Imagine a Sci-fi epic with the tenacity of becoming something of a psychological journey into the deep unknown. Many movies have captured the feelings of being out in the far reaches of interstellar travel in space rockets, or this case, giant mechas. With the help of talented writers, that dream can become real to prove to the viewers that it can retain that sci-fi glory and be significant to the genre. It takes something like Sidonia no Kishi to show that the genre is far from dead.
What sets Sidonia no Kishi at the top spot, along with many great space epics in anime, is how beautifully crafted it sets up the premise. Rich, with well-developed lore that organizes the tension that we feel with the dilemma that the characters are facing. It’s clear from how the writers put all of their efforts into crafting a grand narrative to capsulize the drama to make us root for the characters, rather than apathetically rooting for their deaths. This includes genuine tragic emotion and a heart-pounding climax that puts it on overdrive to appease the action fans. Even with its shallow ending that feels rather abrupt, that is only a minor issue to a story with more things going for it on a larger scale.
Not only does Sidonia no Kishi nail it on the narrative aspect of the story, but it enriches itself with very deeply layered lore that feels relatively fresh. Sure, humans near extinction going out to settle in open space may not be “new” in the strictest sense. However, Sidonia no Kishi offers a slightly different approach to this setting. Rather than make a narrative encompassing large factions and political strife, it’s more personal and first-person, following our hero Nagate. We have a relatively intimate experience with the characters and the story through this approach that helps us navigate towards their dialogue and interactions with the world and other people. Here, the show sets a nice bar pretty high for a genre that hasn’t delved into this type of narrative and doing it well, no less.
It has to amount to how the characters portray themselves in the narrative to have a considerable impact. Unfortunately, only a few of them stand out as accomplishing this. The few that do are the main protagonists, Nagate and Izana. This is how they have a nicely written bond towards the halfway point into the plot and how they develop over time, whether it’s their relationship or their roles. Nagate is portrayed as dealing with the turbulent lifestyle of Sidonia’s poorer sub-culture, and his growth is developed gradually and with intelligence. Izana starts as a plain-old character that will be the apparent love interest, but they take a few risks in being written as a guide for Nagate. She isn’t just a love interest and nothing else. She has a hand in the development of Nagate and doesn’t appear as useless to the show.
So what is wrong with the rest of the cast? Nothing entirely major. It all comes down to how much of an impact they have in their presence, which only ranges from decent to below average. The obvious choice for decent is Hoshijiro and how the writers treat her tragic role. All that comes down to for the rest aren’t that they are uninteresting, but all I can see in most of their archetypes are Characters A, B, C, and nothing else. They don’t issue more of a response other than look at them as tools to forward the plot. Once the tragedy settles in either character, it still gets a reaction, but that’s only because of how well the atmosphere is created.
Things get a little heated in the animation, particularly the CG-ness of Sidonia no Kishi. Following the footsteps of the glorious CG shlock called Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio: Ars Nova, it decided to implement its animation into the CG format, which had a divided reception in recent anime iterations. However, unlike Ars Nova, the CG is well-made in this instance simply by the fact that the movements, for the most part, feel very fluid and smooth. Because this is set in a mecha environment, it does feel more appropriate to implement CG into the mix so that the artist can do more with what they are given. I wouldn’t go far as to say it’s groundbreaking, but it’s as close to greatness as one could get from it.
Since this is a mecha, it would be fair to critique the action sequences since that’s what most fans of the genre look forward to. For someone like me who hasn’t delved into the genre as much as the next person, I found myself on edge throughout most of these sequences. Thanks to the animation and sound department and how intense they make the scenes, which are so kinetic and focused on what is going on. The final battle sequence alone garners needed praise for how greatly directed it portrays it with tight coordination and timing with how the characters try to overcome this dire dilemma. So if you have been waiting for an anime akin to Gundam action sequences, this blows them away.
Overall, we don’t get nearly enough anime that tries to attempt being basing around an intelligent story woven enough to where it’s coherent while also being entertaining to watch at the same time. While I won’t consider this an instant sci-fi classic that many will appreciate for generations, it does have the hallmarks of leading some to treasure it. The two main leads own their roles and are worth the watch alone. What will come of how they will continue this significant trend and respect the source material? Only time will tell. Either way, I’m happy to wait for that inevitable continuation.
Grade: A-