Review of Terra Formars

~ Don't underestimate... ~ Terra Formars had the potential to revive the Sci-Fi/Horror genre, but indefinitely fell short of this... This is a perilous and action-packed journey into uncharted land, Inhabited by a particularly formidable alien race. An apocalyptic epidemic-like fate looms over the shoulders of humanity, and metaphorical titans are sure to fall. It is an unpredictable, and fast-paced sci-fi/horror series of epic proportions. And whilst touching on the subjects of both sentience, and betrayal, I cannot deny that it's certainly a story with substance. A slightly-cliche, though appropriate, isolated-feeling, and otherworldly Martian landscape sets the stage for this 13 episode series. Invading both the sci-fi andhorror realms with an integration of strong violence, into an alien world: It shouldn't come as a shock that its audience will need to be appreciative of unending action sequences. As for the chronological
progression, this is in fact quite a fitting description. With the concept of scale being used often to emphasize severity and intensify the viewers' perception of the events here... It bodes well that the interplanetary premise: a scientifically accurate and vast wasteland, really helps to invoke curiosity. We are after all made both curious, and afraid of the unknown. This is of course decent substance to make even the most far-fetched of concepts seem real, and immersive.

~ Story and Character development ~

If you were to ask me "What's behind this show?", then I would relay: "a boundless "red planet" premise, to stage an interspecies war". The underlying problem with this (as I will elaborate), is that it's simply too extensive and substantial for 13 episode production to make full use of. It's malnourished, and full of gaping holes particularly in the character department - that will likely throw many off course.

Besides having a story that wouldn't ever necessarily "run dry" from a content-observant perspective... Everything operates on a large scale with Terra Formars: So expect to see chains of events, all of which have some impact, and make some kind of dent in the overriding plot. Debatably devoid of intricacies: this anime can't afford to expend time on small, and technically irrelevant, but highly praise-able quirks/details that can be used to further the familiar sense of immersion... giving the anime a one-of-a-kind presence. With Terra Formars on the other hand, we only got the barebones of the story... again... time is of the essence.

It falls into a trap that many action-based adventures have been known to in the past... The story is one-dimensional. Everything that goes on during 312 minutes of running time, does so in what I like to call: an immediate-scope. What this entails, is that everything happens on a whim. There's little in the way of "establishment" or goals beyond the first 2 or 3 episodes, and this makes things seem too spontaneous. Almost, "done without thought", which is ironic because I'm sure the manga was well thought out, and would clear all of this up. As for this anime: it becomes tiring how EVERYTHING has to be relevant to the same overriding plotline, and so not enough happens besides dealing with Terra Formars, to add that other "dimension".

Now what I will give it, is unpredictability. The show has an effectively unending suspense that compliments the event-based story, and really brings out this sense of struggle that reminds you "this is a journey fraught with dire consequences". Violence plus unpredictability equals death, so expect the unexpected! The show itself really is a thrill ride, and if you were to watch it rather casually or on a whim: then its cinematic qualities would nevertheless shine through and keep you engaged for the most part. Now there's a really distinct sense of camaraderie and mutual respect for one-another in Terra Formars. Combined with the evident struggle of humanity against the alien race, and it becomes a pretty interesting story of survival in spite of its blatant flaws.

The word "interesting" is used rather loosely nowadays, and it's regrettably not the term I would use to describe this story's cast of characters. The show blatantly tries to build upon them, with long and almost unconsented flashbacks that kill the show's pacing, and leave little room for more substantial events. As an anime, Terra Formars tries so hard to meet every objective, but doesn't admit to its identity as an action-oriented story, and instead ends up sub-par in the areas where it counts.

It tries to forge some sort of emotional connection between the viewers and cast, but there are simply too many actively involved personalities to make extensive character development even an option. With the elongated flashbacks that let us in on various character backgrounds, if you're not still angry that a fight was just called off to make way for a blast-from-the-past, then you can start to appreciate some of our protagonists. But not for long. There's just so much always going on, and too many time constraints to adhere to with this anime: It means that even if we're going to be "investing" into a character, it doesn't make up for the fact that a fair number of faces are still strangers by the last episode.

~ Audiovisuals ~

Regarding the score: It's simple, and a tad "rinse and reuse", but effective. Terra Formars treats us to a highly appropriate and intense-sounding OP and ED which pertains to the anime's "power" in being such a thriller. It compliments the themes well.

Regarding animation, we've got a strange mix to contend with. For the most part we get a rather drab colour palette which is both appropriate for the barren landscaping, and the dark nature of the show. The animation is generally of a considerable quality: with fine detail shining through, and an emphasis on lighting physics which adds to that sense of realism and immersion. Whereas some of the animation is frighteningly fluid, other parts are less impressive. Overall: I won't deny that it's a feast for the eyes for the most part.

~ Final thoughts ~

The vast story of Terra Formars was doomed as soon as it was given just 13 episodes to develop everything. But it did evidently put some effort into it: with a strong start that set the scene well, with unfortunately trails off into mindless combat and unexplained character relations. With the character aspect being a hindrance because too many will remain almost like strangers. Tough credit where credit is due: It is a visually pleasing and unpredictable thrill-ride, with some charm to it.

There's too much "manufactured" feeling of sentiment infused into this short series, and so as far as "long term seriousness" goes, it's not worth the watch. It's strength is in its immediate-scope presentation, chock full of action, and it would honestly be naïve to watch Terra Formars for anything besides a cinematic "shock-value" thriller set of qualities.

~ When they say there's one, there's thirty... ~