Hey, its that girl from Beyond the Boundary!
I have little to say about Argevollen, but that sort of thing has never stopped me before and definitely isn’t going to now. On the whole, there isn’t anything that sets Argevollen apart much from the crowds of mecha anime out there, and I sort of suspect that most people will specify what it is by saying, “Y’know, the mecha show that isn’t getting directed by Urobuchi.” (and, by the way, I’m not touching Aldnoah Zero with a fifteen foot pole). Its a very basic introductory episode complete with many of the genre’s favorite tropes, but its executed with decent enough competency and isn’t irritating about it. I did a fairly good job myself of not steaming away about some of the dumber points (female soldiers wearing skirts in a combat zone, for example), too, which may’ve helped my enjoyment.
The one thing that stuck out to me that I quite liked was that some of the enemy mechs, which are indicated to be a new model, moved in a manner that was unsettling, as they moved along on all fours. Watching mecha shows, one is so accustomed to bipedal mechs that it feels wrong to watch these things scramble along the battlefield in such a fashion.
By the way, wow, already hate that Beyond the Boundary-lookalike up there. Typical private military contractor shit right there, telling the actual military they’re shit before having to have your ass saved by them. I may as well state that I have a really strong dislike of private military contractors, which colors my perception of her hardcore; they’re dangerous to have around since they don’t hew to the damn laws of warfare, and local populations don’t tend to see the difference between them and the professional military, which means that, hey, you and your buddies get shot at for their war crime bullshit antics. Mind you, her moe-type character doesn’t endear her to me at all, either, as she’s faffing about with a manual while crouched on a battle zone and shouting at the primary protagonist to just wait for her to find the right page while they’re under fire. What a fucking dip; did we really need someone like this?
Anyway, having been disappointed in Buddy Complex last winter, I’m pleased to have a mech show that starts off with a decent stride here. Just hoping this guy improves as a character soon:
But, hey, honesty’s a first step, right?
GAR GAR Stegosaurus 
If you are fond of mechas moving in that disturbing non bipedal manner you should look up Code Geass- Akito the Exiled, there was a lot of that in there.
Wow! I found that PMC chick annoying too, but I guess personal experience really does go a long way, even in fiction. I was just annoyed when she punched the annoying pilot who showed up to save her dumbass. That, and the fact that the only thing she could say during combat was that he sucked. Thanks lady.
I had more of a problem with Tokimune, who struck me as the normal hot-headed jerk with more mouth than ears to listen, or skills to back up the mouth. If he doesn’t get punched right in the face by one of his fellow soldiers, I will be disappointed.
I was honestly making a conscious effort to not get irritated by Tokimune out of hand since the kid who is a hothead and disobeys an order to do what the show clearly believes is the right thing to do are such a staple of the genre… sort of like how I made an effort to not get irritated about the women wearing skirted uniforms in a combat zone. I did like that his attempt to be a big ol’ hero wasn’t very effective initially and he was getting his ass handed to him; also liked that Silfy had to come in and save him.