Horror

[Review Written by Chiaki]

Alternate Title: Sidonia no Kishi

Number of Episodes: 12 (Season 2 has been announced, but is not scheduled)

Plot:

1,000 years ago the Gauna, a strange alien race, destroyed the solar system. Portions of humanity were able to escape via “Seed Ships” in search of new homes as they drift through space. One such seed ship is the Sidonia. Nagate Tanikaze has been raised in the depths of the Sidonia, but is plunged into society when he fails to steal rice. Despite his differences from others his age – such as his inability to photosynthesize – he is enlisted in the military to learn how to pilot large mecha known as Gardes used to fight off the Gauna. With his underground training Nagate is entrusted with the legendary unit known as Tsugumori. As the battles against the Gauna increase shadows surrounding the truth of who Nagate is, Sidonia’s “immortal council,” and more become longer and darker.

Original Source:

Knights of Sidonia is based on a manga series by Tsutomu Nihei that began publication in 2009 and is ongoing with 13 volumes as of January 2nd, 2015. Nihei is also the creatore of the manga Blame!, Dead Heads, NOiSE, and Sabrina.

Adaptation:

The adaptation for Sidonia is worth mentioning. The man behind the screenplay and series composition is Sadyuki Murai. He’s done scripts for Cowboy Bebop, Natsume Yujinchou, Perfect Blue, and screenplays for Bubblegum Crisis 2040 and Steamboy.

Music:

You know just from the opening song that this series music will be working hard to set an epic and serious tone throughout. The music being on-par should be no surprise as the man behind t is Noriyuki Asakura who did music for Major and all of Rurouni Kenshin.

Director:

Despite the accolades of many of the staff the Director of Knights of Sidonia, Shizuno Koubun, is relitively untested. He worked as the director on a few anime such as Armored Core, and Detective Conan movies, but this was the second prominent series he worked on. His first series was Hyakka Ryouran: Samurai Bride, so perhaps he wanted to make a name for himself in a more serious front.

Art & Animation: 

This must be discussed for Knights of Sidonia as it is a 100% CG anime. This  anime was produced by Polygon Studios. Polygon Studios has been around for some time, contributing to the 2002 Ghost in the Shell 2 film. In recent years they did animation for Hasbro’s full CG TV series Transformers Prime and the show won an Emmy for “Outstanding Special Class Animated Program.”

Initially, the animation may throw many anime fans who are partial to traditional looking anime, or who are long-time fans unaccustomed to even minor amounts of CG in anime. I was uncertain, but the style grew on me quickly. It’s almost like looking at a 3DS for the first time and letting your eyes acclimate to the 3D.

The backgrounds are interesting and well done. For an anime that takes play in space the inside of the Sidonia (the spaceship they reside within) is rich and full of character. Things look beaten and worn down, appropriate for a ship that a pocket of humanity has been surviving within for hundreds of years. The backgrounds have a painted look to them that complements characters.

Characters have a more “natural” look to them overall. Natural hair colors and generally modest proportions. The movement of the characters is what Polygon should really be commended for. They move in a way that seems fluid to what the normal anime fan should be expecting.

Review:

Knights of Sidonia will get you in the first episode, I promise. If you’re in the market for a realistic, no-nonsense, mecha, space anime then Sidonia is what you’ve been waiting for. The first episode is a nearly perfect example of what first episodes in anime should be. We meet the main character and through his eyes gain an introduction to the world he lives in. Sidonia has a bit of grit to it that feels natural to the series. Pilots suits are grimy, scuffed, and worn. The city has been built on top of itself throughout generations to create a seemingly endless honeycomb of life. Immediately the viewer gets an important sense of desperation, that this is the measure of what it takes to survive in this world.

Nagate is immediately interesting for the viewer because from the viewer’s perspective he is more normal than where humanity has evolved to. Out of necessity humans have been genetically engineered to photosynthesize, this enables them to live off smaller amounts of food in space, prolonging rations. Nagate’s history, however, is different. Having grown up with his Grandpa in the mysterious depths of Sidonia he is immediately able to pilot a Guarde, leaving the questions of how his grandfather got a piloting training system and why Nagate would be trained in it unanswered. Equally intriguing is why the Sidonia’s captain seems to accept his abilities without question and what their involvement really is in the immortal council.

Half of the enjoyment of Knights of Sidonia is navigating through the world and learning about it. Things like characters going into the water reservoir that’s an ocean, living on a planet being a novel concept, even how gravity affects the people, it’s all thought of. Everything seems to exist with a purpose, as it should, in the world.

The fight scenes are also great. In the first episode you get the first Gauna attack and from there on they find new and interesting ways to keep it fresh. The Gauna have the ability to morph shape and this creates a host of opportunities to change battles and strategies so that nothing is overly repetitive throughout.

But, the show does have its flaws. One example is the photosynthesis. It’s a logical leap for how humans could force evolution to eliminate some of the pressure on resources, and it also makes sense that the sun would need to come in contact with skin. But, its presentation comes off as being there only to have shots of mostly naked girls. It cheapens the effect and is jarring. Had there been an equal number of men and women scenes I may have a different opinion, but it was played as an excuse for fanboys.

Another major flaw is the bear who is also a chef – literally a talking chef bear. This is never explained and it comes off as very “anime” in an otherwise serious show. The bear does get some back story, but it’s never explained why there’s a bear. There are no other humanoid animals and yet no one seems surprised by the bear. Perhaps this is something that will be expanded upon later, but for now, it detracts far more than it adds.

Throughout, the show stays true to a central theme: What is the limits of what people will do to survive. The first 12 episodes end on a very “to be continued” note and this hurts the show’s overall score for what we can give it at this time. But, with a second season on the horizon it is well worth getting into now because it’s a show that’ll successfully keep you guessing on what’s next.

[starrater]