FLAG 20th Anniversary Rewatch Episode 1

[Raise your flag](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82HM0z6qd20), everyone! ...*~~Wait, wrong mecha~~*.

FLAG is one of those anime shows that I've technically already watched, but it was a ***long*** time ago, so I don't remember much about it. In fact, I'm not even sure if I finished watching it. It's not that I didn't like it, it's just that I probably didn't have time to watch the next episodes, so I never got around to finishing it. I guess you could say I'll be... a *sort of* first timer? With some insights from my hazy memories.

The premise is quite compelling, at least for me. In [Uddiyana](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oddiyana) (which I guess still exists in this show) there is a civil war, and UNF forces have entered the country to assist in liberating it with the help of the population... which has actually resulted in the war spreading throughout the country. What an irrelevant topic. But when progress was finally made on a ceasefire, the symbol of the desired peace - the flag made famous by a sensational photograph - was stolen. So, there is only one way to get it back - a giant robot. Because everyone dig giant robots. And Saeko Shirasu, the photographer who took that famous photograph, is invited to document the recovery of the flag, while her senpai documents the ongoing war.

But i will say stright out of bat, i do really like the presentation of this show. The idea of telling the story mainly through footages of our main characters is quite ambitious, and it leads to some interesting and creative approaches. This also helps to convey a more grounded and serious tone for the show. And, of course, it helps to cut corners. But in pretty organic way.

I also really like the character designs. There's something about them that reminds me of Satoshi Kon, and this kind of design isn't that common in anime these days (at least in shows). The music is also sets the setting really well.

So yeah, i really liked this episode, and i do think it's pretty strong start

**First-Timer**

**Pre-Rewatch Thoughts**

Before this rewatch was announced, I don’t recall ever hearing about this anime. But, it seems like the sort of thing that will be right up my alley. Rewatches like this where I get to see something I’d probably not have known about otherwise are one of the best parts of being in r/anime. I’m looking forward to experiencing this series with everyone else.

**On today’s episode of Flag:** Once again, I have ended up in a mecha anime rewatch. I didn’t expect this to be a mecha anime, either. I’m starting to feel incredibly predictable with what rewatches I show up in.

- I recognize a number of these photographs. [A British Mark I Tank during the Battle of the Somme.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f6/British_Mark_I_male_tank_Somme_25_September_1916.jpg) [Jews being forced out of a bunker during the liquidation of the Warsaw Ghetto.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/Stroop_Report_-_Warsaw_Ghetto_Uprising_06b.jpg) [The USS Arizona being sunk during the attack on Pearl Harbor.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/The_USS_Arizona_%28BB-39%29_burning_after_the_Japanese_attack_on_Pearl_Harbor_-_NARA_195617_-_Edit.jpg) [I don’t know this exact image but it looks like medevac during the Vietnam War.](https://imgur.com/PcHm2u1) [This image](https://imgur.com/QaSOevC) looks like the Holocaust photo [The Last Jew in Vinnitsa](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/The_last_Jew_in_Vinnitsa%2C_1941.jpg) from an alternate POV. It could be another photo, though. [This image](https://imgur.com/l1BM0F2) looks like [the bombing of Baghdad during Operation Desert Storm.](https://youtu.be/bhrtL_XVv3s?si=1YJcUyP_4iir-JQs) [Here is a photo of the bombing that looks a lot like the screenshot.](https://imgur.com/saZ1Roe)

- I love the juxtaposition of famous photographs from major events in world history with photographs showing everyday life. Both of these are important memories captured by photographs. Both offer a glimpse into the past and a snapshot of what the world was like back then.

- “Needless to say, most people didn’t give a second thought to tragedies that were unfolding in a tiny, far-off country.” [Too real](#lifeishard)

- Wow, that is interesting. The POV being an in-universe camera like a found footage movie is unusual for an animated work. The fact that the shot is so off-center makes it feel more real, like we are seeing this from the camera that someone is holding. [](#neat)

- This anime came out in 2006, a year before Gundam 00. Both of them are covering a lot of the same material, though. It was the era of the War on Terror. It was a time of UN Peacekeeping interventions in many parts of the world.

- [The titular “Flag” does make for quite a striking image.](https://imgur.com/Fgc2k65) [](#awe)

- “But this civil war didn’t prove to be that simple.” [Yeah…](#tiredaoi) That’s how it is with many of these civil wars or insurgencies. They can last for years or even decades. Tentative peace agreements are fragile and can break down very easily.

- The use of so many still images that are meant to be photographs and what appears to be news footage and/or footage shot by people there on the ground really makes this feel like a documentary.

- “That might have been my last chance to stop her.” That doesn’t bode well for the future. [](#forgotkeys)

- HAVWC… Wait a fucking minute, this is a mecha anime! Once again I find myself in a mecha anime rewatch, only this time I hadn’t intended it! [](#maxshock)

- [The blurry effect here really feels like an early webcam.](https://imgur.com/cGVqYQU)

- Things look bad, but they’re still proceeding with the planned roadmap anyways. That sure does sound like how the War on Terror played out.

- The amount of details in the HAVWC’s cockpit and startup process really is a mecha nerd’s dream. [](#mechablush)

- That is some nice Real Robot attention to detail on how the HAVWC switches from running on wheels to being bipedal. [](#feelsgoodman)

- Cutting back and forth between the demonstration of the HAVWC’s destructive power and photos of the people caught up in Uddiyana’s civil war is quite effective. Shirasu is clearly not comfortable with this new weapon.

- The missile attack on the tank is quite harrowing. I’m repeating myself, but it feels so realistic. It feels just like actual videos of urban warfare.

- [Another cool shot.](https://imgur.com/JlyagIb)

- The symbol for peace being stolen by those who oppose peace is as good a reason as any for a mission. Though I’m not sure the flag will still be salvageable when this is all said and done.

- I like that the team has a lot of nationalities represented, as you can tell from the names. It does feel like a proper UN team that way.

- [Love the shot of Shirasu right in front of the HAVWC.](https://imgur.com/7bCSbxR)

I quite like the style of this anime. It goes for a pretty unique presentation, looking more like a documentary than a conventional movie or TV series. It’s rare to have an animated series where an in-universe camera is used as the POV so often. The only anime that immediately comes to mind as a comparison is the first episode of the Idolmaster anime, which did a similar trick.

I’m a history buff, so I have a fascination with historical photographs. I love those old photographs because I think they help to bring that world alive. When looking at a high quality photograph, it feels as if the people in it are right in front of you. [I love this photo from the American Civil War of a soldier climbing inside a cannon, for example.](https://imgur.com/MI7piTU) Seeing people from back then goofing off helps to humanize them so much. Another example of a historical photographer I love is [Sergey Prokudin-Gorsky.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergey_Prokudin-Gorsky) He traveled across Imperial Russia in the early 1900s and [took](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Prokudin-Gorskii-19.jpg) [many](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a3/Group_of_workers_harvesting_tea_Chakva_Prokudin-Gorsky.jpg) [gorgeous](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Jewish_Children_with_their_Teacher_in_Samarkand.jpg) [color](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9a/Sunni_Muslim_man_wearing_traditional_dress_and_headgear.jpg) [photos](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Gorskii_04412u.jpg) [of](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/80/Prokudin-Gorskii-09-edit2.jpg) [the](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Gorskii_20001u.jpg) [people](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/Gorskii_03966u.jpg) [and](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/Gorskii_04422u.jpg) [places](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/Gorskii_04449u.jpg) [he visited.](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/87/Prokudin-Gorskii-12.jpg) These photos are incredible and they really make that world come alive. I think that fits with what Flag says about the power of photography. Photos can bring us the unvarnished truth about the world, capturing an instant in time and preserving it for eternity.

Of course, I think there’s more going on than just that. The camera doesn’t just capture the truth, it can also be used to create a narrative. Shirasu’s photo of the flag was used to create the narrative of a peace settlement for Uddiyana. Shirasu is working as an embedded photographer on a mission to create another narrative. The UN’s mission is not just to recapture the stolen flag, but also to create a narrative that will bind the people of Uddiyana together to create a peaceful future. So the camera is not an impartial mediator of the truth. It is capable of manipulating that truth as well. I am curious to see how this theme will be further developed as the series continues.

**QOTD**

1) Hard to know without the specifics of the war, but probably. I think UN peacekeeping missions generally are well-intended.

2) I think it’s both. I mentioned a few tricks already. The camera shakes, as if it’s being carried. There’s motion blur on the old webcam. The shots aren't always centered because cameras move around. The camera will zoom in and focus. There’s a pause after the camera takes a photo and then it jumps a bit to show that the camera has been moved since the previous photo. All very neat tricks.

3) I like it.

4) No. Mecha are inherently unrealistic.

5) It does have a nice mood to it. Again, it feels like watching a documentary.

6) I’m plenty invested. I’ve watched a lot of documentaries, so this is standard fare for me.

7) Yes. I’m curious to learn more about this fictional country.

8) I don’t see why it can’t be. Animation as a medium is capable of a lot.

**Rewatcher, Subbed**

The subject matter of Flag is the natural place to go for series director Ryousuke Takahashi, who along with Yoshiyuki Tomino was one of the two big mecha anime directors for Sunrise throughout the 80s and 90s. Responsible for works such as Fang of the Sun Dougram, Armored Trooper Votoms, Blue Comet SPT Lazyner, Panzer World Galient, Gasaraki, Blue Gender, the list goes on. Plus his one episode of The Cockpit, a three episode OVA adapting various World War II era stories from Leiji Matsumoto. Dougram features the character Dick Lertoff, a journalist, throughout the show's story. The role of the media also plays a fairly big role in at least the first third or so of Gasaraki before dropping off into something much more in the background. Flag pairs Takahashi back up with Toru Nozaki, his main writer for Gasaraki and there they go all into the topic, telling us the story of the experiences of a photographer in a warzone.

Flag is about as un-anime an anime as you can think of. At least compared to most anime we are used to. We're not following a group of high schoolers. We're not in a fantasy world. There is no fan service. Beyond the fact that the HAVWC mech is a level of technology we don't see as practical for modern warfare in the real world, there really isn't anything in here that wouldn't work as an actual real life, live action documentary. This really carries over to the narrative structure of the show. Rather than coming from an omniscient narrative focus nearly everything here is told through recordings of the characters here in the show. Whether its our main protagonist Saeko herself, or prior recordings others have made for her which she is playing back (like the HAVWC footage), or footage from her senpai Akagi. While there certainly are some anime out there trying to tell things in a realistic fashion I don't think if I can think of a single other anime in the 400 I've watched over the years that tells something in this style.

The episode kicks us off displaying the importance of the camera and the photograph. It's the means through which the general public sees what is happening in warzones such as this. Saeko and other photographers like her are quite brave to put themselves in harms way to be able to record history like this. I do unfortunately feel that the importance of these things has gone down in current times where through AI and so many other means it couldn't be easier to fake photographs and manufacture narratives. Not that this wasn't a possibility back when is anime was made 20 years ago or even before then but it's to so much more of an extreme now.

Really the only part visually of the episode that didn't work for me were the outside shots of the HAVWC. It looked like we were watching a totally different anime with the style of how they made things look. I do wonder if this will continue throughout the rest of the show.

Early on we get a shot of a Japanese intersection that I know for a fact we see in Serial Experiments Lain and possibly other anime I can't think of off the top of my head. A few minutes later we also get a photo of another street and this elevated platform where one can cross the street and I'm quite certain this same spot was used for a place in the video game 13 Sentinels as well, which I recently played.

So this first episode sets forth what presumably will be the main storyline throughout the remaining 12 episodes. Saeko takes a particularly well known photograph of a flag which brings her some fame. The flag is desired to be used as a symbol of peace. However it is seized, so a UNF force, using the HAVWC hopes to take it back. No one better to record what happens than Saeko herself. To my knowledge the country of Uddiyana is a fictional one (much like Takahashi/Nozaki create the fake country of Belgistan for some critical events in Gasaraki). Although there was an actual place called Oddiyana in India and I wonder if the name was based on that.

***

QsOTD:

> Was the UN intervention a good idea?

I will admit to thinking during the episode, if this is a civil war, why is the UN here? I can see Japanese photographers coming here, Japan wants to cover the conflict. The UN not so much. Granted I'm very much a "leave countries to their own business to sort out" type. Maybe there is some outside interest they have here (natural resources in the country?).

> Clever idea or cheap trick to save on animation costs? What sort of tricks did you notice in how the episode was made to service its central conceit?

Saeko looking up some things on her laptop include the HAVWC's specs worked well in universe as well as a cost cutting measure.

> Does the HAVWC look liike a weapon that could reasonably exist?

With as many advances in technologies we've had, unfortunately for mecha enthusiasts I think we've already moved past the point where it would make sense to have mechs in modern combat. Far smaller drones make a lot more sense. So there simply wouldn't be a point to building such a thing even if we could.

> Is anime a proper medium for realistic portrayal of warfare, instead of fantasy battles?

Takahashi is quite the veteran of it already, Dougram could work entirely on Earth if needed and while Gasaraki has supernatural elements to it remove them and a lot of the show still works. The Cockpit episode he worked on as well as the two he didn't also work on. As I put above Flag seems to be a natural progression to his works, moving things in an even more realistic direction. More anime should try this although I've got to think it wouldn't be that popular.

***

>Saeko Shirasu, photojournalist

Somehow I missed her family name, but she's got a very similar name to the great seiyuu Saeko Shimazu, who appeared in so many of Tomino's 80s mecha anime (Xabungle as Rag, Zeta Gundam as Four, L-Gaim as Oldna Poseidal, etc...)

> More recently, they've worked on Tower of God and Anne Shirley.

Still doing good work today then, Anne Shirley was pretty good.

First timer

Sub

So...gimmicks. My father is a journalist so I do appreciate the art of photography, even as it dies in the current age, but I am not sure that I like it here. The framing was rough a few times already. It does help that accidental symbolism seems to be a goal of the show. But yeah, that's a setup episode from back when the UN seemed to be a good idea.

QotD: 1 Never

2 Ehhh...

3 Didn't notice it, oddly enough

4 Just barely

5 It is but you'd had to have become an adult in the 00s

6 It is clunky. I don't do 2x.

7 Not really

8 It can be

**First Timer, Sub**

This was a really unique start to a series. I wasn't expecting it. To start things for me, the style and direction they use is really interesting. It has a sort of documentary feel to it, especially with the fact that most of the shots are all done through the point of a camera, pictures, and recordings rather than a typical show. It's both very straightforward in presenting the characters and the world, yet it also is quite non linear in its presentation, almost like you're piecing it together at times. In this we are introduced to the 2 main characters, the narrator Keiichi Akagi voiced by Unsho Ishizuka (always nice to hear him), the other is the main focus his protege Saeko.

The concept of photographs is a pretty big focus, the impact of a single one can have quite the ramifications. In this case this show takes a focus on a real world conflict in order to highlight this. Though I can draw parallels to conflicts in the middle east, this one is based on the Nepalese Civil War. Here the photograph to have an impact relates to a flag which becomes a symbol for peace and for negotiations headlined by the UN. However the main conflict comes when the flag is stolen by those who want the talks to fall through. So Saeko is asked to join the newly formed task force as an observer in order to watch their progress in trying to resolve the issue.

It brings me to the fact that I actually forgot this was a mecha show. Funny since the only other series to do something similar in terms of using parallels to real world conflicts was Gundam 00. But yeah the new task force is a Mecha force. The style of this series will make things unique though as to how this will work.

I guess I should also point out that Akagi implied that something happened since he seems to be talking after the events. So my prediction right now is that there will probably won't be a happy ending.

**First-Time Reporter, subbed**

This show has been on my PTW for… [a *while*](https://i.imgur.com/TWE2l6e.png), haha. Can’t remember what first put it on my radar, but I remember having a copy of it saved on one of my old laptops that I just never got around to watching. Should be fun to knock something else off my PTW with a rewatch ~~although hopefully this one goes better for me than Earth Maiden Arjuna did~~.

- […okay what the hell is this subtitle style choice?](https://i.imgur.com/zjGLrZQ.png) [](#whatamireading) It’s not the *most* illegible thing in the world (*that* would be [the nonsense I had to put up with during the Re:Creators rewatch](https://i.imgur.com/EnlwynA.png)), but damn.

- [Cool way of doing the episode title card though.](https://i.imgur.com/zWbkPlB.png) [](#neat)

- [It *does* make an incredibly striking photograph.](https://i.imgur.com/ON1SjCE.png) [](#cinema)

- [Not unless something happens to you, hm?](https://i.imgur.com/eneKJ8m.png) [](#csikon)

- [But that acronym spells HAVWC, not HAVOC…](https://i.imgur.com/lntk8v6.png) [](#harukathonk)

- [This *does*](https://i.imgur.com/K0dDOMs.png) look [pretty decent.](https://i.imgur.com/xuNxELf.png)

- [Juxtaposing the HAVWC gunning down a vehicle](https://i.imgur.com/zYoWrDh.png) with the [scared](https://i.imgur.com/dWqWFn8.png) and [mourning civillians](https://i.imgur.com/RcLaTxV.png), whew.

- [Ah, there’s a “sore demo” from Keiichi!](https://files.catbox.moe/0vol5s.mp4)

- [Welp…](https://i.imgur.com/wQfIHmj.png)

- [Damn.](https://i.imgur.com/K4G4M5C.png) [](#toradorasalute)

- [So *that’s* why the show is called FLAG.](https://i.imgur.com/33BPKju.png) [](#missingpiece)

- [This image makes me feel like I’m looking at a model kit rather than something in the show.](https://i.imgur.com/bED1fpe.png) [](#thinkingtoohard)

**First-Timer**

Did anyone else get the feeling that Shirasu was slipping into a PTSD episode while watching the demonstration footage of the HAVWC destroying that van? I'm guessing she just saw (and presumably photographed) some civilians getting butchered.. I probably can't justify a way for those to be from her own childhood.

The HAVWC really reminds me of the [Anf](https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/gundam/images/2/2e/Mser-04.jpg) from Mobile Suit Gundam 00 (the underhead turret is doing a lot of heavy lifting), but at least according to ANN the person who designed that did not work on this show.

Questions

1. Is it ever?

2. Definitely clever. The power of animation is that you don't need to fit a physical camera into the scene, but on the flip side, that gives you the ability to use a metaphorical physical camera to push the audience outside of the "comfortable" distance that animation sometimes provides.

3. It's nice.

4. Not any more than any other mecha of that scale. It's too smooth.

5. I don't have a handle on the mood yet.

6. It's neat. Love some actual thoughtful camerawork.

7. Not any more or less than any other version of the Middle East, which is to say, it's not bad but not really my jam.

8. What a silly question. Animation is a perfectly valid medium for realistic series, and anyone who thinks otherwise should pull the stick out of their ass.

###FirstFLAG

[](#loliwave)

Hello there!

Actually I thought of writing something witty or making a FLAG+first timer-ahh wordplay, but I decided against it. I’m glad to have you all here and hope you’re all cozy, carbonated up and hopefully safe from the downward spiral going on outside.

There certainly is an overexposure on information that just makes you feel helpless. I’m sure the politically charged mecha anime will make me feel better about that!

Which are also the only two things I (think I) know going in (uninformed me, like always). I am so ready to simp for someone!

[](#mugiwait)

### FLAG Ep.01 - Flag

* [Ah, yes.](https://imgur.com/nnrJq23 ) Exactly the lighthearted content I’ve yearned for. (I have unironically [listened to this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGgKdDCJx5o) several times while working to concentrate a few years ago.)

* [Thought for a second this was a Merkava,](https://imgur.com/Hv7RuRf ) but not really. Still, it’s so close to the actual pictures from there, I’m convinced they just obfuscated the refrence a bit to be legally safe. Gotta say, the intro is pretty strong. I like it.

* [LIES! The UN never does anything!](https://imgur.com/Y8eErB7 )

* [Oh, I love this.](https://imgur.com/kIQk7sP ) Starting with the „ending“ kinda and giving so much yet so little information. It’s a UN flag being written over and swung by pretty middle eastern looking guys and civilians who pray to a rising sun. My head’s already spinning a million theories! [](#kannainspect)

* Please tell me [we’re staying „in the camera“ the entire time!](https://imgur.com/QxlR9wx ) [](#awe) (I reread the interest thread afterwards because something scratched in my mind and whoops, I really didn’t read past „F-117“) [](#sillyme)

* [One can dream...](https://imgur.com/YEAtTyy ) although given current circumstances, maybe the UN security council shouldn’t do anything for a while given who presides over it.

* Okay, it is [a little goofy to have UN soldiers also climb on top](https://imgur.com/0s76be2 ) of the supposed felled dictator statue.

* [Oh, so it wasn’t the end](https://imgur.com/b5Zrhvi ) actually?

* [Me whenever I come home from a vacation.](https://imgur.com/Q1VQ0eM ) Gotta appropriate some other culture.

* I really love [that they’re really committing to all sorts of raw photography](https://imgur.com/0JByLbN ) effects and make some shots genuinely „bad“. It really gives the entire show such a documentary and realistic feeling.

* [The mecha!](https://imgur.com/eZIC9hj ) [](#saberawe) HAVWC, we sure do love our big alpha acronyms.

* Imagine [Shin had something high tech and western like this.](https://imgur.com/ezVRS4r ) Hmm, I guess they eventually did and everyone was mad about it…

* [Ah, the politicians had a bigger mouth](https://imgur.com/cPdpdA0 ) than the people with both sense and insight. Tell me about it.

* Might as well plug [the movie Civil War](https://imgur.com/3zsJYfR ) here.

* [It’s a lot of repetition,](https://imgur.com/RXrTnnx ) but I like the extended startup sequence because it reminds me of the time when I first managed to start and take off in a fully simulated aircraft in DCS without having to look up anything. [](#feelsgoodman)

* Just nitpicking, [this montage](https://imgur.com/gRiQpxX ) had a fair few shots that couldn’t have come from an in-universe camera.

* [Uh-oh, there’s the PTSD.](https://imgur.com/XybvRL2 ) [](#emiliaohdear)

* [They certainly set up a lot of interesting plot points.](https://imgur.com/jaTTXOC ) I have no ounce of love for extremists who hide in civilian masses and carry out bomb attacks like this in cities. Even with the added pressure I’d probably would still side with the UN, despite the obvious hinting at them not being that good here. But Shirasu’s fate is told in an extremely mysterious way and I’m super interested.

* [Does that mean anything](https://imgur.com/G7eW87q ) in an actual human language, btw?

* [Well, fuck.](https://imgur.com/TuJnjrN )

* [Yeah exactly,](https://imgur.com/dM11s7P ) because the next president will just willy-nilly decide to withdraw for a viral Twitter post.

* [I like him.](https://imgur.com/WqJsLFl ) Chopper pilots also have a ~82% chance to die, which I don’t like. [Ah, it’s a 50/50, then.](https://imgur.com/WwMU2Yf )

* [Another one for the list.](https://imgur.com/5rQFvFr ) [](#listen)

That was a really strong first episode! I’m hooked!

Something I do sort of question is that the general just handed out supposedly confidential showcases and specifics for their secret weapon to a reporter. That sounds… not according to regulations and also very stupid.

Shirasu doesn’t even need to know any of this. It’s not important for the operation for her to know any of this. Especially that they could’ve just given her a briefing on-site, where it would’ve made more sense, anyway. It’s obvious it’s a plot device that her coworker can use later, but sadly the goons needed to be stupid for it to exist.

Something that I noticed about myself this time was that I was a bit too okay with following an embedded correspondent in a combat zone. Thinking on it, I should be more conflicted or shocked about the pov I’m about to witness, I think? But the past years and Ukraine have made this type of media a bit too common and there was this urge to expose myself to it in order to prepare for a new unknown danger.

I don’t know if that actually helped mentally, but it did wake me up on some things.

[](#thoughtful)

Yeah, it was a good call tagging me. I’m invested and reflective about my life decision after the first episode already.

> [Q1.] Was the UN intervention a good idea?

Morally, it’s always a damned if you do, damned if you don’t type of deal. We don’t know enough to really judge, but it seems a large portion of the populace is actually on the UN’s side and actively fighting, so I’ll lean on ‚yes‘. Politically, I’d lean heavily on ‚no‘, but it again depends on the interests at play and what the larger picture is. Truth is, states don’t have friends, they have interests and I know nothing about why the west is there in the first place and what they can gain from winning. People don’t matter that much in this decision making process, sadly.

Given that it *seems* this was done more out of moral obligation or idealism than geopolitical gain, I might even be fully on board with the intervention! We had this in the 90s right next door in Yugoslavia. That, too, had a pretty clear moral motivation along with the closeness of political instability that needed to be cast out. Genocide is pretty shit and has to be opposed, but war is never clean, either.

> [Q2.] Clever idea or cheap trick to save on animation costs? What sort of tricks did you notice in how the episode was made to service its central conceit?

Both, but I think they’re handling it rather well. The 3D isn’t so bad and the in-situ-camera filters actually make it work reasonably effectively.

> [Q3.] What do you think of the BGM in this episode?

Very moody. I appreciate that they chose a soundscape that sounds like it could’ve genuinely been coming from the place.

> [Q4.] Does the HAVWC look liike a weapon that could reasonably exist?

Too many moving parts! My inner logistician is crumbling in pain. I’ve also yet to see the point of the transformation and arms. So far, it’s only a fancy tank without the high calibre main cannon.

> [Q5.] Is this show a mood? What sort of vibe do you get from it?

Yes, absolutely. Foreign, a hint of adventure, immersion in a wildly different culture and a time of chaotic change. Also a melancholy of sorts coming from the knowledge that many will not see their lives going beyond this point in time.

Absolute mood.

> [Q6.] Does the mix of narrated video and photos, and raw video without commentary, keep you interested, or are you switching to 2X to see if anything happens?

I am the rare breed that plays gachas on 1x speed. I have been watching fully Haruhi Suzumiya’s Endless Eight completely during first time watching *and* rewatching! I sometimes play Terra Invicta on speed 2 and just think about what happens on Earth while everything in gameplay goes on and a fleet’s arrival measured in months is slowly ticking down before my eyes.

[](#threatening)

You cannot scare me.

> [Q7.] Do you find the setting interesting?

Oh, absolutely! It’s also a type of culture that doesn’t see much representation to my knowledge. The most I remember is a travel log of a popular German Youtuber and Streamer that went to Nepal quite a few years ago.

> [Q8.] Is anime a proper medium for realistic portrayal of warfare, instead of fantasy battles?

It has many advantages, I’d say. Most obvious of which is that they can stylise a lot of things and make it more digestible. But that can also be used to make it more gripping, because you can „show“ more without actually showing it.

On average, I think I even prefer grounded stories more than fantasies.

first timer

i thought it was a pretty interesting episode, mostly from how its laid out

why the photographer needs to be involved, a bit of a stretch. but it is a damn good photo

seems like were transitioning to more of an 08th ms team type of story but hopefully the mystery vibes continue

**First Timer**

[](#neat)

Reading the description of this show on the interest thread just instantly caught my eye as something unique. Partially because this kind of mostly grounded and realistic look at armed-conflict and war is fairly uncommon in anime! Certainly to the degree this show seems to aim for, even when counting those early to mid 2000's anime that definitely had, in some form or another, larger global political climate of the time and/or the War on Terror (Which, as a side note, while this show's setting seems to be specifically that of a fictionalized Nepal and its civil war that was wrapping up as this was releasing, I wouldn't be surprised if it'll still end up echoing a lot of the same ideas as those works [](#schemingsaten)).

Much more than that, though, what seemed interesting here was the idea that this would be framed in the vein of a war documentary, mostly through camera POV. For one, sounds like a really powerful way to accentuate the grounded setting and any themes that come with it (And for sure any emotionally impactful moments that may show up!), and besides that, just sounds super experimental, unique, and totally my thing! As for how the result of that cool idea turns out, I'll preempt two of the QOTDs for today, and say that I *really* like this format, although it does still feel like we're finding our legs with it, and the nature of this introductory doesn't really play to this format's strength.

I guess to be more specific, I think the documentary-esque, full camera POV style parts of the episode are great! They do a strong job of already making you feel like you're taking an up-close and personal look at the world through the perspective of an outside observer (Both in the meta sense, and documentary sense), already it feels like we're slowly building a larger image of the environments and our characters within them through these shorter, strong glimpses into what's happening via various aspects and views. Something that will no doubt feel stronger when we actually see more of the environment and the interactions within. The character designs and character animation also really play into that! They're pretty unique and, well, aiming for a realistic look to obviously help ground you. And to make up for the way the format often eschews animation, when the characters do get in-frame, they're also *very* expressive! Maybe a little too expressive sometimes, but meh, I like it a lot.

Not to mention all the cool tricks that go into making sure the camera(s) from which we're viewing most of the episode feel like they're emulating a genuine camera! The grain, the blurs, the copious amounts of "menuing", and absolutely my favorite thing here, the way the camera basically never adheres to standard shot composition. We tilt and shake, we get weird shots or focus on nothing, very fun stuff that I think gets the feel just right (Which, for a show that will presumably be mostly framed through a camera, is insanely important!).

[](#justright)

Comparatively, I think there's a bit more of an issue with the narration/exposition type segments, because aside from the fact that they're a tad in contention with the real-footage feel of the other part, I think just the "filmmaking" as it were just isn't really as strong there. There isn't quite the sense that the show always has the best grasp on how to match the visuals for that part, I guess?

For the pure camera POV parts, you can focus on just a cup of coffee for 3 minutes, and it generally works because it feels like you're getting this genuine, unfiltered look into someone's reality, but for a narrated segment, you need to be a bit more precise and interesting, and we don't always hit that here. Although I do think that's partially just by nature of needing to deliver all that exposition in this episode, and that it'll get stronger in the next episodes. Also, while this is definitely way more of an awesome creative choice than just a "cheap trick to save on animation costs", again, there are parts when things aren't exactly working at their best. We probably didn't need to see the mech tech demo in full detail twice, and sometimes just using still frames to emulate pictures really isn't a necessary or good choice.

That aside, I really like the way we're already using the nature of the camera to establish contrasts, like the monologue at the start, with how cameras capture the happiest moments of human life and yet also the most horrible atrocities human life can offer. A collage that often represents human nature, and the severe disparity in the lives of ordinary people, for the pure fact that they were born in a different time or place. That's baked into the very conceit of the show, actually, the titular flag being a historical, conflict-deciding picture for those it truly involves in Udiyana, but a mere curiosity in some far-off country to those outside of it. Same for the great scene where Shiarsu is watching the firepower of the HAVWC, and flashes back to pictures of tragedy. Her unique and close personal experience means she instantly sees beyond the destructive war machine and thinks of its consequences, the people truly hurt by war. It's something that I think really puts you into that place where the camera is a truly neutral outside observer, but the person behind it is a much more complex story, and that also affects what the camera ultimately presents. Obviously, an important emotional idea to tackle within the theme of war journalism!

Otherwise, again, this episode was mostly for getting a feel of the main gimmick and doing exposition, and while it was fairly good in that, I am excited to see what this show can do when it fully makes use of the strengths its unique framing style can potentially give.

[](#hypeoverload)

> Was the UN intervention a good idea?

Can't really say when we have so little context on the details and intricacies of the actual conflict, but looking at our reality, I think you'll struggle to find a full military intervention within a foreign conflict that isn't controversial and debated in some way.

I mean, the real UN has been somewhat famously averse to full direct intervention like this for a while now, and has also often been criticized for how that aversion enabled atrocities, so make of that what you will. As the show says, civil wars are hardly ever simple enough to make these things easy judgments to make.

[](#thoughtful)

> What do you think of the BGM in this episode?

Not a lot of it, which is good! It's just kind of a given with the main gimmick, and it enhances the feel a lot. When there is music, it feels generally fitting with that rather traditional sound.

> Does the HAVWC look liike a weapon that could reasonably exist?

I feel like when you're dealing with mechs like this, "reasonably exist" kind of has to come together with suspension of disbelief lol. Even more so since we haven't really seen it in practical action yet.

I do really like how the schematics scene tells you why each part's use is through how previous events within the world of the show had informed aspects of its design! That's really cool and a nice way to justify it.

[](#yuruyuriapprove)

> Is this show a mood? What sort of vibe do you get from it?

Same as I said with the music, you are innately somewhat reliant on being atmospheric with this setup, so yes! For the most part, at least.

> Is anime a proper medium for realistic portrayal of warfare, instead
> of fantasy battles?

Speaking generally, yeah, it definitely *can be*! Now, the asterisk here is that, in the same vein as live action works will struggle with more fantastical or unrealistic elements, whereas animation has a big edge, for anime to work in this context, you're going to have to try a lot harder and have a strong creative vision in depicting that compellingly and powerfully.

Creative and meaningful framing like this show is one step in that, although actual execution will have to be the judge here going forward.

*A Ryosuke Takahashi Fan Watches FLAG Episode 1:*

Hi there everyone, it’s The_Draigg here for another mecha anime rewatch! Although I missed the initial interest threads for this rewatch, I did notice them in time to jump aboard regardless here. And since I’m a fan of Ryosuke Takahashi’s mecha anime works, this is going to be an exciting watch for me! I’ve only seen a few bits of this show over the years, so although I’m familiar with the premise, that means I’m practically watching it for the first time here. Also, just a quick note, I’m watching the English dub for this, so if anything specific to that comes up, that’s what I’m referring to. But anyway, let’s get started on this Takahashi anime I haven’t seen before!

- An incredibly true statement to start out here, the thesis statement of this series. The camera really is a powerful tool, capturing singular moments of history for others to remember and interpret. With how important and widespread camera use is nowadays, this rings even more loudly than before. So much nowadays can happen from a single frame being seen around the world.

- I will say, it’s a really bold choice to have the anime have all of its direction be done in a found footage sort of way, with narration being done after the fact. It really is a bold choice that hasn’t really been done elsewhere in anime, at least not this much. Ryosuke Takahashi really was cooking hard with this experimental direction style for this show.

- Saeko’s flag photo being shot by sheer coincidence is a bit funny, not really in a haha way, but in a cosmic happenstance way. What was clearly intended to be a photo of women on roof praying against the sun suddenly had a whole lot more significance put onto it with that United Nations flag suddenly fluttering perfectly into frame. Although it’s probably debatable how the distribution of that photo really helped things, since while it did bring more attention to the Uddiyana civil war, it also sounds like the extra attention just flared up the war even more. It’s like the narration says, it was more like just a stage for the various players of world politics to play their typical roles.

- Comparing the HAVWCs to other Ryosuke Takahashi mecha, you can see how far along he’s been refining the idea of a “realistic” mech. We’ve gone from big and blocky Combat Armores to boxy and grimy humanoid VOTOMS to more stylized and edgy Armored Shrikes, and now the drab, angular, and ultimately practically-designed HAVWCs. The evolution of his ideas for the real robot genre really is fascinating.

- That said, there’s a cynical reason the UN is asking Saeko to become an embedded journalist with a HAVWC team to recover the flag in her famous photo. Given how the UNF leadership said that their timelines for peace are being thrown off by the terrorists that stole the flag in the first place, and how they wanted to use it as a symbol during peace talks, it really does feel like the UN does want to manufacture a good amount of positive press with this idea of theirs. After all, a famous journalist following a group of soldiers with experimental weapons looking for a symbol of peace? They clearly just want a mountain of useful propaganda to forcibly re-rail the timelines for the peace talks. Even if the goals are noble, the methods do sound suspect.

**Rewatcher, subbed**

So before I talk about anything in the episode itself...

What the hell is this [subtitle styling](https://files.catbox.moe/wg8v60.png)? Whoever did these subs, how did they think this was a good idea? The whole point of subtitles is to be readable, so why make them camo green, in a hard to read font? Luckily my copy came with normal subs, but that ends up screwing up the typesetting. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t, I guess.

Anyways, this is quite a strong introductory episode. The opening sequence is basically a thesis statement for the series itself. A part that stands out to me is [this shot of a WWI-era tank](https://files.catbox.moe/ys97ea.png), which draws a throughline from when those were the new, bleeding-edge military technology to what the HAVWC is here.

Speaking of the HAVWC (pronounced “havoc”, yeah, subtle), its own introduction is done really well, too. While I couldn’t say the the CG *models* have aged particularly well, the animation certainly has. All of the HAVWC’s motions have this tangible weight to them, which helps give it narrative weight as well.

Our two leads are pretty immediately endearing, one really good character detail is how Akagi takes the opportunity to [snap a photo he thought would look good](https://files.catbox.moe/w9u4ii.png), despite it not being relevant to anything. Goes to show his photographer’s instinct, I guess you could call it. The rest of the team is also introduced at the end, but not much is given on them here. And is it just me, or do both of the helicopter pilots have that crazy-eyed look to them? Weird.

My favorite part of this episode is Shirasu’s [“what am I even looking at here?” reaction](https://files.catbox.moe/swg5rm.png) to first seeing the HAVWC, which turns to horror when she realizes just what this thing could be capable of.

(Also, what do you think’s in the [“son of a bitch” file](https://files.catbox.moe/6st8j1.png)?)

***

1) I think with stuff like this, results end up mattering more than intent.

2) A lot of still frames, which fits.

3) Good and fitting but nothing really spectacular.

4) Maybe, but my question is what niche would it fill that couldn’t be better served by a regular tank or IFV?

5) Shrug.

6) It definitely kept *my* interest.

7) Yup.

8) I don’t see why it couldn’t be.

**Rewatch Host (sub)**

I was interested when this show was announced, but I wasn't sure if I would like it. A mecha show that's not about the mecha, but the characters? All kidding aside, focusing the story on *the photographer* is, as some in the rewatch would say, *a choice*. Is it a mecha show at all? Did it even need to be one to tell this story?

Well, of course it did. Look at who is credited for story concept.

I'm kinda surprised we don't have Kawamori working on this transformable vehicle.

I'm watching the subtitled version, although the dub is actually one of the better that I've heard.

* opening segments: some of these seem familiar. Some of them are original for the show but made to look like traced historical photos. The Baghdad footage is, of course, real.
* The character designs and animation are rather unique.
* it's an interesting effect, applying some sort of webcam filter to the recording from her laptop.
* Reusing the HAVWC footage is definitely a cheat, even if we get more the second time around.
* It's not just a cool robot. It's a weapon of war.

Why does everybody leave their camera video recording? Do they have infinite battery? Infinity memory? Don't want to miss anything? Just, forgetful?

Even in an anime with fairly realistic designs, you can't get away from the character designs of Japanese characters who would feel at home in a Disney film, and the character designs of Chinese characters who would feel at home in a Disney war propaganda film. Once you start noticing it, it stands out everywhere.

I believed that Uddiyana was your typical mostly-fictional country that you find in anime, but it's much more closely based on Nepal than I had thought. We'll get into that more, tomorrow.

The flag is a UN flag, with the ["Eyes of the Buddha"](https://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eyes_of_Buddha) symbol, and the Sanskrit word "kumari." Kumari means princess / young girl. More on this tomorrow, as well.

Any legal streaming site(s) for this show?

**Rewatcher**


That picture of the flag is definitely something I still vividly remember.


[big FLAG spoilers] >!That and Saeko dying in the final episode!<


You can really tell Ryōsuke Takahashi is obsessed with cameras, he admitted as much when he designed VOTOMS. The viewport of the VOTOMS mech is basically a camera.


I don’t fault anyone for not liking this first person viewpoint from the camera viewpoint but I love it. It is also a clever trick to minimize animating stuff.


It's funny that the OS desktop we see is 20+ years but it doesn't feel dated.


HAVWC is quite unique for a mech design in anime because it looks like a "western" mecha instead of "Japanese" mecha, if that makes sense.


> It's smaller than I thought


Yeah I get to hear that a lot, wait, hang on.


An US intervention allegory, a soundtrack that could fit in the Battlestar Galactica remake and crappy CGI. You might not like this but this is what peak 2000s look like.


A solid first episode, I do think the pacing was on the slow side.


QOTD:
[Q1.] The intervention could have been positive but this remains to be seen.   


[Q2.] Both obviously, one trick is that they’re reusing the constant OS/UI images when they switch between the Shirasu and Akagi storylines. This saves a lot of time for the animators. But in-universe you can explain it as Akagi waiting for the video or images to load.    


[Q3.] I like it as I said it reminds me of BSG at times mostly because it uses the same instrument (I have no idea what the instrument is called but gives a Middle Eastern feeling to it) and it’s not used often in anime. (if at all)    


[Q4.] It looks more realistic than 99% of mechas but I suppose that’s a low bar. I think I would consider it to be very realistic if it didn’t transform.   


[Q5.] It has a bit of a documentary meets detective noir vibe to it, I like it.    


[Q6.] 2x Speed?! [](#peasants) Jokes aside I can understand if someone caves in and watches this at increased speed as I do think the pacing of the show is on the slow side.   


[Q7.] Definitely a fake country in a Himalayan region is interesting as you don’t often see (actually never) an anime take place there.   


[Q8.] I assume you mean “instead of just fantasy battles” as I think you can have both and they’re not mutually exclusive options for a medium.   

**Episode 1 (first timer)**

Blind for this one. Also, rare for me, dub.

* Intro: Wastes no time to set the tone. B&W war pictures, interspersed with a family album. They really want you to know that this won’t be a happy and chill series.
* And we stay unusual, in following the protagonist’s camera instead of seeing him.
* The first flag we see – Has to be *the* flag, right? Looks like something a league of super villains might use.
* “Reincarnated Buddha” – I guess this was seen as a clumsy way to avoid using Islam at the time. These days, with the civil war in Myanmar, not so clumsy anymore.
* “Not unless something happens to me” – Death FLAG, err flag.
* HAVWC, bipedal ambulatory weapons carrier – We’ll call it “mecha” for short.
* Is “ambulatory” even a real word? – Also “haight: 2.4m”
* Mission: Recover the flag – and create a new propaganda piece.
* “How do you do?” – fellow Japanese.
* ED: Back when anime used good music in EDs – although I like the first half of the song better than the second half.

Wow, lots to talk about here. To start with the obvious, the camera perspective is all about “real” camera shots. Very novel and insanely ambitious. I am very curious about how they will manage to pull this off. It is one of the most visually novel camera works I have seen in anime in forever. Definitely the highlight of the first episode. I have to say, though, that pulling this off for 13 episodes feels like attempting an Oscar-worthy masterpiece. Doing that is the equivalent of saying: “I am a visual genius. Kubrik 2.0” If they manage that for 13 episodes, kudos, but I can easily see this fail (or, a bit more boring, for the other episodes to go back to a normal camera).

The character models are from that period of time shortly before everything in anime got moefied. Works very well for serious topics, which FLAG definitely is. They leave us with absolutely no doubt about that one. This is a *war is evil* and *there is no good side* story, and our MC is waving a death flag even bigger than that UN/eye monstrosity.

Finally, we are a mecha story. I’ll be open upfront; I fear this might be the series’ downfall. Mecha series have a 0% success ratio at depicting war as evil for me. The main impediment being the mecha itself. You can’t tell a *war is evil* story, while putting a *cool awe-inspiring machine of war* front and center in your storytelling. Did you notice how the mecha introduction was the only part of the episode, were the camera was clearly not a real camera? Even on the visuals, they compromised to get the cool mecha shots in. The HAWVC is appropriately evil-looking, but that does not help when the episode is fawning over how imposing it is.

Oh and doing a stealthy recovery mission with a 5 meter tall mecha? Yeah …

**Rewatcher**

Ah, it’s been a few years since I watched this, back when we were doing group discussions of selected shows for Writing Club posts. We’ll find out how I feel about it on this second go-through.

**Reaction**

[There it is.](https://i.imgur.com/njGXpwL.png)

[I remember looking this up when I first watched it, but a camera from the aughts taking snapshots wouldn’t store this video in the buffer long-term.](https://i.imgur.com/0m6ObCP.png) That means some liberties are being taken, and we can also see this when there’s voice overview over static pictures where characters other than the narrator (who, we can presume from the camera GUI and information doled out, is narrating all of this in retrospect) are giving a voice overview delivered as if in the moment, but over static images and not video recording. If they took that liberty, I don’t see why they couldn’t do the same with this shot. We will later see cameras that take snapshots but also have a recording feature, but those are obvious and represented in the GUI.

[Series Spoiler]>!<

[I might like this design more if it wasn’t in subpar CG.](https://i.imgur.com/JaRkyun.png)

[Here again the show seems to break with its conceit.](https://i.imgur.com/CHT8AXc.png) The intention here is obviously that we are looking out from her laptop’s built-in webcam, and we can generously assume that this laptop was UN-assigned and purposely used to spy on her, but then who has shared these recordings such that they can be here in this retrospective recording?

[Here we have the intrepid director, forcing bovines into the script.](https://i.imgur.com/ueM1R0R.png)

[Evidently the implication here is that Shirasu is thinking of the inevitable casualties that will follow the deployment of this new ~~METAL GEAR~~ weapon.](https://i.imgur.com/Fr4QDUk.png) The editing obviously suggests Shirasu is thinking this, but due to the conceit of the show, we must accept that it is the narrator instilling these ideas in us through editing, regardless as to whether Shirasu was also thinking so.

[Something, something, ‘symbols make us.’](https://i.imgur.com/cJiKCmV.png)

[That’s a Tomino name if I’ve ever seen one.](https://i.imgur.com/fqwsyyU.png)

[Mech shows are ever wont to characterize the mech.](https://i.imgur.com/p28p4cv.png)

[This end screen is notable as it gives us the context in which the documentary/film/series is being made.](https://i.imgur.com/bLwmPyF.png)

Going back at least to *Fang of The Sun Dougram*, Takahashi has always been interested in the ways that journalists document military conflicts, and how those may impact the conflict at large. In fact, the compilation film *Document Fang of the Sun Dougram* was stylized in part like a documentary film, though nowhere near to the same extent as this. In that show, the conflict had a sense of weight due to its keen historicity, but here weight is granted by just how topical it would have been in 2006.

I really don’t have much to say here though. The episode is essentially set up, the adherence to the documentary style is interesting, but I dare say the visuals are a step behind what they’re attempting (and there are some breaks from the strict adherence), and the conflict is as of this point rather simplistic.

**Discussion Prompts:**

2) Clever idea that helped with production costs, I'm sure.

4) That's the thing with verisimilitude; it can make all manner of ideas plausible. Like any other mech, it's less feasibility and more practicality that is oft in question.

5) The content of this episode wasn't that engaging by itself, but a boon of the presentation style is that I'm ever on the look out for clever uses of the format to layer storytelling ideas and rhetorical devices —such as the intent.

6) There is a couple details that pique my interest, but this sort of setting is a bit played out nowadays, so more needs to be done about it to make it unique and attractive.

7) No less than any other.

**First Timer**

So this is an interesting start. I like the artstyle being more realistic with character designs than most other anime.

However, with that said, I was just burned pretty badly watching another 2000s anime with a realistic style that tried to tackle serious social issues. But hopefully this one will be better.

This anime takes place in the country of Ussidyana which is very clearly a stand-in for Nepal or maybe Tibet. I think most of the Western world people tend to think of Nepal as “That place where Mt. Everest is” or “That place with the triangular flag”.

Nepal was in the news last year for the massive student protests that took place, however when this anime came out it likely would have been drawing on the then still ongoing Nepalese Civil War.

I think the Nepalese Civil War is something that most people (myself included) know very little about. Although this anime is technically about a fictional war in a fictional Himalayan country named Uddiyana I still think it’s interesting that it’s clearly basing itself on the civil war in Nepal.

Anyway I like the creative direction this anime is going so far. The first person camera shots are very well done. It’s not very often you can say an anime technically counts as found footage.

Honestly I got so interested in the story about war journalism that I was completely blindsided when I was reminded that this is also a mecha anime. But I guess introducing futuristic weapons into this series isn’t the biggest thing they could surprise us with.

The HVWCs are interesting and are certainly on the more realistic side when it comes to mecha anyway. Personally I prefer the more outlandish and fantastical when I watch mecha but I'm interested in seeing what this show does with them.

So far this seems to be a pretty decent introduction to the world of FLAG. It establishes the characters and what the plot’s gonna be. I’m looking forward to watching more of it.

**Questions of the Day:**

**Was the UN intervention in Uddiyana a good idea?**

I'm not gonna pretend to be a foreign policy expert but I feel like typically foreign interventionalism makes things worse. But so far things seem to be working out for Uddiyana.

**Does the HAVWC look like a weapon that could reasonably exist?**

Like I mentioned, it's definitely one of the more realistic mecha I've seen. It's a few steps behind something I'd see in a Metal Gear behind I suppose.

Although, I doubt this would exist in real life since it'd be pretty impractical.

**Is this show a mood? What sort of vibe do you get from it?**

Seems to be a fairly serious and grounded story about war journalism that also happens to have mecha in it.

**Does the mix of narrated video and photos, and raw video without commentary, keep you interested, or are you switching to 2X to see if anything happens?**

I'm definitely interested right now but there's only so long they can get away with this technique.

**Do you find the setting interesting?**

I think so. There aren't really many stories I know of that are set in Nepal and the ones that are set there are just about the yeti most of the time.

**Is anime a proper medium for realistic portrayal of warfare, instead of fantasy battles?**

I think so, there's nothing that says they can't be. There have been films like Barefoot Gen and Grave of the Fireflies that have portrayed the horrors of war before this one for example.

**First Timer Behind the Camera, Dubbed**

This is so fricken cool. The animation reminds me of X-Men: Evolution in a way that doesn’t make sense, but that’s a compliment. But it feels like…Disney?

But Studio Answer was DAJ, so that makes a whole lick of sense.

***

**After Show Thoughts**

That entire first episode had me stare at my screen. I couldn’t even live react. I don’t know if I can even react-react properly.

I’m gonna really feel this for the next 12 days.

***

**DP**

1. I’m not the brightest bulb on a chandelier, but I’m not sure. I think it’s easy for me to unabashedly say no because we’re seeing the micro-incidents. But on a macro scale, I’n hoping the UN’s intervention is worth the cost.
2. All the computer screens, I feel, are cutting costs, but in the most diegetic way. I really enjoy the direction.
3. Enjoyed it! Once we finish, I hope to find it on Apple Music to add to my TV anime soundtrack playlist.
4. I don’t think so. After that whole thing with the life-scale Gundam, I don’t think something like this would exist. If it did, I’m gonna guessing happens after like a whole world reset or something.
5. Just heavy-hearted, especially with the climate now.
6. No, I like this way of storytelling and appreciate it.
7. Very much.
8. Why not? Any medium can tell any story. What matters is execution and the team, does it not?

**First Timer Dubbed**

**Commentary**

So far I'd say the show is *really* parodying the global war on terror in general, and the war in afghanistan in particular. A shockingly large number of these events mirror that exact war.
The peopel shirasu are working with are [Clearly american](https://imgur.com/mhdeOgn) While the war in Iraq had just started when the show started (so it has to be parodying operation enduring freedom or operation desert storm) the show feels very american so far with how the Un forces are moving.
(though boy their ROEs must have been very different)

The start of the show was strangely low budget with a lot of stills and panning shots, wha ta not a great sign. A lot of footage looked rotoscoped but idk if rotoscoping was that popular back in 2006, it certainly existed for over a century but there is a fundamental difference in modern rotoscoping technology from old school tech.

The show started off extremely slowly, it felt like the first 10 minutes was an art movie creating a backdrop of events to come with little behind it. At least this time the exposition dump happened at the start of the show rather than the end. But it did do a strong job of establishing the [flag](https://imgur.com/TqRiEnz) metaphor that seems like it will matter more and more

But like let's look at what the first few scenes established

1. Our male lead/support got information from Shirasu about some secret weapon program mecha thing

2. war broke out in the middle east and there is a group of not americans trying to curb it.

3. Shirasu seemingly our main character is a reporter working with a group of not americans reporting on the war.

So while not a lot *happened* at least as far as exposition dump episodes go this one happened at the correct time (the start) The weapons system at the start doesn't seem like much of a scoop, it's just another weapon, I mean if you had access to the chinese drone program specs as an american would you care? Unless you work for the DoW no not really.

A fairly exposition heavy action light episode, slower than I would have expected but I'm excited to see what happens next.





**Introducing the war crimes counter**

The war crimes counter is a joke that started in Aldnoah Zero, the idea is we count the war crimes committed by both sides during the anime

This counter is *mostly* toungue in cheek, do *not* take it too seriously, I will be referencing real international law but as the meme goes "international law is fake" Whenever possible I will *overcount* crimes rather than undercount


Ok now for the more serious parts

1. The laws that I will consider are the Geneva convention(all parts), Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict, the hague Chemical Weapons Convention, The saint petersburg declaration of 1868, and the rome statute

2. I will be extremely... Generous with how I increase the count. The count will increase if I could *try* them for war crimes not if they actually *did*

3. At the end I will role play the trial in the hague where individuals will defend themselves in "court of /r/anime" this will allow for fun memes all around.

This trial is the main reason I will be overcounting crimes you see the counter at the start is just to get enough numbers for a trial, after the trial we get out final count

A glossary of common war crimes

Perfidity: There are a variety of acts of deception that are themselves war crimes. Most commonly done by the Heroes of a show,

The main 4 types are

1. False Surrender and falsly *inducing* surrender

2. Pretending to be wounded/sick

3. Pretending to be a civilian

4. Pretending to be a Medic (mostly)

Unlawful combatants: Typically a soldier needs to pass a 4 part test to be considered a lawful combatant.

Having a commander

Having a distincitive sign

openly carrying arms

following laws of war

Child Soldiers: This depends on the convention, there are 2 main ones, the optional protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict declares the age of warfare to be 18 (though training can begin earlier), while the Geneva convention is laxer and says 16


In general the heroes of an anime are more likely to commit signficant war crimes than the villians, since nobody actually knows what war laws are other than the writers of GATE and Tanya.

With this show however most likely there aren't many war crimes committed by the "good guys".

Current status

Un forces: 0

Insurgent groups: 0

Firing on the tank was not a war crime, as it was a *clearly* marked military vehicle, peace talks may have theoretically started but there was no signing of any phsyical documents.

Also, firing at Shirasu is perfectly fine if she's with a regiment of soldiers.

Don't have the time to add this rewatch to my plate, but the DVD set on my shelf means I'm definitely gonna be lurking to see what people think of this gem.

First Timer, Subbed

Alright, took me like... 20 minutes just to find a ["source"](#piracy) that was subbed, but... Here we go.

Really interesting animation and premise so far. I really liked how the first half-ish was through the lens of a camera, it gave a good impression that this would be a story told through photographs. I admit I know very little about photography myself, so if there's technical errors I won't be able to tell.

The flipping between photos of kids growing up and normal life to war pictures with some of those same kids presumably dead is a hard one. War is hell, and Shirasu seems to dislike war and hope for peace at the same time she's asked to photograph and cover the brutalities of war.

It's an unfortunate fact of war that it often cannot end without an overwhelming show of violence or force - peace is often only obtainable by utterly crushing your opponent's main army and convincing them that they have no chance to win. And even then, if things go on in guerilla warfare and acts of terrorism... Good luck. Especially good luck because innocents will be caught in the crossfire. That seems to be the position we're in with Uddiyana, where even if some, even if the majority of the civilians wish for peace, various groups and warlords are still holding out in the hopes that *they'll* be the ones who come out on top. And they still have weapons.

Shirasu seems to shrink from the showcase of the new weapons, and I can't really blame her. They're meant for the killing of men, and not in a very clean fashion. And yet... Well, the manufacturer's job is to keep their men alive and their enemies not alive if they fight with conventional weaponry so... We'll see how this goes. Interesting that she'll be following the group on essentially a raid. It's a bit contrived, honestly, since while that flag is a symbol I don't think it should be an absolutely necessity for this, but it's an excuse to get Shirasu on the ground with the new HAVWCs and see what this really means.

I fully expect the two members of the group who had their photos static and frizz out to die. That's the only expectations I have so far.

QOTDs:
> Was the UN intervention in Uddiyana a good idea?

... Now that's just political theory and philosophy. In the manner that they did so, probably not: unless they plan on staying there forever, peace can't really last, since most of the time in civil wars the only way to end them is for one side to *win.* And if they only won with outside help, well, as soon as that outside help leaves, unless they train up the installed government forces fast enough...

>Clever idea or cheap trick to save on animation costs? What sort of tricks did you notice in how the episode was made to service its central concept?

I liked it, at least. It's a unique idea to tell this story through the lens (literally) of a cameraman.

> What do you think of the BGM in this episode?

... now that you ask me, I remember nothing about it.

> Does the HAVWC look like a weapon that could reasonably exist?

Ehhhhh not really. It's more like the Starcraft Viking with its modular air or ground mode, but having parts be able to serve multiple purposes like that is a great way for a catastrophic failure.

> Is this show a mood? What sort of vibe do you get from it?

Hmm. Cynical, I'd say, which is how I view war anyways. Maybe a bit of hope and optimism, which I hope won't end with a "then everyone clapped" moment that seems to happen a lot at the end of these things... It's starting out laying out the complexities of the issue well, I'd hate for it to end with them simplifying everything for the sake of a happy ending.

> Does the mix of narrated video and photos, and raw video without commentary, keep you interested, or are you switching to 2X to see if anything happens?

I love visual storytelling though I'm bad at identifying it a lot of the time. It's working pretty well here, though I'd have to rewatch certain scenes to give an interpretation of what I saw.

> Do you find the setting interesting?

You mean totally-not-Iraq-or-Afghanistan-or-Syria? Yeah... Decent job of keeping the complexity of the situation, here's hoping that they can continue it.

> Is anime a proper medium for realistic portrayal of warfare, instead of fantasy battles?

I don't see why it can't be.

**First Timer**

Interesting framing (heh) with every scene being portrayed through a camera lens. It feels like watching a documentary were they periodically cut to footage as someone is talking about the tragedy about to unfold. Its like someone saw the 2 documentary episodes in Legend of Galactic Heroes and decided to create a series out of that.

I got a foreboding feel while watching it as I'm if I'm being told a story that I and the narrator know will end in a tragedy. I think it might be interesting to piece together what we don't see since a camera can't capture everything.

Other thoughts:

UN creating ~~Metal Gear~~ HAV~~O~~WC!

Finnish rep with Nikkanen! I don't care how many war crimes he will commit!

I didn't expect ED to be this "poppy", banger to be sure but not sure if it really fits the series.

**Prompts**

>Clever idea or cheap trick to save on animation costs? What sort of tricks did you notice in how the episode was made to service its central concept?

Both. Tons of still images which makes sense, they are photos and our narrator mostly talking over them. I spotted reused footage especially with the HAVWC demonstration.

>What do you think of the BGM in this episode?

Really liked it, felt appropriate.

>Does the mix of narrated video and photos, and raw video without commentary, keep you interested, or are you switching to 2X to see if anything happens?

I really like it outside whenever we started navigating menus to move on the next scene. Shirasu watching over HAVWC just rattling that truck mixed in with the flashing images of a civilians was a really nice and definitely didn't need any speeding up.

### First-time, subs

I'm going in full blind, without any prior knowledge. The main premise seems interesting so that is why decided to check this out.

War photography was always part of the war journalism, and being first-hand proof from an ongoing conflict, they are sources of credible information and so on. Meanwhile at the same it is compared to the actually, mundane photography, which purpose to be a proof existence, and change, and small fragment of an era. In other words, photography has the same meaning whatever its purpose is.

So what is this about: there is a civil war in a small Himalayan coutry valled Uddiyana, which has a real-life basis: tre Nepali civil war which ended recently when it was released.

So what we see, the war is ongoing for a long time, an UN peacekeeping intervention force arrived, then unarmed civilainas raised a UN flag "ornamented" with some symbols. This became the symbol of peace, even if it's a peace agreement is still far away. It means the populace had enough of the war. And that is why it is the central item when it happens one day. And the subject of world famous/award winning photo which raised awareness of this conflict.

And there is also the HAVWC war machine, super-secret experimental combat unit which will have a crucial part ending this civil war. Shirasu, the photographer who made that photo is deeply involved in this. Observing the HAVWC tests, the Uddiyanan authorities made contact with her. Because the symbolic flag was stolen unknown group who trying to sabotage the peace agreements, and that is this combat mech required. The SDC task force will help in this matter. Hence this operation should be called "Flag". Or maybe even deeper mystery and truth might be uncovered as well.

How cool is that most of the episode shown through a lense of a camera, recorded footages made by Shirasu via the computer.


> Was the UN intervention in Uddiyana a good idea?

Peacekeeping must be a good thing I guess.

> Clever idea or cheap trick to save on animation costs? What sort of tricks did you notice in how the episode was made to service its central concept?

Clever idea, which made in order to make a clear concept and setting.

> What do you think of the BGM in this episode?

Quite authentic for the Uddiyanan/Nepali scenery. But I had a feeling during watching the entire episode that some sound piece was familiar from somewhat, probably because from [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oz7NG7uVkHk).

> Does the HAVWC look like a weapon that could reasonably exist?

It's a bit too futuristic/sci-fi to me.

> Is this show a mood? What sort of vibe do you get from it?

A unique type of mood.

> Does the mix of narrated video and photos, and raw video without commentary, keep you interested, or are you switching to 2X to see if anything happens?

Yes, because the truth, and the real plot is hidden within there. Fitting to the theme.

> Do you find the setting interesting?

Actually yes.

> Is anime a proper medium for realistic portrayal of warfare, instead of fantasy battles?

Actually yes. It can depict realistic battles or 21st century warfare properly.

Rewatcher DUB

Alright, time to pretend [I just came home from Suncoast after blind buying this DVD.](https://imgur.com/a/TI63HUY)

-Was the UN intervention in Uddiyana a good idea?

No, I don't think so. Military interventions of this nature typically leave these countries in the same state they were in or worse.

-Clever idea or cheap trick to save on animation costs? What sort of tricks did you notice in how the episode was made to service its central concept?

It's a pretty clever idea. The audience is less likely to think about a voice talking over an in universe photo rather than a dialogue over a slow panning wide shot. Also helps that this is more or less in a documentary format. Nobody questions a true crime doc being 95% still pictures.

-What do you think of the BGM in this episode?

It isn't something I would listen to in my spare time, but it sets the right mood.

-Does the HAVWC look like a weapon that could reasonably exist?

Realistically, no lol. But I do like how it does address some problems with mech design in general. I like how low profile it is, as walking mechs are way too high profile. I also like instead of a head, we get an underslung chain gun and front sensor suite like an [AH-64 Apache](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/hQhaxdk5Kh8/maxresdefault.jpg) It's also pretty funny that a [very similar design](https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpreview.redd.it%2Fb3hy4mudcfs91.png%3Fauto%3Dwebp%26s%3Dde551c0d9838b4e01f818773faf22445daa93926) would show up in a Gundam series a year later.

-Is this show a mood? What sort of vibe do you get from it?

You ever read a national geographic magazine where the main story is in a troubled region? They have some harrowing pictures of the human condition, not too dissimilar to the photos in this show. The show can't show the anything close to the most graphic NG photos due to broadcasting rules, but that's the kind of vibes I get.

-Does the mix of narrated video and photos, and raw video without commentary, keep you interested, or are you switching to 2X to see if anything happens?

I never watch anything above native speed lol. I like this show and I think the pacing is fine.

-Is anime a proper medium for realistic portrayal of warfare, instead of fantasy battles?

Yes, it absolutely can.

Posting late because I'm basically never online at the time when these threads go up. [](#tiredaoi)
***
**First-Time Viewer, Dubbed**

It's interesting in the same way as a war documentary or history lesson, and so far, it's more along those lines than an actual story, like everything is being reported after the fact by narration rather than experiencing events as they unfold. I'm not a fan of the viewed-through-a-camera lens gimmick. It makes the story feel impersonal, or disconnected, especially when the faces of people speaking are off-screen or a scene is shown in still images. There were times when I ended up looking away from the screen because there was nothing visually to hold my attention.

The mech design of a tank that transforms into an upright robot is cool though. [](#shirayukiappeased)

**Questions of the Day:**

1) I don't feel like the show gave enough background info to properly answer this one. [](#hardthink)

2) I was definitely thinking it's a cheap gimmick to save on animation. [](#annoyedkirito)

3) I didn't even notice it. [](#yuishrug)

4) Yeah, I really liked the mech design and the way they showed it slowly transform from tank to standing robot. [](#kannathumbs)

5) Not sure how to answer this one. I didn't really feel any mood while watching because the way everything was framed kind of creates a disconnect from the characters. [](#nonnonbino)

6) Already mentioned this above, but it wasn't doing anything interesting visually, so I felt like I wasn't missing anything by just listening and glancing at the screen every now and then. [](#sleepingcutie)

7) Yeah, the setting is interesting enough, and I am curious to see how the situation with the civil war and the new mech unfolds. [](#curious)

8) Sure, there are quite a few action/suspense/sci-fi anime I love with realistic or near-future war stories. I don't think this story is really making good use of the anime medium though. I've also seen the "viewed through a camera lens" thing done better in live-action movies too... [](#rengethink)

### First Timer (Sorry I'm late, I messed up my alarm)

## FLAG: [Episode 1](https://imgur.com/1mS296F)

_Journalism and Militarism_

Hello everyone! I am coming into this anime extremely blind as I honestly had not heard of this series before the rewatch was announced. That said, I have enough trust in /u/JustAnswerAQuestion to know this series will have something interesting.

And starting off strong, this certainly was one of the most unique presentations for a first episode I have seen. So much of the episode was presented through the viewfinder of a camera or the UI of a computer. It reminded me a lot of Serial Experiments Lain in that way (and maybe some of the sound design too).

As for the narrative, we are following a photographer Saeko Shirasu who became famous for taking a remarkable photograph of a flag in an uprising in the fictional (?) country of Uddiyana. With that fame came the invitation from the UN to record a military mission to quash an insurgent group who is hindering the peace negotiations and stole the flag as a symbol of that.

The majority of the episode was dedicated to exposition around that story and the HAVWC mech used by the UN in their peace keeping missions. If the presentation wasn't so good I think I'd be more critical of the episode being basically 90% exposition narration. That said, if it continues to be a lot of narration my good will will be tested.

Something I'm kinda interested in is where this show will land on the political topics it is centered around. After learning about a lot of the US's exploits in the world in the name of "peace" over the past century I have become very skeptical of the idea of intervening in regional conflicts like this episode presents. That said, I could totally see the story slowly showing the problems with those (often surface level) good intentions and how the people in change can hide their true desires (read "oil") with those justifications. I'll be kinda dissapointed if this becomes mere military propaganda.

With my lofty expectations way out of check, I look forward to tomorrows episode.

[](#teehee)

### Some Amazing Shots, Scenes and Stitches

* [City](https://imgur.com/RJhluOE)
* [Flag](https://imgur.com/W9mX492)
* [HAVWC](https://imgur.com/7z2wvUt)
* [Reflection](https://imgur.com/uLmryBQ)

See you all tomorrow

**First-timer, sub**

I like it when mecha goes for more unusual story concepts. One of my favorite Gundams is Stargazer, a good third-to-half of which is developing a Gundam not meant for war.

So when I first heard of FLAG a few years ago I knew I had to get around to it some time. And so far I am quite intrigued.


> Was the UN intervention in Uddiyana a good idea?

It seems to be going well so far, but, man, are there red flags.

Starting with UN blatantly trying to use the intervention for brownie points, down to having an optimal schedule for peace talks and personally inviting media to document their "new legend". Ending with them bringing in an experimental murder machine to go bust a singular enemy cell over a stolen flag.


> Clever idea or cheap trick to save on animation costs? What sort of tricks did you notice in how the episode was made to service its central concept?

Lots of still shots, lots of shots with minimal movement, lots of shots of computer UI, which I imagine is easier to animate than people talking. The Havock scenes, obviously.

Coupled with distinctly Disney character designs and weirdly fluid character animation (Maybe that's just the version I got?) all of this makes the overall experience feel quite trippy.

Not that I am complaining. It's trippy in all the best ways. Feels like we're actually watching moving photos, if that makes sense.


> Does the HAVWC look like a weapon that could reasonably exist?

Who knows. All I can say is that it certainly looks like the part for a real life weapon. Crude and terrifyingly effective at massacre. Loved how harrowing the minigun scene was.


> Is this show a mood? What sort of vibe do you get from it?

Obsolete. The whole episode I felt like I was watching Obsolete again. Which is absolutely a mood and something I have to give props for.


> Does the mix of narrated video and photos, and raw video without commentary, keep you interested, or are you switching to 2X to see if anything happens?

It absolutely does! As mentioned above, I find the trippy feel of the end result delightful and that, so far, makes it a breeze to get through.


> Do you find the setting interesting?

Yeah, it's pretty good. For the most part I want more information on the tech side of things here.


> Is anime a proper medium for realistic portrayal of warfare, instead of fantasy battles?

Why wouldn't it be? If things like Maus exist in our world, why not realistic warfare anime?