Toward the Terra

The manga may have been revolutionary in it's day but not now I assumed. I also assumed that this was just going to be a sort of 'X-Men type mutants looking for acceptance' kinda thing. But I couldn't have been more wrong. This anime left me amazed, sad and contemplating.

What does this anime have to offer...?
Well for those of you who like a little space-battle action or super powerful psychic powers as well as a super-advanced techno setting, this anime will not let you down.

But it has a lot more to offer;
(i) The storyline is not exceptional but it is nonetheless quite impressive. The first 10 episodes were a bit slow but after that, it speeds up and gets more exciting. Every episode seems to start off slow but progresses rapidly and each has an exciting climax or cliffhanger. Another thing to note is that this anime is filled with tragedy. You can't help but feel sad and my little sister even cried after watching episode 24. It's more like a Shakespearean tragedy in a sci-fi setting. I would also like to add that there is little or no comedy - it's all serious business.

(ii) The soundtrack is absolutely wonderful. I purchased it after hearing a few tracks from friends and on You Tube. It was definitely worth it. The Terra E soundtrack is perhaps one of the best I've heard - not just for anime, but for music in general. Takanashi Yasuharu's tracks are simply divine and beautiful. Both opening themes - Endcsape by UVERworld and Jet Bot Jet Girl by Hitomi Takahashi are 'epic' while not being too laa laa. The ending themes - Love is by Miliyah Kato and This Night by Chemistry are melodious and compliment the tragic and sad mood of the series.

(iii) This anime goes all out for character development. Every opportunity they get, they stress upon a facet of the character's persona and delve into it. My favorite characters are Soldier Blue - the tragic hero and Keith Anian who is portrayed more as an anti-hero than as an antagonist. He gets more screen time than perhaps Jomy Marcus Shin (who is supposed to be the lead) and Soldier Blue combined. He is what is known as a sympathetic antagonist and is the best example of this type of character I have seen to date. He is handsome, talented and efficient. But he is also a ruthless tactician and kills without hesitation. He is presented in the series in such a manner that you can't help but just sympathize with him. I do however have beef with the deaths in this series. Too many needless character deaths I wonder always.

(iv) The animation style presented here is nothing exceptional. But it is nonetheless very artistic and the background and scenery especially is absolutely gorgeous and breathtaking. The battle scenes are also well choreographed and are nicely paced - not too slow like with DBZ's multi-episode battle scenes or too fast as in Gurren Lagann's quick, decisive battles.

This anime also makes you question the way humans treat their own kind, how people simply give into the will of oppressive regimes and not revolt for their rights or of those oppressed, brainwashing taking place all over the world in educational institutions at the behest of leaders and governments and lastly - the use of WMDs (read Meggido)...

This anime series is no doubt one of the best ever. But why then is not talked about that much...? Toward the Terra released at around the same time as other notable anime such as Darker than Black, Gurren Lagann and the Gundam Seed franchise. In fact, 2007 was good year for anime and saw a lot of notable ones releasing in this time-frame. That may be the reason why it went largely unnoticed. But it has a dedicated fan-base on the net and I have yet to read a negative review about this anime series. All of the reviews of this anime I have seen on the web speak of it well. As is with my review, criticism is limited to the slow pace of the first half of the series. But get past that and it's a nice (and tragic) ride. Episodes 17 through 24 especially are a thrill ride. I recommend that this series be watched at least once by all fans of anime.