Gale! Beast Machine Corps 203 is a historical manga with a steampunk bent. At first I came in expecting a more historical take, but was pleasantly surprised that this reads like a cross between a Shigeru Mizuki historical manga and Ken Ishikawa's other mecha focused works, like Getter. If you enjoy either of those styles of manga you should enjoy what this manga has to offer. Don't expect anything with the lore depth of a complex world, since it's still grounded in a Russo-Japanese war context, but at the same time do not go in expecting anything matching real events. This is purely fantasy, albeita great grounding of a fictional story inside our own world.

It should also be mentioned that Ken Ishikawa's art is incredible, and at it's top form in this manga. The expressions are vibrant and personal, the paneling is well framed and dynamic, and the story telling is told visually through much of the work. A manga like this really makes you appreciate an author more even if you aren't particularly fond of the story or context.