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silverthunder) wrote2010-10-26 09:56 am
silverthunder) wrote2010-10-26 09:56 am
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Heroic Age
So, a couple of days ago, I finished watching Heroic Age.
I actually enjoyed this one, more so than - say - Petite Princess Yucie, but it isn't exactly deep, for all its aspirations. And this series had aspirations. It wanted to be deep and meaningful, you could tell. However, for any number of reasons, that just didn't happen.
The storyline is a fairly interesting one, if you like sci-fi anime. They've set up a really neat little space mythology, and it's easy enough to follow along without needing to do a ton of background reading or doubling back on previous episodes to find out what the heck you missed. The pacing is decent, the action sequences are exciting and well-animated, and the music is lovely. I particularly liked the opening song and video sequence.
I think I can safely assume that the character designs were done by the same folk who did Gundam Seed (and collaborated on Code Geass). They're pretty and smooth and brightly colored. I like this style, actually, although characters tend to look alike. At least the cast (of important people) was relatively small and it was easy to keep track of everyone.
The reason this series will never be considered fantastic and wonderful and deep and all the rest is the characters, though. You just don't know them at all. They seem to have no pasts, no deeper motivations beyond what you see on the surface, and no particularly complex emotions. They do not undergo development. At the end of the series, they are pretty much exactly as they were at the start, despite everything they went through during the course of it. No emotional growth occurred whatsoever (the only possible exception being Yuti, but that was not delved into at all). The two main characters had the majority of the focus anyway, with the rest being pretty much either opponents or bystanders.
And the two main characters suffered as much as (or perhaps more than) the rest. Age's cheerful attitude and tendancy towards dorkitude was a refreshing change from your typical angsty mecha hero, but he seemed in a perpetual state of acceptance and confidence. I guess having been taught your future from birth might have something to do with it, but he could at least simulate shock or uncertainty or something here and there! Deineira was uncertain, but that was about all you could relate to about her. She was wise, and good, and cared about everyone, and didn't mind throwing herself in danger for the sake of the greater good. She was also modest about it, which is all well and good, but I would've liked to see a dark or selfish thought here and there. Both of them were just too perfect. They had all the answers, they could do anything, they could overcome whatever came at them.
I liked them, though. I don't normally. For all that Age was a messiah figure and Deineira a chosen prophet, and for all that they had no real flaws, they were actually enjoyable to watch on-screen.
So, even though I went on about the flaws and the reasons this series will never be anything with more depth than a wading pool, it was still worth watching. I enjoyed it. I got into the action and the plot and managed to care about what happened to the characters, if only on a surface level.
So, I'd recommend it, if you're looking for a brief diversion from more thought-provoking fare. Just don't expect too much, that's all.
Opening video: link
I actually enjoyed this one, more so than - say - Petite Princess Yucie, but it isn't exactly deep, for all its aspirations. And this series had aspirations. It wanted to be deep and meaningful, you could tell. However, for any number of reasons, that just didn't happen.
The storyline is a fairly interesting one, if you like sci-fi anime. They've set up a really neat little space mythology, and it's easy enough to follow along without needing to do a ton of background reading or doubling back on previous episodes to find out what the heck you missed. The pacing is decent, the action sequences are exciting and well-animated, and the music is lovely. I particularly liked the opening song and video sequence.
I think I can safely assume that the character designs were done by the same folk who did Gundam Seed (and collaborated on Code Geass). They're pretty and smooth and brightly colored. I like this style, actually, although characters tend to look alike. At least the cast (of important people) was relatively small and it was easy to keep track of everyone.
The reason this series will never be considered fantastic and wonderful and deep and all the rest is the characters, though. You just don't know them at all. They seem to have no pasts, no deeper motivations beyond what you see on the surface, and no particularly complex emotions. They do not undergo development. At the end of the series, they are pretty much exactly as they were at the start, despite everything they went through during the course of it. No emotional growth occurred whatsoever (the only possible exception being Yuti, but that was not delved into at all). The two main characters had the majority of the focus anyway, with the rest being pretty much either opponents or bystanders.
And the two main characters suffered as much as (or perhaps more than) the rest. Age's cheerful attitude and tendancy towards dorkitude was a refreshing change from your typical angsty mecha hero, but he seemed in a perpetual state of acceptance and confidence. I guess having been taught your future from birth might have something to do with it, but he could at least simulate shock or uncertainty or something here and there! Deineira was uncertain, but that was about all you could relate to about her. She was wise, and good, and cared about everyone, and didn't mind throwing herself in danger for the sake of the greater good. She was also modest about it, which is all well and good, but I would've liked to see a dark or selfish thought here and there. Both of them were just too perfect. They had all the answers, they could do anything, they could overcome whatever came at them.
I liked them, though. I don't normally. For all that Age was a messiah figure and Deineira a chosen prophet, and for all that they had no real flaws, they were actually enjoyable to watch on-screen.
So, even though I went on about the flaws and the reasons this series will never be anything with more depth than a wading pool, it was still worth watching. I enjoyed it. I got into the action and the plot and managed to care about what happened to the characters, if only on a surface level.
So, I'd recommend it, if you're looking for a brief diversion from more thought-provoking fare. Just don't expect too much, that's all.
Opening video: link