Xenosaga The Animation

Ugh. This was a tough one to finish. I've never played the video game but a friend lent me this, so I watched it in its entirety. I didn't even know it was a space themes anime until I got a ways into it.

I'm a sucker for space sci-fi. That is why I enjoyed this anime at all. The story was weak and farfetched and the character dialog and interactions were surreal and shallow. Don't expect much. If you like scifi, just enjoy it for its simplicity.

Those who may have had a chance to play the Playstation 2 trilogy video game of the same name, might be surprised that the first Xenosaga... saga actually got an anime adaption. And you know what? Its pretty good!

Story: 8/10
Following the events from the first video game, some people may be surprised that it has been changed somewhat. While we do still follow genius technician Shion Uzuki and her mysterious android KOS-MOS, as they fight the alien threat known as the Gnosis. Along the way meeting new friends and enemies alike, trying to unlock the secrets of both the Gnosis as well the mysterious ... events that are presently unfolding around them. Fans who are new to the Xenosaga series will find that this title is based soly on mysteries. More than half of the characters in this are not who they first appear to be, and as the story progresses the viewer will learn more and more about their origins. People who have actually played the video game will also be pleased that the anime adaption takes place somewhat differently from the video game. Some characters have been removed from the over all story, while others play a much larger role and given actual back story on. The character interaction is great, as many of the characters learn more of each other, followed by many eerie religious references, secrets and plot twists. The battles that take place are not all simply limited to "hand to hand" combat, some also take place in mecha style robots called A.G.W.S. Sadly though if you have never experienced the actual video game, you will be saddened at the fact that the anime ends with many things up in the air, and you will only learn the true story if you play the games themselves. Or perhaps if it is ever decided to bring a second season of this. Still, for fans and non-fans alike Xenosaga can be enjoyed by both at different levels.

This title contains some brief language, lite blood and creepy religious themes, just to be aware of its content. As some may find the latter quite offensive.

Artwork: 5/10
I was really disappointed in this category, because this title is in fact a 2005 release, yet the video quality of it is very poor, the character design shows age, and some of the battle scenes are a little choppy. Truly I don’t know what happened here, perhaps they were on some sort of budget when this was released. Now its not really all bad, while the character design is dated, they did do a pretty good job of detailing them pretty close to their video game counterparts. And really the story is what its all about!

Soundtrack: 7/10
The whole title opening flows in a sort of battle hymen at the beginning, considering this title has religious references it really comes as no surprise, while the ending is sung in this soft English lyric tone, I swear every time I hear it it saddens me. The background music does play in a sort of cool drum style action sequences, nothing really will stick with you, but its descent enough for the content. Sadly though no actual music from the game is present, and most are only made to mirror it of sorts. The voice acting was much better in Japanese, ADV did do a good job of bringing over the dub, but the Japanese audio feels more natural to the characters.

Characters: 8/10
They are quite varied in their approach and style; from KOS-MOS cold like personality, to MOMO’s sweet and caring persona, to Albedo's psychotic intentions. All compliment each other and interact together quite well, and its usually their different personalities that cause a major part of the story’s conflict. Now being that this title is only 12 episodes long, some of the characters (even the main) you never really get to get acquainted with. Since it all boils down to KOS-MOS, Shion, Jr., and Albedo. Again, if you’re interested in learning more about them it would be best to pick up all three of the video games. They have been out for a while and are quite affordable at present. Speaking of which, all the characters themselves do retain their characters from them. With the exception of a guy named Virgil, he seems to have been toned down from his other wise more aggressive role in the game. The character' roles are so believable that you will love the ones you're suppose to love, and hate the ones you are suppose to hate. Some of them are so evil and wicked in their roles, that you will actually love to hate them!

Bottom Line: 7/10
Even though Xenosaga is plagued with poor animation, the story itself should be enough to get the viewer through the series. Its probably one of the better "video game to anime" adaptions out there, by no means perfect...but good for its short run. I recommend it for anime fans that like a story with mysteries complimented with appropriate plot twists. It can overall be enjoyed by fans and non-fans alike. Though due to some of its creepy references, it probably should be avoided by more impressionable audiences.

Being a huge fan of the Xenosaga universe it was bound to happen I would eventually give this anime a try and I must say I'm quite suprised. Those that have played the game will see changes however there not in bad taste and the changes make the anime flow smooth. To be honest I think it was well done for only being 12 eps they had alot to cram in that amount of time and they did it and made it fun to watch.

If you have not played the games don't worry its still worth watching in my option

Short review:

This show is just OK. I've never played Xenosaga, and came at this with a fresh set of eyes. I found this show a bit slow and boring at parts. Sometimes the audio is mixed strangely so you can't hear what the characters are saying.

I still had fun though, but not THAT much fun. I finished the show an hour ago and it left no impact on me aside from the last 3 episodes, which even those, though way better than the other parts of the show, where still pretty OK.

The show is OK. Fans will probably like it.

Beautiful world, beautiful characters. I'm a Xenosaga fan and I wholly enjoyed the anime. The ending really made me tear up, would recommend especially in Japanese dub. One of my favorite animes of all time. One thing I'd note is that the anime removes a couple major parts of the story from the game, possibly due to time constraints.
My favorite characters here are KOS-MOS and Jr., they were amazing Albedo took a while for me to get used to due to the massive vocal change, but by the end Gremillion's pretty good!

I love the blend of 3D animation and regular anime style as ... well, really brings out the battleships especially in combat. One thing I'd change is the forceness. Please don't concrete in rushed segments for the sake of getting to the really good parts, take your time and really flesh the story out for when the time is really right! Other than that, amazing!