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Zoids (season 1)

Zoids has a stupid name. Zoids is an obvious marketing tact. But Zoids is also not such a bad show (the first season; we'll go into the second season some other time). But it's not the greatest, either. I'll be the first to say that the characterization is pretty hacked, the story was first done in 1977 (in a little movie called Star Wars), and the giant robot battles are some of the most boring ever seen. But actually, if you watch a bit of the show, you'll see that it's mildly entertaining.
The main storyline (every facet of it, from the war between Empire and Republic to the search for Zoid Eve) is painfully cliched (not as much as Kikaider, though). But the way events play out in the first story arc is actually very entertaining to watch. Our heroes aren't actually members of the Republican army, they only help them for money. It turns out about halfway through that the Empire is having succession problems and corrupt minister is trying to seize control. The Empire doesn't actually turn out being that bad, and in the end neither is destroyed; only the bad people within the Empire are stopped. The second story arc has boring progression and a lot of pointless filler, but it does eventually end up being all right as well.
The characters are all archetypes, but they're not badly done (not as good as Digimon, though). Van is like Ash in Pokemon, Luffy in One Piece, Genki in Monster Rancher, etc. ad nauseum. I didn't enjoy his character anywhere near as much as G Gundam's Domon Kasshu because Van doesn't really have any depth; he's doing exactly what he wants, and everything is perfect for him. Irvine (who, incidentally, has the same voice as Domon Kasshu) is rude and boorish, but not really evil; it seems pretty obvious from the minute he shows up that he'll be a good guy eventually. Moonbay is your typical money-obsessed opportunist, but she also cooks and does mechanical repairs. I didn't like Fiona very much, aside from a few "That sure was stupid!" Mihoshi/Miyu Menazaru type moments. She didn't have much personality (especially in the second story arc, which is supposed to take place a year after the first but, judging from the difference in the looks of Fiona and Van, takes place more like five years after the first). The characters were all shallow and cliched, but they were also entertaining to watch. Van was always accusing Irvine of trying to steal Zeke, Irvine was always making snide comments, Moonbay tries to hatch half-baked money-making schemes, and Fiona just does whatever they say. The character designs are pretty original, though. Van was actually ripped off by the Disney movie Treasure Planet (Zoids was made at least a year before that accursed movie), and if Moonbay sounds like the name of a hippie, nothing about her looks is going to make you think she's not one. The character designs also have a tendency towards weird markings and tattoos on people's faces.
The regular animation is pretty average, but every zoid and zoid battle in the show is done with computer graphics. These are actually pretty good computer graphics, although they would have worked better if the robots had been shaped like people because then the walking animation wouldn't look so artificial. The computer animation also sticks out a little too much from the regular animation (although nowhere near as much as in Blue Submarine 6). This is especially apparent when a zoid shoots at another zoid in computer graphics, and then they show the shells making cel explosions all around the computer graphics zoid. However, in the few instances when the cel and computer animation actually interact, it's done seamlessly. The dub is average Ocean Group fare. It's about the same as Inuyasha, not quite as good as The Soul Taker, and nowhere near G Gundam (how many people have you met that could actually spout out those speeches that convincingly, without breaking into a laugh every three seconds?). The opening and ending are cut out and replaced with the usual chanting, keyboard music, but the BGMs could conceivably have been in the original.
Zoids is still on TV, so if you actually care to see it you might as well watch it. I wouldn't recommend planning your day around it, but if it's on you could catch it to kill some time. My biggest problems with the show were the animal-shaped mecha (it reminded me of Power Rangers) and the boring fights. The fights pretty much had one guy shoot a bunch of missiles, then they would all miss, then Van would shoot one shot and hit, taking down the other guy. If it was Irvine or that other guy in the second story arc, they would always miss and be shot down themselves. A drawn-out fight looked a lot like a real animal fight with preposterous leaps, which isn't a good thing (animals usually fight by jumping up on each other and scratching and biting). The mecha are more like The Vision of Escaflowne or Gundam Wing, rather than the military-made gundams of Mobile Suit Gundam with their tech specs all in place, so those people won't like Zoids. I can't really see anyone but very young children becoming a huge fan of the show, but it's a better way to waste a little time than Gatekeepers Full Throttle.

-Akemi's Anime World