Konami has started releasing its ONA (Original Net Anime) series based on its popular Busou Shinki collector line.
The series follows a lonely boy named Tsubasa, who dreams of one day becoming a Shinki Master, and his Shinki partner Arnval Mk 2.
While I do realize that the original concept behind Busou Shinki line is really about small scale female toy robots who engage in competitive combat, and that this ONA is actually being faithful to the original Busou Shinki concept, I have to admit that I'm just a little disappointed that the animated version of Busou Shinki is going that route as well...
I'm not into anime that's based around the "fighting toy" concept like Beyblade et al. I feel that that kind of genre is too limiting.
I was hoping that if a Busou Shinki animated series was released, Konami would opt to go with a more epic and large scale (figuratively and literally) story.
I also get the impression that the Busou Shinki ONA is being aimed a little lower on the viewer age scale too, even though the Busou Shinki figure line is priced towards mature collectors; a full Busou Shinki armour set typically costs between $70 and $85 USD!
It might seem odd for someone who likes HoiHoi-san to be disappointed with the animated Busou Shinki. But the key difference between them is that HoiHoi-san is a comedic parody on figure collectors while the animated Busou Shinki is more dramatic, taking itself more seriously.
At least the production values seem to be fairly decent, at least as the action goes. Although I can't shake the feeling that this is largely a wasted opportunity and that I'm going to be in for disappointment, I'll continue to follow the Busou Shinki ONA.
Aside...
I've seen three different fansub groups subtitle this ONA and they've all had different interpretations of the dialogue.
In the opening battle, fansub group Commie had the dark Busou Shinki say, "Don't make me do this."
Fansub group Liquid Snake had her say, "Don't trouble me."
And now Zenyaku has her say, "I'm returning the favor."
I like Commie's interpretation because it adds dimension and some complexity to the dark Busou Shinki. She doesn't want to resort to violence but she isn't necessarily evil but she must follow orders.
It's in keeping with the fact that Shinkis must obey their masters' orders and that they are essentially slaves and I'm sure that concept will be touched upon in the series.
Liquid Snake and Zenyaku's choice of interpretation seems more rudimentary and make her seem just plain evil.
...but then what do I know? I don't speak Japanese. 
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