Soukou Kihei Votoms: Big Battle

The Big Battle OVA is enjoyable from start to finish. I'm surprised it doesn't even reach a 7 when it comes to average ratings, but good taste doesn't grow on trees.

Unlike Red Shoulder Document / Roots of Ambition, Big Battle is a self-contained 'side-story,' an adventure that has little to do with the main series. It doesn't tell us anything new about Chirico, Fyana, or Ypsilon.

That's great.

Niva is the star of the show here, being introduced and having his whole story finished within one sitting. He's a straight forward antagonist.

With Fyana being present, those who have finished AT VOTOMS know that there is still something ... at risk; and that makes for better emotional investment as Big Battle's simple, but enjoyable storyline unfolds.

Give it a watch if you like VOTOMS.

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Armored Trooper Votoms: Big Battle - Battle of the Heterogeneous Species (Jesus) is one of many post-series addenda created for the Votoms franchise. Specifically, it's one of the few that take place in the middle of the series despite being written after its conclusion. Big Battle fits in chronologically between the one year time span before the series epilogue. The great thing about it is that it can be considered canon without disrupting the original ending at all.

On the other hand, this means that nothing major to the main storyline happens in Big Battle. Then again, Votoms never really relied on its continuity so much ... and works best when viewed as a series of standalone Chirico adventures. Here, circumstances determine Chirico and friends have to face off against psychotic Balarant Perfect Soldier Radaa Niva. Cruel and evil to the bone, this standard character archetype is actually new for Votoms and it feels more satisfying than ever to see Chirico and gang give the beat down to a thoroughly reprehensible guy. Niva feels like enough of a threat and even pilots a unique AT known as the Ecrevisse (or "Danger Melon"), and seeing a unique AT in Votoms is always a treat.

For the most part, this plays like an extended episode of the series. Unlike the other OVAs, Big Battle came out a mere two years after the series finished which unfortunately means the animation isn't much better. The soundtrack is also the same. On the bright side, if this were a part of the series, it'd be one of its best moments. The Big Battle itself is an interesting premise, and despite the implications of its name is not a free-for-all battle. I don't want to ruin the cool surprise I got, so I won't give the details.

For better or worse, this is completely on par with the Votoms series and anyone who's a fan owes it to themselves to check it out.

AlI right, I thought this OVA was going to be dumb with this kind of name.

It opened strongly in the battling arena (and that's what I thought this was going to be about) but just turned into Chirico ending up fighting a "land battleship" piloted by a crazy guy with a grudge against the Red Shoulders, like a bull seeing a red cape.

There was nothing new learned about the world from this and it seemed completely pointless and the action was extremely boring.

People watch this show for mech on mech combat not to see a mech fighting some giant Star Wars kind of mobile crawler.

This ... one was pretty bad. The story was just too dumb.

And why when Chirico killed the enemy here (who I don't even think had a name) did he lock him with his AT to explode along with the land barge instead of killing him outright? It seemed like just to make it a cool scene to leave him stranded as it exploded but when Chirico and his friend trapped him with their ATs and sandwiched him into place with their mechs as they got out and escaped it made no sense why he wouldn't just kill him right then and there and really did seem like an excuse just to make a "cool scene."

I want to give it a 3 but I feel like it's worth more of a 2.