Mecha fans are always looking for the next great show. Whenever a new property comes out they rush to check it out and give their opinion on the matter. So when Narutaki and I realized that there were six planned movies based on the Broken Blade manga series we were mildly shocked that no one is talking about it. I vaguely remember Dave Cabrera talking about how unusual it was that CMX was releasing the manga but I did not know about the movies until I heard about them on the Decoration Disorder Disconnection Podcast. After watching the first two movies and discovering they were quite good we knew we had to get the word out about this series.
Break Blade, Broken Blade, whatever you call it, I only had a foggy recollection of CMX releasing the manga when Hisui mentioned the series to me. This is unique in itself as there are few mecha manga that don’t originate from an anime. So while I still haven’t picked up this oddity in print form, I dove headfirst into the movies. As there aren’t a ton of robot series coming out each year, the fact that Break Blade seems to have slipped under the radar is rather astonishing. And believe me, it isn’t because these movies aren’t any good. Quite the contrary.
The world of Broken Blade is a medieval world with a major difference. In broken Blade quartz has supernatural properties that have led the creation of a wide variety of magical technology including mecha. A small percentage of people called un-sorcerers cannot manipulate quartz making them handicapped in society. Therefore when the un-sorcerer, Rygart Arrow is summoned by his old friend the king to pilot an ancient robot he is somewhat perplexed. But his homeland is being invaded and he is the only person capable of piloting the suit that may be the tide of the war. Unbeknownst to him the head of the task force sent to kidnap the royal family is also an old friend putting him between a rock and hard place.
As far as we know, even the lowliest people in the society are able to use magic and Rygart is the only one we’ve encountered thus far that can’t. So he is not only handicapped, people fear him for this abnormality and treat him with everything from pity to malice. Though the few friendships he’s made are solid and trusting. Rygart while seemingly aloof, understandably carries a lot of sorrow much of it stemming from his relationship with his father and his own guilt about not having power. Though we don’t yet know all about Rygart’s past, we do know he hasn’t had a solid life and when he returns to the kingdom things are strained between him and the royal family despite him being summoned specifically and the eagerness with which they greet him.
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