Aldnoah.Zero

Season1, Just 12 episodes of awesome, Mecha fight scenes. every episode has exhilarating fights and the nerve-wracking suspense in every episode will keep you wondering what's gonna happen next... The series is packed with different Mecha every episode, transforming, laser saber, shields, missiles. The story line is also good but I personally didn't care about how the story line was going because of waiting when the action will start off again, I'm sure it'll be the same in your case as well when you start to watch. the season 2 is airing on winter 2015, the season ended with all the suspense so I'm hoping for a storyline in next season. If you ever wanted a mecha series then this is it!!

Lots of reviews cover why this anime is bad because of the lackluster ending and mediocre writing, but it really delivers some powerful scenes and the soundtrack is INCREDIBLE.

The plot is generic futuristic/alternate reality mecha: a world on the brink of war and young people's experiences through the ordeal (typical Gundam archetype). The big characteristic is the stoic main character that isn't overprotected by a plot armor, I've come to appreciate his stoic style. Animation is great, mecha fights are well executed. However from plot and animation itself it is slightly above average at best, what really makes this anime an 8 is the INCREDIBLE soundtrack by Hiroyuki Sawano (Attack on Titan, Gundam Unicorn, Guilty Crown, etc).

In 1972, an ancient alien hypergate was excavated on the surface of the moon. Utilizing this technology, humanity began immigrating to Mars. During their time on mars some colonizers uncovered some highly advanced technology originally left behind by some mysterious alien race. Through this technology, the recently established Vers Empire declared Mars and its secrets for themselves. Due to Vers Empire's technological pride, the Vers Empire declared war on Earth in 1999. Overwhelmed by the human martian's technological militaristic advancements, the people of Earth destroyed the hypergate, thus shattering the moon and dispersing the remnants of the Vers Empire into a debris belt around Earth. Cut off from Mars, the remaining members of the Vers Empire established several enormous orbital space stations within the debris belt and a ceasefire was inaugurated. However, after 15 years of tensioned peace, an attack on the Vers Princess, Asseylum Vers Allusia, during a peace mission, causes the Vers Empire to launch an all-out attack on the citizens of Earth. Overwhelmed by the Vers Empire's superior mecha militaristic technology, Earth's only true defense is the brilliant tactical mind of a high school student named Inaho Kaizuka.

As someone who has watched several different Mecha anime such as the Gundam franchise, Robotech, Code Geass, Neon Genesis Evangelion, etc… AldNoah.Zero, directed by Ei Aoki, originally created by Gen Urobuchi, is a brilliant story about a small handful of citizens from both Earth and the Vers Empire who are desperately trying to stop a war which was caused by an attack on Princess Asseylum Vers Allusia. This show is atmospherically driven by wonderful music, amazing characters, outstanding animation, and a pleasingly intense action-packed plot. This series successfully challenges the stereotypical archetypes of conventional anime and leaves you wanting more. My only suggestion is that you watch this anime in its entirety, (All Seasons!), because it will emotionally astonish you.

8 Stars

Aldnoah Zero is one of those shows that is stuck halfway up the ladder. It hasn't reached "great", but is out of reach of "bad". While there are better alternatives to this show (Code Geass, and Neon Genesis Evangelion, for example), that doesn't mean you shouldn't watch it. It has enjoyable fighting scenes, a pretty neat soundtrack, and interesting characters, and quite simply, is entertaining. The disappointment lies in the direction of the show. It started off with a riveting premise (I actually thought it would be another Code Geass), but it fell short of expectations, which is why I think this show receives substantial amounts of hate. Just to clarify, the ending wasn't bad, it just wasn't satisfying. So if you're bored, and can't find anything to watch, you might as well settle for this average show, just don't expect much. Enjoy it for what it is.

This anime started off horrible and did not change during the course of the series.

I do not recommend anyone starting this series. You will be sorely dissatisfied with the plot, the reasons given for the war, and the character development. Save yourself some hours and move along.

Without going in to speak spoilers, i can only say that key characters do not perform up to expectations. Main character are either not developed, or go against the values they where established with later on the series.

I did have high hopes for this, but as I said, even the first two episodes where lame. Only reason I kept watching was for the OK action, and hoping something would change and would make me love the series.