Fafner has nothing to merchandise but its own story. The characters has grown up over the years and have their own life, and The Beyond manages to be as dense in details as all the previous seasons. It's spectacular to know the protagonist age from 14 all the way past this current iteration of his 20s. Which, if anyone has noticed the releases of the story in real time, this meant that it never felt as if the characters are stunted or frozen in time at any season. It's as dynamic as the viewer's life, should they have followed the series since it's initial debut.
Am I saying this show is worth the follow and watch? HELL YES. And it's a damn shame this series has fallen into obscurity even in the mecha fandom.
Story wise this is one of the best storytelling in anime I have seen that does not lean on traditional character tropes to tell a story. For The Beyond it still manages to gut me with all the subtle way it tells the viewer of the suffering without outright telling you and is absolutely shameless about it. It's only when you sit down and let it sink in that everything *feels* a certain way. Yet it manages to be hopeful and cheery when it can amidst all of it, so much so that it doesn't feel like torture and instead feels actually good to watch.
While looking at a screencap may not feel anything special, the cinematography and battle scenes of The Beyond is still a treat to look at with its clean, clear show-not-tell presentation. It also has obscenely beautiful scenery shots and has zero qualms about abusing 3d to achieve whatever it wants while still somehow not being immersion breaking. Watching this in 4k is like having my eyes cry crystals, and it's a shame it's not drawing the attention it deserves. Fafner is equally pragmatic and gorgeous in its graphics.
10/10 because thinking about how this show should not be here and is still here, together with us, is just mind blowing to me. If you haven't given Fafner a spin and are looking for a complex and yet enjoyable storytelling, please try worming in through the first season and join me in feels hell.
