Heroic Age

TITLE:  Heroic Age

MY RATINGS:  C+

GENRES:  Adventure, Mecha, Science Fiction

EPISODES:  26

WHAT IT’S ABOUT:  Answering the call of the “Gold Race”, all the sentient races launch into space. The human race is the last to launch, and are thus known as the “Iron Race”. Much time has passed since then, and humanity is threatened with extinction at the hands of the more dominant “Silver Race”. In order to save her people, Princess Deianeira sets out on a journey to a galaxy far away, following the prophecies of the Gold Race handed down by the royal family. Then, she meets a boy named Age. Their encounter will change the fate of the universe…

Source:  www.animenewsnetwork.com

THE GOOD:  I like this anime mainly because I was coming off a huge mecha anime genre and the space fights in this series hit the spot. There are some pretty good combats.  I also like the main character, Age. He seems so different, and yet  very familiar as a main character. I like the fact that he’s based on Hercules and is kind of “wild” and has to be taught basic stuff. I also like the whole storyline of the golden, silver, iron, bronze rases and the Nodos. Very unique. I can honestly say it’s my first time seeing a plot like this.

THE BAD:  While I had fun watching it, I couldn’t seem to get a handle on the main characters. I mean, I liked Age. And Deianeira. It’s just that I didn’t know enough about them to love them. They were both pretty consistent character-wise throughout the whole thing.  They had little or no character development. You know how you can take a particular character and see how he/she changed by the end of the series?  That did not happen here. Age didn’t change. And Deianeira was a bit too perfect for me.

HERE’S WHO YOU SHOULD KNOW:

There are a lot of important charcters, bust most of them you’ll know when you watch it.  These two are the important ones in my opinion…

Age

Age has the body of a sixteen-year-old boy, but is actually 120 years old; it is unknown how much of this time he was actually “living”, as he may have been in stasis for over 100 years. Age lived on the ruined planet Oron, a world that was once verdant and peaceful, but later suffered from a cosmic cataclysm; he lived in an old, abandoned ship, and he addressed the mainframe A.I. of the ship as his mother. Age is wild by nature, but he can nevertheless be extremely good-natured. Since he was taught by the Golden Tribe, whom he considered to be his fathers, Age has limited knowledge about human society, not even knowing the meaning of ‘numbers’, simple words, or common phrases. Age’s character may be based on the mythological hero Hercules.

Age’s Nodos form is called Bellcross . Bellcross has a humanoid body approximately 50 feet (15 m) tall, and joints made of very large blue spheres. It is shown to have the ability to absorb its enemies’ life force and release it as a destructive energy blast. This is Nodos Bellcross below:

Deianeira

The young princess of the Iron Tribe and the heroine of the story. By using information passed down by the royal family, she searches for the one she considers their savior. Along with her psychic and telepathic powers, she has the power to create spiritual projections, though not as powerful as those of the Silver Tribe. Her telepathic powers also seem to be so powerful that she can automatically read the minds of those around her. It also is revealed that Dhianeila cannot handle the spiritual waves of an impure man, so men have to be at least 10 meters away from her, or else she may lose consciousness and collapse. ^{[3] [4]} The only man to have ever been able to approach her, and make her not lose herself is Age. As the story progresses her feelings for Age eventually grow into love. During the last episode, when Age came back from the gate, she goes with him.

MY ADVICE:  You should give this anime a chance if you like the mecha genre, but be warned that it might not make you feel satisfied at the end.

Heroic Age Gallery

Watch Online:

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RahXephon

TITLE:  RahXephon

MY RATINGS:  B

GENRES:  Mecha, Drama, Romance

EPISODES:  26

WHAT IT’S ABOUT:  In the year 2012, a mysterious organisation called “MU” suddenly attacks Tokyo. At the time, Ayato Kamina is just a regular high school student. His father had passed away when he was young, and his mother works for the government. Ayato meets a mysterious woman named Reika Mishima and discovers the existence of the angel-winged giant robot, Rahxephon. Apparently, Rahxephon is synchronised with Ayato. Might he be the key to Japan’s salvation?

Taken from http://www.animenfo.com/animetitle,792,mbwnsc,rahxephon.html

THE GOOD:   RahXephon is a very deeply moving anime. It feels like a lot of thought went into the creation of the characters as they have both depth and a certain humanness to them.  I didn’t think I would like this anime, what with just completing Eureka 7 and Stellvia of the Universe right before watching it. I’m glad I decided to give it a try.  First of all, even though this is a mecha series, it is very different from the other mecha animes I watched. Every episode made me want to know more, and when I knew more, I didn’t want it to end. What makes me love this even more is the ending, which makes complete sense. In fact, everything connects in a way that other anime don’t.

THE BAD:  This might purely be subjective, but I didn’t quite get the relationship between Ayato and Haruka. I mean, I get that they were in love in the past, and they fell in love again when they met in the present. But I would have loved to see more of their past relationship, before Haruka left and Ayato had his memories erased.

HERE’S WHO YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Kamina Ayato

Ayato is the main character of RahXephon. He’s the pilot of the RahXephon, the one destined to tune the world, and the one who stole Haruka’s heart. Being a half Mulian and a half Human, he is often confused as to which group he belongs to, and as such, has a deep inner struggle for what should he be fighting for, and who should he be protecting. He eventually decides to protect his friends and his loved ones, no matter what color of blood.

Source:  www.kenoki.com

Shitow Haruka

She’s a woman of many faces; Haruka is a highly respected captain at Terra, friend of the elite team leader of the Alpha Squadron (Elvy), older sister to Megumi. And more importantly, she’s the face Ixtli decides to take because it knows that she’s Ayato’s true love. Haruka is the reason why Ayato got to escape from Terra and indirectly the reason Ayato awoke as an instrumentalist.

Mishima Reika/ Ixtli

Reika Mishima is a mystery, probably the biggest mystery in the anime. We’re never given a straight answer as to who she is, but all the clues and hints are definitely in the series. She’s directly connected to the RahXephon, and also connected to the heart of the instrumentalist (pilot). Ixtli can take any shape or form it wants, however she constricts herself to take the image of the person in which the Instrumentalist desires deep in his or her heart the most. Reika is also the protector of Ayato.

Kisaragi Kuon

Quon Kisaragi is a mysterious young girl who speaks the first words of the TV series and is shown meeting Ayato in episode 4. Her standard expression of surprise or agreement is “Ra-ra” (or “La-la”) and most of her dialogue is cryptic and musically themed. She and Ayato do not connect romantically, but she displays a level of both physical and interpersonal comfort and intimacy with Ayato that is unmatched by any of the other characters, even Haruka. She is also one of the few people who never treats Ayato as a curiosity or an annoyance, and she seems to have an understanding of his situation and what his eventual role is, calling him “Ollin”.

The Rahxephon

The RahXephon is a bipedal humanoid mecha. It is several stories tall, immensely strong, and capable of unassisted flight. Its offensive capabilities include energy blades which project from its forearms, concussion energy bullets from its hands or fingertips, releasing immensely powerful shockwaves and/or energy waves with its voice and an energy bow. It can also form energy shields around its forearms, and create impenetrable spheres of energy in its hands which are used for carrying and protection. The RahXephon is connected physically, mentally, and emotionally to its instrumentalist. Its arms and head mimic Ayato’s movements. Ayato is shown to be absorbed into the RahXephon in a variety of manners, and it moves on its own to meet Ayato several times. Ayato can also trigger awakening and entering the RahXephon through voice command. Ayato appears to feel damage inflicted on the RahXephon as physical pain. During the battle with the Dolem Forzando, the RahXephon is pierced through the shoulder with a spike of debris; Ayato is shown in the cockpit holding his shoulder in the same place shortly thereafter.

Character descriptions taken from http://www.kenoki.com and wikipedia.

MY ADVICE:  If you like mecha anime and liked Stellvia of the Universe, Eureka 7 and Heroic Age, then definitely watch RahXephon.

RahXephon Gallery

Watch Online:

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Eureka 7…

TITLE:  Eureka 7

MY RATINGS:  B+

GENRES:  Adventure,  Mecha,  Romance

EPISODES:  50

WHAT IT’S ABOUT:  Renton Thurston is a 14-year-old boy who lived with his mechanic grandfather in a backwater town. Every day he dreamed of being with the mercenary “Light Finding Operation (LFO)” aircraft pilot group “Gekkostate” and riding “Trapar” particle waves– a sport called “reffing”– with their charismatic leader Holland, especially when faced with his father’s acclaimed past or his grandfather’s desire to protect him. When a young girl named Eureka riding the original LFO, the “Nirvash typeZERO”, asks his grandfather for a tune-up, she inadvertently brings the attention of the military to the garage; as a result, the garage is destroyed and Renton is forced to deliver a new type of interface– the “Amita Drive”– to the Nirvash. After a heated fight in which the Nirvash destroys the military LFOs by unleashing an immense amount of power, Renton is invited into Gekkostate. However, he quickly realizes that behind the facade of a traveling group of mercenaries is a very bitter reality.

Source:  http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=4797

THE GOOD:  I loved this series. Everything was put together in a great, orderly manner.

THE BAD:

HERE’S WHO YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Renton Thurston

Renton Thurston is just a normal boy. He hates his ordinary school, he hates his ordinary life, and dreams of becoming a professional lifter like his idol, Holland. He is honest to a fault and just a little too trusting to do him any good, as he often falls victim to pranks and jokes. Still, he is very determined to do what he feels is the right thing, even though he generally takes everything too seriously. Aside from Eureka, whom he will do anything for, he is the only person who can pilot the Nirvash type ZERO.

Eureka

Eureka is an enigmatic, lonely young girl with more than a small amount of trouble. She tends to interact with or understand machines and the trapper currents better than she does humans. She rarely smiles and almost never laughs. Made by the scub coral, she does not possess any natural human emotion, and is often perplexed or baffled by the way the other members of the Gekkostate act. She is a top- notch LFO pilot and once served in a military unit with Holland.

Holland Novak

Holland is the leader of the band of outlaw’s called Gekkostate and was once the world’s top amateur lifter. He is the idol of many lifters all over the world, including Renton. Aside from his cool attitude and status as Gekkostate’s leader, he’s a pretty normal guy. He was once in the military, however the experience left him with some heavy emotional scars. His goal in forming the Gekkostate was to carry out anti-government acts across the world. He has a somewhat un- stable relationship with Talho.

Talho Yuki

Talho is Holland’s partner, the pilot of the Gekko, and Ray=out’s cover- girl. She’s beautiful, smart, and sharp, but that doesn’t change that she’s a bit of a bully. She has a short temper and is annoyed by how much Holland and Renton try to protect Eureka, but she’s independent and always does what is right.

Anemone

The bi-polar young girl who pilots the Federation LFO Nirvash type TheEND. She is an extremely vital part of Dewey’s plot to take over the world. She is given a special type of medication to combat her headaches and violent mood-swings. The only person she will listen to is Dewey, much to the chagrin of Dominic.

Lieutenant Dominic Sorel

The young elite officer of the United Federation Force. He is dedicated to Dewey, and coordinated his plan for him when Dewey had has fall from grace. He is dedicated and highly efficient. He has been given the job of taking care of Anemone, whom he is very fond of.

Character Biography taken from: http://rayout.net/bios.php

MY ADVICE:

Watch Online:

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Stellvia of the Universe…

TITLE:  Stellvia of the Universe  (Uchuu no Stellvia)

MY RATINGS:  B-

GENRES:  Mecha, Coming of Age, Romance, Drama, Comedy.

EPISODES:  26

WHAT IT’S ABOUT:  This anime takes place in the year 2167 where the earth is no longer what it used to be, thanks to the damages it received from being swallowed by a supernova explosion. Unfortunately, a second wave of trouble from this same explosion is on its way back to earth. This is where the story starts, with a young girl named Katase Shima who applies and is accepted to one of the educational foundations (just schools, I guess) in space. The anime is mostly about what happens in the wake of preparations of the Second Wave, and what happens after that through the eyes of the people currently on the space station known as Stellvia…

THE GOOD:  Definitely not what I was expecting, that’s for sure. I forayed into the genre of mecha and space animes for the first time. You should expect to see space ships and huge mechas (walking vehicles piloted by people, in case you didn’t know. For more information on mecha, go here. There’s also the whole apocalyptic world thing going on. I wonder when the world is actually going to give us what we want and cease to exist, hmm… Anyway, I think the relationships between the characters was done well. And even though the relationship between Katase Shima and Otoyama Kouta, her love interest, gets a bit too angsty for my liking, it does manage to show how important communication is in a relationship. The other relationship I liked was the one between Fujisawa Yayoi and Machida Ayaka. I have read that people think their relationship moved towards yuri territory. Maybe you’ll agree with them when you watch it, but personally I just see a very realistic portrayal of girls’ relationship:  friendship, jealousy, ambitiousness , malice and then forgiveness.

Bottom line,I really liked watching it. I had chills up and down my back in some scenes. Mostly because I really like protagonists who are very talented and show off their prowess in times of great difficulties. Take Echizen Ryoma from Prince of Tennis, for example.  I also liked the fact that the plot focused on other characters other than the main character as that can get tedious very fast. A lot of the other characters were also very instrumental in saving the world so it didn’t just get stuck on one person to become the “hero”. I liked that “us” mentality.

THE BAD:  You won’t find accurate information about what could happen in the world. Everything you see is purely fantastical, not that anyone would believe the anime. It’s not necessarily a bad thing…

HERE’S WHO YOU SHOULD KNOW:

Katase “Shipon” Shima

The main character who applied to Stellvia because she wanted to “see the stars while looking forward”.  Shima is extremely diligent but is a bit of natural genius. One constant trait of hers throughout the series is her fluctuations between confidence and depression, even with her relationship with Kouta. Shima is a bit quiet and introverted most of the time, but very assertive as to what she wants when she’s confident.  I didn’t particularly like her character in the 2nd part of the anime. However, she does make up for it in the last few scenes.

Otoyama Kouta

Kouta is one of those mysterious characters. All I found out about him IShe had an older sister, his parents are dead, he consistently has a Grade C in every subject regardless of how easy or hard it is. Nevertheless, I really liked Kouta because I feel so sorry for him when it comes to his relationship with Shima. He’s always the one left confused after one of her “confidence episodes” as I call them. He is also very clueless when it comes to women as evidenced by his calls to his sister for advice.

For more information on the characters, click here.

MY ADVICE:  You should watch this anime at least once and decide whether or not my rating for it is deserved. While you’re at it, find out what you think about the to-die-for opening theme.  Especially when they slow down the song and use it for the sad  and tragic parts.  I think the main reason I like this anime so much regardless of its few glitches is the theme song. If you weren’t paying enough attention to the song at the beginning, listen to it here and see what you think.

Watch Online:

Link 1

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Stellvia of the Universe Picture Gallery.