LiamGray

No one is safe!

Terra Formers is an interesting series with some of the strongest characterization I have seen since Cyborg 009. The series handles itself maturely, and believably. Which is especially remarkable when you take into account that it is a show about giant anthromorphic cockroaches living on Mars.

Although slow getting started, by episode three I was thoroughly engaged and invested in the characters. Things were not as they seemed and the inhabitants of Mars were obviously more than we’d been lead to believe, showing remarkable levels of adaptability, tool use, and human-level intelligence.

However, that is also where it falls down. Because although it’s nice having an anime that isn’t afraid to sacrifice cast for the story I felt like they spent a hell of a lot of time in flashbacks making us care about these characters in the same episode they killed them. When that time would have been better spent exploring the Mysteries of Mars. Ultimately, what felt like a grand 24-26 episode anime was condensed into 13 episodes and we never get any definitive answers.

Even so, this show is worth checking out, and I am hoping I get some of the answers I was looking for in the OVAs. So, pop over there and if we get them I’ll be sure to let you know.

All-in-all Terra Former was an enjoyable, high-stakes Science Fiction story brimming with potential. Unfortunately, it seems to have suffered from Shonenization to appeal to the mouth-breathing anime fans whose attention span is best held by an episode of Dragon Ball Z. I feel like if more anime series focused on compelling story, characters, and setting like Terra Former we’d have a lot more interesting stories and we’d all be better off for it.

It’s not the anime of the year, but it is sure as hell a step in the right direction!

... actually it might be the anime of the year. Great, now I've depressed myself.