Terra Formars

During the 21st century, humanity attempted to colonize Mars by sending two species which could endure the harsh environment of the planet to terraform it—algae and cockroaches. However, they did not anticipate the species' remarkable ability to adapt. Now in the 26th century, a lethal disease known as the Alien Engine Virus has arrived on Earth, and the cure is suspected to be found only on Mars. The problem is, Mars in the present is overrun by creatures known as "Terraformars," incredibly powerful and intelligent humanoid cockroaches that mutated from those originally sent to the planet.

The Annex I team, consisting of a hundred men and women genetically enhanced with characteristics of powerful organisms from earth, has been sent to Mars on a mission to find the cause of the Alien Engine Virus and to help cure humanity—signalling the start of the crew's fight for survival.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Davis, Michelle K. Main

Itou, Shizuka Japanese

Hizamaru, Akari Main

Hosoya, Yoshimasa Japanese

Komachi, Shoukichi Main

Kiuchi, Hidenobu Japanese

Eringrad Garcia, Marcos Main

Ishikawa, Kaito Japanese

Asimov, Sylvester Main

Ishizuka, Unshou Japanese

Kandley Stewart, Alex Main

KENN Japanese

Reinhardt, Adolf Supporting

Yusa, Kouji Japanese

Newton, Joseph Gustav Supporting

Ishida, Akira Japanese

Onizuka, Keiji Supporting

Ono, Daisuke Japanese

Terraformar Supporting

Satomi, Tetsurou Producer

Simone, Jamie Producer

Oomori, Hiroyuki Producer

Yanagimura, Tsutomu Producer

Reviews

Dec 30, 2014

kmandrake

Recommended

Warning: this review is written for the average anime fan and not other critics since that wouldnt help anyone and would just be me ranting

So I began watching terra formars mid airing, i had always wanted to check it out (since seeing it on anichart) and i did so. to be honest i had high expectations, out of all the anime this season this looked the most unique. after finishing the first episode my expectations took a huge hit (this was one of those slow beginnings of introducing characters and backgrounds). i almost dropped it but i didnt and im glad i didnt because on ... ep 2 is where the real meat of the show started.

now if you cant tell already this anime has gore and i started watching this on crunchyroll (god the censoring was terrible), luckily though i found a sight that had it fully uncensored and was able to take in the full experience.

Story - 6
now theres not much of a story besides people going to mars to collect samples of a virus to create a vaccine, but (tiny spoiler, kinda) twist is "terra formars" attack the ship and now theyre stuck on mars surrounded by hordes of creepy humanoid roaches (very attack on titanish). however there is a rescue ship coming to mars to save them and the story becomes how they survive until then (which is really interesting since ive never seen any other any that say "you have 1 month dont die until then")

Art - 8
i still have no idea how there were able to do the cockroaches right, even if it was cgi how were they able to make it so unnoticeable, this i really dont know. all the characters were all animated decently well, you can tell there was no lazy work ... except maybe in some of the first fight scenes. most of the fight scenes were great you see a fist then the fist smashing into the exoskeleton of a roach but in the first fight there were one or two attacks that were set on a black background. then if you look at the last battlefield (the one that had nukes fired upon) it looks stunning, maybe it was the flames or maybe just the gradience (them gradience)

Sound - 7
sound is not something i can say much about, the voice actors all did their jobs well and the series wasnt really reliant on the soundtrack even in the fights scenes and when there is it's in the background to keeps your heart pumping. the op and ending doesnt stand out that much either, it wasnt anything bad, it was semi good and fitted the series and thats what i think is important

Characters - 6
i would like to mention that on the ship to mars there were 99 people on board, luckily most of them were slaughtered before ep 3. yes, the show does kill off many people, but most the characters that dies arnt that important, in fact i think in the entire show only 3 important characters dies and i only say important is because they had backstories and screen time. Still the characters arnt that deep especially the main character whom i can only say is main character because he was introduced first (most characters gets equal screen time after the first episodes). i wont say the characters are stereotypes since all characters fall under a stereotype but they do have certain traits such as the happy go lucky one (that obviously dies), the heartless commanding one, or/and the charismatic cheif. many of the characters also get episodes for themselves with backstories on why they chose to come to mars and how they became who they are. a type of character development you could say since any other kind would be kinda difficult while fighting cockroach after cockroach. also, having an attention span of 5 seconds i skip most of the backstories besides adolf's whos backstory was a great buildup to the climax for the character and story.

Enjoyment - 9
ok, i gotta admit it i did get sucked into continually watching this week after week, what can say i just like how mindless and fun it is. one major reasons i kept watching was to see the powers of the next character and what species theyre based on. each character in the show fight with an ability based solely on a species on earth, for example if your based on an alpheid shrimp (which can fire jets of air) then your ability would be that, stick your hand in front of a cockroaches face and blow it off.

i enjoyed Terra Formars the same way i enjoyed Attack on Titan, seeing characters put in a situation where everything is against them and seeing what happens next

It should be worth mentioning that the show will be finished in another season (if it comes out), the last scene scene is actually really similar to the last scene of btooom they even have the same helicopter

i cant guaranty youll enjoy this but its definitely worth taking a look and if you do want to watch this then watch till episode 2/3 then decide to continue or stop watching since episode 1 has stopped alot of people

Overall - 7.2

tips
1:sit back an relax
2:watch the anime for the reason of enjoying it and nothing else like how your suppose to watch anime

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Dec 19, 2014

Stark700

Mixed Feelings

You know something no one wants to see at a lunch or dinner table? Cockroaches. Those little critters stalks around with their creepy legs and spreads disgusting odor near your delicious food. Worst yet, they want your food. But do you know what’s even more disgusting or perhaps terrifying? It’s when you become the food. No lie. Terra Formars reverses the situation when humans are the prey as cockroaches (also known as Terra Formars) hunt down humans to eliminate them from existence. There’s something to think about…

For a series based off of the same name, adaptation pacing becomes a chore to handle. I don’t give ... much credit for the studio or director when they do a sloppy job as the first few episodes can really make people wonder if this is all worth it. Forget the word ‘all’, but it’s more like partial considering the first few episodes broadcasted on TV were obstructed by arsine censorship. (they do fix it later though) But beyond that technical point, Terra Formars isn’t really a groundbreaking show.

Taking for face value, the show is actually pretty simple to understand. It takes place in a futuristic setting far beyond our present year. We also get alien species known as the Terra Formars, creatures who look like cockroaches but are many times its size with irregular body structure and abnormal thirst for destruction. Then, there are the humans that fights them on planet Mars. Actually, their original goal is to collect research examples as a deadly virus has taken hold on the human population but now they are playing a case of survival game against these creatures. As unoriginal as the premise sounds, the show has plenty of reasons to why viewers might be interested. The idea of fighting against alien species is thought provoking as it opens many opportunities to explore the show’s gimmicks, mechanics, and characters. The problem is that the first episode leaves open a gap that needs to be filled when in terms of getting everything started. It launches the characters on full scale towards their mission and skips their background and origins. That’s not the main problem though as the show accelerates fast into outer space for the main course. There’s not much time for preparation either as the crew gets ambushed on their way to space.

This season covers the Annex I arc detailing the stories of a group of crew members including lead protagonist Komachi Shokichi. Made up of members of many different countries of origins, the series’ characterization is shallow at best for the first half of the season. We don’t’ find out too much about much of the main characters except a select few such as Komachi. The case of death flags are also raised high for certain characters as flashbacks are played and their actions are recorded as last wills. However, the show does give more sympathy and depth for other characters later on. A prominent example is Adolf who is highlighted by flashbacks to characterize his motives and roles in the series. And as such, the reality can easily be realized of the cruelty on the frontlines. After all, the show is clearly violent, gory, and obviously isn’t afraid to kill anyone in the show. Whether you’re a badass action girl like Michelle or a first year newbie, Terra Formars preys on humans as if they are helpless drones. And to be honest, this show doesn’t stray far from that as humans are portrayed as the underdog. However, action does contradict this later on as we see humans fight back in a tale that can be described as “bug war”. I label it as such because humans who have experimented on themselves are able to adapt insect-like attributes and possesses their abilities to fight on par with the Terra Formars. For the action itself though, this show can only be watchable when it’s not obstructed the black censors of death. The original TV broadcasted aired the first three episodes that made itself look like a comedy. When you get scenes blocked by black bars or basketball shaped ovals, it really makes itself look like a joke. (example: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BzmOsvCCIAARgDt.jpg) Luckily, the show eventually got uncensored versions although the gore is still not as explicit as the manga. While shock value may sometimes be looked down upon as trying to sell its product, I think it’s necessary for this show to adapt that with justice. This is because the show is violent. It is explicitly gory that needs to get the message across of what a sci-fi horror should be like. Although certain scenes are left out from the manga, the uncensored action is tolerable with sensible OST.

On the scientific side of the story, the show falls apart with the explanation. In retrospect, it is vague and hard to take in all at once. We don’t know much about the origins of the Terra Formars besides their basic attributes and we can make from their evolution. Speaking of which, the show actually adapts more of that as we find out how well the cockroaches adapt to their environment. Still, the generational concept weakens itself and tries way too hard when it comes to its elements. It’s lazy when it comes to crafting the story by skipping certain parts while lauding viewers to experience what the ‘bug war’ is like. But to experience that, the show also needs to make us feel attached to the characters. Unfortunately, it’s far from achieving that with the certain deaths of various key characters. I do give some credit for the daring risks this show takes though as well as some unpredictable twists that comes by a few times. However, Terra Formars is more like a sci-fi horror that is treated as an action flick rather than a creative story. It has this engaging premise but is over-egged with saturated action with not enough context.

In terms of artwork, the show is crude on most parts but not in terms of actual quality. It simply creates a mature atmosphere with the main characters in this futuristic setting. Speaking of which, the series hardly has any world building so don’t expect the setting to steer its engine towards that direction. What you do have are adult characters, in contrast to the teenagers we often see trying to save the world. This is actually a positive and refreshing to see as we can tell the series has a more serious feeling. The characters are designed to look like troops ready to go to war. Their face expressions tells of a tale of horror just by looking at them. Besides some oddball fan service on occasions, the series has decent artwork and fitting character designs. However, the Terra Formars are crafted in a way that can spark some controversy because they resemble Homo Erectus. It’s also hard to take them seriously with their ridiculously shaped eyes, overly enhanced muscle structure, or just in general of what they look like that seemingly resemble humans.

Soundtrack has a moderate coordination with some suitable OST supplemented by the OP and ED songs. The background music is fitting but repetitively used on certain episodes. Not only that but emotional scenes sometimes lack the atmosphere that it tracks to convey. As for the character voice mannerism, I can hardly remember any of them besides a few climatic moments. Almost none of them stand out much since they are screaming most of the time while fighting for their lives. The Terra Formars are probably only memorable for their actions and occasional groans. Most of the time, your headphones will be filled with screams of terror. No intelligence. No credible humor. Just a of bucket load of hellish cries.

In the end, this shows is a glorification of a mixed bag adaptation. While it reasonably adapts some of the core elements, its main problems lies with the world building and weak story. Its unoriginality and generic tropes with invasion and sci-fi horrors themes may makes it seem like it can be interesting. However, its lack of charisma and it’s hard to fathom what the show is trying to even achieve. Fighting against the Terra Formars, saving mankind, or just showing us some sci-fi adventure with shock and cruelty. This show is like a callous cash-in with an attempt to adapt an engaging premise but never able to make the cut.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Dec 28, 2014

ZephSilver

Not Recommended

Every now and then there's an anime that's released that walks the delicate line of being called absolute garbage and absolute FUCKING garbage. These shows tend to focus heavily on shock factor deaths as a one trick pony, which in turn removes any integrity it may have. Some notable cases include Elfen Lied, Gantz, Mirai Nikki, Deadman Wonderland and now the next anime to carry the torch Terra Formars, has stepped up for the challenge.

Story: 2/10

Story? What story? Government conspiracies, the mission of Bug II and anything else the show brought up remains unresolved. Plot points that go nowhere and simply end abruptly. It's ... like slowly going up the rails of a roller coaster and getting ready for the ride but the ride never happens. The show treats the material as more of a glorified add to read the manga than a stand alone work. This co-dependence on the source material to make a cohesive story is just lazy.

Art: 3/10

You'd think by now that CGI will be used in better effect in complimenting a show, right? Well, Terra Formars spits on the face of innovation, giving us hoards of horrid CGI cockroaches that rival that of Gonzo's track record. And to top it all off, it's simply the same design copied and pasted. The character designs, also deserve special mention for looking rather stiff. It feels like no effort or love was placed into this series. The only noteworthy mention should be about the grim backgrounds of the Mars environment.

Sound: 4/10

The same tracks were played continuously, showing no variation at all. Nothing worth listening to on its own and nothing that really grabs your attention. They simply serve to follow the scenes, but does nothing to heighten them. Voice performances were fine. Each character's voice actor matched their given traits, standouts being Michelle K. Davis. Of course, it will all be forgotten almost as soon as you're finished with the series.

Characters: 2/10

I'm not even sure this cast can even be considered "characters". They didn't even manage to make them 2 dimensional. There's more depth in your run of the mill shounen protagonist than any of these "characters". They mostly follow the lines of common fodder or OP roach killer.
Throwing in a depressing backstory doesn't qualify as proper characterization. Especially if we don't even remember them by the time the 20min run time is up. It seems like characters were only introduced to be killed by the next episode. Not only giving you no time to even care about them, but it also broke immersion when death is treated with no tension. Just a fodder fest of people we don't give a fuck about.

Enjoyment: 2/10

I'm a completionist, the only reason I even finished this nonsense was because of the short run time. Unlike other nonsensical series like Elfen Lied, Terra Formars became more of a chore to watch. I'd rather take my chances watching another Michael Bay film that sitting through this again.

Overall: 2/10

Terra Formars was simply another rushed adaptation that felt more like an eyegasm for the fans than an actual show. If you're a fan of excessive gore or the manga then this might be for you.

Reviewer’s Rating: 2

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