I had the privilege to watch both seasons on Netflix before it was taken off, so I didn't have to endure interruptions that would normally wane my interest. But even without interruptions, it was hard for me to get through.
Story:
The amount of thought put into this series is honestly disappointing. The first episode caught my interest with what was happening. Especially since I was in my infant years of consuming anime. And honestly at first I thought this was a solid show.
That quickly ended though. Once we are introduced to more parts of the story, it was very apparent that the story team was lacking in passion. The politics were almost invisible, and the world building fell flat on its face.
I myself felt very confused through the duration. If I had it playing in the background while I go get a snack, I felt like I had missed a full 20 minutes of explanation. Its pacing is terrible.
Art:
I must say, the mecha designs are beautiful. It's not often that I find animation so fluid and cared for. Yet it feels that the only thing that the animators liked was the mechas. and even then it almost felt that at times they were animating at gunpoint.
The character designs were definitely not the best I've seen in anime. I found that they were very bland. Maybe they were trying to create a more realistic character design, but I highly doubt that was the case.
Backrounds were honestly spectacular. They were so vivid and full of life that I could imagine myself being there.
Sound:
Hiroyuki Sawano.
That's all that should be said, but this is a review so I'll have to be critical.
I love Hiroyuki Sawano, he puts so much love and care into his works and it shows most of the time. Promare and Attack on Titan are some great examples.
But the directors did not use Sawano's talent to the fullest. most of the time the music felt out of place and just inserted to fill up space. I didn't like it. Some fight scenes had more cheerful music which made them less intense. That took away from the experience of the fights and that was painful.
Although there is so much redemption for those who listen to the soundtrack by itself. It's so beautifully composed that I can get hyped up to do anything while listening to it. It's such a shame that the directors wasted all that potential.
Characters:
Half-assed.
Back when I saw this for the first time, the nonchalant characters looked so cool to me. I thought it was so impressive that Inaho just saw something explode or go wrong and he didn't care.
But after 2 episodes I had enough.
A character that doesn't care about what's happening also makes the epic scenes loose effect.
Slaine Troyard is honestly in my top 20 character list. His hot temper made me relate to him so much, and his resilience to his treatment was admirable. Sadly season 2 happened, but thats a discussion for another forum.
Marito was very interesting, his PTSD gave some tension to the story, and he honestly would've made for a great protagonist that replaced Inaho. Sadly he's just another of those untapped maple trees.
Asseylum. Just Asseylum. When watching this, I felt pained everytime she opened her stupid mouth. She was a plot tool. That's all she was. I had no interest in her at all, except for maybe seeing if her relationship with Inaho would enhance the story. SPOILER ALERT... it's a dissapointment.
I really wish that there was a different team behind this. One that truly had passion for what they were making and the confidence to alter the characters slightly so it would add to the story, not take away. That would have drastically impacted Aldnoah Zero for the better.
In the end:
If you want to put yourself through this, by all means go ahead. Just be warned that it will not live up to your expectations of a good mecha show.
