Story -
To summarise, the anime mainly revolves around an inter-tribal conflict that is occurring in the universe ever since the departure of the Tribe of Gold (ToG) who were the predominantly key figures in the past. The Tribe of Silver (ToS), in the absence of ToG have declared they would claim the entire universe for themselves, presumably as an act of responsibility as they are the most technologically advanced. The ToS and the Tribe of Bronze are seen trying to eliminate the Tribe of Iron (aka humankind), as they are seen as being detrimental to their goals who pose of a great threat.
An expedition force led by humanity’s representative, Dhianeila, travels to the deserted and ruined planet Olone in search for the saviour mentioned by the ToG. The 5th Nodos named Age, has the 12 agreements mentioned by the ToG to fulfil for humankind in an attempt to bring back stability to the universe, by retaliating against the ToS’s aggression. The acquisition of Age mainly sees him encountering the other Nodos (each with their own agreements as well) who are beings that possess extraordinary powers (transforming to alien-mechs) that are immune to standard attacks. In other words, they are basically the trump card that can effectively decide the outcome of the battle(s). The game changer is when a certain conclusion is made after thorough analysis that signals an end to the situation at hand.
Characters -
The characters were numerous to say the least but my biggest gripe would be was that there wasn’t that much depth to them besides the main protagonist duo of Age and Dhianeila who play a pivotal role. One thing I very much enjoyed about this show, was the different angles explored when deciding the motives of certain individuals with clear emphasis placed on the Nodos and their importance. The opposition Nodos who are seen forced to fight for the ToS had dire circumstances, which is seen through the blackmail created from the exploitation of their agreements.
The characters on the side of humankind mainly consisted of experienced military personnel who have sworn absolute loyalty to the princess Dhianeila. People like Iolaous and his family were interesting to watch however they were mainly insignificant and played only a bit-part role in support. Dhianeila’s brothers who are supposedly first rate politicians were amusing as they were comical for majority of time especially every whenever they failed as a military commander. On the opposite side of the spectrum were the leaders of the ToS, namely the O family governed by Prome and Prathe with Rom Rar being an advisor. This group looked monotone from first glance but after cutting off emotions as per custom made it seem like they could make rational decisions, which wasn’t the case as emotions spilled over in the heat of things.
Art & Sound
Now being made in 2007, the animation quality by Xebec was average at best compared to other series during that time period. The character designs were simple and ordinary to say the least, so no complexity there. CGI is a common thing for a series that is a space opera and is heavily reliant on mechs which at times can be fine in moderation but when used extensively could backfire in a sense. As I mentioned earlier, the battlefield in space was so clustered with the weapons being fired in random arrays that is seemed like friendly fire was bound to happen, however nothing of that sort came to fruition to my disappointment. The Nodos transformations were appealing to me as I genuinely believe there was great effort put into their designs and abilities which can get crazy at times. This is a series that just takes a few episodes to get running and past that you wouldn’t even notice the art as being important.
The sound was arguably the weakest aspect for me as there was a lack of good tracks to listen to, with them mostly being in the high tension moments or for emotional impact. The voice acting was adequate for the characters’ roles with there being no major abnormalities from what I’ve witnessed. If there a positive point to come out of this discussion, then I would say the opening was quite nice with good vocals. It really gives off an immediate impression of the overall themes that is evident when linking with other important events.
Verdict (8/10)
There was one quote that was special to me and that was when Age spoke to Dhianeila.
“I’ll create a path for you, so go straight down the path you want to take.”
This had a great impact on me personally as I believe it was referenced countless times and was highlighted through some great symbolism in the end where it all mattered. Heroic Age taught me that even through turbulent times, there is still light at the end of the tunnel so one must not lose hope even in the face of adversity. A very well planned out series with good attention to plot details and I would highly recommend this for someone looking for a good space opera.
