Aldnoah Zero is a mecha anime that pits the forces of the earth against a Martian empire whose technological superiority is underscored by a ruthlessness and pride resemblant of the great empires of earth with centuries of history. The year is 2014, and it has been forty-years years since the Martian empire was founded.
Wait.
Forty-two years?
Okay, let's try this again. Aldnoah Zero is a mecha anime that features plenty of drama, action, and even a hint of romance, but fails to set up its story and characters in a way that any of these elements can resonate with the viewer. The lead character, Kaizuka Inaho, takes the stereotypical self-insert main character to ridiculous length by having no emotions for the great majority of the series. Meanwhile his rival and series antagonist, Slaine Troyard, is a significantly more human and interesting character, far more so than the rest of the cast. But whereas Inaho's actions are guided by some sort of logic, Troyard's motivations for his absolutely insane schemes are never explained, shown, or slightly conveyed to the viewer in a believable way.
Ultimately, it doesn't matter if the Vers empire has existed for forty-two years, forty-two days or forty-two centuries. Either could work if there's some kind of impetus for the conflict presented, something tangible that makes us empathise with the circumstances of both sides. But throughout the entire series, not once are we given some kind of deep glimpse into the Vers Empire. There are a lot of remarks about how the masses of Vers are poor, but we never, ever see them. We only see the handsome knights, soldiers and gleaming technology. So as far the viewer is concerned, the behaviour of Slaine Troyard, the Vers Empire, in fact most of the characters in this decrepit series is inexplicable.
When I am getting increasingly bored and frustrated of Aldnoah Zero's boring, creatively frustrated plot, it has a little party trick to pull. Decent fight scenes. Watching Inaho figure out and exploit the weaknesses of the Vers Empire's high-powered mechs is one of very few enjoyable parts of this series. Ultimately, it's just a deus ex machina if you break it down enough, but it means the fight scenes are quite varied and sometimes surprising, even if the overall structure is predictable.
Aldnoah Zero is nothing if not well-produced. Having the mechas entirely animated by 3D models is going to be a turn-off for many, but they're quite detailed, the designs are good, and while the animation can seem clunky, the choreography is emphatic. This is also one of the many recent series scored by Hiroyuki Sawano, and while his music often comes across as bombastic, it's distinctive and forms a great accompaniment to the action. Though, while the art and character designs in Aldnoah Zero are decent, the colour palette of the series is cool and miserable, which only serves to mirror the boredom of the plot.
Frankly, with a project as large as this, a good presentation is the minimum I expect. This is what Aldnoah Zero is, the minimum of expectations. By refusing to have any kind of personality, whether figuratively in terms of story and setting, or literally in terms of characters, it doesn't offend enough to put its audience off from buying it, but it never elevates itself above mediocrity either. The question is, do I rate this a 5 to acknowledge its workmanlike averageness, or a 3 for not even trying to hide its identity as a cynical monetary franchise? Let's split the difference.
Story: 3, Art: 5, Sound: 7, Character: 3, Enjoyment: 4, Overall: 4
