Soukyuu no Fafner: Dead Aggressor

This review is based on 4 rewatches of the anime in 2 years. So I hope this will be as unbiased as possible. As a long time Xebec fan, I must say this is by FAR the best mecha anime they've produced to date. Now I shall try to break it down to different components.

Story: The story began with a paradise-like environment, but it quickly turned into a scene of chaotic desperateness. With tons of downhill battles to begin the story, it certainly illustrates how desperate the situation is for the protagonists (and the small group of humans living on that remote island). For a ... mecha anime, it is not very common to start the story the way Fafner did.

Art: The animation is directed by the same guy whose responsible for Gundam SEED and Destiny. So it is only natural that people see similarities between characters (for example, I find Kazuki very much like Shinn). With that being said, I find it a bit lacking in originality so minus 1!

Sound: Absolutely stunning. The battle music is very unique and alive! I especially love the drum beat. The OP and ED are by Angela (who sang FFXII's opening).

Character: Most character development occurred during the 2nd half of the anime (when things become less gloomy), which was a good thing because there was no room in the first half to fit those in with all the intense battles and basic background storying telling. Again minus -1 for some unoriginal character design.

Enjoyment + Overall: Although it was hardly advertised (ie. lack of media attention), Fafner's success was undeniable. Just ask yourself this, how many anime (or how many anime done by Xebec to be more precise) actually got a prequel/sequel to further expand on the story? Well Fafner is one of those! With a touching story that can make even the toughest man cry a river, this anime is definitely one of the "emo-est" show ever!

The beginning of Fafner was quite confusing as it went straight to the action. Going straight into the action is often never a good idea since it’ll leave the viewers confused. Now if this were only the first episode and the second episode takes place a few months earlier then it would work. Gungrave, Berserk, and the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya used this technique. Haruhi used it quite effectively as it made more viewers come back for the 2nd episode to figure out what was going on. I guess my biggest problem is the fact that the action was relentless ... for around 9 episodes and they tried to create drama in that time frame. This is simply not possible with out proper character development/knowing the characters. For example, a certain character dies and they make it quite a big event and extremely dramatic. However, this character was only a step above some random faceless character. If this series were 50 episodes then I can under stand the pacing but it was only 25 episodes. It’s as if the creators realized that Fafner wasn’t popular enough to make into 50 episodes and cut their losses.

Around half way through the series, Fafner starts to slow down. Here things got better as there was proper character building and story progression. Now when drama hits it can actually affect the viewer. Sadly this happened way too late in a 25 episode series as there was quite a bit of potential in the Fafner universe. Thankfully, Fafner does save itself by creating a satisfying conclusion, albeit a bit rushed. I also felt that Fafner could have improved its ending by providing some kind of epilogue.

Music was one of Fafner’s better qualities, especially the OP/ED. Also, the character designs were the same as Gundam SEED so it quite hard not to make comparisons. However, in terms of animation quality Fafner compares quite favorably. So while the beginning went straight to the action and was a bit confusing it was nevertheless pretty. If you’re a mecha fan then its almost worth watching just for the action scenes. As far as I recall Fafner doesn’t use repeated animation sequences, one of my pet peeves.

Fafner is a fairly entertaining mecha anime, especially for mecha fans. It features good animation and very good music. However, Fafner didn’t provide anything exceptional and doesn’t rise above the pack of mecha anime. In addition, it was severally hurt by inappropriate pacing for a 25 episode series. It is quite sad to see so much wasted potential. Finally a proper epilogue would have greatly benefited the series.

Fafner tries to be a good show but it is such an average typical mecha filled with forced, cheesy, and fake dramatical moments that despite it retaining some entertainment value and possessing a good mystery draw to uncover, this show is hard to watch. The drama is filled with cheesy lines and other additions such as forced tears and little to no sufficient character development to ensure viewers would feel anything during these emotional or dramatic scenes. During fights pilots often scream like maniacs and it can carry on a bit too long when they do. Only a few characters have any ... development or capacity to draw viewers in enough for form a connection. Most enemy characters have no sense of connection or development that result in enemies a bit too flat. The flow of the story draws little to no distinction who the enemies are and yet the islanders end up feeling like abused victims though they never appear to blame any of the enemies or have the will to resist or retaliate once they are face to face. Nothing really stands out as unique so about the series from other mecha or other anime.

Positives:

*Untapped potential to be a much better anime
*A theme of resolution other than violence
*Though few, there are some likable and somewhat developed characters
*Imaginative look at an apocalypse futuristic setting in an alternate world
*Humans with unique gifted qualities perfect for facing the crisis

Negatives:

*Most characters totally lack any development or connection to viewers
*Dramatic and emotional moments are cheesy, fake, and forced
*Lousy non universal views of morals and ethics though done in a confusing conflicting way.
*No sense of consequences for bad decisions such as betrayal
*Poor story logic (mostly to do with poor emotional scenes, betrayals and behaviors of those betrayed, and non sensical lines that do not line up with previous dialogue, actions, or results.