The time is out of joint: O cursed spite,
that ever I was born to set it right!
Animation Company: Bones
Website: zetsuen.net
Genre: Action, Mystery, Drama, Fantasy, Shounen
Airing Date: October 2012 to March 2013
Summary: The story revolves around Mahiro Fuwa, a teenager whose sister was mysteriously murdered one year before, and his friend Yoshino Takigawa. Mahiro is contacted by Hakaze Kusaribe, the leader of the Kusaribe clan who was left stranded on an unknown deserted island by her followers, and agrees to help Hakaze in exchange for her help in finding out who killed his sister. Upon learning of his friend’s intentions, Yoshino joins him on his quest to stand against the Kusaribe clan, who intend to awaken the “Tree of Exodus” whose power can bring ruin to the entire world. –Source MAL
Trailer: PV1, PV2
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Linzz’s Overall Review
Story/Plot: 8/10
I was actually a fan of this show knowing that the origin of the story are TWO TREES TRYING TO KILL EACH OTHER. You know? The initial logic of this anime is about trees, legendary tress with – of course – two Mages that protects the… well… “knowledge” (?) of both trees. XD Then everything, and I MEAN EVERYTHING, was messed up right just after three episodes. LOL But the thing that actually made me score ZnT with 8, above average, was the thought of pulling out a good plot even after all those twisting shit that was blasted in the first half of the episode. I could have sworn I could score this perfect if it weren’t for the story consistency being low. It wasn’t consistent. In the beginning, it was told that Mahiro will save the world and the ending was different. Same goes with Mahiro’s “revenge”, it just… well… disappeared. D8
One more thing that’s interesting about ZnT’s plot, viewers actually have something to discuss with every week during its episode’s release. Me and my friends actually enjoy every discussion we have with ZnT and maybe this is one of the main reasons why it tops some weekly ranking.
Characters/Development: 8/10
Why? This series is actually full of very interesting characters and I can’t still hide the fact that I still hate Aika’s character. Seriously. No matter how I really look at her, she’s just…. too perfect and too perfect characters are what I hate the most. Especially there are actually no signs of negative characteristics of Aika shown in the whole series except her weird character. Furthermore, good development was actually shown on Hakaze’s part and of course, to our weird duo, Yoshino and Mahiro. BUT GAWDAMN IT BOTH DON’T HAVE HUMAN HEARTSSS. /sobs But for such a change in characters, they actually had the greatest one. Too bad that the others wasn’t shown that much. Hanemura actually had a good development as well! Overall, I personally like Hakaze’s development. Totally love those earlobe scenes. HAHAHAHAHA
Animation Quality: 9/10
I want to give this anime a perfect score on the animation and with their great 3DCG application, everything was good, overall. Most anime issues would be how the animation is consistent throughout the series. Zetsuen no Tempest is also one of those hundreds of anime with animation consistency problem. I would also like to point out Hanemura’s character design. It’s…. so random. XD Although I personally like all those magic effects that was applied and all the colors were fit to my taste gaining the 9 out of 10 rating from me.
Original Soundtrack: 6/10
IDK. LOL It’s just… I really do like the first opening song and… well, that’s it. LOL And no matter how I love ShounenT for the series’ second ending song… as Tenderfoot would always put it, it doesn’t fit. IT’S ILLOGICAL. LOL But… really, the ending song sure fits the last episode. That is all. XD
Overall Score: 8/10
To be honest, I could rate this series higher since it actually deserves a higher rate than the one I’ve just given but that would be with the affection of my bias opinion. I am quite happy that Zetsuen no Tempest tops all weekly rankings of anime and that this series have a lot of fans too. So to sum everything up, Zetsuen no Tempest is one of those anime that you can never demand a continuation and yet, be mind-blown by all the twist and turns and all the weirdness of everything along the story. XD
Recommendation: Yes. Very much.
I wonder what should I add… Well, I do recommend this series to my friends and they kind of end up liking it so… maybe if I recommend this to the reader, they might end up liking it too! SO, WHY NOT?! HAHA
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Tenderfoot’s Overall Review
Story/Plot: 6/10
Zetsuen no Tempest starts as the story of one thing, and ends as a story of something almost completely the opposite. It’s a fun ride along the way, first trying to figure out who killed Aika and then how this rage-tag group of magic users was going to save the world. There were some really nice surprise twist along the way that always keep you guessing at what’s going to happen next, and if you haven’t read the manga (like me) then you’re in for some real treats. Some of the turns Zetsuen no Tempest takes took me by surprise, and I’m usually very good at guessing what will happen next. The story has a wide range, and easily goes from classic mystery to drama to action to some very unexpectedly funny parts. The ending wraps things up nicely, and was satisfying which (in my experience, is rare for a show done by Bones). It probably helps that the anime and the manga it’s based on ended at around the same time, so they weren’t left with trying to make an anime original ending (from what I can tell at least).
All that being said, the show suffers from some serious pacing issues. Some events are just given too much time and over stay their welcome. While it’s fun for one episode, I didn’t really need four episodes of Mahiro, Samon, and Yoshino standing around arguing about what side Yoshino should take. The show also often get’s dragged down under the weight of its own cleverness. While I appreciate it trying to do something cool with all its Shakespeare quotes, “logical” magic, and all of its long, drawn-out, sessions of characters discussing who Aika’s boyfriend is (to name one example), in the end it just left me feeling like the show was trying to be smarter than it actual was. Zetsuen no Tempest isn’t the strongest story (I’m not buying it that time travel fits into a “logical” world), it at least tries to be original and some parts of it really were very nicely done, so I’ll give this a 6.
Characters/Development: 7/10
ZnT is full of some very interesting characters. Mahiro and Yoshino, our two main characters, are about as different as can be but watching their friendship over the course of the series is great. Since some of the characters are loosely based on some of Shakespeare’s own, it’s fun to see the similarities. The ladies in the show are pretty great too. Hakaze is resourceful and refuses to quit, overcoming some really difficult obstacles to get shit done. Aika is a mystery for more than half the show, but the ending does a fine job of revealing just why she has the importance that she does.
Secondary characters like Samon and Evageline really shine as well, with not just comic relief, but also helping to move the story along. Some of the characters are neglected a little bit, like the dude with the arrow on his face whose name I still don’t know, or the guy who works for the government whose name I also don’t know. They play, not big roles, but they do have their sort-of important moments and it’s a shame we don’t really learn anything about them. Even Junichirou and his invincible powers of neutrality are left unexplained. The relationships between the characters and how those relationships change and grow over the course of the series is worth watching. Of course Mahiro, Yoshino, and Hakaze get the lion’s share of development as far as their characters go, and I wish for a show as long as this that maybe some of the other character could have had a little bit more time in the limelight, but I’m happy to take what I can get. They’re good characters, and I probably won’t be forgetting about them soon, so I’m giving it a seven.
Animation Quality: 8/10
Bones is known for having some very high-quality animation, and Zetsuen no Tempest doesn’t disappoint on that front. The characters look gorgeous, the backgrounds are great, the animation is smooth especially during the more action-y scenes. You could literally pick any fight scene from any episode, and you would not be disappointed For me, that was one of the highlights of the show. Seeing Mahiro flashing around while fighting Evangeline in the very first episode is still as fresh in my mind as it was waaaay back in October when I first watched it. The animation’s not flawless though, as there are some pretty derpy looking faces sometimes, especially in mid-range shots. Also, ZnT has a habit of exaggerating facial expressions, and sometimes it takes it too far. Like Samon’s faces sometimes get so contorted that even though serious things are happening, you’re more likely to be laughing at how ridiculous he looks. Overall I’m giving this category an eight, since the good far outweighs the bad.
Original Soundtrack: 6/10
Let’s talking about some openings and endings. Since Zetsuen no Tempest covers two seasons, it got two openings and two endings. I liked the first opening the most of all of them, as I think it did the best job of fitting the mood of the show and just as a song itself I found it to be the most appealing to me. The first ending was alright on its own, but whoever thought that it would fit a show that for its first season was mostly about revenge and the world ending needs to have their head checked. The second opening is BAD. Yikes. It’ll grate on your nerves like a cheese grater on a block of parmesan. I wasn’t a fan of the second ending either, since I don’t think it really matched the show either. The music used in the show itself was A+, but I think I mostly liked it because it’s not technically original. Big chunks of it are lifted from on of Beethoven’s piano sonatas. The music wasn’t the most cohesive part of the show (I mean you’ve got grandiose, classical inspired orchestra music during the show, and then weird pop songs as the opening ending? Sometimes that can work, but this is not one of those times) and since some of it wasn’t actually “original” I’m only giving the music a 6.
Overall Score: 7/10
Zetsuen no Tempest is a good show. It’s not amazing, or great, or wonderful, or anything I’d pick to be my all-time favorite thing EVER, but it’s good. The animation is nice, the characters are engaging, and the story will keep you vaguely interested. It’s got some issues, like pacing and some weird plot stuff and some horrible musical choices and sometimes, there’s a little too much Shakespeare. But as far as anime that I was watching during that time frame, this was one of the better ones. Like I said before, the good outweighs the bad here, and that’s all I need. So a seven overall for ZnT
Recommendation: Yeah, I guess
I would be lying if I said I wouldn’t hesitate before I recommended this to someone. If you’re not a patient person, or you don’t like long stretches of mostly dialogue, or of stories whose plots get a little convoluted then I would say that this maybe isn’t the anime for you. If you’re willing to overlook certain things, and want something with above par animation that might throw you a curve ball or two story-wise (and you’ve got a day free to marathon something) then I’d say go ahead and add this to your plan to watch list. It doesn’t have to be at the top of that list, mind you. And I certainly wouldn’t put it on a must watch list. But it is good, and you won’t feel like your time is being wasted by watching it. It’s a fun little show, and I’ll miss it. Just a little bit.
