Two boys named Nine and Twelve are complete opposites; one has a warm smile and the other has a cold gaze. Zankyou no Terror is about the boys' acts of terrorism. Along the way, they meet Lisa Mishima, a girl who is bullied by her peers and lives with a paranoid mother. The plot is intriguing because the audience has to ask themselves: Why? For two boys around the age of seventeen, terrorism is no silly matter. As the story unravels, the viewers find out about their ultimate goal as well as their pasts that led them to their unyielding decision.
The overall animation of the anime is not typical and is far from the norm of a slice-of-life. The depiction of the characters leans toward a more realistic interpretation and are not those "big-eyed, colorful hair" art. The colors are not vibrant but rather a dark, ominous tone, fitting for a psychological, thriller type anime such as ZnT.
The music choice was nothing particularly outstanding but it certainly did fill its roll. I still get chills down my spine whenever a flashback plays with the electric guitar riffs. With actual songs, I found it interesting that this anime chose multiple with English lyrics, not something you hear in your typical anime. Something that bugged me, however, was that the characters who spoke in English were all good except for one minor, slightly major (?), character named Five - although, it did give me a few chuckles here and there.
The main protagonists, Nine and Twelve, are well-developed. The audience may find it difficult to relate to them but it is easy to sympathize with them. They are practically foils of each other; also, despite the difficult road that lies ahead of them, they are as close as can be. Lisa, no matter how much trouble she causes, moves the plot forward. However, Lisa does constantly seem like a nuissance and does not seem to do anything but be a paperweight to the Nine and Twelve duo. Next we have Detective Shibazaki, a central key to the story. Through his clever and shrewd critical thinking, he is able to play the terrorists' game. He goes as far as opposing orders to accomplish what he believes is truly righteous. As for Five, I have many questions about this character. Because of her unique personality (and odd English pronunciation) she was eccentric and sometimes just plain creepy. There were many things that were not clearly explained about Five and that left me feeling a bit disappointed.
I can't say I am completely satisfied with the ending, but it was definitely wrapped up nicely. This show is rated R and I can understand it. The central theme of this anime is serious and should be handled with maturity. I Hope this review has cleared your thoughts on this anime and if you intend to dive into this journey, I wish you: Von voyage!
