Gundam Build Fighters Try

Episodes 18-19

“There are no limits.” “There are no absolutes.” Who would have thought that these two lines from the first opening of Gundam Build Fighters Try would continue to influence the show even now? As the season winds down, the show is focusing more on the main three than on other characters. We've had 17 episodes to get to know them already, so the series is now taking the satisfying approach of depicting their major improvements and growth as fighters. Having skipped a week, the big picture seems much clearer—it's time to show us Yuuma, Fumina, and Sekai's final forms.

Lately, we've seen Yuuma at his weakest and his strongest. He had a support role at best in the fight against the triple-headed Snibal-Drago-Gira, using his beat up mecha to make one final attack while Sekai and Fumina went to town. However, something changed after his airport meeting with his big sister. China apparently only had time to fly to Japan, hang out at the airport for a few minutes, and fly back—but it was time enough to hand off Sei's convenient kit of spare parts for the Build Burning. (Obligatory “Where is Sei?" lament goes here.) China's comment that Sei's spirit and drive lived in the Build Burning made for a powerful moment, and it has clearly changed something for Yuuma. In episode 19, he never stopped talking about how he's changed from his old “weak-hearted” self, and rival Minato even notices that his fighting style has changed.

Fumina also grew extremely powerful in these two episodes. Not that Fumina wasn't a tough cookie to begin with—her effortless leadership over the frequently at-odds Sekai and Yuuma is masterful. While in earlier episodes, she served as a mere arbitrator between them, it's now apparent that they follow her orders in battle without question. Where once she served a support role with her GM Cardigan and then Winning Gundam, her Star Winning Gundam is finally a contender that has earned center stage. Episode 18 upped the ante in a way I never expected. Fumina's mastery of her SD has done a lot to elevate the status of the tiny chibi model in my mind, but it's still a machine built for cute. Her shocking Real Mode transformation revealed her true versatility as a fighter. If there's one thing Gundam Build Fighters Try does well, it's new mecha reveals, and Real Mode was no different. You can discern a clear improvement in the animation whenever the show is showing off new models, and each screenshot looks like a poster I'd like to hang on the wall.

But it's the ace, Sekai, who has gone through the most these past two episodes. He's the strongest member of the team right now because he has the most at stake. When his Gunpla lost a hand, Sekai seemed to feel like he had too. That was nothing, however, compared to the emotional trauma in episode 19 of feeling betrayed by his former comrade, Junya. I'm disappointed that in the many flashbacks to the Guiana Highlands, we only saw a silhouette of the Master, who I'm more convinced than ever is Domon Kasshu from G-Gundam. Fittingly, Junya and Sekai's battle took place in a field that looked suspiciously like the Guiana Highlands where they used to train. (Technically, this match was between Try Fighters and Titan—a team that probably gets its name from the villains of Gundam Zeta—but the focus was all on the rival pair.) Thanks to the consistent pacing of Gundam Build Fighters Try, it was clear from halfway through episode 19 that this would be a two-parter, delaying the satisfaction of a battle outcome. Not that there's much tension here—Team Try Fighters has to win or else the show is going to get really boring, and that's a major handicap of these cliffhanger episodes. So far, it's looking like a regular mirror match. Denial Gundam is a purple color swap of the gold Build Burning, and Sekai and Junya's skills are evenly matched as well.

If (okay, when) Sekai wins this thing, he's going to need to overcome his self imposed limits. “Your power is limited,” Junya tells him, referencing the way Sekai has mastered only one school of martial arts. It's a simple line that affects Sekai to the core because overcoming one's limits is a major theme of this show. It's a message that gives the show a lot of heart without feeling emotionally manipulative. Previously, Sekai thought that his power was limited only by his will. I suspect that next episode, we'll discover that he's right.

Rating: B+

Gundam Build Fighters Try is currently streaming on Gundam.info.

Lauren writes about anime and journalism at Otaku Journalist.