Densetsu Kyojin Ideon

Let's be honest here. You're probably interested in this series because of the movie's reputation, and you're wondering if the TV show is worth watching. Let's get this out of the way first: you CAN skip the TV series and just watch A Contact (the compilation movie) followed by Be Invoked (the new and improved ending). This may be fine for you: you'll get skip some of the repetitive bits of the series, but you'll also skip characterization. While the TV show is a bit slow at times, A Contact and Be Invoked try to cram everything together... things develop a ... bit too fast.

The problem with Ideon becomes apparent as soon as you watch the first episode. At its core, the show is a series of 22-minute commercials for toys which haven't been sold in decades for a country on the other side of the world. Animations are reused heavily, early plots mostly follow a predictable formula (land on new planet, aliens attack with new strategy, mech pilots save the day), the characters can be hard to like, and you get tired of the revolving door of villains. But there are also episodes where the show takes itself seriously. Tensions between the main characters are handled with respect, and most of the main cast develops quite wonderfully, even if it seems a bit slow. The plot is sometimes stitched together with crude seams, but at other times it flows quite well.

Once you get to episode #23, the tone changes, and the series discovers its purpose. Remember how the conflict in episode #1 seemed almost accidental in origin? By episode #23, the conflict has grown so large that no matter what anyone says or does, the fighting will continue, and the consequences are always serious. Even if you save the day, you can't save everyone. Even if you surrender, you can't stop fighting. Even as you work towards the same goals, you can hate and betray each other. The plot picks up the pace, characters develop and break down quite spectacularly (they don't cope with things by whining about them, thank goodness), and even the deus ex machina that saved the day in the first half of the series gets turned on its head. Everyone gets a moment before the end to show their true depth.

Episode #39 should be skipped, just watch "Be Invoked" instead, since episode #39 was recut, improved, and made into the beginning of the movie. It is a great episode, but the movie gives you a better version.

All said, I would give a 5/10 or 6/10 to the first 22 episodes, with the acknowledgement that a few of those episodes are fairly good. I'd give the last 17 episodes a 8/10 or 9/10—again with the acknowledgement that there are a couple stinkers, such as episode #34. I might rewatch this someday, but I'd skip over most of the episodes.

First of all, i usually don't make reviews, but i will make a exception just because i loved this anime and its movies by all my heart, and will be a quick review.
and please forgive me, i'm NOT good at writing reviews nor good at expressing my thoughts in English because my English isn't that muchl..

Ok, now, Ideon isn't a typical anime which anybody can watch or enjoy,
it's an anime that can be watched by hardcore mecha anime, classic anime fans, and or Tomino's fans.

Ideon's story was unique, one of kind gets interesting as the series progresses to a degree you became on your edge ... of your chair wanting more and more.

Ideon's sometimes considered to be the prototype of the modern dark and twisted science fiction anime such as Evangelion, Akira and others. and been an inspiration for many directors and anime such as the just-mentioned and well-known Evangelion.

It's draggy though, very slow paced which can be unpreferable to many.

The titular mecha, the Ideon a massive giant robot resurrected when he felt that the people is killing each other again and now he must stop it. Later revealed to the characters that Ideon is more than a robot.

i loved the idea of both factions thinking of each other as "Aliens" while both are human beings just fell into misunderstanding which lead them to their doom later. that also can be a good "Anti-Racism" message. the Love story between two characters from different sides, both loved each other despite the hate of everyone around them, One lost the trust of some people, and other lost her entire family and homeland for her love.
there are also many twists and surprises for everyone in the series, things i love most in anime.
And something i should not forget, how the series alone showed how filthy and corrupted the humankind can be amazed me, it's sadly true, mankind just lives to kill each other and rule each other....

9/10
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Characters' Development:
one of strongest elements of Ideon is that it has great development for each one.
the interaction between characters, the trust and betrayals, the fear and revenge and the hatred.
it's like a bloody theater

It's nice to see that all the characters acting realistically, unlike the typical super robot anime
everyone worried, cautions, nerves, depressed,jealously, etc...
In a typical super robot anime, the main heroes all acting hot-blooded and ready to kick some bots ass because they have a powerful robot, it isn't the same in Ideon, which all the characters keep suspicious and in fear of it.
8/10

sound: there are some good and lovely pieces, but the problem here is the transition between BGMs sometimes get noisy and annoying. for example, a BGM played and eruptly changing the tone to entirely different tone and mood, that happened so much unfortunately =/
6/10

Animations: Nah, i don't care much about animation, i'm fine with any, as an old anime fan that grew up with many 70's anime
i consider Ideon's animations is one of the best in its time. what grabbed my attention more is the art of the galaxies and planets, the art shows how the scary the "ruined planets" can be, some arts was scary, giving a good image of a ruined world.
8/10


Final Words:
I Enjoyed the series so much, there are many messages to humankind in Ideon, the series was good to show solutions to end wars and hatred from people towards each other.
almost a perfect depiction of mankind..
I can't really recommend Ideon to anyone, only those mecha-maniacs like me can enjoy it, unlike most modern anime which famed by its fan-service and naughty girls
Ideon has no fan-service if anyone seeking.... still a great show in overall, has good action and good characters set..

8/10

This is Tomino's masterpiece. I don't mean that in the sense that this is a perfect anime by any means. But it is trying so much. All of his ideas are laid out plainly here and wrapped up in a very final way by the movie afterward. I would say Tomino spent the rest of his career chasing after the ideas and themes laid out over the course of this series. There is more of this in Zeta Gundam than 0079. You can see a lot of different aspects of things in this series very plainly being expounded upon in Zeta, ZZ and Victory Gundam ... going forward.

For starters, I don't believe you are supposed to like any of these characters exactly. Not on a personal level. Unlike a lot of Gundam where the main cast is kind of just supposed to be "the good guys", these are a bunch of petty people who don't have any reason to like each other, stuck in this messed up situation where they can do nothing but flee for their lives. I ended up liking them, but for reasons that have to do with how they are portrayed as events continue to unfold. The giant robot that is The Ideon's mystery slowly being unveiled over the course of the series while actually becoming sort of horrifying as the characters realize they have no control over what comes next.

And as far as Tomino themes go, this is it. The inevitability of mankind to fight over cultural differences and circumstance no matter how similar they actually are. The connectedness of us all and can we ever truly understand each other? Do we have to understand each other to love each other? The overall tone of this show is bleak but I don't believe it ever crosses into pure nihilism. This is a work that is asking the question and positing what we do in the face of the unknown, and total annihilation. I would never in my life believe Tomino thought he had the answer, that is like the one solid silver lining in his politics for me that cuts through the cynicism and a few other rather problematic things he believes. It's why I think this show is so interesting if you are willing to really dig into it.

And then just as a structure, I think it's just good sci fi. Yeah it falls into a bit of a formula but that's okay when what's there is being presented well. This is a very specific kind of show from a very specific era of anime and I think that is only a positive. I would not think to dismiss it for being so.

Ideon also has some really good sound design. I am no expert in the field of course, but I really dug the soundtrack. I can sing that Ideon Theme song by heart because I watched it every single episode.

Some things to keep in mind if you watch this, you sort of have to let go of your seriousness to enjoy something like this if that makes sense. This is a show that takes itself super seriously when it wants to but is also still very much a Tomino show and is extremely goofy when it's not being serious. It is also a Super Robot show way more than a Real Robot show. A lot of theme overlap but the big super robot is gonna be the big super robot. Be Invoked is essential to watch when you are finished the TV Series. Don't watch Contact. Anyone who tells you to watch Contact is full of it, it cuts out everything good about the series and barely makes sense.

Now if you want to talk about space battles, and mecha combat, Ideon's got that too. There are some really ridiculous and interesting designs for the Buff clan's robots and I always enjoyed seeing what they had next to throw before the might of the Ideon. There are scenes from inside of cockpits in Ideon that put most of Gundam and other mecha to shame. Just for the sheer tension and the sense of helplessness that you would have in some situations. I give this a 10 in story because it is such a wonderfully interesting mess and is lowkey responsible for inspiring lots of things that came after it. It is really going for it and because I enjoyed it so so much as someone who has been moving through mecha anime for the last year. This really felt like a high point.

Densetsu Kyojin Ideon is a highly underrated series. I don't think that people give it enough credit because of the clunky first few episodes and the famous Yoshiyuki Tomino-isms (side note: a prime example of his character interactions can been seen in Mobile Suit Zeta Gundamーwhich I love, but I can't deny that the characters are written like maniac depressive psychos).

• I was initially turned off to this series because of how weird it was and how characters kept referring to themselves as samurai for a reason that I didn’t completely understand. I dropped it, but due to the iconicism and how it has been ... referenced by one of my favorite directors as one of his favorite show of all time (Hideaki Anno), I had to give it a chance. Plus, as you would expect with Anno's almost childlike love of Ideon, it contains massive parallels to his grand opus, Neon Genesis Evangelion.

• Unlike many fans of Ideon, I don't JUST like the widely acclaimed second film: Be Invoked. I equally like the TV series. There are character development and subtleties that are missed if you don't watch the original show.

• Gradually, the seams of the story seem apparent. The inevitability of war. Love that glues our souls to one another and yet rips them apart. Even if you surrender, you can't end conflict with others. Even if we're all the same, we're bound to betray each other.

• The invincible giant mecha, The Ideon, even has a colossal twist at the end that sends the characters in disarray. Though the show is comic in a way that a series from the 1980s typically would be, the deaths in the show feel more deep and mature than most modern day shows.

• An antithesis to Ideon's atmosphere is like an old Go Nagai TV adaptation or Lupin, except flooded with interlacing misanthropic undertones and unavoidable tragedy. The melancholic ending theme with all of the characters floating in space is something that will always compel me.

• Space Runaway Ideon is like a nihilistic version of Space Battleship Yamato. It's a space opera that respects its characters and their complexities. There are heavy, iconic scenes and ideas stemming from this slab of pure passion.

• It's beautiful and crushing in the same way of Texhnolyze, where there's no hope but there's painted fragments that seem to make life compelling. There's a Jungian kind of connection between all of us as a species that keeps us from completely drifting apart, and yet entropy is inevitable.

• Ideon has something really special that I haven't seen in any other show. Much of the way the show looks is outdated and would do well for a remake, but the principles are not. If you don't mind something that is at its heart deeply fatalistic, then please give Ideon a try. I give it an 8/10.

The Ideon franchise is one of my favorite in the mecha genre and is something I’ve been a fan of for a very long time. Originally created as the follow up to director Yoshiyuki Tomino’s most well-known work, Mobile Suit Gundam, Ideon never got the same play that the Gundam franchise eventually got, although it is definitely something worthy of attention in its own right.

Ideon takes place far in mankind’s future. Mankind has searched throughout the stars, finding many long dead alien civilizations. On the planet Solo, they find the sixth such civilization, which left behind various relics such as the three trucks that make ... up the Ideon and a giant spaceship, incidentally called the Solo Ship. At the same time, humanoid aliens known as the Buff Clan suddenly appear. Karala Ajiba, daughter of the military commander of the Buff Clan, Doba Ajiba, heads down to the surface of Solo and in their pursuit to find her, a war between the earth settlers and the Buff Clan begins. Our heroes, led by Bes Jordan, and teenagers Cosmo Yuki and Kasha Imhof board the Solo Ship and head throughout the universe, under pursuit of the Buff Clan, who are seeking the power that the Ideon holds.

The general plot of Ideon is very similar to Mobile Suit Gundam, which had come before it. Our hero’s settlement is destroyed by an attacking force, everyone boards a ship and escapes and is under constant pursuit throughout the series. Also like Gundam before it, the heroes in the show are principally civilians who need to learn how to cope with their circumstances. Although whereas Gundam is a war drama, Ideon has more similarities to their predecessors; it comes off more as a space opera-type show, and there are many giant robot show elements here including the three part main robot of the show, Ideon, and the alien enemy.

At the same time, much like Gundam, Ideon is not the traditional robot show, in many ways. For starters, the show does not flinch in displaying death, often times gruesome ones at that. This isn’t the type of show where everyone gets to return from each mission alive. The humanity – Buff Clan interplay is an interesting one. Both races look identical and may even share a common root, but they get into a giant war with each other over a misunderstanding and their cultural differences are often unique. An early episode presents a great example; the heroes bring out a white flag, hoping for a cease-fire, but this makes the Buff Clan fight even more viciously as a white flag in their culture means fight to the death. This is also a show where there often isn’t that much hope for our heroes. They are under constant pursuit, and even when you expect they would get a warm welcome, they don’t. Having arguably the most powerful force in the universe is not all it is cracked up to be. The show also features an interesting mystery in the power source for the Ideon, the “Ide”. The Buff Clan have their own legend surrounding it, but there is a lot more to it than just that. What’s really behind the Ide is one of the more interesting parts of the show.

Character-wise the show has its mix of both likable and unlikable characters. Cosmo, the main hero is a bit of a jerk, and if anything one may find it better to consider Bes and Karala the main characters as both are extremely likable. Kasha is a blood thirsty and aggressive girl, much like a certain red haired character from Evangelion, and similar to said character isn’t that likable either. Sheryl Formosa, a linguistic scholar (a rather unique profession for mecha anime, ain’t it?) plays another key role. On the Buff Clan side, the show unfortunately isn’t as strong as its predecessor, Gundam, in providing a lot of interesting, sympathetic characters, although there is at least a few of them worth sinking our teeth into, in particular Karala’s former fiancé, Gije Zaral, and her elder sister Harulu.

The show shares several flaws from the era that this type of series were bound to have. The giant robot elements are in heavy force throughout much of the show. The Ideon is made up of three transforming trucks, and most episodes feature them fighting on their own before combining to win the day at the end. The show throws new Buff Clan military officer and heavy mobile mechas at us which go down in defeat, and their frequency just rises higher as the show reaches its climax. For a while pacing can be a concern; the first 10 episodes in particular are quite slow moving. Although the show’s plot does pick up considerably in the second half.

One can’t review this TV series without bringing up the ending. While this show was originally intended to run a full year, it ended up getting cancelled after 39 episodes, featuring an extremely rushed ending. In fact the ending consists of a very brief, 1 or 2 minute scene at the end of the final episode which comes right in the middle of things and ends the show. A big disappointment if this was all we got. But the show did have its real ending eventually made, in the movie The Ideon: Be Invoked, which is a must watch if you want to see how this show really ends.

While it has its flaws, Ideon is a very good mecha anime and I strongly recommend checking it out, especially so you can see its movie ending, which is one of anime’s best. Although that’s a whole other review…

The 80’s started off with an interesting show when Sunrise themselves brought Ideon. Directed by Tomino himself after coming off Mobile Suit Gundam, Ideon has its’ ups and downs that has never been witnessed before. Just like Gundam, this anime did not have a good fan base inevitably causing the show to be prematurely cancelled before a proper ending could be made. If anyone has heard of Berserk or Evangelion having strange WTF endings, well, this anime invented it.

The shortened 39 episode show starts out fine with setting a nice little universe and getting right into a war between two alien races (Buff Clan and ... humans) over an ancient civilization site the humans are excavating. The Buff Clan is in search of what they call “Ide” which is a source of infinite power. It just so happens that this excavation site of the humans found when migrating to this planet has a giant simplistic art mech. And quickly over a couple petty misunderstandings, a war breaks out and never looking back.

The anime, after the good start, gets insufferably slow and uninteresting with little plot development, little character development, and a “monster-of-the-week” battle between the Buff Clan and the humans. Luckily, this is where the movie “A Contact” comes in. “A Contact” is a nice summarization of the show hitting every major character development and plot movement... well, almost. It is missing a key interaction between the pilot of the Ideon and an Earth girl (Ep 23-25). However, even without this, A Contact is an excellent representation of the series and well executed to keep the viewer interested in discovering the Ide and wondering how these two alien races will interact as the plot progresses.

Moving onto the second movie, “Be Invoked,” is the conclusion the series never had. And, boy is this epic... everything! Both movies have slightly upgraded animation compared to the series, an excellent full orchestra soundtrack leading every battle encounter, and even a choir to really boost the death scenes. Oh, there is death unlike anything encountered in anime pre-1980. Decapitation, multiple shots to the face, and many more that will leave the viewer shocked while watching Ideon. Nobody is safe in this anime, much like Knights of Sidonia of today. Unlike Sidonia, Ideon is a pleasure to look at in all of the mecha and space station detail that just is not seen anymore. Be Invoked is pretty much a non-stop edge of your seat battle sequence that wraps up everything fairly nicely, as strange as it is.

A great way to watch Space Runaway Ideon is to watch movie one “A Contact”, followed by episodes 23-25, 34-38 from the show, and wrap it all up with “Be Invoked.” If this format is followed, I am sure the experience will be fantastic. Without the guide, the show is slow and uninteresting with only the movie ending of “Be Invoked” to be its saving grace.

Being an adventurous anime watcher, I decided to embark on taking on anime that appeared to be interesting from reading a summary of it. At first I did not realize that it was an old anime but I decided not to let that deter me from giving it a go.

STORY - 5/10
The story begins with the discovery of the Solo ship and the giant mecha Ideon by the Logo Dau. At the same time this discovery was happening, the younger daughter of the most important person in the Buff Clan happens to crash on the same planet that the discovery is made. Fate is ... what pits her and Jordan Bes together supposedly in the hope of uniting the both clans. The Buff Clan is looking for the legendary Ide as well, which is said to possess limitless powers and they attack the Logo Dau when they realize that they have found it. It is during this raucous that the Logo Dau is forced to use the Solo Ship as well as fight using the Ideon which is how they referred to the giant mecha. From this point onwards, an endless battle begins between the Logo Dau and the Buff Clan, fighting to take control of the Ideon, which grew stronger with every battle fought, thereby causing all efforts made by the Buff Clan to obtain it futile.

ART – 5/10
Giving consideration to the time the anime was released, which was in 1981, for people of that time it would have been fantastic. But, given the time span and the quality of anime that is done now, it’s a little too grainy with not so much detailing given to characters and the setting of the anime. Nevertheless, the costumes of the Buff Clan were original and tastefully done.

SOUND – 3/10
The sound effects in this anime were pretty awful. It didn’t have much musical pieces and the audio was really bad in some episodes. There was even an episode where it appeared that there were other voices besides the anime characters that could be heard in the background, which killed it for me.

CHARACTER – 3/10
Wow. Where do I begin. Most of the characters in this anime were static throughout the course of the series. Yuuki Cosmo is the only memorable character in this series that happened to be a well rounded, well developed character. The main pilot of the Ideon, he displayed courage, spirit, a high level of maturity in such a short amount of time and the ability to make important battle decisions, make him stand out in the series as the most extraordinary character. Also, there were lots of characters who did not last even two episodes well until they died so it did not make much sense to even want to get acquainted with them.

ENJOYMENT - 4/10
With regards to my personal satisfaction in watching this anime, I struggled to get through it. At times it would be very engaging but then at times it became a bit repetitious because of the realization that the battles between the Buff Clan and the Logo Dau were pointless because no matter what tactics or measures the Buff Clan employed, they would never be able to defeat the Ideon simply because it was the source of limitless power and it got stronger and stronger with every battle fought. The ending was rushed and did not give any explanation about the people of the Sixth Civilization, who was the ones to create the Solo Ship and the Ideon, the purpose for which they did it, and it lacked any true closure.

OVERALL – 4/10
After listing everything above, I gave this anime a rating of 5 simply because I believe that the story did not develop at all. There were too many battles that did not make much sense. No explanation was given why the people of the Sixth Civilization created the Ideon and the Solo Ship; too many characters came and died almost instantaneously and the other characters that were involved in the anime could have been developed more.

The first few episodes of this anime were interesting and showed great promise with interesting ideas being introduced. I felt excited to find out what was going to happen next. Unfortunately, after only a few episodes the anime stopped being interesting because instead of building on the ideas that were introduced at the beginning of the show it became boring and the plot started to barely move forward at all and nothing interesting happened. It became repetitive and each episode was basically just about that single episode on its own without contributing almost anything to the overall plot.

So it became a repetitive anime where each ... episode felt just like the one before it and almost nothing interesting happened. I was about to stop watching this anime but then I read some reviews that said that it gets better after episode 20 so I kept on watching. After around episode 20 some new things were introduced, however, it did not stop being repetitive. The new ideas that were introduced were barely explored and the show just kept on being repetitive and every episode still felt very boring.

The ending was rushed and did not really explain anything. They later made a movie to fix the ending and although the ending in the movie was better, it was not even that good.

Following his work on the famous Mobile Suit Gundam, director Yoshiyuki Tomino moved on to direct what is yet another one of his famous works in the mecha genre with Ideon, an entry in the super robot genre focused on humanity's clash with the alien Buff Clan by utilizing the titular mecha of the series.

Personally for me, Ideon felt like a step down with what Gundam contributed in being one of the grandfathers of the "real robot" anime genre, though has some glimmers of potential. Whereas Gundam took the time to explore its world and offered enough fleshing out of both the Federation and Zeon ... factions to show both had their morally grey areas, the same can't really be said for Ideon to a good extent. While a number of the human characters do get some fleshing out like Cosmo and Bes, nearly all members of the Buff Clan remain as two-dimensional characters in conflict with the human crew of the Ideon. Also, the series mostly focuses on the Ideon crew's conflict with the Buff Clan, with the latter continually spawning "mecha of the day" plots to attempt getting the Ideon in their possession and killing its human crew. Not helping matters is that it does take the series nearly a dozen episodes to start picking up steam with offering up some story development.

And said story development does gradually start to deliver if you can survive past Ideon's earlier episodes. Later episodes of the series offer some interesting twists in the anime's story as the Ideon's crew start to learn more about the mecha's mysterious origins and question the very force that empowers it. Some solid character development is offered with the character of Karala, a Buff Clan member who defects from her race to join the human Ideon crew and develops a relationship with Bes. Also, the anime tosses in some twists to the "robot of the day" formula for later episodes when the Ideon crew also have to evade apprehension from human military forces who want to claim Ideon's power for themselves or assume the crew is in league with the Buff Clan. Still, this doesn't stop the formulaic plot setup and largely shallow members of the Buff Clan from rearing their heads throughout Ideon's run and the anime is also left abruptly unresolved during a major point in the anime's plot thanks to the series abruptly being cancelled during the time it aired. However, this issue would be resolved a year later with the release of Ideon's film sequel, Be Invoked.

Visually, Ideon hasn't aged all that well. The character designs are a product of their time with the seemingly disco vibe that many characters sport with their appearance like Cosmo's afro and the Buff Clan's clothing looking like anything you may seen worn in retro sci-fi titles like The Jetsons and Flash Gordon. The animation quality can vary from looking terrible to decent during battle scenes, which are mostly not too spectacular to see for their choreography due to how slow and played out they are.

Overall, I suppose my reception to Ideon is mixed. While touches of Tomino's story direction are on display in later episodes to make the series somewhat engaging, its flaws still stick out like a sore thumb compared to other mecha titles of the time period he directed like Gundam and Aura Battle Dunbine. Still as I hear Be Invoked is what is Ideon's most memorable use of Tomino's "Kill Em All" moniker, I suppose I'll be continuing my viewing of Ideon by checking out the film.

Back in 1980, Mobile Suit Gundam had already been released. Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam was on it's way. The history of anime demands that the viewers acknowledge that a fearsome roar cried out from far away in the distance of space between their releases. Space Runaway Ideon is one of the most terrifying pieces of fiction I've come to know, and another work of Tomino. The opening, as iconic and upbeat as it is, was already warning the viewers about it. There was no way for me to understand until "Be Invoked" grabbed me by my emotions and scarred me with it's brutality. I couldn't ... help but constantly cry, gasp out of shock, and hold my face out of terror. Still, There is a beauty to this story just as much as there is horror to it. In the 90s, and as an influential and important work, Ideon were the hands that helped mold what became Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Based on the way this story folds out, it wouldn't surprise if this was a prequel to Mobile Suit Gundam. Many of the characters here mirror others. There are the very similar relations between Cosmo and Amurou, and Bright and Bes, for example.

The story involves a group of humans who find a red giant robot and ship underground and take refuge in them. They were made by an intelligent ancient civilization that died out after its creation. Suddenly they get attacked by aliens in a misunderstanding, and the struggle begins. it was the struggle to control the mysterious power of the Ide, and yet they were all playing into it's own hands instead. As the crew of the Solo Ship and Ideon try and figure out how it's mysterious powers function, they are forced to flee from the Buff Clan in a never-ending game of cat and mouse where time and supplies are running out. As they battle, the Ideon begins awakening its true powers, and it's a sight to see how it can cause multi universal destruction. But for the crew on board, they begin to feel frightened of it. It's a power that they cannot only not control, but is appearing to look more and more frightening and undesirable to have.

This series does not slow down. Past the half way mark, it only accelerates and doesn't slow down in quality. It did rush at the end because it got canceled, but more than made up for it in the end with the movie sequel. The ending here is abrupt and weird enough, but doesn't spoil anything for the horrific but beautiful experience that is The Ideon: Be Invoked.

The entire cast features great and memorable characters. Many viewers did get annoyed with Lou at first and the constant crying, though later one can't help but feel bad and sympathize for the baby and what he has to see.

The Ideon is a frightening giant robot. Sentient and all powerful, it posses infinite power but is difficult to understand and control. Ultimately, it's an apocalyptic peacemaker that sometimes acts like a mother, mirroring the Evas from Evangelion, and demands that resolve takes place for conflicts between intelligent life. It feels for the life around it, as it can be angered and roars from the killing of innocent animals and people. It is a protector of the pure and just. If upset, it can unleash enough power to slice a planet in half or shift reality itself. As the humans and the Buff Clan continue to fight, the Ideon puts them on a test.

The music of Ideon is by the composer of the Dragon Quest series. It's a legendary soundtrack with many militaristic and guitar solo infused tracks that remind me of original Star Fox's soundtrack. As the Buff Clan and the Solo ship move out and Ideon begins to dock, the drums start rolling, the trumpets yell out for the battle to start again and help uplift with perfect execution. As the viewers move on to The Ideon: Be Invoked, the music takes an abstract and surreal turn into sounding like something out of the most intense songs from End Of Evangelion. The battles stay fresh, and not a single episode disappointed me.

The animation of Ideon takes the brutal depictions of war to a whole different level from Mobile Suit Gundam. I can't help but have the highest respect for the attention to detail. It is tragic that older animation in anime always seems to get dismissed because it's "too old." The animation of Ideon is beautiful, and something worthy of respect that can no longer be done with today's technology and must be appreciated. It is wonderful and unique to its time. I'll always cherish my memory of watching this and the movie for the first time. I finally felt something that could threaten my favorites.

The main cast are a colorful set of characters with an unshackle will to survive. Bes is the courageous captain of the Solo Ship that led a comfortable upbringing until forced to lead this desperate struggle. Cosmo is the brave and cunning lead pilot of the Ideon who leads an emotionally painful journey. Kasha is the rational and logical second pilot who is hot headed and too honest for her own good. Sheryl is a researcher who summed her character up well enough in one word: Petty. Deck is among the child soldiers and carries a pet animal on his shoulder. Lotta is one of the non-combatants who helps raise the children and raise the animals for food. They also farm and do all they can to help the crew survive with their limited supplies.

On the Buff Clan's side, Karala sees this is all a misunderstanding, and that instead of going to war, the different civilizations should try to understand each other. Gije is another who as wicked as he is, becomes better and better of a character further into the series. They want the red giant, and go one to advance in all sorts of military technological advancement to try and seize it.

After the Ideon resurrects, and goes on to observe and cast judgement, as if it was on a side of its own, the two races take the viewers on a journey filled with death, destruction, bittersweet romance, amazing tales of redemption, and more. For who does the Ideon decide is worthy?