The Asterisk War (light novel)
When I first started watching this show seriously I was suddenly reminded of something and it took me a good while to figure out what it was before I finally did. And that is the video game Final Fantasy VII, which is being remade as we speak. Now if you find that weird I don't blame you. But for those of you who really invested in this show, if you really think about it The Asterisk War and Final Fantasy VII share quite a few similarities concept wise. Now I'm sure there are some of you who hated this show with a passion and probably saw this topic thinking, "Oh, God! Why are you even doing this? The Ass War is mediocre at best and there's nothing more to talk about.". Well, that's where I think you're wrong. There is one last thing to talk about in this show. Greetings ladies and gentlemen, I'm DirectorK and welcome to this discussion of Anime That Deserved Better where I use my creative writing skills to describe, what I believe, could have made a certain anime better whether popular or not. Today I am going to talk about what is probably the most despised anime of the 2010s The Asterisk War and how it could have been better as an adventure story instead of a school academy/tournament one using Final Fantasy VII as an example. Let's begin. Setting To be perfectly honest I actually liked the setting of this show. In recent years I've gotten sick and tired of post apocalyptic settings of the future where everything's all depressing and for once wanted to see a more positive light on it. TAW pretty much gave that to me. However, at the same time I can't deny that it's also the shows biggest plot hole. "Humanity on Earth was able to recover quicker than expected and they built one big great city to host the festas!" Okay, but the what about the rest of the world? The only place we see outside the city is Julis's home Lieseltania. It ends up leaving too many questions on what happen to the rest of the world. Was it able to recover or is it still lying in shit? If they set this story had been set a hundred years or so in the future after the event of Invertia, it probably wouldn't have been much of a problem. Instead we're left that all this happen fairy recently and that the rest of the world was screwed. So, here's my take on it: Invertia... Towards the end of the 20th Century this meteor impacted the Earth's surface, causing numerous cities to be destroyed and all but bringing an end to humanity. But while the loss was great humanity was still able to survive through the use of underground shelters in pockets around the world. For many years the survivors would be forced to live beneath the surface, wondering if they will be able to see the sky once again. One day, a brave group of volunteers went out to see if the surface was breathable. They expected to see a barren wasteland, yet to their surprise they found new forms of life and an Earth that had remained green as though the disaster had never happened. The volunteers returned to their shelter with their stunning news and in the days to come more and more people would return to the surface, bringing agriculture to the land and establishing new communities. Villages became towns and towns became cities. At the same time the humans would have to fight off strange new beasts and other creatures never before seen. The origins of these creature would remain a mystery for several years. Then an extraordinary discovery was made. A group of explorers discovered the remains of the meteor Invertia, and from this meteor the discovery of the element that would be called Mana. This element would help humanity recover faster than expected and would allow them to make significant strides in technology. It would also bring the birth of a new human species, the Genestella. These special human beings came about when scientists discovered that mana could be used on the human body as well as machinery. Their experiments would allow humans to gain magical powers, a myth that had remained an impossibility until now. This allowed certain humans to fight monsters that no normal human being could take on. But, like all things, there is a dark side to everything. And there is also the mystery about the origins of Invertia... Sounds like the opening of a RPG game doesn't it? Well, that's because it could be if the creators wanted to make TAW a video game. But I like to imagine this an an anime. Right away you can somewhat see the similarity between TAW and FFVII concerning Invertia and JENOVA. If you remember from the game JENOVA was a celestial being that tried to take over the planet after crash landing on it. She was defeated and then her remains were discovered years later. Her cells were then used to create SOLDIERS. Invertia crashed on Earth yet the planet remained green for some reason. Mana was discovered from it and it allowed humanity to recover faster than expected and were to create new technology. In addition, using mana created a new species of human beings. The difference between the two is that one was a living creature while the other was just a special piece of giant rock. JENOVA tried to take over the world while Invertia was just a disaster that couldn't have been prevented. One had a mind of its own while the other didn't. Or perhaps Invertia did? Hmm, that would be an interesting plot twist. Here's another idea, what if the schools in TAW were actually the six major factions of the world, with several minor ones like Lieseltania for example? Let me list the major factions this way: Seidokan: A major faction that resembles the Japanese Empire in the days leading to World War Two since it controls most of the Pacific and parts of the India ocean. It is known to produce some of the finest Genestella since it carries a wide variety of skills and fighting styles while also hosting highly regarding schools and universities. Arlequint: The symbol of industrial power, Arlequint spans the entirety of North America. This faction is known for it technological advances and weapons, putting them at a great advantage of mechanical warfare. Often at odds with Queenvail, the Integrated Enterprise Foundation has prevented Arlequint from making aggressive moves but controlling their funding for their research. Jie Long: The long time rival of Seidokan that is said to be a modern day version of ancient China, spanning from the Chinese homeland to parts of India and the Middle East. Like Seidokan, Jie Long excels is wide variety of martial arts passed down from their kung fu ancestors, often preferring hand to hand combat rather than weapons. Rewolf: A major faction obsessed with the warrior's way that controls all of Eastern Europe. Their society is often considered as a modern version of the barbaric tribes during the Roman times. Their aggressive ways have put them at fierce odds with their rival Saint Galahadworth. Only the Integrated Enterprise Foundation has prevented these two factions from engaging in full scale war. Saint Galahadworth: Considered the most civilized faction in the world, with Seidokan being its eastern counterpart, Saint Galahadworth was said to have built its government around the myth of King Arthur, holding law and order in high regard. Controlling much of Western Europe, the Saint Galahadworth knights have preserved peace and justice throughout the land, making them bitter enemies with Lewolf. Queenvail: This faction is said to built on the myth of the ancient Amazons since the majority of Genestella are women, however their celebrity like life style has caused many to rethink this. Often at odds with Arlequint, Queenvail enjoys its easy going life style through the Caribbean and much of South America. With a world setting like this it does leave one wishing their more schools since six is a little far fetched to believe. But see how this kind of setting sets up the imagination on what kind of adventures stories you can create? Hell, you could almost imagine this as an MMO for that matter. Story I'm not going to divulge too much in the story just yet since the LNs have just been licensed for a US release so I'm getting set to read those. However, I do want to share with you guys this idea I had for this story. What if Invertia wasn't a meteor but actually a celestial being who's ship was mistaken to be a meteor that accidentally crashed landed on Earth, inadvertently wiping out humanity as we know it and then bringing it back to life with its power before going into a deep sleep. Years later, a group of scientist discover the body and with it they created the Genestella, yet the Genestella themselves don't know this. Have the story be about the characters we know discover what Invertia really is while they are also trying to prevent a world wide war from breaking out while questioning their existance and if their powers are a curse rather than a gift. With that we can see more of the world they--we--live in while also seeing the characters grow as they torn between the thought of preserving their humanity through the danger of their magical powers. Make Invertia like JENOVA only make it to be the exact opposite of JENOVA. Where JENOVA was trying to take over the planet, have Invertia try to preserve and protect the planet with its "children" being the Genestella. Overall, have Invertia be the major plot device for the story. All of this would made TAW a better show if it had this kind of setting and story. To Be Continued... I'm going to leave things here for now. Next part will be about the characters, my thoughts on harem and romance in anime, and what kind of impact this series could have if it was done this way. I'm DirectorK and until next time, stay tuned. ;) |
| "You talk too much. Think too much." "I don't care how justified you think your reasons are. I won't tolerate liars or thieves." "If you're not going to be nice to me, don't expect me to be nice to you." "I'm a soldier, not a superhero. Don't ever think of me as one." "The world doesn't revolve around you. Get that through your thick skull." "People who live by their emotions go nowhere in their lives. They only find misery. "If you don't like the way your life is than do something about it instead of sitting there feeling sorry for yourself." "You want something go get it. Period." |
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