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Terra e...
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Animation - 8.8 |
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Sound - 8.8 |
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Story - 9.5 |
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Character - 9.0 |
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Value - 9.1 |
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Enjoyment - 9.3 |
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Average - 9.1 |
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| Average |
7.3 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
6 |
| Value |
7 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| Note: This review is based on A-E&Saizen and Makoto fansubs. Quality varies between episodes, but most of the encodes are slightly too blurry to make Terra's good animation justice. Translation is not perfect, but still does a pretty good job at conveying the emotion of the show.
Quote:
And then, it realized... That Humanity itself was evil!
Originally written as manga in 1977 by Takemiya Keiko (known for her Yaoi manga achievements) and finally directed 30 years later by Yamazaki Osamu (Itazurana Kiss, Wrath of the Ninja) Toward the Terra is a space opera telling a story about the condemned race of Mu which wanders the enormous wastes of space both to find its promised land - Terra, and to escape its vicious, blood-thirsty pursuers - humanity. Humans themselves have given up freedom to attain order and peace, letting computers do all the decision making. Mu, regarded by computers as a threat to purity of human species, must be eradicated without any compromises. Only the destined leader of the mu, bestowed the name Soldier, can change the fate of mu and humanity alike.
I guess to find innovation in this day and age you have to search for it in mangas written in the previous millennium. Seriously, in the age of overused fanservice and incomplete filler-filled crap, Terra e comes as a fresh dose of new air. Though not perfectly adapted, as the speedy pace and jumps between dozen of years don't let characters flesh themselves out well, the story of this show is commendable. From a well thought-out setting, fast paced never-boring plot and a complete, meaningful ending, Toward the Terra is a great addition to the otherwise thin genre making you wish more anime would try to imitate it. You might be worried about this being Takemiya Keiko's work, but I can assure you that there is little to none yaoish overtones and it's perfectly safe to watch, though I must admit male characters do get along very well and most females are given behind-the-curtains roles. Either way, though not a masterpiece, Toward the Terra is a solid show, worthy to be picked up by anyone interested in the genre or anime as a whole.
Conclusion: Recommended for anyone who is 13+ years old Toward the Terra is a solid space opera in an otherwise thin genre. Though it wont do wonders it's a good show and I recommend giving it a shot as long as you don't have space-allergy. Other space operas which might be of interest if you like the genre include the epic of epics Legend of Galactic Heroes and my personal-favorite romance flavored Seikai no Monshou.
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Jamarr |
(2009-02-15 18:06:04) 2009-02-15 17:43:52 |
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| Average |
7.0 |
| Animation |
6 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
8 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
8 |
| I would only recommend this to those, like me, who have already seen the majority of the top 200. If you have not, your time is better spent elsewhere.
The basic premis is that the human race, having built a trash heap out of Earth, decides to build a super-computer named 'mother' to controll the human race for their own well being - basically to prevent humans from completely trashing the universe. This leads to a birthing system where foster-parents raise all children; at the age of 14 all of their childhood memories are erased. This is what they call adulthood. From there, they enter academies and eventually the work force. The catch is that there are evolved children, whom humanity has labled the 'Mu', who posses 'psion' (psychic) abilities. These 'Mu' are treated as an alien species and are purged/killed as soon as they are found out. This is under the authority of mother. Some of the 'Mu' have escaped using their psychic powers, or with help, and have been living inside a modified human-battlecruiser for over 300y. When their savioir 'Jomy' is found, their journey to destroy mother and reunite with humanity begins.
Animation: I really hate that this category is called 'animation', because animation is only one aspect of the overall visual quality. If I actually rated this category in the pure definition of animation I would have to give it a 1; the animation is terrible. However, the overall 'visual quality' of this series is decent. The environment, characters, and vehical designs are all very good. The color is generally vibrant, though the color quality seems to diminish as the series goes on.
Sound: The sound quality for both the music and sound effects are decent; nothing to write home about. As with the visual quality, the sound quality seems to diminish a bit as the series moves along as well.
Story: As with most anime, it has a decent story but fails to pull through. It starts off well, but soon we are taking leaps and bounds through time without any explicable reason; every few episodes is another 4+ years later. When they show flash backs, they actually have the gaull to just re-show previous episodes instead of trying to fill in the gaps. The story is also very, very predictible; after watching 1/3 of the series you will know exactly how the series is going to end.
Character: Most of the main characters are flushed out well by the end, except for the coolest character 'Blue', who we only get to learn a little about. We do get to see how Jomy, Blue's successor, grows up and matures; though by the end he is still very much a boy. I really dislike the middle of the series, when the Mu return to the spotlight; they make some decisions related to killing humans that are completely out-of-character - and there is no remorse at all for their actions, even by the end. Here you are thinking you will get to see another side of the Mu start to develop, but then they are right back to 'we must co-exist with humans, we must not fight the humans' a second later as if nothing ever happened. If you're going to throw a curve ball, do it right ffs.
Value: As for value, like I said, you'll find at least 150 better anime off the top 200 list here. Personally, I'm not sure I would even put this on my 200 list. I would not really recommend this to anyone who has not already watched a vast amount of anime, and even then re-watching some of the better series would be time better spent.
Enjoyment: Now don't get me wrong, this series is still enjoyable even with it's flaws. It does get very emotional in a few episodes, it has a few decent action scenes, and a little drama thrown in. It just does not bring it all together as well as it should have.
You can tell the series was rushed, even at 24 episodes. It is like trying to fit a progressive series (where the main character grows from child to adult) into 24 episodes. It is just not as fulfilling as it could have been.
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0 of 0 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.7 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
| Esta serie empecé a verla a raíz de ver la nota en esta misma página... anterior a mi, vi que había 5 reviews, las cuales me ayudaron a darle una oportunidad a Terra e...
Me llevé una grata alegría al encontrarme con una serie que me enganchó desde el primer momento como pocas. Con una sólida base construida con una muy buena historia, con buenos y carismáticos personajes y unos efectos increibles, tenemos lo que para mi, una de las mejores 15 series que he visto (por ahora son 250 en total).
El sonido también es muy bueno y el entretenimiento igual.
Animo a todo aque que no se atreve a verla a que lo haga. No se arrepentirá.
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1 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.8 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Animation: good solid animation which delivers the huge universe and characters very well without ever hindering the anime.
Sound: Very good sound acting for the huge array of characters. Music is very emotive and fitting with the turbulant world. There is also a great number of sound effects which I thought added greatly.
Story: Great story, how all epic animes should be. Emotive, Grand, Changing, Fluid . All the peices gradually fit togeather through different characters at a good pace. everything feels necessery to the anime and there is no fillers. The huge timescale of the anime is extremely well handled i felt.
Character: Brilliant, So many characters not one you will get fed up with seeing, there emotions are easily apparant. Major characters are deep in storyline and very engaging and even minor characters have alot more about them than in most animes.
Also the timescale of this anime helps characters develop and change over time which is done very well and adds greatly to towards the terra.
Value: Great watch from start to finish, long in length but never slows and runs at a good pace. Well worth a rewatch in the future.
Enjoyment: One of the best animes ive watched in a long time, I had been looking for an anime with an epic story and i sure got one. While watching I cant really think of anything i got any gripes about.
Conclusion: Must watch anime in my eyes, everything gells just right and you finish watching sad its ended. the genres incorparated are very wide and despite its space future feel I feel this anime will appeal to most anime fans.
PS never normally review but this anime was a really good watch and it seems to have little in the way of watchers, so felt compelled to write this review, however bad my grammar.
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0 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.5 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| What a wonderful anime! It's like reading a good SF book. Best anime of 2007 with Death Note no doubt.
Animation (9/10) : it could be better. Sometimes I felt that Keith's face was a little weird. Nevertheless I really liked the character draw, and the action scenes. Very beautiful.
Sound (8/10): liked the first OP a lot , the second and the EDs are so so. The music in general is well placed, but is nothing special.
Story (10/10) : Terra e's strong point. You will feel all kind of emotions: joy, sadness etc... and a satisfied feeling of a good story well finished (not like FMA or Death note). The length of the series is good either, just explain the argument with no fillers.
Characters (10/10): They actually evolve and mature. There is no bad or good guys, they are just human (and MU) and they do what they think is correct.
Value (10/10): a masterprice of SF and drama.
Enjoyment (10/10): It enters my top 10 anime (along side others great series like Trigun, FMA, Death Note, FMP, Elfen Lied, Gungrave, etc). That means I liked very very very much.
PD: Sorry for my english. I know is bad.
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2 of 3 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.8 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Towards the Terra, released among the hoard of other April animes, was probably one of the most overlooked and underrated animes in comparison due to the 'old school' feel it gave plus character designs that appealed more to the shoujo genre (which in fact had little to do with it), thus unable to target the specific audience most likely to appreciate it. In fact, this anime is one of the best space opera sci-fi gems to be released in recent years and should not be missed for fans of this genre.
Animation:
Yes it may appear old school but at closer observation, you'll realise that it is very fluid and remains consistant from beginning till end. The CG animations do appear a bit out of place in comparison but since it is a 2007 anime, it is only natural that space battles are animated that way, nevertheless, this should not affect the viewer's perception on how solid it has been from beginning till end. In fact, I find the overall art soothing to the eyes with the soft colours and occasional 'zoom in' on the faces to show the slight changes in expressions. As mentioned before, the designs appeal more to the 'shoujo' fans but do not be turned off by this.
Sound:
This stood out a lot, the BGM especially was full of rich orchestral music, melancholic piano pieces plus some modern electric guitar tracks specifically used during combat. Takanashi Yasuharu had created some pretty good soundtracks before like Jigoku Shoujo and Gantz but none stood out that much compared to this. He does have the knack of composing very sad tracks that will definitely make you reminisce back to the scene. As for the opening and ending themes, personal preference wise, I loved the catchy 1st opening, skipped the 2nd opening, liked the melodramatic 1st ending and was amused by the R&B type 2nd ending. They each stood out in their own way. The voice actors were very good, Mitsuki Saiga usually voices impatient and rash young boys so her calm tone used during Jomy's adult years did impress me. Takehito Koyasu was wonderful as the antagonist Keith, Tomokazu Sugita pretty much charming as Soldier Blue and Kobayashi Sanae also startled me with the extreme lady-like voice. Overall, definitely nothing to nit-pick about for sound.
Story/Plot:
The strong point of this anime, the pacing and plot were top notch. There were never any fillers, every minute was important and I was left most of the time wondering and guessing what would happen next. It was full of twists that were totally unexpected, plus as expected from older mangas....the author is brutal enough to kill off just about anybody. The pacing actually starts out a bit slow due to introducing the characters and the world they are in, but right after a few episodes, it hooks you thoroughly. The story is set in the future, where humans are controlled by a system/mother computer, and since birth is controlled, humans with psychic abilities, otherwise known as Mu emerge. Thus the whole story is basically about the war between Mu and humans and how they try and eventually seek to reach an understanding. It is full of drama, tension, conflict and of course... war, if you are looking for such elements, to terra will not fail your expectations.
Character:
Also a strong point, you will see how the characters develop from beginning till the end, especially Jomy and Keith. Jomy especially, started out as a whiny kid who was constantly in self-denial and threw tantrums, however, watch till the last episode and you'll see how much he has developed into a strong-willed leader, with only one resolve---to get all Mu people back to the terra. Keith on the other hand, is raised as a 'perfect human', totally in contrast of Jomy's character, and as the story progresses, he is faced with questions about how 'human' he is supposed to be, that something is wrong with the current world; although his development is more subdued and inward compared to Jomy. Other supporting characters like Blue, Physis, Tony, Shiroe, Sam, Karina are equally memorable and endearing even though some do not have much screentime. To Terra manages to make every character stand out and grow on you, something that many others fail to do.
Value:
Overall an extremely well done anime, definitely worth collecting and rewatching if you are into epic space operas. The only down side is that it is lacking a bit in the romance department but that is only nit-picking. It is about perfect in every other aspects and missing such a good piece of work would be a definite loss to yourself =)
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1 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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| Average |
9.3 |
| Animation |
9 |
| Sound |
8 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
9 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Toward the Terra starts us off in a time when the earth has been exploited and abused to the point of being inhabitable, and humans have thus created and long been living under a system designed to suppress mankind's self-centered nature and ensure all citizens will grow up dedicated to serving their society, the most elite of which may perhaps be given the privilege of returning to and helping to repair Terra. However, a kink has appeared in the system: The Mu, mutant humans with psychic powers which usually awaken sometime in their childhood. The Mu are the government's secret, to be hunted down and eradicated before they become adults, but some have managed to escape. And together, they strive to return to the land for which every human yearns.
...Cue the unsuspecting, normal boy on the brink of becoming an adult, completely unaware of the powers within him, stolen away from his home, and not about to accept the responsibility of leading a people or even simply the idea of not being human.
This is a whopping, time-spanning, soft sci-fi epic psychological drama based on a classic, award-winning shounen manga. At times, it gave me vibes similar to novels like The Giver or perhaps Fahrenheit 451. ...With retro slightly cutesy-big-eye-looking character design, and a primarily male cast that sometimes panders a bit to BL fangirls. Which is to say, I think Toward the Terra may have a hard time finding an audience as it seems it has aspects that may repel each of the two-sih audiences it seems to specifically target.
But dispel your fears. This is not a could-have-been-cool-serious-story tainted and brought down by pandering to popular avenues. Nor is it a cold, sterile, jargon-filled, ultra-serious scifi, all well and good for thinky-types, but uninspiring to those who just want something enjoyable and interesting. Nor, by the way, is it a completely-driven-by-(now)cliche-premise bore.
The first episodes of this anime are perhaps a bit too...excessively un-desirous to astound. In comparison to many anime that make every attempt to dump their entire set-up and flaunt all their attractive qualities as much as possible in the first episode, Toward the Terra may seem quite solid and balanced, but to some perhaps lackluster. Also, though the main character Jomy's reaction to his situation is very realistic, those with low emo-hero tolerance may be annoyed initially. Luckily, this series likes to change its characters, sometimes in ways you wouldn't expect. Emo Jomy doesn't last long.
On the other hand, though character development abounds and seems to be one of the big reasons people like this series, I think it is a little less character-centric than I usually watch. That is to say, this is not centered on Jomy's struggle to become a good leader so he may carry on the dream of Soldier Blue, the former leader of the Mu. It is not centered on the struggle of Keith, the human who becomes a leader in the fight against the Mu, to decide who he is and the path he must take. This is, at its heart, the story of a *people's* struggles, albeit from the point of view of certain characters. Their desire for recognition, for a peaceful home to call their own, and the chance to make the rest of humanity recognize the stifling haze in which they have allowed themselves to live. That isn't to say character issues do not play a huge part in the scenes and plot in this series, but it is less under the spotlight than I am used to with most series I enjoy. This can serve as both a warning to those who find that off-putting, but also as a reminder that just because you DO find that off-putting, you may very well enjoy this series anyway. (As I have always thought myself to be a character-development-first kind of watcher. But here we are.)
I'd like to give an idea of the kind of things one might expect on an episode-by-episode basis for this series, but the ability escapes me. What you might expect changes so much depending on what point in the story you are. Escapes and rescues, dealing with leadership and mistakes, questioning the world around you, torture, memories of the past, squabbles between the older generations and young, trying to establish a home, fighting to save your own life. There is some action, but a lot of the tension and excitement in the series actually comes from wondering what gut-wrenching choices will be made at the next critical point, what things people are willing to put on the line for what they want, and do they really want what they think? Perhaps another one of the great things about this series is that the "hero" does not defeat All Evil with his magical powers of love, friendship, and teamwork. Peace is not the be-all-and-end-all tool of our oppressed fighters. Things simply aren't that simple.
As for quibbles with the series, I do have some. Toward the Terra is quite fond of large jumps in time. This story spans many years, as a story like this would. Necessary or no, the jumps drop a great deal of the tension in plot and character development. For the first few episodes, for example, we are lead to wonder how Jomy will go from being a reluctant teenager to a competent leader of the Mu. We start to see the beginning of the change... And then bam, years later and he's doing pretty good. Or Keith makes a huge, critical decision that makes you wonder how he's going to see himself afterward... And then you're years later and while surely the past decision must have affected him, it's mostly all water under the bridge. I hated the jumps a lot less than I would have thought, though. Usually, you begin to invest in situations in the new time quickly enough after. I can't shake the feeling I would have enjoyed the series more if we had been allowed to stay in one place longer, though. But in the end, it's just more about showing the important parts in the history of this conflict than showing every second of the journey through character development.
My other main problem was that the character Keith bothered me. He is on the side of the "bad guys," but a main character, so we can assume there's a chance he may end up "good," or at least conflicted. However, assume is pretty much all we do. He's mostly an unfeeling puppet for the system, with very little wavering to show he's anything but the villain. He even has a subordinate who is convinced Kieth is a good person deep down and constantly stays with and protects him, but Kieth's behavior towards him simply makes the other character look like an idiotic glutton for punishment, and less likable. I've got a soft spot for the "cold bad guy that realizes this isn't right" character type, but Keith didn't work for me at all.
Though Toward the Terra is not as focused on the characters' personal struggles and relationships as I usually like to see, in the end I suppose I found what it did have in those areas well done enough to still press my buttons more than most anime more geared toward my usual tastes. That, coupled with a great old-school sci-fi plot with execution that bends more towards exploring the psychological ramifications of this situation than scenes of explosive space battles or verbose militaristic jargon, makes Toward the Terra worth trying even for the skeptics. It's certain to not please all (particularly those who need high doses of action), but I also think it's sure to please considerably more than one might think. At times, it was even truly moving.
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7 of 7 people found this review helpful.
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black26 |
(2007-10-30 16:00:45) 2007-09-26 04:54:31 |
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| Average |
10.0 |
| Animation |
10 |
| Sound |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Character |
10 |
| Value |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
| Animation
im going to keep this part simple. the animation is perfect. seriously. not one weak episode. the detail, the fluidity is so good that i found myself constantly making screencaps just to stare at later.
sound
the beats and scores truly capture the emotions of the characters and specific scenes. you will be compelled to get the soundtrack. i did half way through the series and im listening to it all day and as i type this.
story
wow where do i begin. the best thing about this story is the simple fact that there is no bad guy. everyone simply has their own convictions. its about a war not based on evil but on beliefs. how do we as a people feel about difference. our biggest fear as the human race is the concept of the unknown. and these are the issues this masterpiece raises.
character
this is by far bar-none the high point of this entire series. the attention paid to the characters is simply outstanding. you will find yourself cheering, cowering and crying not just for main characters, but also for characters that are supposedly minor. i was and am still in awe of the magnificence of the growth that these characters went through. the show takes place in a span of 15 years.
value.
you will never ever forget this anime. it will hit you like an anvil, set your spirit on fire, and break your heart many times over.
enjoyment.
my eyes feel like fried eggs, yet i could not stop watching. the best way to enjoy this show is to marathon it. wow.... this show is a damn masterpiece. if u look at my other reviews u will see that i only review shows that i LOVE.
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