I will start off by saying that Zoids was a big part of my childhood. I grew with this as my favorite TV show, played Zoids Battle Legends for the GameCube, and even had a toy Redhorn (my brother had a toy Liger, he somehow convinced me to get a stupid Redhorn). All of this being said, my review may be somewhat biased.
Story 9/10
Zoids (Chaotic Century/Gaurdian Force are the two halves that make up this series of zoids) takes place on planet Zi, where large robot animals called zoids, which are generally used for combat by humans live. It follows Van, who dreams of following in his father's footsteps and becoming a legendary zoid pilot. He discovers the organoid who he names Zeke, and the girl Fiona, and he sets out with Fiona to help her uncover her past and find the mysterious Zoid Eve. Zoid meets Irvine and Moonbay who accompany him on most of his journey as they overcome various pitfalls on the way to learning about Fiona's past.
Art 8/10
I thought the art/character designs were well done. I think the biggest issue that many people will have with zoids is the mediocre CG used in the fight sequences with the zoids. Because I grew up watching this as a kid I was used to this and always thought it was the coolest thing, but to a person seeing it for the first time today, they probably would think its pretty terrible at some points.
Sound 8/10
The dub themes are pretty bad in my opinion, the original themes are decent. The soundtrack is solid and does a good job setting the mood.
Characters 9/10
Van is a pretty typical character - he starts out weak, but determined, and he eventually becomes great. Fiona is quirky. I found the characters of zoids to be quite enjoyable.
Enjoyment 9/10
I always loved zoids since I was a kid and even in re-watching this series again this year I was still able to enjoy it.
Overall 9/10
If you are into mecha anime, Zoids is definitely worth a try.
