Review : Aldnoah.Zero

'Let justice be done. Through the Heaven's fall.' This catchphrase just sends chills down my spine. So, this is my twenty-seventh review. This anime was also my favorite of Summer 2014 Season till the last episode, after watching the end I was very disappointed at the big ass cliffhanger they left us with. I hope season 2 is Inaho Vs Slaine!

Story 

The story of the anime takes the old science fiction plot of earthlings warring against extraterrestrial beings, And does it as it should be done! No over the top fluff stuff, No over the top mecha battles or like the main character being so naive that you would expect him to be the last person to save the world. The Battles in the anime are actually 'Gorilla Warfare' that shows us how we can pull off amazing feats in tight situations and bring down enemies much stronger than ourselves!

Characters

Well, The main character in Aldnoah.Zero, Inaho Kaizuka in the start seems like an ordinary teenager. But No, He is very smart, and skilled as it gets. And if anyone tells you he has no motivation, the person just wasn't paying attention. Although the main character fights because his friend died, he isn't purely fighting for himself. I haven't been so satisfied with a MC in a long time. All the other characters also develop beautifully like Vers Allusia Asseylum, Areash Rayet and Warrant Office Kaizuka Yuki! All the villians were complete assholes which is very good as you can then enjoy Inaho kick their ass without feeling any pity and in the end, Slaine just developed into a sympathetic antagonist.

Animation and Sound

Animation is very well done and both the Earth and Martian mechas seem to resemble the two different forms of mechas in the anime: Earth's military vehicles given legs and Martians use more advanced and seemingly futuristic designs. The character designs are amazing and the expressions they all show make us feel that they're alive. The backgrounds and artwork in general is great. I also have to mention how scenes like the end of episode 1 really drive home the meaning of 'shock and awe'

The sound is easily my favorite part about the series. The opening is both soothing and pulse pounding. The ost are very dramatic and make the fight scenes more moving. Even the ending(s) are worth watching for the music which I hardly ever feel obligated to. The voice acting is pretty well done, and again the performances give more drama and feeling to the events taking place in the series.

Enjoyment

I definitely enjoyed this anime a lot and the most refreshing element of Aldnoah.Zero was the complete absence of dues ex machina. Often at times we can throw down the victory of a completely biased opponent on friendship or love or some mecha that only this troubled child can use, but none of that is here - it's a much more rewarding and thought out experience that delivers some pretty gripping scenes!!

Overall, Aldnoah.Zero was my favorite mecha anime this season, hope season 2 continues it in a good way. It is written by Gen Uroguchi who wrote Fate/Zero and Madoka Magica and I love them both. This series doesn't pull many punches and I often wondered just how many twists and turns were to come. But, it has been an extremely enjoyable mecha series for me and if you're a mecha fan, you'd be a fool to miss it out!

3 STARS ANIME.

Click to view my ratings guide.