Review of Schwarzes Marken

Schwarzmarken is a show that handles a lot of themes without turning into a mess. Its a show that has a slow pacing so I would not be for everyone however it makes for a good popcorn anime (anime that you can waste your time on if you have time to waste). Story 7/10 Schwarzesmarken follows a group of mech pilots in east Germany that is in a cold war situation where the berlin wall is still up. They are using mechs to combat a threat against humanity known as the beta which are these aliens. The main story is not about the mechs versusthe aliens but the pressure the pilots face at home where a corrupt government is breathing down their neck every second they are off the battlefield. As I said it is popcorn anime so the story is not the most major aspect what you come to see are the mechs fighting and the scenes where the corrupt government show their true colors.

Art 6/10

The art used in this anime is kind of bland other than the characters faces and hair. Every character in the show are all wearing the same uniforms throughout the anime. All the backgrounds seem to be reused a lot for both off and on battle scenes. The mechs and aliens used where CGI but like the costumes all the mechs are the same just with a different color for other groups of pilots. A lot of the animations used for aliens and mechs seem to be reused a lot in the fight scenes. There is censorship in the scenes where we see aliens kill people which is half the screen being covered in black which is a problem since those are the scenes the aliens would have the most impact.

Sound 5/10

The music was not really memorable in this anime and neither where the sound effects. when watching the subbed version of the anime I liked how the characters where able to say German words and phrases effectively.

Character 7/10

The squad of pilots in the anime consist of some likable characters(except Anette who was useless). The characters just want to fight the aliens but hate how they have to deal with spies from the government hiding among st them. It takes a while for characters in the anime to figure out who to trust. A lot of the squad do get a good portion of screen time while a few other characters in the main squad don't. The human villains in the anime are pretty cliche with a massive ego to boot which makes you wish to see them get their comeuppance at some point.

Enjoyment 7/10

As I say this is a popcorn anime that I used to kill some time I dont think anyone can binge watch it because it does not absorb you or get you wanting more.

Overall 7/10