Xenosaga, Volume 1 - J-Revolution
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"interesting"
"the series manages to meld together 3D ship designs and more traditional animation quite seamlessly"
"The dub is flawless... everyone seems to have a voice suited perfectly for their character."
Xenosaga has long been a staple of “good RPGs” here in America. Perhaps even synonymous with the RPG name. At the same time, many people call Xenosaga the “best movie they’ve ever played.” Can a game so deep on story development and pre-rendered movies have a faithful anime adaptation?
Based on the first game in the series, “Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht,” the first disc plays as an introduction to the major players and a few major plot points. Do you have to be a die-hard fan of the game to understand the show? Absolutely not.
Do you have to be a fan of the game to enjoy the show?
Xenosaga The Animation
-Volume 1: Enter the Gnosis
- Produced by: Production I.G
- Released by: A.D. Vision, Inc.
- Release date: 9/11/07
- Episodes 1-4, approximately 100 minutes
Let me preface this by saying that I have never once played the Xenosaga games. I think that a fan of the games will have a vastly different opinion on me as far as the story goes, so please keep that in mind during this review.
Normally in a review I would give my spin on the story, but in this case I’m just going to go with the back of the box:
“Over 4,000 years after abandoning the Earth, humanity is in peril. Under attack by a merciless enemy from another dimension, the crew of the spaceship Woglinde is fighting not only to save their own lives, but also to defend a mysterious monolith with unknown powers. It is called the Zohar, and the evil Gnosis will stop at nothing to get it. Enter KOS-MOS, a robotic black-box weapon as dangerous and misunderstood as she is beautiful. Designed to protect humankind, she could very well be the downfall of her creators - or she may be their only hope. From the wildly popular video game series, it’s Xenosaga the Animation. If you’re into mystery, intrigue, and out-of-this-world action, it’s GAME ON!”
So, my take on the story? Confusing, but definitely interesting. I am intrigued by KOS-MOS and the “secrets” that seem to be held inside of “her.” The first disc revolves around the relationships between several parties. We have the humans, and “Realians,” who are very, very advanced androids with free will. Next to them, we have the “Gnosis,” a strange race of creatures that, at least during the first disc, remain very obscure enemies. Just why they are bad, we do not know… they just are.
The anime is only composed of 12 episodes and will be spread throughout three discs. The story is going to lose a bit in the transition between game and anime, and because of that many hardcore fans of the game series have voiced a relatively poor opinion of the anime. So far this in, I understand a few of the basics, but I worry that possibly too much has been changed from the games.
Animation quality ranges from excellent to fairly poor. For the most part, the series manages to meld together 3D ship designs and more traditional animation quite seamlessly, but occasionally things seem to “pop” from the background too much. Character designs are likable and do a good job of helping to explain the intricacies of each race in the series.
The games were known for having beautiful cinematic work, but I think that some of that has probably been lost in the transition. Overall though the animation is aesthetically pleasing to the eyes and definitely won’t turn anyone off of the show. Other than a few inconsistencies here and there, everything checks out just fine.
Musically, the soundtrack sets the perfect feel for the show. I never felt overwhelmed by the backing tracks, and everything seemed mixed together well. The dub sounds flawless, from the robotic KOS-MOS to the slightly more lively MOMO, everyone seems to have a voice suited perfectly for their character. The Japanese track is included of course, and the characters seem to correlate perfectly with their characters there as well.
Very few extras are included on this disc. You have the standard Clean Opening & Endings and ADV Trailers. That’s all. No extras included inside the case either. The box art does a good job of introducing some of the characters, with a nice shot of KOS-MOS front and center.
Overall, I think that fans of the game are going to appreciate this release the most. I have no personal problems with it, but it seems to be that this far in, too much is left unexplained. For fans of the games who are willing to accept a condensed and filtered story in order to fit it in to 12 episodes, this show is going to be absolutely perfect. For everyone else, a rental is definitely in order. Not a bad release by any means, but one that is obviously being aimed at fans of the game.
-Steven A. Hammock, 9/11/07
Posted on Friday, September 14, 2007 (Archive on Sunday, October 14, 2007)