AnimeAddicts

Graphics/animation The overall art design is beautiful, very atmospheric. The only „criticism” this show usually gets is the use of CGI, but after re-watching those scenes Ill call it good. Apart from a few scenes where the Terran mechs looked really clunky most of the time they were using various tricks to make the robots blend into the background which included the clever use of camera angles, lighting, colors, smoke, snow etc... The show is easy to follow and visually appealing. Music As many have stated already – it’s great. Hiroyuki Sawano showed us again what a talented composer he is. But since this is a review aboutthe anime and not the OST I want to talk about how they USED the music in the anime. Usually the music’s role in a movie or a TV show is to enhance the experience during certain scenes. Problem is when you overuse it you will achieve the exact opposite and take away from the intensity of the scenes. Instead of letting your audiences make the interpretations for themselves about how they should feel (based on the visuals and the sounds) you force feed them with the information by using music. The only time when the director showed real restraints were the final scenes in episode 12. This added more depth and emotion to the final showdown which is admirable. Wish the rest of the directing was on par with that (in terms of using the music I mean). Worldbuilding/war/politics This is probably the worst part of Aldnoah Zero. Since the anime is focusing on both sides I was hoping for a show where at least the basics (history, motivations) are done right, but nope. It’s pretty obvious that they wanted to tell us a „cool” invasion story, but put minimal effort into the worldbuilding. I would say if your knowledge about history, politics, economy, social behavior (etc...) is limited to Hollywood movies you can come up with a BS like that, but what we see on screen is disappointing at best (or causes brain aneurysm at worst). Story/action After the first two episodes it’s quickly established that the Martians are „super-duper” powerful and the Terran military is pretty much helpless against them on a worldwide scale. This could have been a nice approach if the show was about the desperate fight for survival of the Terrans, but since it’s about them kicking some Martian assess you know that won’t be the case. This time we get a Japanese high school student called Inaho, a genius, who singlehandedly comes up with amazing battle plans to defeat the invaders. I have to admit it that compared to the „the-main-character-gets-an-overpowered-robot-for-no-reason-and-beats-everyone” cliché this is sort of refreshing, but gets boring really fast. Especially because the more you think about it the more you realize that while his plans look good on paper, based on his observations he could have came up with different conclusions/interpretations. Meaning he is making somewhat logical wild guesses and he turns out to be right every single time. And naturally he is also able to flawlessly execute these plans, because he is an ace pilot who mastered the art of sidestepping instead of standing still and waiting for the fatal blow while screaming like an idiot. Characters Overall bland and boring. Only four of them are worth mentioning. Inaho (protagonist) – The new "industry standard" empty shell with some desirable traits (genius, chick magnet etc...) so the average viewer can project his own personality at him and say "oh hey look he is just your everyday normal person. Just like ME". Slaine (protagonist) – The best written character in the show (most likely unintentionally). Led by hormones and emotions, tossed left and right, naive and easily manipulated. Exactly how most teenagers would react in his situation. Saazbaum (antagonist) – The only bad guy in the show who has a reasonable motivation which puts him way above the rest of the cartoony villains. Sadly his reasoning and actions often contradict each other, but considering the overall bad writing he gets a pass. Marito – The alcoholic, traumatized war veteran. Since Inaho solves everything his potential gets wasted and remains at the sideline. Overall Aldnoah zero is basically the anime version of a Hollywood action movie. Just like the majority of the overhyped stuff this one also fits the "the-more-you-think-about-it-the-more-you-hate-it" category. It has a really catchy premise, some nice action scenes, but on the other hand its full of plot holes, one dimensional characters, plot conveniences, clichés, etc.. Overall it’s a very "effective" anime that knows its targeted audience, but won't be remembered 10 years from now.

ZephSilver

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but at what point do we cross the line between paying homage to other works and being a complete ripoff? Many titles have been labeled as copycats or cheap knockoffs before, usually riding the coattails of tentpole entries to gain recognition. Every storytelling medium has this occurrence, and with anime, it's no different. But every once in awhile we get a title that doesn't just copy a well-known property but takes it a step further by copying the definitive title in its respective genre. A public display of pillaging so unforgivable, that in the court ofpublic opinion, it's usually met with disgust and pitchforks in the form of verbal diatribes. Aldnoah.Zero is such a title, a show so full of itself that it didn't just have the audacity to steal the entire Mobile Suit Gundam setup, but it does so without even batting an eye, xeroxing it down to the minute details. At times, the changes made were so minuscule that the only thing done was name substitution. The circumstantial evidence of which was so apparent, that by merely reciting the setup of its premise, the tumor-like symbiosis that it shares with the patriarch it draws blood from could still be seen desperately clinging to the surface; bite marks still fresh from where the ideas were directly leeched off from, stopping just short of wholesaling arcs and iconography in its entirety. Mankind is broken into two separate governing factions, with the ones residing in space, the Vers Empire of Mars, treating the inhabitants of earth as inferior relics of their past. With bad blood still looming over both nations, the people of the Vers Empire finally declares war on their former "Terren" brethren once again, after the temporary truce of a fifteen-year period of civil unrest was finally brought to an end. With these two nations plunged back into battle, a ragged-tagged group of teens and public servants find themselves swallowed up in the chaos, leading to their boarding of a military vessel, as they pilot mechs and fend off the endless wave of enemy invaders. Poorly trained and doing everything in their power to survive, the only hope left for this motley crew is to seek out the assistance of the Earth's united front, as the fight for dominion over the planet marches forward. Sound familiar? The idea of "paying homage" quickly topples like a house of cards when the piracy on display is this blatant. The fresh coat of "Vers Empire of Mars" paint still wet, as it barely covers up the stolen "Principality of Zeon" ornament positioned underneath. But try not to wince too much, you need to save your composure for the rebranding of "newtypes" as "Aldnoah users" and all the subsequent "borrowing" yet to come, as the story drags itself down an inevitable path. The impression of reverse engineering can't be ignored, with plot points charted out from lifted passages of other works, the bold outlines of which already taking shape before the actual arc does due to little to no effort placed towards diversifying the formula. And if that wasn't apparent enough, this is a show that deploys shock value moments and plot twists, but the obviousness of it being there all long prevents any of it from truly being "shocking" in any sense of the word. Like whenever you watch a horror movie and everything cuts to silence while the character's hands grip the side of the bathroom sink, the medicine cabinet left ajar, and—you guessed it—a jumpscare occurring right after they close it and the mirror reveals something standing behind them; an act that's usually highlighted by a loud audible stinger. You may have involuntarily been spooked at those scenes in movies before, but at no point were you surprised by the placement of the jumpscare itself. That's the feeling that Aldnoah has with its content. When you do nothing but take ideas from other works, it's hard not to see things coming from a mile away. It could still keep your interest because of it, but any sense of validity it may have been desperately holding onto can only be taken seriously from those still new to the experience or less-demanding of their consumer goods. This is also true for the main character, Inaho, a default bodysuit made with the sole purpose of giving the viewer a shell to occupy as they walk around the scenery. His expression marked off with a thousand-yard-stare, with an interest in eggs being the only discernable desire shown (no, I'm not even joking). The thin veneer of a "personality" is barely there. I've seen dozens of self-insert male protagonists in my lifetime, and yet even I am taken aback by the sheer lack of effort on display here. Being emptied of any personality also seems to be the secret ingredient to becoming a genius tactician as well, as Inaho defeats numerous military personnel using what little school-combat training he acquired before the war broke out. But Inaho, lover of eggs and master of combat, isn't alone. Joining him on the main lead podium is his antithesis, Slaine, a person with perhaps too much emotion to spare. Fighting for the Empire of Vers, Slaine is our proxy to see things from the other side. Although, it's more of a surprise that anyone would even grant him a chance to fight any battle instead of placing him in a mental asylum. For every instance of Inaho acting like the human embodiment of a brick wall, Slaine is channeling his inner Saturday morning cartoon villain. It's honestly pretty entertaining, if only for all the wrong reasons. Like if all the implied subtextual autism of the newtype breed in Gundam was balled into a singular entity then condensed into a neutron star. That "star" being this highly volatile character, ready to "go off" at a moment's notice—and boy, does he ever "go off." As if making meta-commentary about the show being a bootleg version of the Gundam franchise, the mecha suits themselves are these jagged clumps of computer-generated apathy. Horrendously processed things that act as constant reminders that you're watching an anime and not truly experiencing it. Thankfully, some of the people staffed with bringing this anime to life seemed to have cared about the finished product, as the post-production work helped aided in masking the issue as much as possible. Fights would often take place at dusk or dawn, with dust and debris kicked up to camouflage the inherent ugliness of the suits in motion. Pilots divebombing as they're surrounded by snow, the cast shadow of a winter storm draped behind them. Busy locations with buildings and landmarks to keep from fixating too much on the CGI combatants. It was all very commendable. Didn't stop the rest of the staff from not giving a fuck, but hey, at least someone tried. Also, Yuki Kajiura did Yuki Kajiura, so there's that. When watching Aldnoah.Zero, it's hard to get upset at it. Sure, you could raise your pitchforks high for what's a blatant ripoff, but really, who cares? It's not going to stop Gundam from existing. There's a 65-foot replica of a Mobile Suit overlooking Tokyo bay after all, while the most adoration Aldnoah is getting is a few action figure purchases off of Amazon's website. With lots of violence, cartoonish villainy, and silly narrative twists to go around, Aldnoah.Zero was an entertaining off-brand. The kind of thing you pop in for cheap thrills and occasional blips of entertainment, only to forget it 15 minutes later when you do decide to watch an actual show instead. With all things considered, Aldnoah just ended up demonstrating just how much of a seminal piece of work its parental inspiration is, and if only for that bit of indirect self-reinforcement, I accept this dimestore bootleg into the fold.