Fighter's Radiance - Fight Scene Brilliance

 Moreso than most genres, anime thrives on action. Whether it's violence for the sake of violence or something trying to be more poignant, a large majority of anime is centered around action scenes. This is why I think it's strange that by a large margin, anime fights tend to be somewhat mediocre.

I personally have high standards for what I consider to be a good fight scene. Many people praise action sequences in shows like Kill la Kill or One-Punch Man but I find them to be average at best but usually quite bad. But let's start the new year with some positivity. Rather than picking apart why those action scenes don't work, I think it might be a good idea to point out what can make a fight scene truly unforgettable.

When someone asks me what I would consider to be the ideal fight scene, one of the first things that comes to mind is Gundam Build Fighters episode 15, where Sei and Reiji need to fight against Fellini. The first time watching the episode left me speechless with how amazingly it was crafted, and I have gone back to watch and analyze what made the fight so great many times over. If you haven't watched Build Fighters, go do it right now. Seriously. I don't want to spoil anyone on this fight. Do not continue reading this post unless you have seen up to episode 15. You don't need to be a Gundam fan, Build Fighters is just a really good show, go watch it.

Have I made my point? Watch Build Fighters.

Anyway, if you're here I assume you've gotten through episode 15. So let's start the analysis.

Let's start with the most important part: personal investment. We know all of the characters involved. We've spent over half the series getting to know the three of them, both as fighters and as people. Right from the start, the audience is interested in the fight, especially since we've not seen Reiji fight Fellini all-out. Some argue that it might've been more interesting if Sei and Reiji hadn't lost the race so they wouldn't be rocking plot armor since they need to make it to top 16, but this comes down to personal preference. It's a matter of whether you want the fight to have real stakes or whether you want the ending to be a mystery, both of those can be really helpful in keeping the viewer interested and for what it's worth, the ending is still kind of unpredictable.

Around half the episode is focused on people preparing for the fight. We see Fellini and Kirara talk about whether he should just let them win so they can both go to the finals. Ultimately, Fellini chooses against it because he is a fighter and he respects Reiji as his opponent. Going easy on Reiji would be looking down on him, and he would much rather have a good fight when the opportunity is presented before him instead of having everyone proceed to top 16 and hope that they'd be paired up in a match. Plus, Fellini realizes that taking a dive would be beneficial to him since he wouldn't need to fix up the Fenice for the finals, but he chooses to hold onto his honor and pride as a fighter. It provides good insight to Fellini's character, as well as building his relationship with Kirara.

But enough about the pre-match, let's talk about the fight itself. What makes it so great? Well, it's a blend of every element that a fight scene should have. Let's run through them one-by-one.

First off, the most obvious thing to compliment is the animation and sound. This fight is a treat for the eyes and the ears. The animation is detailed and fluid, and the cinematography is brilliant. It holds on shots just long enough for the viewer to see what's happening and take it in, but then moves to the next shot since long close-ups or static images hurts the pace of the fight. There isn't any point of the fight where you can't tell what either side is doing, nor do you need to go back and rewatch the fight just to see everything. If you notice, every time a serious attack lands, the animation slows down slightly so the impact really sinks in.

Too often fight scenes get the idea that more movement is inherently better, but coherency is one of the most important parts of a fight scene. If given the choice between too much and too little, it's good to err on the side of too much, but the best fight scenes will strike a balance. Take Majestic Prince, which has really good action scenes but sometimes they can move too quickly and it's difficult to keep up.

The music is placed in perfect areas, and it blends through many different tracks flawlessly, from "Build Fight" to "QuickAttack" to the amazing very first usage of "Allied Force" and finally to "Power Resonance" but they all flow together through good editing. Oftentimes a series will just use one or two tracks through the whole fight, or they'll switch them up after moments of silence. Build Fighters' sound design was genius in that the mixing of each fight sounds like a medley and it had many recurring tracks while some (such as 1/48 and Allied Force) played infrequently enough that when they were used it was special. It gives the fight scene its own unique music that fits the pace without needing to make an entirely new music track, and thanks to Hayashi's amazing OST it sounds great. Also note the sound effects, they range from small clangs and beams to massive crashes, making each impact feel unique and just as hard as it needs to be. As the fight goes on and both sides experience heavier damages, you can actually hear the stress it's putting on their Gunpla as they begin to creak and crackle.

But more important than the visuals and the audio is the writing and the pacing. Let's start with the writing. Both sides are actually being clever. Despite the fact that his unit has lower specs, Fellini spends the first half of the fight controlling the pace, giving him an advantage. This is because Reiji's first instinct was that he wanted a straight fight where their skills are directly compared, and while Reiji may be more skilled as a fighter, Fellini's instincts have been honed through years of experience. He knows how to shoot in order to move Reiji where he wants him to go. He knows how to take advantage of the environment, and he is extremely good at predicting what Reiji is likely to do next.

Things of note are how fast the shots move. There isn't wasted time where action doesn't happen. When a fighter makes a comment, they do so very quickly and usually their face shares the screen with the unit, which is shown to still be moving. It's a subtle choice that masks the need to conserve the money by keeping the fight active while characters say their lines. Normally I say the more lengthy, static shots and close-ups you have in a fight, rule of thumb equates to a worse fight scene, but Build Fighters manages to circumvent these weaknesses by covering them up with good direction and in this very same fight scene it uses a series of really close shots that only show a small segment of the Gunpla's bodies to good effect.

Another point in Build Fighters' favor is one that is a recurring theme throughout many of its more serious fights, and this one is no exception: the characters in Build Fighters use every tool in their arsenal. Their rifles, sabers, shields, backpacks, and so forth. Nothing is wasted in Build Fighters. In fact, I think that Reiji uses the head vulcans more in every fight scene than most Gundam protagonists do in their entire series. Also a recurring element of Build Fighters is that over the course of a fight, both sides will have parts of their Gunpla whittled away, losing their rifles, shields, sabers, sometimes limbs, and more. It keeps it exciting by changing the circumstances of the fight as both sides slowly lose more and more options.

As for the pacing, consider how exactly the fight plays out. It has basically three distinct phases: the beginning, Sei and Reiji losing, and then the climax. At the beginning, there is very little dialogue, we see both sides getting amped up as well as everyone watching the fight. It builds up the tension until the two sides clash for the first time with their veritable touching of gloves. We can tell that Fellini is in it to win, but that show of respect is proof that both sides agree no matter the outcome, there is not nor will there be any hard feelings between the two.

Once that's done, they toss a couple lines of dialogue at one another and the fight is on. From this point, neither of the fighters have long, complex speeches to make. If they need to point out something like the skill gap or the inner thoughts of the characters, they leave it to the onlookers. It's subtle, but it keeps the fighters' focused purely on the fight. When characters go into lengthy dialogues, it breaks away from the action and distracts from the actual fight they're in. By keeping their minds occupied on the combat, it draws in the viewer more than if they were letting their thoughts wander since we're focusing on the same thing they are.

At the start of the fight, Fellini takes an early lead by quickly dispatching of the Absorb Shield. He has the advantage so long as Reiji is fighting on equal terms with him since his experience lets him read the flow of the fight better and make the right decisions in snap judgments. The two sides tend to keep their distance, trading beams with one another and only once or twice moving into melee range. Remember this for later. We see large chunks of the battlefield get kicked up and destroyed that helps display Fellini's skill and intelligence in combat. Thus, after losing their shield and taking a few hard hits, the second phase begins where Sei and Reiji are on the run, trying to reset the pace of the fight since they made a bad start.

One thing to note here is that now, the fight has moved from being mostly above the canyon or out in the open to inside the canyon. Both sides have a shadow hovering over their heads, which is a subtle change but does make the fight look different so it's a change that was made for a reason. While neither Sei nor Reiji can match Fellini's combat sense, Sei gets an idea from Char's Counterattack which allows them to get some good hits out on Fellini, causing both sides to lose both their wings and their rifles. Now, long-distance and high-speed aerial combat is impossible. The fight has changed to one that is much more personal and much more stressful for both sides.

Here's where things get interesting. The fight pauses. Much like the beginning of the fight, this is for the purpose of slowing things down as something of a breather that builds up to the climax. It's arguably the best part of the episode. While both sides are recovering from the damages of the earlier clash, Fellini has a brief recollection on his history with the Fenice, the Gunpla he has had ever since he was a young boy. The dialogue is very simplistic, and it leaves the touching, heartfelt feeling to the visuals.

This is the first time we learn that the Fenice is not just Fellini's Gunpla, but his partner that he's kept through him through good times and bad. It's a Gunpla he would never abandon because he has such a deep connection with it. It would get damaged many times and Fellini would fix it, which is the very reason it has such a distinctive appearance. This scene, which is barely even a minute long, and the pure affection that Fellini has for the Fenice, is exactly the sort of jolt of emotion that causes the climax of the fight to feel all the better for it. It draws out the nostalgic feelings of your favorite toy from when you were a kid. The joy of victory and the sadness of defeat are both felt. I can't even put into words how brilliantly it was handled, there are very few perfect scenes but I would not hesitate to say this is one of them.

Now, in order to not waste time, the fight goes right to its climax. Here, we see both sides throwing everything they have left to ensure they don't lose, with Star Build Strike using its RG System through the entire frame. The rest of the fight is a total slugfest where both sides are trading blows, too close to one another to dodge. This occurs very quickly with almost no dialogue from the fighters and none from the audience. All the parts where people need to talk are kept away from the fight for the sake of the action segments having a good pace and aligning well with the music. It's wonderfully minimalistic, saying so much simply by excluding dialogue.

In this segment of the fight, there are much more close-ups and more reaction shots than earlier in the fight, and unlike the ones from the start, reactions do not share as much of the screen with the robot. I think this was a deliberate choice, again to help the viewer feel the closeness and the tension that the pilots are feeling.

Each strike they land tears apart the opponent's unit. The mere strain of using the RG System with the Star Build Strike in such a condition is enough to blow off an arm. These damages occurring so quickly can't be accidental. It's another good move for writing and directing since it lets you know the end is close and both sides are giving it their absolute all, moving even while they lose limbs and even their heads. Both Reiji and Fellini know they won't be able to stand for much longer so they remain in close-quarters and begin to have a punch-out. They aren't going at it like gorillas, it's still heavily skilled but even with that, they are being held up by grit, bravery, and faith in their machines. While every character has been fairly quiet or reserved through the fight, now they are roaring. It provides a great contrast, showing that Sei, Reiji, and Fellini all can be highly technical and strategic but they also can be passionate and determined.

Right before the last hurrah of the fight, there is a brief moment where we see the other main characters' reactions to the fight. This is primarily to have a brief moment with Nils Nielsen that ties in with his own character development - and what a thought, that the fight can have a profound effect on a character who is completely unrelated to it. At the same time, and this is important, we were given the reason why Fellini is aiming to win no matter what in the first half of the episode. Fellini himself tells the viewer in an inner monologue. However, that's the only time we are told it. Kirara pieces it together primarily through reaction shots that show her expressions changing. Reiji and Sei both understand Fellini's desires from the beginning, and Meijin simply tells Nils that a truly passionate fighter would know what Fellini's thinking.

With that final clash, we as the viewers expect to see it end with the Fenice losing out, and...

It doesn't.

The fight ends in a draw, an almost unthinkable conclusion for this type of show. Usually it would be a simple victory, and that victory would be the most satisfying for a viewer. However, after everything we've seen in this fight, it doesn't quite feel fair to have either side lose since they both were so brilliant. For the sake of the plot, and the ultimate service to the audience, a draw is the perfect way to end this amazing fight. As it's met with thunderous applause and Sei's thanking his Star Build Strike for holding up, immediately we go to credits. Such is fitting to end the episode on such a glorious high note.

In conclusion, what makes this fight so special? The answer is there isn't any single thing that does it more than anything else, but a combination of every aspect of the production that work in tandem to make an experience that will stay in your mind for years. The animation, music, sound effects, acting, characters, writing, directing, pacing, and probably many things that I didn't notice or remember work together to craft a brilliant series in such a way that it's incredibly difficult to say why it's so well-made. Good animation won't save poor choreography or writing. Having fighters that use skill or wit is always, always preferable to relying on brute force. Above all else, the most important aspect of any fight scene is the investment the viewer has in the fight and the characters.