, responsibility, expectations, sacrifice, and the like. And while there is war against alien bugs and the typical schemes of humans trying to get there way, there is no humans killing each other, which is always welcomed.

Liking this better than Voltron w/ a 8.1 rating on here.

"Mech Cadets" is not the generic kids show it may resemble at first glance. Theirs is a world ravaged by loss at the claws of the Shargs and the show refuses to shy away from presenting those elements, instead using them to strengthen each characters story and provide meaningful motivations for those characters' actions. Mech Cadets also does well at integrating an animation style that doesn't feel childish and, despite some choppiness in frame rate , possesses laudable detail (especially in regard to its mechs and Kaiju) and vibrant special effects. Vaguities such as the absence of a more dominant and numerous military defense do plague the narrative, but are likely to be overlooked in favor of the raw emotional force of the voice actors' character portrayals and the story itself. Its world-building lends hope for further exploration as there are numerous questions, especially regarding the mysterious Robos and the menace they face, pleading for answers.

In Short: "Mech Cadets" is surprisingly emotional, suitable for any audience, contains detailed animation with high quality effects, open world-building, and most (perhaps even all) plot weaknesses are easy to dismiss in favor of the shows powerful storytelling.