Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Anime Review: Aldnoah.Zero


With the recent confirmation by NASA that there is indeed liquid water flowing on the surface of Mars this anime became even more prophetic! I'm not gonna give a summary of the 12 episode series but I will say this, anyone younger than 18 will not appreciate the incredible richness of the story that explores some adult subjects such as social status, perceived entitlement, cultural differences, love and hate, grieving for lost ones, PTSD, torture, slavery, natural resources vs technology, assassination plots used to declare war masked as terrorism...Aldnoah.zero touches on all of the above in 12 gorgeous episodes that are masterfully designed! The characters are each well thought out and developed with interlacing back stories that when woven together create a rich and engaging drama. 
The character designs are a bit cliche for the medium but by the final episode " A Childhoods End" (good book by the way) their designs are no longer an issue because you'll be so engaged in their struggle.
One of the characters I found interesting for reasons beyond what I mentioned previously was Captian Darzana Magbaredge, she reminded me of Misa Hayase from SDF Macross, or what her personality would be like if Hikaru had not chosen her and she accepted the offer from Captain Global to take command of the Megaroad 1.
The mecha designs were very well done, each Martian Kataphrakts was unique and possesed a new obstical for Inaho and the Mustand Squadron. Lord Saazbuam's Kataphrakts(mecha) harkened back to the old school days when combiners were all the rage! Watching it combine totally brought me back to my childhood sitting in front of the TV watching the 5 lions transform and form Voltron!
The conclusion of Aldnoah.Zero was a bit of a surprise but I absolutely appreciate the choice considering the story, it was honest and held true to the story! Not a Disney animated movie, and I thank the writers and director for that! 
This Anime deserves a spot on the shelf alongside my favorite Animes such as SDF Macross, Neon Genesis Evanglion, Ninja Scroll, Wings of Honeamisse and Ghost in the Shell.
A-

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