Ranked #1034

Zoids

Zoids is a mecha anime about people who control beast-like units. Unlike Gundams, they aren't really used in space (at least in this particular anime) but are used for purposes such as transportation and of course, battles. This anime was the starting point of the Zoids franchise, and after watching the anime a few times (both in English dubs and Japanese subs), one can point out that it was a great way to start of the Zoids phenomena.

The story, although your simple "country raised kid rises up to the challenge of saving the world from evil," is very good and has enough plot twists in between to leave you on the edge of your seat and wanting for more. What made this Zoids saga different from the others were the miniature Zoids organoids that were able to fuse with their larger counterparts and in essence, bring the Zoid to life with more power than before. What really makes the story great is the epic battles they have between many Zoids.

These epic battles for the most part, are animated very well. For being an older anime (debuted in 1999) it still holds up to today's standards fairly well and really does not disappoint. The characters themselves look a bit bland at times, but it isn't to the degree where its unwatchable.

The sound is so-so. Because it's been awhile since I saw this anime, I don't remember a lot of the scores used, but I do remember for scores used for the battles and they fit just right.

All of the main characters have very distinct personalities and you'll come to have your favorites most definitely. Van and Fiona have believable strengths and weaknesses given their environment and always seem to have an enemy, or rival, to go against up with. There really isn't a boring moment where you'll find that the protagonists are superior to everyone else.

All in all, the anime was a great start to the Zoids saga. Though a lot of the following stories after were not as great, this is still a classic. The stirring romance between Van and Fiona again is something you'll fall in love with as the story progresses and is one more reason to give this show a try. To end with, if you're one of the younger anime audiences out there and like mecha anime, but haven't given the original Zoids a try because of the lackluster performances of the others, I urge you to give this one a shot. read more

Zoids consists of two series. Chaotic Century and The Guardian Force, essentially it's all one series.

The series takes place on the Planet Zi, where living machines called Zoids live. There are wild ones, and ones controlled by humans. There are two major powers on the planet Zi, the Republic and Guylos Empire. Though the war they fought is over, the peace is tenuous and could give way to war at any moment. The story follows Van who lives in a village. He goes out one day and gets chased by bandits into some ancient ruins. The he finds a organoid, and names it Zeke. Zeke reviews a Shield Liger and defeat the bandits. They go back into the ruins and discover Fiona a ancient Zoidian who has lost her memory. The group on a adventure searching for t he Zoid Eve, through bandits, merc's, and war.

STORY: The story is great, it's light, but there are dark undertones. I guess the company did it to attract younger viewers. The violence is toned done, though you see cities being destroyed, and Zoids being destroyed so you know what's happening and doesn't take anything away from the story.

ART: The animation is great done by XEBEC, the same people who did Love Hina, Elemental Gelade, and Buso Renkin, which were all pretty good series.

SOUND: The one flaw I found in this series was the soundtrack. It lacked depth and feel. Was it still good, yes. It just didn't to the series justice.

CHARACTERS: The characters in this series were great. You could feel their pain and see their suffering and joy. The just captivated you and brought you in. The best characters were the two main ones Van and Fiona and their story was just wonderful.

OVERALL: Zoids is 24th favorite anime series out of about 250 series/OVA/movies I've seen. It's a great series, not quite a classic, but still great. A series everyone should watch.

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