It sure has been quite some time since we’ve had a consistent and even more so realistic mecha anime series.  We’ve had some strong engaging series in the past- Aldnoah is a show that is persistently intelligent.  Bokura no was awesome in how well it started off with its focus on children, where it managed to lose that was with it’s shift into politics.  Last Exile has to be one of my favorite mecha series to date- the people in that were so captivating never leaving behind a boring episode in the very same reason that Aldnoah is.  When was that?  2003? Now Captain Earth that’s a show I’m not discounting here, but that show is purely entertaining, and a lot of mystical elements can be said for that show.

Aldnoah Zero is all around straightforward in a serious way.  All of the fights up until now have been theoretically explained and only adds to Inaho’s personality; but here is where we at last get to see how well a human and a martian work together.  Not to mention the two main cast members of the show: Inaho and Slaine.  It’s about time we see development from these two- amazing how well the writers were able to stuff so much material in one action-packed episode.  The fact that Marito was still trying to get over the death of his best friend even while discovering the Kataphrakt involved in the Tanegashima incident 15 years ago was so powerful.  What was more surprising is how huge that battleship was- great comeback against Femieanne!  The princess reveals herself in what looks like the only way to control that giant battleship from what I could tell.  Darzana did not look too happy to see her alive after all the trouble her supposed death has caused.  Rayet gets her redemption moment this episode yet what was even more shocking was how calm she’s been through all of this after losing her father.  Good to see these pilots not overreacting like a certain other series I’m following. [Looking at you M3: Sono Kuroki Hagane]

There are a few gripes I have with how these past episodes have been executed- what else is going on while the martians are attacking?  There had been a strong focus on the war throughout the world that it’s been left behind now for the sake of the main cast.  Would be interesting to see what other countries are trying to do to prevent more human casualties.  Nonetheless, this episode provided insight into a possible human/martian alliance, one that got shot down by the end here so to speak.  Fantastic reversal of themes by the end- and an even better episode than the last!

OVERALL IMPRESSION: 9/10

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