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Oct 25, 2015
TL;DR The anime is too short to make any real impact
Mitsuwano is a story of three young Geisha apprentices (called Maiko), Riko, Midori and Mai, partaking in an upcoming festival. Being only one episode long (about 30 minutes), it is really a condensed version of something that could easily run a full season.
Opting for a one episode OVA, the pacing is rather fast. It unfortunately skips a lot of character development. How did the three meet? How did they become such close friends? What was their back stories? Too bad none of these were explored in any details.
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What we get is a small arc of an overall story. In all honesty, it barely touches the surface.
The main take away is that all three Maiko are training hard for an upcoming festival. However, a shopkeeper tells them that only two of them will be chosen for a role in the performance. Hence, the three friends now become competitors. This ends as well as any slice-of-life anime would end. Honestly, the story is not something spectacular. In fact, I think it leans towards the cliche side of story telling. I really wish it would at least run another two or three episodes, letting the viewers in on the everyday lives of a Maiko and the path they take to become a fully fledged Geisha, a centuries old profession that is getting less and less attention in the 21st century.
The Gion district is more or less depicted in Mitsuwano. Everything in the world of Geisha is so delicate and organized. The art shows that organization in great details. The shops are clean, everything is in order, nothing seems out of place. The kimono is brightly colored and fit for purpose.
For those who have been to Kyoto (and the Kansai region in general) will notice the details given to the dialogs of the characters in Mitsuwano. The Kansai dialect is very noticeable and there are even a few occasions where one of the girls got scolded for not using the correct dialect. It is such details that make Mitsuwano watchable.
Overall, Mitsuwano is not a bad anime, but as I have said throughout this review, one episode is not nearly enough to give the characters and story the time it needs to grow and foster a relationship with the viewer. A longer format, or even a feature film would do it better justice. Whatever the reason that was decided to release Mitsuwano in this format, don't let the short duration put you off. The art is appealing, it is full of little details that make you think that the creators really did their research. The subject matter is interesting, albeit it is probably more relevant in Japan than in the rest of the world. Watch it for what it is.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Oct 3, 2015
TL;DR Some interesting concepts. A refreshing break from Detective Conan
Gosho Aoyama's short stories collection is a collection of, well, short stories. There are seven stories in all, each of various length. Some runs for the full episode length while others run much shorter. Each of the stories are self-contained, although I like the fact that some of the stories are loosely connected in some ways.
The stories are set in the Detective Conan world, but are in no way connected to any of its characters. One story features a tiny-size detective, another story features an old man magically becomes young again.
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They are in the realm of fantasy, sure, but they work surprisingly well. Just do not expect to have the same quality as Aoyama's more famous work, Detective Conan. Speaking of which, some of the stories features Conan's parents, which is somewhat refreshing, because we don't see much of them in Detective Conan.
If you are looking for murder mystery like those in Detective Conan, you should watch Detective Conan instead. The short stories are nothing like DC. They are light hearted, sometimes out of this world, and project a very creative and imaginary scenario to the viewers. Some of the 'concept' from the stories work its way into the DC world.
Throughout the stories, you might notice some cameo appearance by the cast of Detective Conan. It was fun spotting Agasa or Mori or even Ran. As the anime is done in the last century, the artwork is what you would expect from that era. Art style are very similar to Detective Conan, with its distinctive Aoyama look and feel. Some of the voice actors from Detective Conan can be clearly identified in these stories. If you have watched Detective Conan for any considerable of time, you can easily tell the voice actors in these stories.
As a whole, the short stories are a break from Detective Conan. If you are open to small people, time travel and the likes, have a go at this. It is not a top quality show, but it is enjoyable to watch nonetheless.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Oct 3, 2015
Saenai Heroine no Sodatekata, or Saekano for short, is a refreshing look at the otaku culture, and more specifically, the dating sim game genre that is forever so popular in Japan. There has been many anime before Saekano that uses the otaku culture as backdrop, from anime to manga to doujinshi to games. Each anime has its own level of success. Saekano, in essence, is just another anime added to that collection. But it is done with enough wit to makes it entertaining and quickly becomes one of my favourite anime of 2015.
This is a story of a young man's (Tomoya
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Aki) dream to create what he thinks would be the best dating sim the world has ever seen. In my opinion, though, he is just creating yet another run of the mill dating sim that graze the Japanese gaming scene. But enough about the game he wants to create and more about the anime about a boy who wants to create a game.
The plot encapsulates the otaku scene, where Tomoya believes 2D girls are more desirable than 3D girls. As he meets his plain looking, deadpan classmate Megumi during a chance meeting, he decides to make a dating sim that will touch every gamer's heart and soul.
As his endeavour takes shape, he recruits his childhood friend Eriri Spencer Sawamura who works as a hentai doujinshi artist and Utaha Kasumigaoka, a popular romance novelist who happens to be the 'smartest girl in school'. Before long, he takes it upon himself to 'train' his plain looking classmate Megumi Katou into the heroine of his game.
Saekano never intends to take itself seriously. For those who are well verse in the otaku culture will feel right at home. You can feel the sweat, energy and enthusiasm of all the characters as they work together (or not) towards creating their game.
Characters are well developed. We have the eccentric Utaha who is somewhat the de facto mentor of the group, guiding Tomoya on every step of the way. She is arrogant yet caring, beautiful yet jealous. It is this mix of personality that makes her stands out among the casts.
Eriri the illustrator is the almost opposite of Utaha. While Utaha is a renowned novelist, Eriri makes every effort to hide the other side of her, that of a hentai doujinshi artist. Being a childhood friend of Tomoya and openly professes her interest in him, she is often being made fun of by Utaha who, unlike Eriri, hide her interest in Tomoya.
The honour of 'boring girlfriend' is bestowed upon Megumi Katou, the plain looking, deadpan classmate of Tomoya. She is so ordinary that Tomoya does not even know she exists until the day he takes notice of her. Unlike the rest of the circle, Megumi is clueless to the whole otaku culture. Seeing Tomoya makes Megumi pulls an all-nighter on multiple dating sim (which looks suspiciously like a game that I have played before, in real life) is amusing to watch. But looks can be deceiving as there is more about Megumi than meet the eye. She is my personal favourite through her witty comments and her monotone delivery of dialogues. She has her way of talking down at people without offending the other party.
And then we have Michiru Hyodou, Tomoya's cousin and the circle's musical director. Unfortunately for her, her introduction into the series comes fairly late. It does not leave much time for her character to develop like the rest of the crew. But for the little time that we get to know her, we witness her transformation from rejecting the otaku culture to embracing it as her way of expressing herself through music.
Of course, we have Tomoya Aki, the young man whose dream it is to create a dating game that will set the (otaku) world on fire. He is oblivious to the love interest shown by the girls, as his energy is fully concentrated on making the game. He is very enthusiastic and determined to get his game created. The only problem I find is that he tries to mould his game into something that has already been done before. He tries to conform Megumi into an archetypical heroine seen in thousands of dating sim. In other words, he tries to make a game that does not really stand out. Why would someone buy your game when there are literally hundreds of others that looks just like yours?
The rivalry between Eriri and Utaha makes a regular appearance in Saekano. And to a lesser extent, Megumi as well (even though she picks her fight in her own subtle way). All three girls have, more or less, some feelings towards Tomoya which he is oblivious to, given his preference of 2D girls over 3D. Whether or not the girls succeed in professing their love is unimportant, the main point is despite their differences, they are willing to work with each other to realise Tomoya's dream.
Sometimes, Saekano even break the fourth wall casually. The characters say it so out of hand as if it is a regular occurrence.
For those looking for fan service, you will certainly find them here. But it might come as a surprise that this harem anime has less than the usual amount of suggestive pose. Whatever fan service there is, it is tastefully done. I can't believe I just said that about a harem anime. There are some suggestive scenes, but they are not overly done.
Graphically, Saekano is visually stimulating. Each of the girls can be seen dressed in different outfits. Camera angles are different from other anime that results in a refreshing look to the series. Vibrant colours are used throughout the series. The character design fits the personality quite well. Background is done impressively well, especially Tomoya's room. If you pay close attention, you might recognise the many posters, novels and figurines that litter the room.
The OP is upbeat, full of energy and charming, while the ED is cheerfully typical of anime songs. I personally like both of them and often find myself humming to the tunes. BGM is atypical of harem anime, nothing outstanding, but definitely nothing out of place.
Saekano is certainly not a guide on how to make your own dating sim game, but what is on offer is charming, light-hearted and humorous. The characters are well developed, the plot is enjoyable and the humour hits all the right spots. There is just the right amount of fan service to keep your eyes peeled. Overall, it is a well-executed anime that will appeal to both visual novel gamers and non-gamers alike. There might be just one heroine in Tomoya's game, but there are plenty of heroines in the anime that Tomoya stars in.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Jun 18, 2015
TL;DR Not for those who are affected by terrorism in any way
Watching Terror in Resonance is a bit like reliving the horrible event that happened in NYC. Sure, many movies and pop culture has reference to that tragic day, but nothing quite resemble what Terror in Resonance did, at least in its first act.
MIXED - Story
In essence, Terror in Resonance is a detective story. But instead of watching a lone wolf detective trying to bust his balls chasing criminals who are always one step ahead, we are treated with a cat-and-mouse chase. We know who the culprits are early on and we
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know what they are up to. But we don't know why they are the way they are and why they did the things they did. This is where the anime gets interesting.
Terrorism is such a sensitive topic in our real world society right now, yet the creators of this anime is not afraid to bring it to the forefront of our minds. This is not for those who still think they are affected by any form of terrorism in any way, shape or form, be it 9/11, Charlie Hebdo or Boko Haram. It is graphical, even though no deaths are involved, at least none that has been reported (but that does not mean it's victimless). It's a bit like the IRA back in the last century when the police was warned before the bombs went off.
In Terror in Resonance, the terrorists (two teenagers who called themselves Sphinx) forewarn the authority by the way of a video uploaded to the internet. They give out a puzzle about the location of the explosive device and leave the cops to figure out where. The first terrorist act that they performed is very much akin to the 9/11 tragedy. The settings might be different, but the impact is just the same. There were no casualties, but one of the towers of the government building in the Shinjuku district was destroyed.
As the story progresses, the terrorists put their crafts in places that cause mayhem. However, there is a conflict of interest here. On one hand, their goal is to disrupt daily lives by blowing things up, but on the other, they actually do not want to cause fatality. Sure, you can disrupt lives without killing, but why threaten to blow up something in a crowded area when you are not actually planning to go through it, knowing that the end result have a high probability of causing death?
On the other end is the cops who, despite mobilising a huge amount of resources, seems to be helpless. In come Shibazaki, a demoted cop who happens to be really good at investigating these sort of things. He is the driver who solve the riddles being raised by the terrorists.
The whole series gives off this "Ghost In The Shell" vibe about it. It is dark, sinister and mysterious. However, it doesn't provoke any deep thinking in the same way GITS might. In the end, it is a story about how the cops chase down a bunch of teenagers who happen to know a lot of stuff about blowing things up.
GOOD - Characters
For every good crime thriller, there must have some well thought-out characters who support the script. Luckily, Terror in Resonance offers a bunch of different, if not all interesting, group of individuals.
Nine is the mastermind of the entire terror operation. He is calculated, calm and logical. Twelve forms the second half of their little terror outfit. He is playful, daring and lot more cheerful than his counterpart. The third member to join them inadvertently is Lisa Mishima, a klutzy girl who runs away from her troubled mother and the bullies from school. She ends up staying with the Sphinx pair and is the source of some light hearted moment in an otherwise dark anime.
On the other side of the fence is Shibazaki, the lone cop who actually cares about the motive behind all the terrorist attacks in a time when the rest of the police force only care about how to stop the terrorists. He is later joined by a hot headed partner who initially rejects the Shibazaki way, but eventually comes around. Sadly, this pair sounds too much like a cliche pair of Hollywood cops.
Getting in the middle of it all is Five, a super intelligent girl from the FBI who seems to be somehow related to Nine and Twelve. Sadly, she proves to be the weakest link in the series with her outlandish personality and a somewhat ridiculously childish plot to stop the terror by, wait for it, causing more terror.
There is not much character development in the show, but luckily the show is not character driven.
MIXED - Graphics
The attention to details is nothing short of perfection. From the computer screen (which looks remarkably like Windows / Mac) to the explosion, everything is in its place. The character design fits the character in question. The cheerful Twelve wears outgoing casual weekend wear while Nine is more conservative in is choice of clothing.
However, the art style is not to everyone's taste. The creators use hard solid lines, everyone seems to be suffering from vitamin D deficiency. They are all so pale and lack skin tone. You can hardly find any soft colour in the series and everything is dark and heavy.
Ultimately, the graphics in Terror is more of a personal taste than anything. Some might be put off by the lack of warm colour, while others would praise the aesthetic approach that the creators took.
BAD - OP/ED
I will probably burn in hell for this. But I, for one, did not like the OP and ED of Terror in Resonance. I cannot pinpoint the one thing that I didn't like about it, but the songs sound rough and unrefined. I know that some viewers would love it. The one exception is the final slow melody that is vastly different from the other songs.
Please feel free to disagree.
GOOD - Music / Sound
The BGM to the anime is much better. The music is cheerful relative to the artistic direction that Terror has taken. It's much more soothing than the OP/ED. The sound is also well done. Explosions, helicopters, trains, gun shots, everything mixes well with the environment. It really feels as if you were there.
OVERALL
Terror in Resonance is an anime that provoke. Whether it's the artistic style, the theme or the plot, it would make some viewers uncomfortable. That said, the series is by no mean more sinister than your average crime thriller. You might not feel for the two teenagers. After all, they are committing a crime, regardless of motive.
The plot is intense and interesting to watch. Characters are, in the majority of cases, an ensemble that support each other to tell a story. Art and sound are areas up for debate. There are some rough edges, but in the overall scheme of things, Terror in Resonance is enjoyable to watch.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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May 14, 2015
TL;DR - Fun for all ages
Watching Amagi Brilliant Park is refreshing. You are not watching some kids trying to save the world, or some evil zombie feast, or even (un)popular-guy-loved-by-every-girl-he-talks-to. Aamgi Brilliant Park is brilliant, entertaining and never fails to amaze.
(MOSTLY) GOOD - Story
The series quickly established the premise: the run-down Amagi Brilliant Park, owned by a princess from a land of magic, is in dire situation. Unless it reaches the yearly quota of half a million visitors in the next three months, it faces foreclosure. The only saviour is in the form of Kanie Seiya, a narcissistic high school student
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who, after much needed coaxing, promised to help out as the park's new manager.
Theme park management is probably the last thing you have in mind when it comes to anime. It works brilliantly as a game (too many theme park sim game to name here), but as an anime, you might think that it would be a tough nut to crack. Well, Amaburi gladly proves you wrong. Amaburi is one of the funniest anime in recent time, and it comes down to the story and the characters.
Each episode is an adventure. Being a comedy, one would expect the adventure to turn into something that never goes according to plan. The comedy hits just the right spot at the right time. Sometimes it is when you least expected it and sometimes you can see it from miles away. Each episode is a self-contained story, with the overall arc being played out in the background. That is, until the last few episodes when it is number crunching time. That's when the story picks up pace. Rest assured, the ending is well written (for the most part) without feeling rushed. In fact, I think the series has good pace overall.
Without the overarching story of the threat of closure, this anime could go on forever.
One thing that I like about this anime is that it does not rely (solely) on ecchi to sell the show. Sure, you get great fan service (check out those racks on Sento!), but they only tell part of the story. This show is driven by the humorous writing and great characters. You would develop feelings for the park as it is transferred from the ICU to the general ward as it can now breathe normally without life support. But will the park be able to leave the hospital in full health, or will its condition suddenly turn south? You will have to watch it for yourself.
However, Amaburi is not without its problem. Because each episode is a self-contained story, sometimes it loses track of the overall picture. Sure, they are great fun to watch. But it might not actually have anything to do with saving the park. I feel that some of the episodes could be done as an OVA while the main series should be concentrated on how Kanie uses his (alleged) brilliance to save the park from collapse.
GOOD - Character development
There are plenty of characters in Amagi Brilliant Park, but we only get to know a handful of them.
For those who we do get to see, they are well rounded and full of energy. Each character has his / her own personality, not your typical cardboard cut-out character. Kanie Seiya, while being an egoistic teenager, is actually quite caring and loves his job. Isuzu Sento is a stoic blank face on the surface, but she has a great sense of responsibility and would do anything in her ability to complete her task.
The secondary characters like the three main mascots and the four elementary fairies are well loved and have a great sense of humour. Those viewers with keen eyes might recognise the remarkable resemblance between Moffle and Bonta-kun’s from Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu. And given the nature of FMP? Fumoffu, one could not be faulted for associating Moffle with comedy.
The three mascots in particular (Macaron, Tiramie and Moffle) is a major source of entertainment. Macaron is divorced and refused to pay child support, Tiramie is really a pervert at heart, and Moffle has a violent tendency. You really can't judge the book by its cover.
One strength of the series is letting the characters shine in their own light. There are episodes where our main characters have little impact on the outcome. However, this is a double edged sword. As it stands, letting other characters take the spotlight unfortunately detract the main story line. A better way would have been letting other characters come up with ways to resolve some of the issues facing the park, rather than the scenarios that ended up in the anime.
I would love to see other characters being introduced in the series, but sadly, the anime is too short to fully explore the so many lively characters that is employed in the park.
GOOD - Animation
The background is colourful and vibrant. The drawings are crisp, and animation is smooth. Character design is adequate. The three main mascots are mascots, so you do not get to see costumes changes. Other mascots stays the same throughout the series. Kanie and Isuzu mostly donned the Amaburi uniform, albeit with seasonal variants. I can count on two hands the number of outfits that Sento wears.
If fan service is what you are after, there are plenty of that too, though not as much as the creators wanted them to be. But then again, there is something call the 'internet'. Some search results might come up quite 'revealing'.
BAD - Not Enough Kanie Magic
I might be nit-picking here, but we have already established in the first episode that Kanie has been gifted with magic that can read minds. Unfortunately we don't get to see nearly enough instances where his uses magic to his advantage. We see Isuzu with her guns from you-know-where, I mean, god-knows-where magic trick every second episode, but in the case of Kanie, I think it has potential to make a regular appearance. Maybe we can get some comedy out of him reading the minds of guests.
OVERALL
The eponymous Amagi Brilliant Park is anything but brilliant. The park is in such disarray that it is a surprise that there are visitor at all. But through aggressive marketing and the (alleged) brilliance of Kanie's management skills, the park is slowly brought back to life. The anime is a journey to that end. Though it sometimes detracts from its main goal, Amaburi managed to stay on track long enough to keep the audience interested.
The anime is a great fun to watch, though that are many potential areas that are left untouched. Hopefully they could be addressed / expand in future seasons. Every character has his/her own personality that makes the team so different and dynamic. The OP and ED have the typical JPOP feel, and the music, though not memorable, is quite soothing to listen to. The animation is marvellous. Plot is great, entertainment and funny. If only the series was longer.
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Apr 28, 2015
TL;DR - Like clay, so much potential in the right hands, but it's a mess in the end.
Watching Aldnoah.Zero is like watching a Jackie Chan movie. You would be amused by the crazy stunts and the perfectly choreographed fight scenes. But if you watch it for the plot, you would be disappointed. Aldnoah.Zero is visually and aurally brilliant (much like Jackie's stunts and fights), but in the overall scheme of things, it does not live up to the sum of its parts.
GOOD - Animation
Very few anime could boost stunning animation. Aldnoah.Zero is one of the few. Everything from the background
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to the mecha decor, from the explosion to the energy beam, the attention to details is nothing short of exquisite. Some people might complain about the use of CGI, but personally I find it enhances the show greatly. It is still not as fluid as it should, but for what it's worth, it makes the scene livelier.
Mecha design is meticulously done. Each Martian Kataphrakt have its unique style. It is good to see that they are not your typical humanoid design. The designers must be commended for creating something different. Even though all Kataphrakts on Earth is the standard issue (i.e. they all look the same), Inaho's Kataphrakt managed to have accessories which make it unique in its own right.
GOOD - Mecha Fighting Scenes
Fighting scenes are great insofar as the duel between Inaho and the "Martian Kataphrakt of the Week (TM)" is concerned. Inaho's calm nature and ability to collect, analyse and take the most logical option is like watching a super computer in action. He is emotionless and will only take what he thinks is the best possible path to complete the mission at hand, disregarding normal things like orders. There is nothing more satisfying than to see the underdog wins against all odds.
GOOD - Music To The Ears
The soundtrack of Aldnoah.Zero is superbly done. The background music is upbeat and fits the situation like a glove. Tension in the battle scenes, tender in the mellow scenes. There is not one beat out of place.
The OP and ED are great. Usually I would skip the OP and ED, but the songs made me stay every episode. The ED song aLIEz is especially well done. The upbeat tempo and the tension in the music is perfect for a morale boosting song. If only the Kataphrakts has an iPod connection or bluetooth. I can imagine the pilots listening to the song every time they go out to battle.
BAD - The Epic Battle Everyone is Waiting For (or Lack Thereof)
If you like watching epic battles between troops, then you will be sorely disappointed with Aldnoah.Zero. Yes, I know I said before that I like the fight scenes, but it is only insofar as a duel between the two people concerned. The entire Martian invasion strategy involves the Count landing his/her castle somewhere on Earth and dispatch that one Kataphrakt (that only the Count can control) to wreak havoc on Earth, while the rest of the Martians sit inside the landing castle having a tea party, presumably. That's like the General does all the fighting while the rest his army sits idle inside the barrack. And guess what, the General who is supposedly well trained in using his super weapon to his absolute advantage is actually pretty crap against a high school kid who uses a training mecha and much inferior weaponry. All you need is knowing how physics works. So don't skip your physics class, boys and girls.
BAD - The Usefulness Of The Earth Military (or Lack Thereof)
While it is natural to see Inaho and his peers dodging, sidestepping and generally avoid things that could end their lives, the rest of the military forgets what "avoiding being killed" means. Characters who are required for the plot conveniently survive every attack ranging from the mecha losing an arm to losing a head. For all the other pilots who never spoken to Inaho (i.e. not important), they are just some useless pink garden flamingos begging to be vandalised. They serve only two functions: a) to make the main characters look good and b) scream like a little girl who had her Barbie ran over by a tank.
BAD - Backstory (or Lack Thereof)
There is not much story to speak of generally, but the backstory is almost non-existent. We are given a 5 minute lecture on the Vers Empire and another 5 minutes lecture on the reason for the First Vers-Earth War. But there are so many back stories that would provide a much richer understanding of the world that Aldnoah.Zero is set in. But then again, the Vers Empire has only been in existence since 1972 (the anime is set in 2014), so there is hardly any history to be had.
Slaine is an interesting character in his own right, but we have no idea of his origin other than that he and his father crash landed on Mars years ago. Why the hell did they come to Mars in the first place? Were they being chased by space pirates? Was Slaine tricked by his dad with a promise of limitless candy? Were they prosecuted for being devil worshipers on Earth? How did they even evade the Mars defence when they come crashing in? These are the sort of questions that were never answered in the series, and likely never will (great potential for some creative fanfics, though).
UGLY - (Virtually No) Character Development
There is virtually zero character development in the series. Inaho is super smart but has the personality of a garden gnome. While he is not the first anime character to exhibit these traits (and certainly won't be the last), he is just so cold and is more like a computer than human. His care factor is absolute zero. Watching his friend died in front of his eyes and winning against a death machine has the same effect on him.
Princess Asseylum fills in the shoes of someone who is an idealist who thinks that she can "save the world" without resorting to violence. Unfortunately there are already plenty of hers around in every anime that involve epic wars between two sides. Her function as a character lacks conviction. Sure, she serves more function than just some 1960's hippies, but Asseylum seems to be the only person at that anti-war rally as everyone else is eager to go to war.
Slaine is possibly the most interesting character out of the three main cast. He represents the pinnacle of pain and suffering, but his role is confusing, we don't know where he stands in the Martian society. He is despised by every Count who knows of him, yet he seems to hold substantial status over ordinary Martians, so which is which? He is deeply loyal to Princess Asseylum, probably because she is his only friend. But his action says otherwise.
The rest of the supporting cast is unfortunately just as shallow. They show more emotion than Inaho, but their care factor is just as low. People are dying left, right and centre and all they care about is "the military uniform doesn't look good on me".
The Martian Orbital Knights, saved for a few main Counts who are required for the plot, are meant to be all powerful with their death machines decimating the populace on Earth. But the only thing they managed to decimate is the writer's credibility as they turn from their God-like status to utterly useless and became nothing more than the "Martian Kataphrakt of the Week (TM)". One minute, they were sweeping the floor with a decapitated Earth Kataphrakt. The next minute, they were the one that got swept into the dumpster.
There is no chemistry between the characters. Friendship between Inaho and Princess Asseylum stayed the same way throughout the series. Relationship between Inaho and Slaine is fuelled by the misunderstanding of each other just because they wear a different uniform. The show would have ended peacefully many moons ago if only the three of them would sit down and talk to each other over dinner.
There is no team work to speak of between Inaho and the rest of his platoon. The writer made him so overpowering that makes everyone else looks insignificant. They might as well sit with the audience and watch the Inaho one man show instead.
Aldnoah.Zero makes it very hard for the audience to like, let alone relate, to the characters.
CONCLUSION
Despite all its shortcomings, Aldnoah.Zero is enjoyable to watch if you can ignore its fault. But saying that is like saying you are a good person if only you didn't murder your mother. Aldnoah.Zero has great potential. In fact, I actually enjoyed watching it the first time round. It is only when I started thinking about it deeper that I realised how flawed it is. If you do end up watching the first season, I strongly urge you to commit to the second cours as well. The ending is just too much to bear.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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