Senki Zesshou Symphogear (Symphogear)

Tsubasa Kazanari and Kanade Amou—the idol duo known as Zwei Wing—use their songs to power ancient weapons known as "symphogears" to combat a deadly alien race called the "Noise." While the general public is aware of the Noise's existence, knowledge of the symphogears are kept a secret. When the Noise attack one of Zwei Wing's concerts, Kanade sacrifices herself to protect a young girl named Hibiki Tachibana, leaving Tsubasa devastated and a fragment of her symphogear embedded within Hibiki.

Two years pass and Hibiki is once again dragged into a Noise attack. While rescuing a young girl who has been left behind during the evacuation, she awakens the power of Kanade's symphogear lying within her. Although Tsubasa still grieves over the loss of Kanade, both girls must now learn to work together using their powers to defend humanity against the Noise.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Edit

Background

No background information has been added to this title. Help improve our database by adding background information here.

Episode Videos

Edit

Related Anime

Adaptation:	Senki Zesshou Symphogear
Sequel:	Senki Zesshou Symphogear G
Other:	Senki Zesshou Symphogear (Shin Project)

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Tachibana, Hibiki

Main

Yuuki, Aoi
Japanese

Yukine, Chris

Main

Takagaki, Ayahi
Japanese

Kazanari, Tsubasa

Main

Mizuki, Nana
Japanese

Kohinata, Miku

Supporting

Iguchi, Yuka
Japanese

Amou, Kanade

Supporting

Takayama, Minami
Japanese

Kazanari, Genjuurou

Supporting

Ishikawa, Hideo
Japanese

Itaba, Yumi

Supporting

Akasaki, Chinatsu
Japanese

Ogawa, Shinji

Supporting

Hoshi, Souichirou
Japanese

Tomosato, Aoi

Supporting

Seto, Asami
Japanese

Sakurai, Ryouko

Supporting

Sawashiro, Miyuki
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Morii, Yuusuke

Producer

Itou, Tatsufumi

Director, Episode Director, Storyboard, Key Animation

Motoyama, Satoshi

Sound Director

Yoshida, Tooru

Episode Director, Key Animation

Edit

Opening Theme

"Synchrogazer" by Nana Mizuki

Edit

Ending Theme

	1: "Synchrogazer" by Nana Mizuki (eps 1,12)
	2: "Meteor Light" by Ayahi Takagaki (eps 2-3, 5-11)
	3: "Gekisou Gungnir (撃槍・ガングニール)" by Aoi Yuuki (eps 4)
	4: "Gyakkou no Flugel (逆光のフリューゲル)" by Nana Mizuki and Minami Takayama (eps 13)

More reviews

Reviews

Apr 3, 2012

Infinite

Not Recommended

If you hate inconsistencies, stupid plot devices, a horribly flawed setting, and poor characterization, Senki Zesshou Symphogear is your worst nightmare.

The start of the series is deceptively good, we see a concert that's animated brilliantly, and we have a seemingly gritty story; we witness Kanade die in the past, and Miku crying over Hibiki's grave in the future. This image the anime painted itself in the first episode is one of the greatest deceptions I've witnessed in any form of media.

After the first episode, the animation quality drops dramatically, at times you wonder how the producers thought they could get away with it. Epitomizing this ... is a scene as early as episode 3 where Tsubasa is walking along the corridor with her manager, which looks like a GIF pasted on top of a moving background. It's obvious that they spent most of their budget on the first episode, leaving them to cut back as much as they could throughout the rest of the series. By the end they managed to get a more acceptable level of quality, which was consistent for the rest of the series, so happily it manages to avoid totally failing in the art area.

The soundtrack is quite enjoyable, and goes some way to make up for the animation. The songs they sing as they fight are relatively good, and it can bring an atmosphere to fights that is otherwise missing. The Opening is fine and fits the series very well, but I personally preferred the ED, "Meteor Light" by Takagaki Ayahi. It took a while for it to grow on me, but it's a track that sounds dark and traumatic, which fits the atmosphere the series was originally aiming for.

The characters are terrible, and the relationships they share change for the most bizarre of reasons. There's an instance where a character hates another one so much she's tried to kill her, but her hate is instantly forgotten when the other character points out her room is messy. Most of the characters are characterized very poorly, and the protagonist is very annoying. However, whilst this is the case, most of the cast is likable, and so you'll find yourself liking most of them, even as they go through the harsh character changes that the plot forced upon them.

Unsurprisingly, the plot is also lacking. It's a very simple plot, the one plot twist the series has is so obvious that you can identify it 5 episode before. It's simplicity works for Symphogear's though, as it manages to avoid being too disastrous throughout most the series. However, in the final few episodes, it gets so ridiculous that you will be amazed. Stupidity like this is something that is rare, and therefore something to be treasured, as it will make you re-evaluate what you consider truly preposterous.

The setting is also so tremendously flawed that whilst you can happily ignore it if you so wish, even minor probing will expose questions to which there are no answers. For example, with the frequent attacks by the Noise, which you cannot defend yourself against and kill everyone in the areas they attack, why do people go outside so casually? Much as I like the outdoors, I can't hep but think that I like living more. Also, much as I love my current house, if there was constantly the threat of death, I think I'd move.

The inconsistencies are fairly easy to ignore, but if you think about anything in the series, you're likely to notice some. Take the Swan songs, they used to mean certain death, yet past Kanade's death, it stops being fatal, and towards the very end, there is no visible affect at all. This is of course because it was a plot device, but the unashamed way in which the anime casually allows these is dreadful.

With this all in mind, this is a very bad anime. However, there is one thing that works in Symphogear's favour that saves it from the worst, and that is that it's earnest in it's stupidity. It isn't trying to be taken seriously, and it isn't pretentious, which means it is very hard to hate. The characters that I hated at the start of the series grew on me, to the point I liked almost all of them. Take the girl who's lines almost solely consist of failed meta-comedy attempts like "If this were an anime" which infuriated me at the start, towards the end I almost found her habits endearing.

It's a strange quality of an anime like Symphogear, which is terrible, but still enjoyable to the extent where I looked forward to the last few episodes, to see if the episodes could outdo themselves in their silliness, but more importantly fun.

So, if you are happy to ignore all that is wrong with this anime, then you will be able to enjoy it. Despite the amount that is wrong with this, it's all surprisingly easy to ignore. However, if you cannot ignore the technical details in anime, then avoid this like the plague, unless you wish to see how badly executed an anime can be.

Open

Gift

Jul 11, 2012

pakin

Recommended

Since this was in storage for quite sometime I finally decided to watch, and finished this anime. This is pretty much action-y, but at the same time, it has a pretty deep story to it, and is kind of entertaining. For people that love action, I think you guys may or may not like this anime, since the action isn't really the main focus, cuz they focus more on the plot I would say..

Story 8/10
Started of pretty good on how they kind of went to the future, and then goes back to what happen to get there, like a lot of anime I know. It ... moves at a good pace, and that's good since in my opinion it explained to me more about what's going on. Mostly this anime probably wants the watcher to be sad when they watch it, but it turns out to be a pretty happy story after watching all the episodes.

Art 7/10
They could make some more improvements on the way the made the characters, since in some scenes, after they got beaten up pretty badly. They came back fighting looking fresh as new in so little time. Of course, they have quick regeneration skills, but still I don't think it's suppose to be that quick. Sometimes, the motion when the character walks seems kinda unrealistic and that's, for me, a disturbing thing.

Sound 8/10
Not bad at the sound. The pitch when the characters scream, sweep, or are cheerful is very good. The best part of the sound I liked is the part where they make the crying of some characters pretty short. In some anime they just made the crying very long, which is pretty annoying, maybe because they want to waste time cuz they can't think of anything.

Character 8/10
It's great to find anime were the character doesn't piss you off so much that you just wanna smash your head into your keyboard. The characters are well made. The way they act, and talk to each other seems pretty much like real life. On top of that, a character tries to make this anime sounds like it's really "not" an anime, and that it was real life for them.

Enjoyment 9/10
I don't really think I could say much, since I saw the rating on this anime, and it's not that good at all. For me, it was a nice experience watching this, and I don't really think a fan of a serious action would wanna watch this, since the action in this anime is not quite that great, and the moves the characters have are repeated a lot of times, and there a not a lot of new moves.

Overall 8/10
I guess this is my final say on how good the anime was during my time watching it. This is, I think, a pretty girly anime.... I say that cuz of the not so violence parts ( even though there was a lot of blood ) in this anime. Maybe if they increased the intensity of the fights, that might have helped to give it a higher rating..

Open

Gift

Apr 2, 2012

Yemi_Hikari

Mixed Feelings

The high hopes I had for this series were dashed after the first few minutes. The storyline felt like someone decided to animate a fanfic for a much better series. There were these honest traces of something better in the storyline. It fell flat because of the cliches within the series and because of how much of a Mary Sue the main character is.

In the first episode I was left asking why Hibiki was so special compared to all the other people who exist in this world. She's not special because she has any sort of talent, something she constantly admits. Her childhood is bland ... and uneventful, yet Kanade sings her Swan song in the first episode sacrificing herself just so Hibiki can live despite the fact it doesn't feel as if Kanade needed to sing her Swan song to save Hibiki's life. Instead, Kanade's death is simply a tool the writer used to give Hibiki her amazing powers so that she can be the heroine of the series.

The theme of sacrifice is another place where this series falls flat. At the beginning of the series it is played up as being a very important theme but by the end it honestly feels like a joke. It is instead replaced by the theme that everyone can get along by everyone talking things out. Everyone else has a mind frame that violence will solve everything, but Hibiki is difference because Hibiki is so innocent and naïve that she honestly believes there is a better way when people are human. In the long run, it is Hibiki's character that destroys the storyline.

Of course, Hibiki does have a few flaws up her sleeves to make the viewers not think she is a Mary Sue. She is at the beginning of the series horribly klutzy and she can't do anything right. This is fine when she first gains her powers because she has problems in her first fight. However, after this she receives no training from the government so she can fight the noise, she is allowed to run around on her own letting her klutziness in the way.

Added to this, Tsubasa wants nothing to do with her because Hibiki reminds her too much about Kanade, and yet it would make more sense for Tsubasa to protect the one thing of Kanade she has left. Many of the characters don't get fleshed out and the way Hibiki gets over her flaw is just ridiculous. Her naivity also isn't played up as a flaw either, but it is actually her strong point as it allows her an innocent outlook on life that is willing to accept everyone who is human with no qualms what-so-ever.

The art is really good and the sound is good at points, but they also like to play the main characters songs as being more special then anyone elses, including the other students from a music academy of all things.

Open

Gift

More stacks

Interest Stacks

Henshin Hero Anime

by xbaronnx

47 Entries · 7 Restacks

Battle-Singing Anime (Or battle-musicals)

by Bonny2132

13 Entries · 6 Restacks

Hidden gems for yuri lovers

by jaded-eagle

45 Entries · 295 Restacks

More recommendations

Recommendations

View All

More news

Recent News

'Senki Zesshou Symphogear' Franchise Announces New Project

The Symphogear Live 2020 → 2022 event announced on Sunday a new project. Their official Twitter also revealed an announcement promo. The action female idol fra...read more

Nov 20, 2022 12:41 PM by Hyperion_PS | Discuss (39 comments)

North American Anime & Manga Releases for October

Here are the North American anime & manga releases for October Week 1: October 6 - 12 Anime Releases B: The Beginning Season 1 Collection Blu-ray & DVD B: Th...read more

Oct 5, 2020 9:19 PM by ImperfectBlue | Discuss (2 comments)

More discussions

Recent Forum Discussion

Poll: Senki Zesshou Symphogear Episode 6 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Hoppy - Feb 10, 2012	62 replies	by Fronzel »» Mar 8, 12:31 AM
Poll: Senki Zesshou Symphogear Episode 13 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Cirris - Mar 30, 2012	148 replies	by Gvendoline »» Feb 12, 10:44 AM
Poll: Senki Zesshou Symphogear Episode 11 Discussion ( 1 2 ) zimno - Mar 16, 2012	93 replies	by Gvendoline »» Feb 12, 9:50 AM
Poll: Senki Zesshou Symphogear Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) zimno - Jan 6, 2012	263 replies	by AL7H3A »» Feb 2, 12:29 AM
Poll: Senki Zesshou Symphogear Episode 10 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Yumekichi11 - Mar 9, 2012	56 replies	by Gvendoline »» Jan 25, 12:46 AM

Recent Featured Articles

Top 15 Best Debut Anime Episodes Ranked

Some series take time to get into. Not these ones. Whether there's some sort of disturbing violence or a profound life-changing event, these debut episodes make it easy to dive right in.

by beruseruku27

102,591 views

Spoiler

Collection

Senki Zesshou Symphogear

Alternative Titles

Information

Statistics

Available At

Resources

Streaming Platforms

Synopsis

Background

Episode Videos

Visit MALxJapan
MALxJapan -More than just anime-

Related Anime

Characters & Voice Actors

Tachibana, Hibiki

Yukine, Chris

Kazanari, Tsubasa

Kohinata, Miku

Amou, Kanade

Kazanari, Genjuurou

Itaba, Yumi

Ogawa, Shinji

Tomosato, Aoi

Sakurai, Ryouko

Staff

Opening Theme

Ending Theme

Reviews

Interest Stacks

Recommendations

Recent News

Recent Forum Discussion

Recent Featured Articles

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

MoreMost Popular Characters

Senki Zesshou Symphogear

Alternative Titles

Information

Statistics

Available At

Resources

Streaming Platforms

Synopsis

Background

Episode Videos

Visit MALxJapan MALxJapan -More than just anime-

Related Anime

Characters & Voice Actors

Staff

Opening Theme

Ending Theme

Reviews

Interest Stacks

Recommendations

Recent News

Recent Forum Discussion

Recent Featured Articles

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

MoreMost Popular Characters

Visit MALxJapan
MALxJapan -More than just anime-