Gall Force: New Era

This is another of the cheaper, direct-to-video sequels made in the wake of the success of the Gall Force feature film 'Eternal Story'. There is a fair amount of action here, and some recognizably similar character types, but somehow the familiar elements don't add up to a really satisfying whole. I found myself waiting for a better and more interesting story to emerge, but the plot is thin and predictable, despite the good-looking action animation. Plus, sometimes the backgrounds or character animation come up a bit short visually, which tends to point out the budget short- comings of this whole exercise.

Not bad as sequels go, but keep expectations low. The original feature scores an A but the sequels grade out at more like a C+.