Oct 11, 2020
Let me start off by saying this show definitely wasn't what I expected. It excelled in areas I didn't expect and it fell flat in others where I wish it wasn't the case. Let's break it down-
Story:
The story in the first season was much more intriguing and mysterious. There was so much going on and I really liked how things were not spoon fed to the viewer. I will admit--I thought two of the main girls were the same person until about episode 5. Aside from all the detours such as clumsily written cliche dialogue and trying to hook up with the main character, Sedonia
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itself and the gauna are fascinating. I wish the show had more of a focus and direct narrative because it had all the elements of a great anime. What held it back, for me, was the lack of character development, the cliche and bizarre relationships these thirsty space girls have, and lack of a gauna narrative (they were merely rendered as the bad guys with no purpose). The gauna concept is amazing and really cool. I wish there was more development about them or a really cool twist like the guana are sentient beings and the human race committed genocide first. I am hopeful for the movie sequel to tie up all loose ends and answer these bigger questions.
In season 2, the story took a sharp turn down. The story became more about these silly ecchi shots of the girls and how they want a relationship with Tanikaze, but treat him like dirt anyways. I really thought that cheapened the show and the overall delivery and punch that it had in season 1. It became so clear that this show was made by a boy for boys. I think the show had so much potential and it just pandered too much to the fan-service side. Especially when it came to the guana hybrid. Things got weird as fuck, let's be honest.
Art Style:
The whole CGI thing really isn't my taste. I did not like the art style of the characters and the animation style at all. I honestly could not stare at the show the entire time. I had to multitask. The art style and design and movement of the characters was unsettling. However, I can appreciate the the amazing battle sequences and I gave 100% attention to those. They were really well done. The anime really nailed it when it came to epic battle scenes, panned out cinematography shots, high quality renders, lighting, texture, etc. In short, some scenes had me in awe. I really enjoyed the epicness that the major action scenes brought. So even though I do not like full CGI anime, I completely appreciated the quality and effort that was shown in this show.
Sound:
It was great. The opening and ending themes were awesome in the sense that they were crafted for the show. I appreciated that.
Character:
Characters fell flat—as I mentioned in the Story section. The main character, Tanikaze, had zero character development in both seasons. His personality consisted of “i love food” and “blush @ boobies”. Yea, he kinda sucked. Of course he is amazing at piloting and he is OP in everything he does on the battlefield. Overall, I wasn’t too annoyed with him or really any of the characters. They just lacked backstory and development and I found it hard to care about any of them The show failed to answer all the big questions surrounding the characters--especially the captain, the immortal counsel, and all the inner turmoil. Like I said, I am hopeful for the movie sequel.
Watch this show if you love epic mecha fights. I am a fan of Gundam Seed, Guilty Crown, and Code Geass. I like mecha shows in that regard. But both had better stories than Knights of Sidonia. For me, great media at its core must have a powerful story. If the story doesn’t have weight, the rest—no matter how great each individual element is— falls flat.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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