During the 21st century, humanity attempted to colonize Mars by sending two species which could endure the harsh environment of the planet to terraform it—algae and cockroaches. However, they did not anticipate the species' remarkable ability to adapt. Now in the 26th century, a lethal disease known as the Alien Engine Virus has arrived on Earth, and the cure is suspected to be found only on Mars. The problem is, Mars in the present is overrun by creatures known as "Terraformars," incredibly powerful and intelligent humanoid cockroaches that mutated from those originally sent to the planet.
The Annex I team, consisting of a hundred men and women genetically enhanced with characteristics of powerful organisms from earth, has been sent to Mars on a mission to find the cause of the Alien Engine Virus and to help cure humanity—signalling the start of the crew's fight for survival.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
Nenhum episódio encontrado.
Comentários
ZephSilver
Every now and then there's an anime that's released that walks the delicate line of being called absolute garbage and absolute FUCKING garbage. These shows tend to focus heavily on shock factor deaths as a one trick pony, which in turn removes any integrity it may have. Some notable cases include Elfen Lied, Gantz, Mirai Nikki, Deadman Wonderland and now the next anime to carry the torch Terra Formars, has stepped up for the challenge. Story: 2/10 Story? What story? Government conspiracies, the mission of Bug II and anything else the show brought up remains unresolved. Plot points that go nowhere and simply end abruptly. It'slike slowly going up the rails of a roller coaster and getting ready for the ride but the ride never happens. The show treats the material as more of a glorified add to read the manga than a stand alone work. This co-dependence on the source material to make a cohesive story is just lazy.
Art: 3/10
You'd think by now that CGI will be used in better effect in complimenting a show, right? Well, Terra Formars spits on the face of innovation, giving us hoards of horrid CGI cockroaches that rival that of Gonzo's track record. And to top it all off, it's simply the same design copied and pasted. The character designs, also deserve special mention for looking rather stiff. It feels like no effort or love was placed into this series. The only noteworthy mention should be about the grim backgrounds of the Mars environment.
Sound: 4/10
The same tracks were played continuously, showing no variation at all. Nothing worth listening to on its own and nothing that really grabs your attention. They simply serve to follow the scenes, but does nothing to heighten them. Voice performances were fine. Each character's voice actor matched their given traits, standouts being Michelle K. Davis. Of course, it will all be forgotten almost as soon as you're finished with the series.
Characters: 2/10
I'm not even sure this cast can even be considered "characters". They didn't even manage to make them 2 dimensional. There's more depth in your run of the mill shounen protagonist than any of these "characters". They mostly follow the lines of common fodder or OP roach killer.
Throwing in a depressing backstory doesn't qualify as proper characterization. Especially if we don't even remember them by the time the 20min run time is up. It seems like characters were only introduced to be killed by the next episode. Not only giving you no time to even care about them, but it also broke immersion when death is treated with no tension. Just a fodder fest of people we don't give a fuck about.
Enjoyment: 2/10
I'm a completionist, the only reason I even finished this nonsense was because of the short run time. Unlike other nonsensical series like Elfen Lied, Terra Formars became more of a chore to watch. I'd rather take my chances watching another Michael Bay film that sitting through this again.
Overall: 2/10
Terra Formars was simply another rushed adaptation that felt more like an eyegasm for the fans than an actual show. If you're a fan of excessive gore or the manga then this might be for you.
Malfegor
Notes -I haven’t read the manga. -I watched the uncensored release of the anime. Terraformars, an anime about a bunch of genetically modified humans with animal powers that get sent to Mars to exterminate a race of hyper evolved humanoid cockroaches called Johj. Sounds radical, right? Unfortunately it isn’t and here i’ll explain why. Story: Really, there’s not a whole lot to talk about in terms of story. The entire plot is just an excuse to get the characters to Mars as quickly as possible and make them fight a whole lot and i suppose it does achieve that just fine. The main problem with the storytelling in Terraformars isthe pacing.
For a series that prides itself on being nothing but dumb action and violent fights, it’s actually painfully slow. We get shots that linger forever for no good reason, characters standing around doing and saying nothing for extended periods of time, tons of narrator delivered exposition and a ludicrous amount of flashbacks that sometimes take up the entire duration of an episode, while not really adding anything substantial. The best moments of the show are when it throws away any pretense of storytelling and just goes into full-on hot-blooded action-mode. Unfortunately these moments are rarer than you might assume and usually over quite quickly.
Special shout-out to the shitty worldbuilding of this series.
Terraformars is apparently set 600 years in the future, yet aside from space travel, genetic manipulation and terraforming i guess, no technological advancements were made by the human race. The people back on earth still drive the same cars, dress in the same clothes and use the same fucking smartphones as we do today. Why even set the series this far in the future, if you’re not gonna use it for some interesting worldbuilding?
The lightning fast evolution of the humanoid cockroaches is ridiculous anyway, may as well have set it fifty years in the future and not expose your complete lack of imagination.
Oh yeah, there’s also some government conspiracy subplot, but no one cares.
The series doesnt’t even have any conclusion at all, it’s set up for a sequel that will undoubtedly happen considering the popularity of it’s manga counterpart.
Characters:
The characters of Terraformars are about as boring and one dimensional as they come. The series utilizes constant long-ass flashbacks with sappy background stories to flesh out the characters, but it never works out, the characters remain uninteresting and all the flashbacks achieve is to kill any feeling of momentum this action series might have had.
I shit you not, there’s one character whose entire backstory involves people in his life telling him what a boring person he is.
However, this fleshing out only applies to a handful of the surprisingly large cast of Terraformars. The rest? Nameless cannon fodder that is absolutely and utterly useless and usually spend their time sitting around waiting to be killed.
Also, holy fuck Terraformars, your only important German character is named Adolf, are you fucking shitting me? Would it have killed the writers to spend five seconds to google more appropriate German names?
Sound:
The OP is a generic fast paced buttrock track and it’s just kinda eh, but i can’t shake the feeling that it doesn’t really fit the series. I suppose i expected something a bit darker and more atmospheric.
The ED i don‘t even really remember to be honest, the music of the series in general is fairly forgettable.
As far as voice acting goes, it’s all fitting for the characters, but no one in the cast really delivers a standout performance.
Visuals:
The character designs are one of the few things in Terraformars i can praise. As someone who appreciates semi realistic human designs in anime, this stuff is right up my alleyway. The animal transformations of the humans also look pretty cool.
The same thing can’t be said of the primary antagonists of the series, unfortunately. The designs of the humanoid cockroaches or Johj have gained some notoriety for being 'racist', as they look almost like caricatures of large muscular black guys. I looked into it and apparently they are based on the homo erectus and not black people.
Looking at it that way, the design makes some sense, but is still not a great choice, as the Johj look silly and not particularly threatening. I feel like this is a wasted opportunity, the creators of the series could have created something truly horrifying, considering the creatures are based on fucking cockroaches of all things. The Johj could have been some serious nightmare fuel, instead they are silly cavemen.
Animation in the series is fine when it counts, the fight scenes namely. It’s fairly consistent and the battles feel impactful, violent and on occasion even well choreographed. Too bad the color palette is so ugly, as all the colors in Terraformars look washed out and muddy.
I suppose this was to give the series a darker and gritty look, but it ends up just being unappealing.
There’s also this distracting noise filter that they kept using seemingly at random. What was the point of that? It just made the already so-so visuals of the series look shittier whenever it was active.
Enjoyment:
I’m not gonna lie, as much as i shit on this series, there were some pretty kickass moments hidden in there, namely whenever the action was in full effect, but they are few and far between and get marred by all the problems plagueing this series. If nothing else, at least Terraformars is not particularly long and won’t waste a whole lot of your time.
And this may sound unbelievable, but the educational value of Terraformars is actually surprisingly high (that is, more than nothing). You will pick up a lot of weird animal facts in this series, so there’s that.
Overall:
Terraformars is a series with a whole buttload of problems. Even if you are looking for a short, violent, action series, which is exactly what Terraformars is, there’s a lot of better stuff out there that you should check out instead.
I give it a final rating of 3/10.
As always, please excuse any grammatical mistakes, as English is not my first language. And please feel free to leave me some feedback, i really want to improve.
Stark700
You know something no one wants to see at a lunch or dinner table? Cockroaches. Those little critters stalks around with their creepy legs and spreads disgusting odor near your delicious food. Worst yet, they want your food. But do you know what’s even more disgusting or perhaps terrifying? It’s when you become the food. No lie. Terra Formars reverses the situation when humans are the prey as cockroaches (also known as Terra Formars) hunt down humans to eliminate them from existence. There’s something to think about… For a series based off of the same name, adaptation pacing becomes a chore to handle. I don’t givemuch credit for the studio or director when they do a sloppy job as the first few episodes can really make people wonder if this is all worth it. Forget the word ‘all’, but it’s more like partial considering the first few episodes broadcasted on TV were obstructed by arsine censorship. (they do fix it later though) But beyond that technical point, Terra Formars isn’t really a groundbreaking show.
Taking for face value, the show is actually pretty simple to understand. It takes place in a futuristic setting far beyond our present year. We also get alien species known as the Terra Formars, creatures who look like cockroaches but are many times its size with irregular body structure and abnormal thirst for destruction. Then, there are the humans that fights them on planet Mars. Actually, their original goal is to collect research examples as a deadly virus has taken hold on the human population but now they are playing a case of survival game against these creatures. As unoriginal as the premise sounds, the show has plenty of reasons to why viewers might be interested. The idea of fighting against alien species is thought provoking as it opens many opportunities to explore the show’s gimmicks, mechanics, and characters. The problem is that the first episode leaves open a gap that needs to be filled when in terms of getting everything started. It launches the characters on full scale towards their mission and skips their background and origins. That’s not the main problem though as the show accelerates fast into outer space for the main course. There’s not much time for preparation either as the crew gets ambushed on their way to space.
This season covers the Annex I arc detailing the stories of a group of crew members including lead protagonist Komachi Shokichi. Made up of members of many different countries of origins, the series’ characterization is shallow at best for the first half of the season. We don’t’ find out too much about much of the main characters except a select few such as Komachi. The case of death flags are also raised high for certain characters as flashbacks are played and their actions are recorded as last wills. However, the show does give more sympathy and depth for other characters later on. A prominent example is Adolf who is highlighted by flashbacks to characterize his motives and roles in the series. And as such, the reality can easily be realized of the cruelty on the frontlines. After all, the show is clearly violent, gory, and obviously isn’t afraid to kill anyone in the show. Whether you’re a badass action girl like Michelle or a first year newbie, Terra Formars preys on humans as if they are helpless drones. And to be honest, this show doesn’t stray far from that as humans are portrayed as the underdog. However, action does contradict this later on as we see humans fight back in a tale that can be described as “bug war”. I label it as such because humans who have experimented on themselves are able to adapt insect-like attributes and possesses their abilities to fight on par with the Terra Formars. For the action itself though, this show can only be watchable when it’s not obstructed the black censors of death. The original TV broadcasted aired the first three episodes that made itself look like a comedy. When you get scenes blocked by black bars or basketball shaped ovals, it really makes itself look like a joke. (example: https://pbs.twimg.com/media/BzmOsvCCIAARgDt.jpg) Luckily, the show eventually got uncensored versions although the gore is still not as explicit as the manga. While shock value may sometimes be looked down upon as trying to sell its product, I think it’s necessary for this show to adapt that with justice. This is because the show is violent. It is explicitly gory that needs to get the message across of what a sci-fi horror should be like. Although certain scenes are left out from the manga, the uncensored action is tolerable with sensible OST.
On the scientific side of the story, the show falls apart with the explanation. In retrospect, it is vague and hard to take in all at once. We don’t know much about the origins of the Terra Formars besides their basic attributes and we can make from their evolution. Speaking of which, the show actually adapts more of that as we find out how well the cockroaches adapt to their environment. Still, the generational concept weakens itself and tries way too hard when it comes to its elements. It’s lazy when it comes to crafting the story by skipping certain parts while lauding viewers to experience what the ‘bug war’ is like. But to experience that, the show also needs to make us feel attached to the characters. Unfortunately, it’s far from achieving that with the certain deaths of various key characters. I do give some credit for the daring risks this show takes though as well as some unpredictable twists that comes by a few times. However, Terra Formars is more like a sci-fi horror that is treated as an action flick rather than a creative story. It has this engaging premise but is over-egged with saturated action with not enough context.
In terms of artwork, the show is crude on most parts but not in terms of actual quality. It simply creates a mature atmosphere with the main characters in this futuristic setting. Speaking of which, the series hardly has any world building so don’t expect the setting to steer its engine towards that direction. What you do have are adult characters, in contrast to the teenagers we often see trying to save the world. This is actually a positive and refreshing to see as we can tell the series has a more serious feeling. The characters are designed to look like troops ready to go to war. Their face expressions tells of a tale of horror just by looking at them. Besides some oddball fan service on occasions, the series has decent artwork and fitting character designs. However, the Terra Formars are crafted in a way that can spark some controversy because they resemble Homo Erectus. It’s also hard to take them seriously with their ridiculously shaped eyes, overly enhanced muscle structure, or just in general of what they look like that seemingly resemble humans.
Soundtrack has a moderate coordination with some suitable OST supplemented by the OP and ED songs. The background music is fitting but repetitively used on certain episodes. Not only that but emotional scenes sometimes lack the atmosphere that it tracks to convey. As for the character voice mannerism, I can hardly remember any of them besides a few climatic moments. Almost none of them stand out much since they are screaming most of the time while fighting for their lives. The Terra Formars are probably only memorable for their actions and occasional groans. Most of the time, your headphones will be filled with screams of terror. No intelligence. No credible humor. Just a of bucket load of hellish cries.
In the end, this shows is a glorification of a mixed bag adaptation. While it reasonably adapts some of the core elements, its main problems lies with the world building and weak story. Its unoriginality and generic tropes with invasion and sci-fi horrors themes may makes it seem like it can be interesting. However, its lack of charisma and it’s hard to fathom what the show is trying to even achieve. Fighting against the Terra Formars, saving mankind, or just showing us some sci-fi adventure with shock and cruelty. This show is like a callous cash-in with an attempt to adapt an engaging premise but never able to make the cut.
kmandrake
Warning: this review is written for the average anime fan and not other critics since that wouldnt help anyone and would just be me ranting So I began watching terra formars mid airing, i had always wanted to check it out (since seeing it on anichart) and i did so. to be honest i had high expectations, out of all the anime this season this looked the most unique. after finishing the first episode my expectations took a huge hit (this was one of those slow beginnings of introducing characters and backgrounds). i almost dropped it but i didnt and im glad i didnt because onep 2 is where the real meat of the show started.
now if you cant tell already this anime has gore and i started watching this on crunchyroll (god the censoring was terrible), luckily though i found a sight that had it fully uncensored and was able to take in the full experience.
Story - 6
now theres not much of a story besides people going to mars to collect samples of a virus to create a vaccine, but (tiny spoiler, kinda) twist is "terra formars" attack the ship and now theyre stuck on mars surrounded by hordes of creepy humanoid roaches (very attack on titanish). however there is a rescue ship coming to mars to save them and the story becomes how they survive until then (which is really interesting since ive never seen any other any that say "you have 1 month dont die until then")
Art - 8
i still have no idea how there were able to do the cockroaches right, even if it was cgi how were they able to make it so unnoticeable, this i really dont know. all the characters were all animated decently well, you can tell there was no lazy work ... except maybe in some of the first fight scenes. most of the fight scenes were great you see a fist then the fist smashing into the exoskeleton of a roach but in the first fight there were one or two attacks that were set on a black background. then if you look at the last battlefield (the one that had nukes fired upon) it looks stunning, maybe it was the flames or maybe just the gradience (them gradience)
Sound - 7
sound is not something i can say much about, the voice actors all did their jobs well and the series wasnt really reliant on the soundtrack even in the fights scenes and when there is it's in the background to keeps your heart pumping. the op and ending doesnt stand out that much either, it wasnt anything bad, it was semi good and fitted the series and thats what i think is important
Characters - 6
i would like to mention that on the ship to mars there were 99 people on board, luckily most of them were slaughtered before ep 3. yes, the show does kill off many people, but most the characters that dies arnt that important, in fact i think in the entire show only 3 important characters dies and i only say important is because they had backstories and screen time. Still the characters arnt that deep especially the main character whom i can only say is main character because he was introduced first (most characters gets equal screen time after the first episodes). i wont say the characters are stereotypes since all characters fall under a stereotype but they do have certain traits such as the happy go lucky one (that obviously dies), the heartless commanding one, or/and the charismatic cheif. many of the characters also get episodes for themselves with backstories on why they chose to come to mars and how they became who they are. a type of character development you could say since any other kind would be kinda difficult while fighting cockroach after cockroach. also, having an attention span of 5 seconds i skip most of the backstories besides adolf's whos backstory was a great buildup to the climax for the character and story.
Enjoyment - 9
ok, i gotta admit it i did get sucked into continually watching this week after week, what can say i just like how mindless and fun it is. one major reasons i kept watching was to see the powers of the next character and what species theyre based on. each character in the show fight with an ability based solely on a species on earth, for example if your based on an alpheid shrimp (which can fire jets of air) then your ability would be that, stick your hand in front of a cockroaches face and blow it off.
i enjoyed Terra Formars the same way i enjoyed Attack on Titan, seeing characters put in a situation where everything is against them and seeing what happens next
It should be worth mentioning that the show will be finished in another season (if it comes out), the last scene scene is actually really similar to the last scene of btooom they even have the same helicopter
i cant guaranty youll enjoy this but its definitely worth taking a look and if you do want to watch this then watch till episode 2/3 then decide to continue or stop watching since episode 1 has stopped alot of people
Overall - 7.2
tips
1:sit back an relax
2:watch the anime for the reason of enjoying it and nothing else like how your suppose to watch anime
BanjoTheBear
(This has been adapted from my reddit thread) One of the most frightening organisms on the planet is so miniscule that it's a wonder that it exists in the first place, let alone causes massive harm. This organism is, of course, the virus. A tiny, technically lifeless thing whose only function is to replicate to keep its existence going. In biology, it's a rather fascinating phenomenon that has been in place for millions, if not billions, of years. While human technology has improved by leaps and bounds in an immensely shorter time span, there are still questions and unknowns we have yet to answer. Among theminclude nearly incurable diseases. With this premise in mind, Terra Formars takes shape. That shape being a crooked and jagged mess.
STORY
Terra Formars starts with a man named Akari, whose fighting prowess has given him the opportunity to join a select group of people aimed at finding a cure to a deadly disease that has plagued the Earth. Him and many others undergo an operation to mutate their bodies and board a spaceship destined for Mars and the supposed answers they seek.
The story telling within the anime follows a rather inconsistent style. It begins by following a majority of the groups confined to the ship, providing us with a glimpse into who is on board, the countries involved, and the gravity of the situation. Once on Mars, the focus shifts from a group mentality to an individual one. At this point, characters are singled out and, for usually less than a full episode, he or she is given a small amount of background. The idea here is to give us a sense of connection. That the people we're watching risk their lives on a distant planet are more than just fodder to the cause. But it never comes off this way (save for one character, more later). The show tried to focus on the characters over the story because the story itself isn't compelling enough to engage the audience. They attempt to mix in some plot elements, such as parallel stories and espionage, but it isn't executed nearly as well as it could be.
This execution is unquestionably the result of the core of Terra Formars: the fighting. Instead of attempting to showcase more of what the world has to offer or how the mission is more meaningful than it at first seems, it instead highlights the fighting between the humans and the cockroaches. This prominent focus therefore defers to gore and violence instead of actual narrative balance.
Due to the nature (if you will) of the show, part of the "allure" is in the powers of the characters at play. The problem is that, in order for the viewers to understand the mutations, a considerable amount of literal narration and time is spent on discussing what animals the humans are using. More often than not, it occurs during the fights themselves. Meaning, besides the story telling already being as choppy as it is, what the anime puts on a pedestal also succumbs to the same choppy issues. The mutations may have ties to the characters' pasts, but the inelegance of their incorporation within the story leaves much to be desired.
ANIMATION
Terra Formars maintains a rather mature look throughout the season. The characters themselves are usually well defined, with sharp lines and contours for the faces and throwbacks to the actual animals they are portraying. The same can't be said for the environments. The vast majority of the locations are usually just rocky terrain and boring to look at, with almost zero variety. As for the enemies, CG is used for the cockroaches when a large amount of them are on screen at once. It can be a little off-putting at first, but over time one gets used to seeing them in that state.
Actual animation suffers a bit, unfortunately. Not only do there exist a lot of still frames and only mouth movements for many of the characters during dialogue, but many of the fights contain little choreography. Coupled with the fact that the majority of the battles contain zoomed in shots or little animation, the core element of the anime is a major letdown across the board.
The anime can be watched either censored or uncensored, but it is not worth it to see with the former in place. The censorship present when active makes many of the scenes completely impossible to watch, once again impeding the anime's shtick (very violent killings).
CHARACTERS
Putting it rather bluntly, the entire cast is unmistakably bad. It's only saving grace is that there exists a single character who, without him, would render everyone as forgettable. I'll start with the bad and work towards the (only) good.
One of the first characters introduced is Akari, a rough and tumble dude dead set on saving the girl he loves from the disease gripping her. His motivations are clear, yet his underlying strength is not. Taking the chance to create a better tomorrow for the ones he loves, he accepts the task presented to him, hoping to do everything in his power to bring peace back home, even if said power consumes him. He sounds rather intriguing on paper, but beyond the first episode or so, we never really learn much more about him. That is to say, he never again takes the spotlight long enough to make him relevant to the story at hand. It's a shame, considering he is one of the cast members who we learn a little bit about. His underutilization sets the precedent for everyone else involved.
Sheila embodies kindness. Free spirited and filled with generosity, she tags along with the rest of the squad not as a fighter but more as a cheerleader. Unable to mask her fear of the mission at hand, she clings to a romance that she most likely knows deep down can never be. Her friendship with Alex and Marcos shows that, despite her ladylike demeanor, she isn't afraid of helping those in need. The precedent set earlier is used once more; she is shown, talked about, then subsequently put to the side for the rest of anime. It's a little more forgivable this time, since her overall purpose was to give Marcos a reason to fight. The justification is there, but not executed well enough simply because her character feels just as useless as the rest of the people on board.
The only (seriously, the only) good character found within Terra Formars is Adolph. The byproduct of a terrible experiment, his broken spirit and reason for fighting feel the most human, despite the beast within him. His dedication to the position of captain and composed behavior in the face of an incomprehensible scenario make him a sight to behold both on and off the battlefield. He's a great character not just for being bad-ass, which he most certainly is, but because he actually contains some semblance of depth. Where he begins and where he ultimately ends help to showcase the futility of getting one's hopes up. A tragic character, his inclusion gave this one a small light in the sea of darkness.
SOUND
Suffering "Mirai Nikki Syndrome", arguably the best part of the show is the OP. The back-and-forth vocals coupled with the fast guitar make it extremely catchy and great fun to listen to, even outside of the anime itself.
The ED is at least okay. The drums bring about the tempo, the piano adds to its gracefulness, and the vocals are slow and simple to follow.
The soundtrack is largely forgettable, save for the signature, six-note, up-and-down piece that plays when a battle is about to begin. The sound effects involved at least add to the brutality of the aforementioned fighting.
In regards to voice acting, there were no standout performances to be had. The only notable voices were the cockroaches and their "Jo Ji" which is the extent of their vocabulary, yet the meaning of varies wildly.
ENJOYMENT
When the anime first started, the censorship was quite unbearable. Black shading and polka-dots filled the screen, making much of the on-screen action hidden to the viewer. If the entire point of the anime is to show grotesque ways of murdering humans and "cockroaches," then it should be quite obvious that any form of censorship would ruin the intended goal. It was eventually alleviated, but the damage was done.
The anime doesn't focus on much else. Some attempts at humor are made, but it never tries too hard at it. Same for the drama; outside of Adolf, the rest feels lackluster and completely falls flat. Watching the good guys use their animal abilities should be really fun to watch. And at times, it is. Watching Alex hurl metallic spheres at incredible speeds, seeing Michelle crushing a foe to smithereens, or witnessing Adolf's almost god-like powers can be quite cool. But these moments are too few and far between to make the show compelling enough to keep one interested.
Terra Formars wasn't trying to do much. But even for what it set out to do, the execution just wasn't there. The story is bland, the characters are bad, and the rest is boring. Perhaps in the future, when missions to Mars are actually feasible, we can send this anime to where it belongs: anywhere but here.
SUMMARY
Story: Bad, inconsistent, too much focus on the fights, poorly placed explanations
Animation: Bad, lame art style, little animation even for the battles, too much censorship
Characters: Bad, Adolf saves the day
Sound: Fine, good OP, okay ED, bad soundtrack, average VA work
Enjoyment: Bad, literally just humans squashing bugs
Final Score: 3/10
CobraMaster86
I would not even have known about Terra Formars if I had not seen a short YouTube clip months back. And right now, I am so glad I clicked on that video. Story: Futuristic setting on Mars where people with animal powers (mostly insects) fight humanoid cockroaches. Interesting premise to say the least. At first, I had low expectations for the show. Reviews for the first few episodes had been very low for the extreme censorship when it was originally airing. However, I had watched the series after all those black screens were taken down and must say that the show surprised me. I foundthe story to be exciting and interesting at the same time through every episode. The scientific facts scattered through the whole thing show a great amount of research was done by the creator. Terra Formars is a smart show for sure, and if you get distracted during the scientific outbursts by the narrator, confusion will likely set in.
Art:
The environments, character models, and animation all look fantastic. I love the darker theme to the colors shown. The fighting and gore is well done for both the roaches and humans, making the show feel more mature. Blood isn't splattering all over the place in every fight unrealistically like in other shows, which is a relief.
Sound:
Great soundtrack overall. Whether it be for tragic, action-packed, or horrific moments, there are songs to match each. The opening and ending are also well done. Voices match their characters, and the sound effects go with what is happening on screen.
Characters:
I like how there is no central main character in Terra Formars. This is the story of Annex 1 and all its divisions, so multiple characters in various divisions get different amounts of character development and back-story, which really makes it unpredictable when trying to guess who will die in the near or far future. There is not a single character on the human side I was hoping would get killed off, and I love the charm some of them have. There were more than a few unexpected funny moments, and they didn't feel childish in execution.
Enjoyment:
This was not only a fun show, but a great one, and these 13 episodes were the best time I have ever had with an anime thus far. The end of the final episode did leave off on a cliffhanger, but the manga has not even finished yet, so hopefully there will be a season 2 soon enough.
Overall:
-Interesting/exciting story
-Fantastic art for environments, characters, fight scenes, and gore.
-Amazing soundtrack, good voices
-Likable characters, lengths of development provide unpredictability for who dies.
-Not only a fun show, but a great one
sleeperhits
Seeing so many negative reviews for Terra Formars, I decided to offer a positive view instead. Note that I would probably give an 8 for this anime, but because of it's pure enjoyment factor, I'm jacking it up to a 9. What I like about Terra Formars is that the universe is much more...developed, than the typical fare that action anime gives us. It's not a bunch of teenagers running around saving the world, but a people who have been chosen from a diversity of backgrounds tasked with collecting samples to cure a virus that has surfaced on Earth. Questionable scientific methods aside (i'm going tochalk it up to 500 years worth of scientific research). The premise itself is interesting enough: cockroaches were sent to Mars to Terra Form (hence the name), to perhaps make it suitable for human habitation in the future. But fast forward 500 hundred years and these cockroaches are some bigas$ humanoid mutations each with the strength of an army. The irony of becoming to the cockroaches on Mars what they are to humans on Earth seems to be presented again and again as the narrative switches between Earth and Mars.
To combat these the humans hybrid themselves with various animals, taking on the fighting ability of various dangerous animals from all over the world. I really enjoyed the exposition on the different kinds of animals and how their abilities would fare in human combat. It kept me interested.
The anime also had political elements which are always lacking in the genre. Subversion, typical politicking and allied blocs of nations with their own agendas provide a nice overarching story to complement the straight up massacre (on both sides) that constantly seems to be happening on Mars.
What seems to lack though is the presence of interesting characters. I only seem to be attached to one, and that is Michelle (and perhaps Adolf) - the others simply blur into the background for me. They aren't exactly original or well thought-out, and I've found myself feeling nothing in many of the 'character development' scenes. However, I will put that aside because Terra Formars isn't trying to be something it's not. And for that, I won't nitpick at the lack of compelling characterisation.
Terra Formars makes me wonder at what will happen next, and though not necessarily original, is highly enjoyable and unpredictable. The plot is enough for me to continue watching definitely, and the themes on extinction and survival are palpable throughout the show. More than that though, it is action-packed, with a decent soundtrack and gets my blood pumping when I watch it, and that in itself is worth the watch.
Moon-
Every year theres allways those anime wich generally are deemed has "bad" or "mediocre" because of their inconsistent nature and their unpopularity, they strive to get a certain fanbase however this "try hard" factor usually winds up becoming their very downfall.. However if theres a show that despite being unpopular and mediocre manages to be a hell of a ride, that would be Terra Formars.. At first glance, naturally, terra formars looks like your survival horror show that it takes itself so serious its laughable.. and thats exactly what it is.. the best part of Terra Formars is the fun you get from it..The art is really messy and misguided, the antagonists are crazy stupid and the characters are there to either get killed or to support the non-existent drama.. I do have to acknowledge Terra formars for their story telling wich isnt bad.. actualy its quite fair however this loses all of its impact due to the small lenght of the show and weak character development, i also have to point out the fact that they explain really well every "power" and insect characteristics in a fast and efficient way.. It is true and i cannot deny that Terra Formars is nothing but a popcorn flic, and that is enough to make this show superior to various other shows of its kind..
The sound was actually fair.. I loved the opening and the ending, the background music was fitting and reasonable.. The real factor of this show is the enjoyment you get from its mindless fun every episode.. Its far from being good but it certainly isnt bad.. I give this show medium-low priority its the kind of show you watch after a long tiring day of work something to laugh at and relax without thinking to much.
Ps: Turn off your brains while watching this.. It will enchance your experience
REKT
SHORT SPOILER FREE REVIEW! CENSOR CENSOR CENSOR!!!!!! Terra Formars aired in 2014 and most of the brutal inhumane scenes were censored.. but Bro do you even know what day it is? It's 2015 and all the scenes are now uncensored *Mind blown* I can honestly say the uncensored version is a totally different Anime. Example? Sure. They don't play Basketball anymore on Mars. :) Why did I rate Terra Formars so high? - Fast paced and captivating plot twists! (None stop action) - LOADS OF FIGHTING! (I say 70%) - LOADS of gore and decapitation! (A MUST have in a *Horror* apocalyptic genre, I hate it when an Anime has aHorror genre tag and I get absolutely no gore at all)
- LOADS of deaths (Not really a spoiler since every apocalyptic genre has a huge death rate)
- Bug ability plot mechanics. (Informative information about their abilities *Insectopedia* You never get to see any of *bug mechanics* in Anime so this is a first for me and most of you guys too. You know what I mean by *Bug ability plot mechanics* when you watch it)
Don't get fooled because my MAL buddy said so! Don't get fooled because its rated 7.07 on MAL! People just follow the "score hype train' and always listen to the fool. Please don't do that!You need to watch it for yourself first and not listen to the lowed scored elitist members who rated this Anime below 5! Ok sorry enough of the rambling.
Overall, If you like action packed gore suspenseful science fiction action where no one, not even the main characters is safe, and you enjoy a sprinkling of trivial knowledge throughout the series, this is the perfect Anime! AND If you don't like seeing insects getting REKT because your a nature boy/grill then please put this Anime on your drop list. Thanks. :)
BloodRequiem
Terra Formars was one of the series that received a lot of conflicting opinions during the fall 2014 season. Some loved it for the Linkin Park grimdark edginess while a majority of people hated on it purely due to the censorship. But let's face it, censorship is not a valid reason to give this series a one out of ten. If anything, there are much bigger problems than a giant black circle in the middle of the screen when it comes to this show. Terra Formars is one of those series where it could have possibly been decent. You start watching this show and the amazinghot blooded opening music comes on and you get all pumped up. Then as you go through it you just wonder to yourself if time was better spent studying for that final instead. The experience was akin to being teased by a really hot girl but suddenly experiencing erectile dysfunction when she tells you she has syphilis halfway through the makeout session. The premise was pretty interesting and I really liked the idea of how the tables have turned and the bug overlords are now hunting down the humans. You shouldn't expect anything more from the story other than to set up action. That's perfectly fine because that's what this show is meant to be. Unfortunately, it's those small details that really pisses you off and drove this show straight into the dumpster. The biggest offender of this is the narration. I'm an advocate of showing and not telling because it does not ruin the immersion experience. In this show however, you constantly have this out of place infodump either in the middle of action scenes or just before a big reveal and it completely destroys the atmosphere. Not only that, it treats the viewers as if they are 75 IQ retards just because the studio is too lazy to incorporate these information through character interactions.
Character designs is one of the things that went well for this show. Unfortunately the same cannot really be said of a lot of the characters themselves. Personally I think the main problem is that 13 episodes is not nearly enough to develop such a large cast. While dynamics between the main characters were done decently, you just can't give a damn about the rest of the cast. And when they get killed off it seemed like they are randomly killed just for the sake of being a tear jerker or to induce shock through all the gore because you do not feel a connection to them.
Speaking of shock and gore, oh boy, we now come to the censorship. Remember when you thought Tokyo Ghoul was pretty heavily censored? Well that was pretty tame compared to this. Sometimes the screens would just be half black and other times they would have random black circles. To speak the truth, I actually loved the censored version because I just find it absolutely hilarious and it also spawned lots of dank memes with that one particular head grab scene.
At the end of the day you should treat this show like one of those B movies from the 1950s about vampire Nazi sunflowers from Venus or some shit like that. Watch the censored version and enjoy it while making fun of the hilarious expressions of the cockroaches, the absurd fights and some QUALITY animation with your friends.
Lolitroy
I can honestly say this review is completely unbiased, as I watched the show with no idea whatsoever of its reception. I marathoned it all in one night and decided to read some reviews atferward to see if anyone shared my thoughts about it. Let's just say they did, but the negative aspects were amplified hundredfold. First of all, the story. I'm going to be honest and say the idea seemed a bit weird, if not stupid, but I decided to give it the benefit of doubt. Giant humanoid cockroaches commanded by another pretty much immortal giant cockroach? A martian virus? A possibly aliencivilization wanting to destroy the earth using muscular bugs? Okay.
I gave it a six simply because of the concept. It is not original by any means, but it's got a couple unique aspects. And hell, it was entertaining.
The art wasn't bad at all. Those cockroaches are easily the creepiest things I've ever seen in anime, and I've seen plenty. I kind of find it odd that Mars could seem to alike Earth, even with the moss growing around, but I'll call it artistic license. I liked the characters' designs and the slightly more realistic way in which they were drawn, and I even found some of the characters to be handsome in an unconventional way. I gave it an eight.
The OSTs weren't the best, but they were fitting enough. The wailing woman in the sad moments seems to be a must in these sorts of shows. I did like both the OP and ED. A seven seems a bit too kind, but there were a cuuple OSTs that did get me pumped up in moments of tension.
Now, the characters.
This show has one of my favorite male characters in anime, Adolf. It's frustrating how little screentime he got as he's easily the most developed and had so much more potential. I won't say anything else, cuz spoilers.
I wasn't really fond of anyone else, I must admit. They just had too little screentime and many backstories seemed very soap-operaish. Perhaps if they had givevn more focus on the character their deaths could've had a much bigger impact, sans a certain character. But I have to admit, though, that me being the softie I am did suffer every time someone died, but seeing the other reviews that's probably just me.
The only other character for whom I really cared was Michelle, who I hink also had great time for potential. And well, she's really badass.
Because of the potential each character had, and because of Adolf, I'll be extremely generous and give this area a nine.
If one thing's for sure, I was hooked. Even though most of the tension consisted of cheap shock value and I'm pretty sure they're all going to die at ome point, I found myself on the edge of my seat several times (particularly on the parts revolving around Adolf). The sort certainly had the element of tension, and fot that I'll five it a seven.
It wasn't as bad as some people put it to be, in my opinion. It just suffers from not being executed well enough. For me, its major flaw was the lack of development, the pace, that sort of stuff. The themes were good,a nd even if it was not directly put, a certain one about how death is in te end futile got me thinking a lot, and I love animes that get that reaction from me.
Especially... well. SPOILERS! When Adolf died. He tried dying at first, but ultimately realized his he did value his comrades and proetected them until the end. And the fact the cockroach leader survived a lightning bolt falling directly on top of him was kind of an asspull if you ask me. The worst part is, he died without saving anyone. But he did die among comrades, so I guess that kind of shows that in the end, death is not entirely meaningless.
I did hate his whore of a wife, though.
Would I recommend it? Yes, but only to a certain public. One that could see a show for what it is despite its flaws.
jdbe
Would you like to hear a joke? Terraformars. That's the whole joke. Terra formars follows the expedition of strong humans to mars, who have the task of killing and capturing evolved fighting cockroaches that were used to make Mars more inhabitable for humans. The objective is to find a cure for a disease that came from Mars, which could lead to the deaths of many people on earth. Terra formars is very much a sci fi, horror anime. The shows main message is trying to look at the perspective of "If humans were the pests" instead of cockroaches. It does this by looking at the themes of evolution andhow humans could lag behind in terms of further development in the future, leading to extinction. Another theme is medical advancement as a way of combatting the evolved cockroaches, this involves taking the characteristics of certain organisms and fusing them with humans to give great fighting abilities. The show also highlights the characters personal reasons for joining the expedition, and their goals for the end of mission too. In terms of atmosphere, there is tension throughout due to the many fights constantly going on, leading there pace being similar throughout. Fighting is very much prevalent with many characters and cockroaches alike being killed, showing that no one is safe. Furthermore, the show looks deeper at how the characteristics of the organisms enable humans and cockroaches to fight.
However, in terms of story, there is little to be desired. The shows pacing was steady due to the fact that 8 of the 13 episodes contained none stop fighting. This in turn lead to a lack of suspense as there was no plot development for nearly all of the whole show. It's over focus on new abilities and 'epic' fights lead to a rushed ending, which, in turn, reverted back to focusing on the epic fighting rather than focusing on other topics such as how the cockroaches managed to evolve. Unfortunately, the excessive focus on humans and cockroaches dying lead to the story being one dimensional. This was upsetting, as the introduction to the show had good pacing and took more of a holistic approach in explaining the plot, character interaction and fighting. Lastly, it's choice of how episodes were ordered was very questionable, as the pacing suffered severely with the focusing on developing 2 or 3 characters for a few episodes. This in turn lead to further plot development troubles.
In terms of the animation, the picture quality, overall fluidity of fight scenes and scenery as a whole was to a high standard, as expected from a 2014 anime. The character models were quiet varied, offering more distinction between the different types of organism characteristics the humans had. Overall, it was a pleasure on the eyes.
However, the models of the cockroaches do look very stereotypical of black tribal warriors, which could be offensive.
There is a huge cast of characters involved in Terra Formars, many involved characters with powers and none combatants. It mainly focuses on the characters with super powers, which a narrator explains which organism the abilities have been taken from. Character development is prevalent with some, but not all due to the size of the cast.
However, the shows lack of remorse for characters makes it difficult to like, as many characters could end up dying. This makes it tough to find a "personal favorite". Also, the show seems to lack a solid main character, as there are so many characters important to the mission, so many that die and so many that are under developed, the lack of structure means it's hard to determine which is the main character. Although, some characters were developed to a good standard, and it did attempt to explain many characters opinions.
In terms of the music, both the opening and ending are more focused on rock music, which was fine but not entirely too my liking. It's OST was very pleasurable, highlighting and amplifying tension in battle, as well as more orchestral music for character infractions, which I enjoyed.
In all, Terra Formats fundamental errors in it's writing and in basic story telling lead to the show looking more like Fight club than a sci fi horror.
SharpAsShamsher
Terra Formars is literately a Attack On Titian Remake. STORY-----The story is very basic, easy for one to follow and keep up with. Its not complicated or needs a background story its simple. A diseases is incurable and 100 people are sent to mars to find a cure, with their own agendas. The story uses many cliches but does still deliver a basic enjoyment, It is exactly like Attack on Titian so you wont really be looking at something new ART------- The art work is amazing in 1080p. The art looks on point, sharpened and its not sloppy. Blood looks great and its doesn't looklike Jelly or water mixed with red. The art shows what it wants to show without any misconceptions. The show is a must watch in HD 720p/1080p! The presentation is dark and bright at points in the show.
SOUND-----the sound is basic. its not shitty 3rd grade re-used sounds. it ON POINT. Guns sound likes guns, cuts sound like cuts, and etc. THE ROACHES due sound like crap, and they say CHU CHU, which is weird and doesn't sound scary! OPENING AND ENDING music are great TRACKS to listen to, ever time it ends or opens it keeps me wanting for more
CHARACTERS-----The characters in this show are not the very best, but are not cardboard cut outs. The main character is exactly from "Attack On Titian" He is strong and goes right to the action, but thank god he is not a pussy! Other Character who survive long enough are somewhat loveable, but if killed off you wouldn't feel much of an impact. The only character the delivered such potential was Adlof R. He was shown and was played out very carefully 10/10 on his part! He played as a badass and showed it. Everyone else thou are very generic, for example you got your strong girl, your idiot, a man with a passion, and your cowards.
ENJOYMENT-------The enjoyment is delivered! the enjoyment is not at its very best but does deliver what you wanted. At the end of every episode you don't feel like wow that was shit, its more like "oh i wonder what happens even thou i could watch something else". Every death felt either like wtf?! or finally or like NOO! But this section really depends on what type of viewer you are.
OVERALL---This anime is something to watch on your free-time it will be worth it. Its not great but decent. Please watch it but you might be disappointed...
mkzxwing
When i first saw this anime , my first thought was "this is so plain and generic.. I'm sure its going to suck". But i couldn't bring myself to hate this anime. I can't say it was good, but it was not horrible. While the story is quite generic and unoriginal, the anime itself is not boring. I'd even say there where a part or two that i actually enjoyed. I still can't say it is good by any means, but its rather easy to watch. If you want to kill some time, I'd say this anime may help you with that task. Otherwise..I wouldn't recommend it too much.
WeiWeiWei
The story was quite compressed since it only got 13ep. It's a bit like Jojo, some people will tolerate the unique feeling around the series, and cherish it/ love it. And ofc there are people who will hate it, either it is because of the slow pace, the fragmented flashbacks or the characters... I personally enjoyed it, and i hope people would give it a try. (If you want to watch a gory/ action anime and doesn't get sick of insects).
OfHundreds
I will be evaluating this anime according to the circumstances surrounding its production. That is mostly because it was the FIRST anime to be produced by its respective studio. In other words, I will be ignoring the censoring part and carry on as an uncensored version watcher. Also, as of credentials, I've watched all 13 episodes and read the manga as well. Story (main plot): 2/10 Clearly, the beginning was rushed, but that was inevitable (far too many characters to handle in 13 episodes). The premise was extremely rough for the series and was the reason for many drops (including the censorship). The reasons behind thecrew's expedition to Mars sounded more like an excuse than anything. And so, yes, 2/10 for the main plot. However, I am only giving this grade because of the MAIN PLOT.
Many sub-plots centering around the main characters made the anime extremely enjoyable (see character rating)
Art: 7/10
Art style is pretty subjective, but I appealed to me. However, if argued that the cockroaches' designs were lazy (they pretty much have the same face), then I'd just reply that if they had to give a difference face to EVERY single cockroach on Mars, then the budget would explode (think about it, in war anime, soldiers are all dressed to same way).
Sound: 8/10
Sound is very subjective too, but I think the OSTs were great and dramatic, fitting the anime's overall theme. Great opening too.
Character (sub-plot): 9/10
Many main characters are very likeable. One is able to identify to many of them simply because of the screen time spent on their respective backgrounds on Earth, as well as their reasons of joining the expedition. The characters of Terra Formars were its strongest point. Now I won't go further into details because I don't want to spoil anyone.
Enjoyment: 8/10
I literally watched it for the characters (and their own unique sub-plots), not for the plot itself. Also, being a manga reader gave me much more details about the anime, so it was much more enjoyable 8/10
Overall: 7/10
After a bumpy start, the anime redeemed itself around episode 6~7 and kept getting better from that point on. Along with the fact that it was the FIRST anime to be produced by its studio, I believe that I can safely give the anime a 7.
Subxaero
To better understand and judge Terra Formars someone first must wonder what to expect to see from the specific anime.A complicated and deep story with great flow caharcter develompent and some small doses of action? A flat out space odessy? Thats not the case here, Terra Formars is an action packed Sci-fi anime with many gore elements,its an honest anime towards the viewer from the very first episode , u know what u'll see and what to expect and it does it WELL Story 5--Its not rocket science thats for sure.Enhanced humans with bug abilities are send to Mars to fight some evolved cockroaches in order toobtain some samples of them to fight a virus that threatens earth with extinction.There are no sub-stories and the flow is annoyingly fast, especially at the first 3 episodes.
Art 7-- I quite like the art in Terra Formers, its unique the fights are pretty good and its great for gore fans like me, u'll get to see a lot of blood, different kind of fatalities and many other.Also the female figures are just great on this one!
Sound -6- Nothing special here. The sound effects are worth mentioning, quite decent
Character -6- The character development is not perfect but also not non-existant as it has mentioned by some reviewers.U get to see many glimpses of Alex's past but also from many support characters such as Adolph and Sheila.So i wouldnt go so far calling the character development non-existant, its actually Ok.
Enjoyment -7-It is clearly a matter of taste.For what its made i think its above average,action packed gore in quite a few moments, its a slash and splash fest and its quite enjoyable if u ask me.For some others though it might be just a nonsense
VeeMKII
So Terra Formars I have seen people give mix reviews from being absolute ass or being really good so where do I stand. I'd say it's meh. Keep in mind that I watched this show after reading the manga and that it is much better and to read it instead and don't tell me you don't like reading your reading this review so... Anyway do I think the story is good, Kinda? well the story is there is there is a Virus and People need to go get a cure from the Terra Formar, which are evolved cockroaches that look like cavemen. The firstthing you'd ask yourself is why not get the Virus from the people that died on earth well the story has you covered it tells you that the Virus doesn't duplicate. then your next question is THEN WHATS THE PROBLEM? just accept the people infected as an accepted loss and put them in like a cave or something the virus wont get out, apparently the writer didn't think of that so OFF TO MARS IT IS. Also they use animals for powers which leads to interesting but rule breaking physics; this is the most interesting part of the show by far.
So the Art is it good, Yeah? it's good. It's stylized and has some great art with it's characters. not so much when the cockroaches are in giant groups because it uses really bad CGI and just looks really off. hey I said it was good not perfect. If it was perfect you would see better gore scenes like in the manga but what ever you can't have your cake and eat it too.
How about the sound is that memorable? in a way. The opening does the Attack on Titan thing where it sound bad the first few seconds then it gets going so there is that. The ending is also pretty good it gives the feeling that the show has ended again it's a rock song keeping with the theme of being badass. Outside of the parts where the cockroaches show up and gives this frightening beat the music is really forgettable I don't even know if there was music to be honest.
One of the main problems I had watching the show was that it didn't give me the feeling that the characters where important. Until the later episodes when they where giving backstory to characters when they do something which didn't really happen in the manga... that much. I know why they did it this way but still doesn't mean I will like it. outside of that the characters are well written they make you feel for them and shows that the world in which the characters come from isn't pretty and has many real world problems. also more than likely your favorite character in this show will be because of your sexual interest and nationalism since this show is not about just Japanese people it shows how the world needs to come together and help, it will be spoilers if I continue since there is politics but it's only in the manga.
Was the show enjoyable? Yeah it was actually if you don't think or if you just want to see gore it's not bad I liked the show. it's nothing SUPER but it's entertaining and interesting if you don't think about the physics and logic too much and just expand your imagination a bit. I believe you would enjoy the show if you: have read the manga, just want to see some gore, want to see animal superpowers, or want to see an interesting idea done pretty well.
Overall the manga was better; if you want to get into this series read the manga. If you don't want to read then at least watch the OVA first since that is how it was in the manga, and you will like this show a bit more which will make it less likely for you to drop it and put it in your BAD LIST. Also spoilers it ends with a "Read the Manga" ending or "Wait for Season 2" ending.
Well hoped this helped you decide in watching Terra Formars see you next time
Kerion127
Don't listen to these bitchy people. Yes, it doesn't have an amazing story, so what? You don't always need an amazing plot for a great anime. This anime is very well made, and all main and even some side characters are very well developed. The deaths are very important and bring out a lot of meaning behind the story. Also its an awesome beat down anime, which I haven't seen in a while. Its short so go watch it, there is supposedly season 2 in the fall of 2015. Also the special abilities are amazing, yet fairly simple. 9/10 anime.
