After the murder of their parents, 11-year-old twin brothers Thor and Rai Klein are sent away from their home planet. They find themselves awakening on the terraformed planet of Chimaera, where carnivorous plants dominate and the few humans who live there are divided into four groups known as "Rings." Soon after, they meet a young man by the name of Zagi, and the twins learn that only the "Jyu Oh Sei"—the one who conquers these four Rings—is allowed to leave the planet.
Driven by the desire to return home and discover the truth behind the death of his parents, Thor resolves to survive in the harsh, merciless environment of Chimaera. However, he quickly learns there is more than meets the eye in this strange ecosystem. As Thor is swept up in the politics that entangle the Rings, he uncovers more about his parents' murder, and ultimately, humanity's fate as a whole.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
Stormy_77
Not very well known or popular, Jyu Oh Sei is a hidden gem. A relatively short anime, this series went way beyond my expectations in nearly all respects. Story Jyu Oh Sei dispels the myth that a series has to be long in order to be good. It's only 11 episodes but the plot moves very fast and a lot of stuff happens at a good pace. The story starts off with two twin brothers barely into their teens abandoned on a prison planet after their parents are killed. It begins as a "survival tale" with Thor, the elder brother, being the protagonist, and swiftly transitions intoa nature documentary, action movie, drama and finally space opera. Secondary themes like genetics, social order, politics, relationships and existentialism are explored. You won't be bored.
Characters
Real. Fascinating. Relateable. Even Machiavellian. Everyone has an agenda. Nobody is stupid. A few wear their hearts on their sleeves but they're all well fleshed out. Even those with relatively little screen time are important to the story. There aren't really any unnecessary characters. Even the plants in this show are their own characters.
Art/Animation and sound
The animation is not as crisp in some places but overall quite good. When they say the main charater looks good, it's because he really does look good. The characters age and again this is very well done. Backgrounds are very detailed and realistic. Both the Opening and Ending themes fit the anime and were good songs in their own right. Sound effects were pretty good too. Overall very good.
Enjoyment
Extremely enjoyable. When it ended I wanted more. This could easily have been 24 or even 52 episodes.
Overall
Completely underrated but very good, very watchable anime. It's hard to find though. Please PM me if you want it, I will figure out how to make a torrent for this if only to share this with other users.
Beatnik
Jyu Oh Sei has stupid names for characters like Thor, Odin, and Zagi of Iliad, but if you can get past that ridiculous attempt at symbolism, and other miscellaneous missteps, you'll hopefully find yourself entertained by this fast paced epic adventure. On a colony planet far from Earth, two brothers stumble upon their murdered parents and are knocked out by gas. They wake up on a planet loaned from whoever built the sets for King Kong and Little Shop Of Horrors. That's right; the jungle tries to kill you every five minutes! Who killed their parents? Why were they sent to a cruel planetpopulated by miscreants in tribes who battle each other for supremacy? How can you get off a planet that's controlled in a dastardly manner that the agents of the Matrix would approve? More importantly, is this damn genre-juggling show worth a watch?
Yes it is, and the reveal which propels the story into a completely different direction is excellent. What we get up to that is decent animation, pretty engaging world design and plotlines that sci-fi fans will dig, and that sense of epicness which comes along with a tale that follows a character over a period of years.
With Jyu Oh Sei there's this feeling that you're watching something different from the norm, even though nothing about this production is pioneering in any way at all. I think this refreshing feeling has to do with the fact that the source of the story is from a short manga rather than one that went on endlessly, and that the production crew did a good job delivering it to the small screen. Maybe that in itself is rare these days? The bad guys in this show don’t even have tiny irises! Kudos.
There are miscellaneous flaws as mentioned above, like a love triangle that feels tacked on (aren't they all?), generic narrative clichés that you've seen a million times before and wish you'd never see again, but they're just little bumps in the road, nothing to dampen the parade. The core concept driving this show, that of the consequences of living in a dog-eat-dog world, fighting to survive for a tangible reason, and the relationship between you and your less-than-spectacular twin brother, are however compelling enough to make you forgive any clichéd moments that pop up.
Jyu Oh Sei breezes along thanks to its 11 episode length; because it’s a successful adaptation and not the insipid tailor-made trash of a TV writer. The soundtrack from the superb-as-always Hajime Mizoguchi is the final dressing on this dessert and stays with you long after you witness the last episode.
Ian_K
Jyo Oh Sei is a good (maybe even great) 29 episode show squeezed into 11 episodes. The result isn't pretty. The foundation of the plot is a big 'ole mess of second rate science fiction concepts, including The Plant Planet, The Prison Planet, The War Between the Sexes, and others that it would be spoilerish of me to reveal. Seriously, this story kept reminding me of the Golden Age SciFi I've read. The difference is, those stories (well, the good ones anyways) fully explored their concepts and were able make interesting situations out of them. And perhaps the Jyu-Oh-Sei manga manages todo this, but here none of the concepts are really given enough time to become interesting.
The setting and ideas have it easy, though. The characters are the ones who really suffer, as the creators push them through rushed plot twist after rushed plot twist. Perhaps the worst example comes in the first episode, when Thor whiplashes from protecting his brother, to trying to kill him, to protecting him again, in just a few minutes. What was supposed to be a brutal moral conundrum just comes off as silly (It doesn't help that his brother dies anyways in the same episode, essentially invalidating the whole moral struggle).
And this show is talky. Very talky. There just isn't time for the characters to exhibit their traits through their actions, so everything has to be explained. This leads to some pretty significant disparities between how character talk, and their actions on the screen.
No, this is not a character-driven anime. Rather, the plot is in control, cracking its whip and forcing the characters through one unnatural contortion after another.
Still, despite all this, it manages to maintain a modicum of interest - up until Ninja Chick is introduced, in a forced attempt at a love triangle. Their is no chemistry to the relationship, however, and it only serves to dry up whatever enthusiasm the viewer has for the finale. The bizarre death of a major character at the end didn't even provoke more than a puzzled 'huh?' from me.
Visually, the show is a mixed bag. The character designs and animation are pretty good, but they take place in incredibly uninspired locales. Big empty spaceships, big empty castles, big empty tundras, big empty valleys - there's just not much stuff on the planet of the Beast King, apparently.
Another complaint is the misogyny present. Despite the fact that the original work was written by a woman, the story is far from feminist. Oh sure, on the surface stuff like "Women have the absolute right to choose their mates!" sounds all pro-Grrl, but the truth is that all our supposedly strong female characters are completely dependent on men by the end of the show (or dead).
For all the vitriol, Jyu-Oh-Sei has redeeming qualities (it looks alright, the plot starts out somewhat intersting, etc), and people do like it. Nonetheless, this is simply not a very good show, and I recommend skipping it. Certainly don't blind buy it unless it's very cheap and you have a high tolerance for schlock.
Kochflakes
Aw~~, Jyu Oh Sei...So special ... To start, the story. I've never imagined that kind of story could exist. Mixing Sci-fi with he...Hum...how to say it... with a "king of the "animals"", was very sought. So: Thor and Rai, 2 little twins with blue eyes, pale skin and grey hair, discovered their parents, dead. Dispatched in an unknown planete -by important people (but who?That's a really important question in this story)-, where the law is simple: the stronger, who rule on every people on this planete (called Chimera), and rule on the "special" flora of Chimera, will be able to quit it... After a little time to think,Thor is decided: He'll be the Jyu Oh, the king of the animals, king of Chimera...
The beginning of the story was fast,so I realised very quick that all the anime will be like this.
The only little problem is that the anime was just on 11 episodes, so some parties of the story couldn't be detailed.
Like in the first ep', when Thor 's going to kill his twin, why don't we have some explanations about his feelings?
And the part with Karim, it's a little bit disturbing when Thor fell in love so quick....It's just unbelievable.
The animation and the art was very good, I really liked the battle scenes, even if the profile of the characters was special to me (the noses too, they were really ...special.and big.) .
The sound , after that. So, the OP is special (lyrics, music and voice), but I enjoyed it, I just do not know why. the ED was absolutely beautiful for the voice, even if the lyrics weren't researched at all.
The voices were all good, but in the last ep' I was disappointed: was it because it was the end that they were not looking passionate?
The characters were good.But sometimes, I didn't understand why important characters ( the chiefs of the Cercles, for exemple.) didn't appear much longer, instead of some useless (Karim, Chen) chara' who were always in all the ep.
By the way, the age of Thor was disturbing: His voice, and his physic didn't show us a vision of a nomal child of 11 for the first part, and a vision of an adolescent of 15.
After all, I really enjoyed it, I wanted to kill some chara because of their stupidity or their arrogance, and that is why it's a very good anime: it carry you in a new vision of Sci-Fi. [ and the end, oh god...]
JesuOtaku_
On the technical side of things, the animation is Studio BONES. Which means it is awesome. This is greatly aided by the fact that the show is only eleven episodes long and can squeeze the most out of its budget, which it does. The music is nothing particularly special, in fact it can be a little too melodramatic at times, but the opener and closer heavily remind me of 90s top 20 hits, so I can’t hate on it that much. The acting performances are also quite well-done in this show. For the dub, I was surprised at how mellow the acting was for ashow that begs to be very melodramatic, but in hindsight, it’s probably good that the actors chose to be less cartoony and more down-to-earth. It’s still VERY dramatic, but it’s not Code Geass or anything. I was also very happy to hear a new hero voice from Thor’s character, and Sean Teague has a perfect youthful gentleness in contrast to the rough, brutal supporting cast around him. Great work all around.
The only thing I can compare this show to is a good old Ray Bradbury short story. It’s pure undiluted science fiction with lots of techno-babble, weird societies, epic fighting, and strong themes about humanity, nature, and the morality that gets sandwiched between them.
So the question is: does the show do it well? Mm, for the most part, the answer is yes. Again, this show is only eleven episodes long, and it has to cover Thor’s life from runty kid to beast king in that time, so you’re not going to have any filler material, but at the same time, the story didn’t feel rushed, except in its very final episode that, while fitting overall, could have used some rewrites in some raw meaty places. On the contrary, I wonder if it could have held up with any validity if it was longer, as some of the plot twists are a little silly and it can be very predictable at times. I swear, there are a couple of characters that could walk onscreen with nametags that say “I’m going to die in ten minutes,” and it would be less obvious.
Still, these are minor flaws considering how very well the story flows at the breakneck speed it must, and for its few contrivances, the story also has some wicked good twists that bring out the best in its shocked little posse of players.
Character development is an important part of sci fi where motives are needed for bizarre behavior, and on that front, I don’t know that Jyu Oh Sei delivers too well. The writing is fine, so the real problem is just too many characters, not enough time. Our leads the three Ts, Thor, Tiz, and Third, (yes, his name is a number, you find out why later,) are quite interesting enough despite the fact they have to spend so much time updating you on the plot as we zip through the years at a speed that necessitates a gallon of Dramamine. It can feel very “after-school special” sometimes when the characters start spouting exposition, morals of the story, and their profound (yeah, right) emotional problems, just a necessary evil for the anime’s length.
All in all, this is good, basic sci fi, with nary a stutter from beginning to end, a bite-sized epic. Still, the sophomoric character development and sometimes questionable plot twists are juuuuust enough to water it down to less than what it could have been.
*THIS IS A PARTIAL TRANSCRIPT OF MY VIDEO REVIEW WHICH CAN BE SEEN HERE:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvVPVVXXb7U
Thanks for reading!
Pearlescent88
It seems like most people either love or hate this show. I understand why some people would really appreciate this kind of work, but I'm gonna have to go with the "hate" side. I saw another review mentioned that this is a great show squeezed into far too few episodes, and I think that's a fair assessment- although the biggest problem is exactly HOW they squeezed it in. The Sci-Fi premise is interesting, the setting detailed and forbidding, the set up for an epic struggle to the top all you could wish for in this kind of story. However, the show never delivered on whatit promised me. It's like they took this whole complex story arc spanning years and multiple character arcs and decided to cut out all of the most interesting parts. Here's the basic structure of the show- Set up the scenario and characters, present the complex problems that need to be solved, build up to the conflict, and- cut to __ years later! Repeat. The first time this happened I literally went "HUH?!" Like, did I skip an episode somehow? Here's our main character, a young boy thrown into a hostile environment with the goals to survive and find out why he's here and what happened to cause his parent's death. Oh and maybe find his brother. And instead of showing me his journey and struggle, the show just goes "Okay, and now he's a powerful ruler and has completely different goals and motivations than when you last saw him, aren't you glad we didn't show you all that juicy drama and character growth?" The show goes on with increasingly frequent time skips and setting changes until the plot and character progressions have no weight at all, even when they logically make sense (which isn't all that often). The PAINFULLY disappointing final episode sealed this as one of the least satisfying anime I have ever seen. Almost every opportunity for catharsis and pay off was purposefully squandered, the characters were almost all completely un-relatable jerks, and I don't even REMEMBER how the show tried to half-bakedly resolve any of the questions the story started out with. I'm sorry if you think this show is stylish and edgy with an interesting and unconventional plot progression, but it really did almost nothing for me.
niko2137
This is great anime which I happen to run across some time ago. It is very addicting with a nice twisting plot. The main action takes place on a carnivorous planet where two young brother (twins) were abandon after they were accused murdering their parents. The only why they can get back home is to become the Ju Oh Sei, the ruler of the planet to do this they have to fight to the death and take over the head postions of each of the color rings(tribes). To show any weakness on this planet means instant death. Survive or die....scary quick. But there isa great mystery about this planet; a mystery that involves the death of their parents and birth of the twins.
Lyle
Story: Jyu Oh Sei is a story about two twin brothers who were sent to a planet named Chimera. From a point of view, It's very nice, two kids who look the same have to surivive on an abandoned planet with only a poor beam knife, but the planet Chimera is full of dangers, like humen eating plants. I think the story is very good, but there have been similar situation in other animes. Art: I don't really complain about the art, it was satisfying enough, but the nose style is kinda getting on nerves. Sound: The opening song and the Ending song are really good, and they match itto the anime's style and geners. The background sound was very nice too.
Character:
The first characters that you'll see in the anime are Thor and Rai, These are the twins that I talked about. They have completely diffrent personality. Thor is the stronger one, he's smart and he was the first one to adapt quickly to Chimera's environment and fights for his survival on the planet.
But Rai was completely shocked when he found himself on Chimera.
In the first episode they meet Zagi, after a few years, he returns as a rival of Thor. Thor meets a girl named Tiz, she saves him from the humen eating plant and wants to get married.
Third is the mysterious one, he doesn't have a name and in the first episodes
u wont be able to tell anything about him.
Karim is Zagi's second, a pretty woman that Thor falls in love with her immediately.
Enjoyment:
The action in this anime is great, especially when they're grown up. The mysterious makes u want to see more and more and find out about Chimera and about the characters. There is romance too. Sci-Fi has taken a serious part in the enjoyment.
Talu
How can I put it right? WATCH JYU OH SEI AND YOU WON'T REGRET IT. Now I can start. :D - Story- Actually I don't like Science-Fiction that much. I think it is boring. But with Jyu Oh Sei? I couldn't stop watching it! If the downloads were more faster, I could finish it in the day I started (I finished it in 2 days). Except of Wolf's Rain, this is one of the most intersting stories I've ever seen in Anime! - Art and Animation- The art was really good. The picture of the views and stuff were good, but in some scene it seemed that the characters had twonoses T___T and the animation was a little annoying. ^^;;; But I lived with that, so you can too. :o
-
Sound-
The opening theme was... yuck XD I hated it but I got used to it eventually.The ending theme was... *-* soooooo good! I can't stop listening to it even now. |:
The voices of the character were very good, each character had the perfect voice that matched it.
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Characters-
Good,besides one thing in the last episodes that was.. weird ._. I hate that kind of stuff. Also the romance in the anime was really beautiful between two couples.
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Enjoyment-
10 from 10. *_* I can watch this anime over and ove again, and I'll do it! So go watch! :D
PotatoSpoon
To keep it simple and to the point: It's been well over 10 years since I've watched this. But the reason I am writing this review is to give the person actually considering watching this show a chance to enjoy it as opposed to completely fall apart at the seems from what can only be described as "Teach the dog to read and write so he can finish it" 2nd act of a show. Never have I been more insulted by any piece of media I've ever consumed than I have with this show. Stale, heavily clichéd , bewildering metaphors, characters and situations stabbed intothe viewer like a knife left out on a literal poop deck to just fester and cake onto it all day in the roasting sun, with all the infections you would never imagine could happen to you all at once because someone just handed it to you while you were cutting food and said "here, the knife is good. Just was coated to be brown" then just proceeds to randomly stab you with it till you're chronically stuck in a hospital room for the rest of yours days.
That's what you get in the 2nd Act.
First act is interesting, fascinating, suspenseful. Just watch the 1st act before a certain someone grows up. TRUST ME on this.
ukiuki
This anime is not too popular, but it is definitely worth the watch. The story is really really good. There are so many plot twists, and the pace at which it moves is quick but comfortable. The story is the kind of story i like to watch, with betrayals, battles, coming of age, human nature =D The animation is nothing special... The opening and ending themes are really good, especially the ending theme. The background music was good as well, but the reason why I didnt rate the sound a 10 is because the animation sequence during the ending theme should have been more elaborate to reflect song.The characters are really fun to watch. You really dont know the motives of any of the characters. However, the characters just come and go, and you dont find out enough about the characters (except for the main character) after their scenes are over.
This anime was a fun ride, but it was sad that it was too short.
Great short watch!
NeverKnowsBest26
Jyu-Oh-Sei is a good example of a well written Science Fiction. It has a complex, well thought out plot that, like any good sci-fi, explores human morality. It has strange societies, incredible super-science, compelling character drama, and everything else fans of the genre could want. However, it is also an example of how a good story can fall short of its potential when it is short on time. In a distant future, human beings inhabit terraformed planets after using up most of Earth's resources. They can no longer reproduce normally and the average human life span has been drastically reduced, those who don't have aspecial operation hardly live past their twenties. Still, people live in a world of fantastic technology and brothers Thor and Rai have lived sheltered lives. That is until their parents are killed and they are sent to Chimera, a planet dominated by carnivorous plants. This planet, where only the most worst criminals are sent and only the most savage survive, is known by its inhabitants as Planet of the Beast King. Soon after arriving, Rai is killed and Thor is left alone in a world he does not understand. However, there is a small hope for him. If he can fight his way to the top and become the Beast King, he can leave the planet; and find out why his family was murdered and why he was sent to this merciless planet.
As mentioned before, Jyu-Oh-Sei has a complex and richly detailed world. One thing not mentioned in the summery is the bizarre social structure of those inhabiting Chimera. People live in four separate territories, called "Rings"; each is ruled by a leader titled the "Top". If the Top of one Ring conquers the others, he will become the Beast King and have the privilege to leave the planet. Also, women are scarce on Chimera, and so have the privilege to choose their mate for the "Month of Mating" and those they chose cannot refuse. This strange society frames most of the story very well. It gives Thor a way to escape Chimera and find out why he was even sent there. It also sparks much of the shows character drama.
The pacing through most of the series is actually very good. In just eleven episodes, it has to follow Thor from little boy to young man, which is not an easy task. Surprisingly, it doesn't feel rushed; even the time skip doesn't feel unnatural, an incredible feat all on its own. Thor's quest and character relationships develop naturally (with maybe one exception) . Unfortunately, the this cannot be said about the final episodes. The plot twists near the end are all jumbled together in a mess, and may even seem ridiculous to some. However, the strong overall execution of the story is enough to overshadow the missteps of the final episodes.
If its plot is Jyu-Oh-Sei's strongest point, then its characters are its weakest. For his part, Thor is a strong lead; he wants to leave Chimera to find the truth behind his parents murder and his banishment. At the same time, he is burdened with the circumstances of his brothers death, and tries to achieve his goal as humanely as possible. His two main companions Tiz and Third (there is an explanation for his name being a number) are also pretty likable and interesting. However, even then those two are not particularly well developed. Tiz's motivations are simple (she's in love with Thor) and Third's are shrouded in mystery; obviously having a lot to do with the overall plot. Everyone else is more or less a plot-device or fodder for the body count. Many are actually quite interesting, but they ended up being discarded or put aside until they could be fit back into the story.
The artistry and animation are what you would expect from a top animation studio like Bones; magnificent. The character designs are extremely attractive, but without looking like they are pandering to a certain audience, or looking out of place in the brutal landscapes of Chimera. The backgrounds are just as strong, if not even more so. Chimera's jungles look and feel real; they are beautiful but lurking with danger. Likewise, the high-tech settings of the universe outside of Chimera are a marvel to look at, and really give the feeling of a technologically advanced civilization. The music is not particularly memorable, similar to most sci-fi adventures, but does just fine supporting the story.
All in all, Jyu-Oh Sei is a strong sci-fi well worth its time. It has its fair share of missteps, especially in its final episodes. However, being that it is only eleven episodes long, it tells an impressive story in the time it is given; certainly better than one would expect. Though not quite living up to its potential it is a rewarding experience most will enjoy.
IcePrincess1513
This anime honestly surprised me with how awesome it was. I was online and I happened to come across the opening theme for this anime and when I saw it I decided that I was really bored so I went ahead and watched it expecting to be bored out of my mind after the first couple episodes. I wasn't. Though I wish it could have a been a bit longer I liked how they developed the story in only 11 episode, true, some parts could have used more detail, but none the less, the plot was carefully unraveled and kept you guessing until the end. Eventhough the ending isn't the full happy ending most people like, I thought it really suited the plot and tied off everything and gave you full closure. I completely recommend this anime even if you're not a big sci-fi fan!
deleteme234
Left me speechless... Story: Jyu-Oh-Sei: Planet of the Beast King, is a relatively short science fiction anime about two twins whose parents are murdered and are abandoned on a deadly planet where criminals are sent to die known as Chimera. Vicious plants rule this planet, and tribes of humans are forced to fight each other, until a hero is granted the title of Beast King. Nothing though, is what it seems, as proved in the final episodes of this grand show. Jyu-Oh-Sei is an unique and epic masterpiece, and tells an unforgettable story. The ending amazed and shocked me due to its sad nature. Go into Jyu-Oh-Sei expectinga tear jerk-er.
The show is split into two parts, one when the main character, Thor, is a child, and the other when he is a teenager (5 year time skip). Time skips can be somewhat unsettling, but nonetheless his show is extremely addicting and easy to finish in one sitting.
Art:
The art is very well done and has high enough quality to be a movie!!!The characters models look great; the only strange thing I thought was their noses. Other than that though, the artwork is extremely good.
Sound:
Character voices matched their appearance and you can tell that the voice actors actually cared. Both the beginning and ending theme song are really good, and I listened to both every single episode (something I rarely do).
Most of the soundtracks were pretty good, except for one, which really sets your mood and I consider to be a gem.
Character:
Most of the characters in Jyu-Oh-Sei are three dimensional and have great depth. They change and grow throughout the series as they learn about the truth of the world around them.
Most of the character names are based off of Norse mythology such as Thor (main character), Odin (minister of Balkin), and Loki (old scientist).
Watching Jyu-Oh-Sei was an incredible experience for me and I highly recommend this anime to everyone!
DenzRui
As anime watchers; we've often encountered words such as "wasted potential", and let me tell you, yes you, the one who's reading this, this anime is the very definition of WASTED POTENTIAL. Story: The story starts with twin brothers; Thor and Rai with Thor being the elder sibling and Rai being the younger. After coming home, they went to see the dead bodies of their parents and while lamenting their lost; they we're put on sleep and dropped in a plant planet called Chimaera. The plot didn't have that much "interesting" vibe to it, but once you get to watch the first few episodes, that's when you'll knowthat it was becoming interesting to good.
But sadly, it was only good for the first part, after the major time skip, this show went suicidal.
Art:
The art for me was really decent. No complaints about it.
Sound:
I thought I'd never like the opening song but it grew on me, and after 3 episodes I've never skip it. But other than the opening, the voice acting was decent. nothing spectacular.
Character:
This part of the show has many negative things that writing it in this review would spoil you.
Let me just tell you this; Don't expect any psychological or moral shits taking place, if ever, you won't buy to it because everything is forced. Don't even get interested in a specific character, because they'll never be dived upon because they'll be disposed of ( Even the main character gets none, if ever, he turns 180 degress to the right, then he'll turn 180 degress to the left. )
Enjoyment:
The first few episodes were quite good, I mean 1-7, or before the timeskip ( even with super thick plot armor )
The second part of the show is a train-wreck. It was so bad that enjoying its badness became a thing.
Overall:
As I've stated at the beginning, this show is the epitome of WASTED POTENTIAL. It had many things in store, really. They could've expounded on the world, the rules, the characters, motivations, morals etc. But no, the rushed everything and compiled everything within a span of 11 episodes.
Do I recommend this? No. But if you're curious and want to have some laughs then do so.
ReyvinHill
This is a review of the anime only. I have not read the manga. This was an interesting anime. It started off as a standard survival anime but became more complex by the time it was done. While it kept my attention and was generally enjoyable, it felt rushed and was overall, a bit disappointing. What I liked: 1. It was suspenseful and kept my attention. 2. It kept me guessing as to who could be trusted. 3. I liked most of the characters.4. It had a lot of potential.
What I didn’t like:
1. Thor’s supposed ages. It didn’t fit with his appearance, his voice, or his behavior. Thor could have started out as a 14yo and progressed to a 19yo and still have been young to be a leader.
2. Thor’s fight scenes. It made no sense for him to win the fights he did other than that it was convenient to the plot that he do so. He had no combat training and was going up against people who’d fought a lot.
3. There were a lot of convenient plot devices that could have been better disguised.
4. Thor falling in forever love with the first pretty woman he sees within a few hours of meeting her.
5. The ending was rushed and had a lot of huge holes. There wasn’t enough time to process all of the information and changes thrown at us. It also felt rather pointless, to be honest. Yes, he got his answers, but there was no real sense of justice meted out, and he lost more than he gained.
STORY: The story had a ton of potential. I think if it had been extended into a 24-episode series, it would have been better for it. There were technically enough clues to predict what was going to happen, and I did figure some of it out but not to its full extent. I would have liked my suspicions to have grown more slowly over time. I also would have like a more clear view of a certain character’s motivation to better understand why he did what he did. As it was, it seemed a poor motivation for such an elaborate and extended deception. The science behind Odin’s plan was … ridiculous. Perhaps if there had been more explanation and more evidence of both its possibility and its need, it would have been more believable. Really, the whole thing just fell flat and was confusing, disappointing, and needlessly tragic.
ART: Well, it was 2006. I’m not sure this would have gotten any awards even then. It really wasn’t great at all. The facial features were angular and blocky. I despised the noses. There was nothing special about the landscapes or textures. Overall, the art was pretty bad. The mixture of scifi, modern, and medieval cultures all into one was odd. Their dwellings and utensils were all medieval but they had modern assault rifles and futuristic air bikes. It was just … odd.
SOUND: Also, 2006, and again, I think bad even for then. It was more like a 90s anime in terms of sound, both music and effects.
CHARACTER: The only character that was truly interesting was Third and mostly because he was mysterious. None of them possessed any depth. I found Thor’s lack of true grief over Rai’s death disturbing. I found Thor to be impetuous and immature, which I guess was the only part of him that seemed the age they had him. His voice and appearance didn’t match his age at all but his behavior did. I found their obsession with having children understandable given the circumstances but disturbing for an 11yo girl to be talking about. Thor’s motivation to find out who killed his parents and why made sense. It’s the motivation of a lot of main characters, but somehow it just fell flat in this anime. It didn’t really have any punch. None of the characters were overly likable or endearing. I didn’t hate any of them but I didn’t get attached to any of them either.
ENJOYMENT: I watched the whole thing but sort of felt like I’d like those few hours back. I can’t really say that I recommend it. It’s not awful, but it’s not great. It had the potential to be great. It really did. But it wasn’t.
Sumirerireri
(it's Ok, no spoilers here) It is really difficult to say if this is a good anime or a very bad one. Let's start with the good aspects. This anime is very easy to watch. it's short, the plot develops very smoothly and the main premise is very good. A boy who's parents are killed and he is sent to a wild planet without a clue of what's going on around him. When he thinks he has figured out how he should work his way out of the planet in order to find out the answers he's looking for, he starts to discover that thingsare way more complex than he could have imagined, and nothing is what it seems. At the end we discover a skillfully imagined sci-fy scenario with a nice setting and a nice ethical dilemma. And it is not only that the plot is good but that it also manages to create enough intrigue to keep you interested all along. It's far from a mystery or psychological show, but you definetely keep wondering about the real intentions of most of the characters until the last chapters.
Those are in my opinion the most positive aspects of this show, and they are so good that it's a shame it has been so poorly developed. Which takes me to the weak aspects:
It has only 11 chapters, which is clearly not enough to develope the whole story as it should have been developed in order to exploit all of its potential. Everything happens too fast and it sometimes gets difficult to understand why the characters behave the way they do. Sometimes things seem to make no sense at all, and it's not because they don't actually make sense but because they are really zipped so you don't get to see the full background of what is going on. It's really a pity because it could have been a very good anime if they had given more time to develope all the aspects of the plot. In addition, while the male characters are very well designed (they have a purpose, good strategies, beauty and charisma) the female characters are just risible. The women in this show have actually good reasons to behave the way they do, and you can get to understand them after all, but in most cases they are presented as merely irrational and sentimental fools. In any case, nor the males or the females are ever given the chance to show their full potential.
Anyway I cannot say I didn't like it.
EzmierTheSwift
Let me just start by saying until LITERALLY the day before I watched it, I had no idea this anime existed. Honestly, I had no expectations, no idea what it was about, or anything. I simply saw a picture of Third and wondered what he was from. It is very rare that I will give an anime a 10. Especially across the board. Normally, they range between 5-8. This anime earned it. Some people like those animes that drag on and on...this anime was the perfect length. Short, sweet, perfect. Let's start with the story. Seems simple enough. Twin brothers from the distant future live an ordinarylife on a space colony called Juno. A Tragic twist of fate sends them to the planet of Chimera where it's a contasnt fight for survival against the elements, the plants, and other humans. Rai doesn't make the cut but Thor raises to the occasion. He goes on a quest of sorts to become the Jyu Oh (Beast King) and get off the planet and return home. But as you delve in deeper, the edition of characters like Tiz, Third, Chen, and Zagi and their own agenda and the plot unfolds to become quite unexpected. The edition of the Hint of Norris Mythology (Thor, Loki, Odin, Asgard, Valkyrie, Chimera) really added a fun twist to the story as well!
Lets take a look at the characters. At first, everyone seemed a bit cookie cutter to me. Nope. Thor constantly struggling to stay human in a world of beasts as he rises to the top, Tiz's undying devotion to Thor and the predicaments it lands her in, Third's cool and easy going nature with a hint of something suspicious, Zagi's seemingly kind then cruel nature with a dash of mystery. For 11 episodes, they jam packed in more character development then some shows can accomplish in 100 episodes. And each was unique and could grab the viewer by the heart strings and yank real hard.
The theme song for this anime is something I strongly desire to comment on. It was the most fitting anime theme song I have ever heard. the rest of the music for this anime was fantastic and the voice acting was spot on.
It's really a shame this anime is so underground. It's really worth taking time out to watch it. I don't regret it in the slightest!
HybridMedia
So…this is somewhat a fascinating sci-fi anime title from Studio BONES, the guys that brought you Wolf’s Rain, Eureka Seven & Xam’d, based on the manga series written and illustrated by Natsumi Itsuki. On that, the plot of the series is that three hundred and fifty years have passed since humans first settled the Balkan star system, located approximately 150 light years from Earth, where a number of planets have been "terraformed" to resemble Earth. Two 11-year-old twins, Thor and Rai, live on the space colony Juno until they come home to find their parents have been murdered. The unknown assassins drop Thor and Raion Chimaera, a secret planet used as a penal colony where day and night last 181 days each and the planet are marked by extreme weather patterns.
In other words, the plants dominate the ecosystem of the planet and have many defensive techniques as well as carnivorous varieties as a hazard to the people. In the society, there are 4 groups of humans called “Rings” that plays as governs via the Ochre Ring, Sun Ring, Blanc Ring and Noire Ring, which are based on skin color. Each ring is led by three people: the Top, Second, and Third, with the Top as the leader.
On characters, there isn’t a strong point on that faction. For example, take the main character Thor (yes, his name is Thor; I’ll spare the Marvel jokes and there is also the usage of names from Norse Mythology i.e. Odin, Loki, Heimdall) who at first seem like a weakling and eventually grow to be a stronger character than he was. Rai, on the other hand, isn’t much of a highlight considering he was annoying, whiny, and did slowed Thor down at some times and also was the first to die by the plants. That wasn’t really much of a spoiler; he gets killed off in the first episode. Tiz is an interesting character but there isn’t much motivation from her besides that she wants to marry Thor and have his children since on the planet since women make up 20% of the population and the chosen mate is not allowed to refuse. Third is a bit of a shifty character and it seems like he really can’t be trusted and without revealing anything, we can’t really be sure upon that. The other characters aren’t worth mentioning considering some get killed off quickly and/or we either don’t know much about them, making us not really care for their lives.
The series is only about 11 episodes and for me, the pace is a little too quick. I get that there isn’t filler and that is a plus but most of the time, they would leave out some important details that could’ve help the series progressed but it’s very flawed on that detail, much like Eden of the East and their follow-up movies.
The animation by BONES is actually good. The jungle scenery and sets has a realistic feel to it and the character designs are a bit jarring, especially with the designs of Thor and Rai, which I first assume was effeminate males although that design isn’t exactly new and then again, their child versions are voiced by a female voice actor so there’s no harm done. The background music was okay at the time but I really didn’t like the opening theme that has a taste of ‘90s boy band music and I really detest that kind of music but the ending was much better suited for where it’s at.
FINAL VERDICT: This was an okay series that really should’ve extended its episode count by at least about 3-4 episodes or even some extra OVAs. The pacing goes rapid and leaves out some details that could’ve been used for later. Some characters you can’t really care about when most of them might die after an episode or two or we just forget about them until the next time they appear. I would say to watch this, just to past the time.
