Zaion ~i wish you were here~ - Reviews

as big fan of this series i love what they done with this arc.
they delete all comedy content from the manga and make minor changes, and what we see now is masterpiece.

Sounds
the ost in this anime is Fire ,and this arc no doubt is fantastic I LOVE IT.
10/10

art
this anime is always known of wonderful animation back days, this arc is worth the wait
this gorgeous animation is in next level.
10/10

characters
at this point we all know all the old characters and how great they are.
for the new enmy so far they only 5 eps we can't talk too much here.
but for what we see is well done characters.
10/10

story
with 4 to 6 chapters adapt per episode and what we see until now make the story phenomenal.
10/10

overall 10/10
Reviewer’s Rating: 10

Long before simulcasts and network distribution of shows became the norm on sites such as Crunchyroll, Zaion was one of the first original net animations (ONA) to truly embrace the internet and debut online. Back in 2001, the idea of watching a show through the internet must have been completely radical and, if the website is anything to go by, Zaion had plenty of supplemental material related to the world, setting, characters and proceedings of the show to help support this venture. Truth be told, with direction by a journeyman of the medium such as Seiji Mizushima (Full Metal Alchemist), writing by Natsuko Takahashi (Bleach: Hell Verse) and music by Kenji freakin’ Kawai (Ghost in the Shell) it is some wonder that Zaion disappeared into obscurity after it’s initial run.

Thing is, despite the quality of it’s production, including groundbreaking CGI from a (then) fresh studio in Gonzo, Zaion is surprisingly light as a property. Maybe it is due to the show only encompassing four episodes, this traditional format after all normally hastily concludes stories as quickly as it introduces them. Possibly. Although where the likes of Macross Plus go a great distance in only four episodes establishing the characters, their conceit and concluding arcs by episode four, Zaion struggles to even complete point one: The characters.

The crux of Zaion’s narrative ultimately pertains to that of a simple love story. Our lead is Yuuji Tamiya, a teenage Nano Osmolar Armor (NOA) soldier, completing black ops work with his team in the Committee of the Universal Resolution of Ecocatastrophe (CURE). Yuuji and his comrades are tasked with quietly preventing the spread of an unknown alien virus known as M34. The virus doesn't have a cure, and those M34 infected present a lethal threat that must be destroyed, consistently overwhelming the limited resources of CURE, appearing more and more frequently with a growing list of NOA casualities unable to keep up with the alien insurgency. In a post Covid world, the topic of an undefeatable virus seems relatable, and it is somewhat ironic on the subject that the timeline of Zaion roughly coincides with the spread of SARS in late 2002, the show's creators would have no idea…

While the topic of a battle against losing odds could make for a fascinating four episode romp of its own, with Yuuji and the relationship with his squad seemingly getting some attention initially, the story pivots upon the introduction of a girl named Ai, who seems to be the military’s secret weapon, set to turn the tide of the war. The Ai character is shown to be almost akin to that of a coddled child, as she posses some form of parapsychology that allows her to interact with the M34 virus directly and with startling results. At the end of the first battle, where it looks like Yuuji is all but doomed to an overwhleming M34 opposition, Ai summons an apparition, presented in glitzy CG no less, which disposes of the threat in an instant. It becomes apparent Ai has an attachment to Yuuji, with him taking an interest in her as well on their first meeting.

Zaion teases a mystery behind Ai and how she came to be, although it never truly realises that even as our characters exchange interactions inside the barracks where both are stationed. Infact, the English dub almost goes out of it’s way to bury the idea of Ai being special as Yuuji inexplicably exclaims that “she is just a normal girl like anyone else” when justifying their time together. There is a theme of both characters seemingly being locked in their positions, unable to escape. Yuuji, feeling like he is stuck fighting eternally, his only way out being that to die in the line of duty, and Ai as well as she is under constant surveillance in her quarters. There is a trapped butterfly metaphor used to visualise Ai and Yuuji’s situation, something that would eventually be used to bookend Zaion’s narrative. And both leads make a daring escape effort during the half-way point of the ONA as well.

The mystery of Ai isn’t the only plot thread that comes of no resolution in Zaion however. One of Yuuji’s squadees, Tao, seemingly also takes an attraction to him and their dynamic is presented as if a love triangle... And then it isn't for some reason. Sadly, as the story wraps up by the fourth epsiode, we don’t know what happens to her ultimately. Infact, the fate of disappearing supporting characters are not limited to Tao, as Yuuji’s other squad mates become victim to plot device and we get no resolution to these characters by the story’s end either. One supporting character that does have influence on Zaion’s conclusion is Misao Mitsuishi, who’s focus is entirely on Ai’s mental state and readying her untapped powers for military use. It becomes apparent the Misao character is there purely for exposition, as her friendship with Ai comes at odds with the scientific instruction from CURE superiors. Misao fosters a maternal feeling to Ai and is confided to about the loneliness she feels. We learn through Misao that Ai had sacrificed much of the human experience through the experiments on her powers, with experience of being psychologically manipulated through companionship previously. Ai had a pet dog, only for it to be taken away from her when it interrupted her powers growth. Zaion does attempt to tug at the heart strings of the audience in this way, as Ai's access to Yuuji becomes similarly restricted in the middle parts of the show.

Hajime Kudou, Yuuji’s commanding officer, is shown to be a cold and calculating identity in Zaion’s four episode run, intentionally kept grey in his morality and intentionally made difficult to read in either the Japanese or English versions of the show. He contrasts sufficiently with Yuuji who is otherwise brash and hot-blooded by nature. We do however see some of the other military tacticians and higher members of CURE’s command, none of which are presented with enough screentime to really standout besides in establishing their antagonistic role in their military pragmatism over Ai’s supernatural abilities. The idea of a one-tracked army discipline clashing with the need to do the right thing is a predictably overplayed point that Zaion hones in on unfortunately. The Kudou authority figure in particular becomes a player in the liar revealed trope, almost as if Disney wrote the outline, eventually set with making an obvious choice between being a responsible paternal figure to Yuuji or to do CURE’s bidding and follow the chain of command. Despite the decision that Kudou makes, this plot point still disappoints by the story’s end.

That said, as established earlier, Zaion does have compelling production values for a show of it’s type. The art and line details are crisp for an early digital video effort, and Gonzo would always excel in this manner throughout the 2000s. Where Gonzo don’t excel, atleast not retrospectively, is in the area of CGI that has only aged horrendously as time goes by. Gonzo never had the most vibrant traditional animation in their shows, and certainly computer effects were their trump card during an era when few other studios could do it either. That said, it isn’t bad by any stretch, just more evidence that Zaion is a product of 2001. The sound design on the otherhand deserves all the praise it can get. How Gonzo managed to attract Kenji Kawai to the Zaion project is perhaps this show’s greatest mystery since his prog rock infused beats go a great distance is making the events of the show feel lively and consistent in pace. Infact, it almost feels out of place given the type of young romance being told on-screen, and yet, the score never outstays it’s welcome despite that.

And, in closing, I wish there were more significant remarks to make about Zaion but it is ultimately one of unrealised potential, especially given the scale of production behind it. In the usual sub or dub argument, I think you’d be fine experiencing the show in whichever manner. Both the English and Japanese voices actors sound professional and convincing in the delivery of the material, despite the limitations of what is being read off the script. And that is ultimately Zaion’s biggest problem: It is too shallow, or rather, the romance is too shallow for the amount of world building being done otherwise. Supposing this was a piece of a larger collection of personal accounts around the M34 virus, it does make you wonder what the project’s longterm intentions were. Zaion never received any official follow-up, and while interviews exist, detailing the way in which the project was intended, these ultimately do nothing more than promote the show rather than detail any ideas into it’s very creation… And that is kind of sad. In all, Zaion exists as a curious oddity, the Ur-Example of the eventual greater trend that would be digital distribution of anime, and (tragically) the popularisation of computer generated effects as more studios could afford to employ it. What kind of story it tells however is largely forgettable, and that makes perfect sense given few people talk about it over twenty years later.

In the early 2000's there exists a trove of "lost anime"--the shows made during the awkward transition years of digital anime which were released and then almost completely forgotten by anime fandom. Sometimes, diving into this era of anime can allow you to discover some hidden gems. And sometimes, it gets you get this unfortunate trainwreck.

To put it frankly, Zaion ~i wish you were(n't) here~ is awful.

I originally picked it up because I enjoyed Yasuhiro Oshima's character design work in Geneshaft and the cover image looks nice. After watching Zaion to completion, I can attest to the fact that those are the only two good things about this anime.

The characters are actively annoying to watch, and the romance between the two leads is rushed to all hell. Everyone else receives just about zero characterization, making the whole cast just as cliche as they are boring.

Animation-wise, Zaion is bad even by 2001 standards. Compared to Geneshaft, which released that same year, the CGI is atrocious. The 2D fights are also extremely barebones and cheap--the staff at GONZO clearly didn't have the manpower needed to animate the large number of fights they wanted to include. The color design is also very drab, making everything look ugly and muddy. 

TLDR; don't watch this. Even if it looks like it might have potential, it doesn't. Zaion's only 4 episodes long yet it still wasn't worth the time.