Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Crichigo
Zegapain is definitely a hidden gem. If you enjoyed The Matrix then I believe this anime can offer you an experience as deep if not deeper than that trilogy, personally I'm leaning towards Zegapain.
The episodes do a great job of plunging you from slice-of-life happiness into despair, and every single episode has unpredictable plot twists that will push the symbolic knife deeper into your heart, inch by inch. Usually, I don't appreciate how nihilism is portrayed in anime and manga, but Zegapain portrayed hopelessness beautifully and dealt with it in the only proper way it could've been dealt with in the context of the world of this anime: not through fancy theories and flowery words, but through the protection of the person loved by the protagonist. Sometimes simple works best. In the opp…
Read at the sourceShadow777Star
Wow is the beginning of this show terrible. I considered dropping this show so many times for the first ten episodes. The only thing that kept me going was all of the great reviews about this show. After sticking it out, it did get significantly better.
At first it appears to be just a dumb mecha/high school anime, but it dives into deep questions of reality and perception. The concept is honestly pretty cool after you get into it.
I gave this anime a six mostly because of the concepts and ideas. The deployment of them was so-so. This mixed with the slow beginning almost made me give this show a five. The action is also pretty lame. I wouldn't say not to watch it, but I would never give it as a recommendation. I don't ever plan on watching it again.
Read at the sourceGonomon
Zegapain, namely how do you waste a grand potential the anime.
It's one of those shows that you will not be really liking, but watch until the end wishing that it will get better and you will see something that will make you amazed. Well in this case you will be only mildly amazed since even if story is really good the way its told just sucks.
Story: 3/10
In a Science fiction show/anime/novel/etc. i really value if the things can really happen in the world and if they have any value over fantasy because if they do not it wont be a science fiction for me its genre will be fantasy for me and i don't really like fantasy since i m into more realistic stuff. Well i am glad to say this anime is really realistic in terms of its scientific things. And the main point i watch this anime was becaus…
Read at the sourceChouEritto
Zegapain is a mecha series created by Sunrise that aired around the time of it's financial success Code Geass. It just shows the priorities of the target audience when the series relying on random plot twists with no semblance of logic is the one the masses love and hype up as a masterpiece, whilst the one with actually interesting ideas is otherwise ignored.
On the subject of popularity, this series becoming niche is surprising given how it's content could appeal to a specific but large audience. The story of Zegapain can be most easily described as the first Matrix film with mechas, that alone should be enough to hook someone. However, it can be seen why this premise isn't quite enough. The interesting ideas the series has are made to hide behind the blandness of a good deal of the stor…
Read at the sourceAnimeindian
There are thousands of anime and movies dedicated to the philosophical questioning of reality and most famous in them are Ghost in the Shell and Matrix, those two are the ones who bought this genre into the mainstream and made it popular. Zegapain follows the same principle as them and yet it is more appealing in the philosophical and storytelling sense. In its core, Zegapain is a philosophical anime.
Pacing is what sells the show for me, it is much more practical storytelling than exposition which is spread throughout the series runtime. Story structure Zegapain is like a philosophical lesson, never in its entire runtime, we know everything about the world. The World slowly reveals itself through questioning by the main character and answers following an action or an enlightenment. This…
Read at the sourcecogitoergobumm
Zegapain is a strange show to watch and a stranger one to recommend. The delicate opening ballad, the goofy mecha action, the character designs which are not only derivative but swing between plain and tacky, the disappointing backgrounds which are especially frustrating in a show which frequently attempts to set mood and even communicate information via landscapes and the weather, the generic bits of fanservice amid truly compelling dramatic scenes... To be perfectly honest, it's a bit of a mess. Luckily, said mess is greater than the sum of its parts, and it has something that a lot of prettier, sleeker shows don't: a story strong enough to draw you in, and if you have any interest at all in concepts such as artificial intelligence, transhumanism, and the ghost in the machine, to make yo…
Read at the sourceIkitsune8
English review made by French speaker !
Zegapain. It's really hard for me to describe this anime. I will try to make my review by criteria :
Stroy:
The story talk about a group of young poeple, who is battling against "evil" robot. We don't know what are these robots. I can't say much without spoiling. It's, in fact, a cliché mecha story. All of it is very predictable, and all the characters and the death too. It's really sad. The ending is good, but not really awesome in it's utilisation. But why did I put an 8 to the story ? Because of it's philosophy and it's universe. Zegapain, even if it has a really annoying shonen universe (hero caracter always yelling...), it has a beautifull, unique and captivating philosophy about why are we human, want to leave. The question are really intere…
Read at the sourceMekronid
Romeo and Juliet IN SPACE!!!
But seriously, that's what it is. Expect a lot of heart-wrenching twists and unexpected subplots.
Story: 10/10
The story is excellent and lacks any obvious plot holes. More importantly, the anime studio actually saw it through to the end, which means the ending is proper and finished. None of that "Come back next season!" crap. We get a real resolution with a few thematically unimportant questions left unanswered. Perfect for a sequel if they decide to make one.
What really impressed me was the anime's lack of attempts to "make sense" of the use of quantum physics. Aptly quoted at one point: "What's that magic circle-looking thing?" "It's a quantum barrier, and it might as well BE magic." This is a novel use of real concepts which keeps the story in the fore…
Read at the sourceGeddon616
An anime filled with a mysterious feel to it and a neverending feeling of sadness. Those are the words i use when thinking about this anime and why is that well now i will tell.
So why do i feel that a sadness filled anime is great well because of it more of less i feel like it. The story is well made in my opinion getting a step away from much of the mainstream but also introducing a new consept to the entire anime world. What is real what is fake what are we might be something even those who watch this anime think about as they start delving into the story and if thats so then its great. The opening and ending to the anime is also something i dont think i can get enough of due to how it captures much of the anime in it. Well it should i guess considering all but the music just couldnt…
Read at the sourcesushiisawesome
Zegapain is a show that contains all the elements of a show that should have met massive critical and commercial success both inside and outside of Japan. The latter is true, but the former isn't, which comes as a surprise of sorts if someone has actually finished the show. The show is complex, philosophical, very tightly written and has an amazing setting which is fleshed out in a spectacular amount of detail and has a lot of depth.
And yet, this show stands as one of the most underrated anime series of all time. This is in part to the show's seemingly weak beginning where a lot of elements that the show has are foreshadowed but never directly told to the audience, which leaves viewers with the misleading impression that it's just another generic mech anime and that the characters are si…
Read at the sourceMuan142
Giant robot anime where the only really bad part is the giant robots. First five episodes couldn't hook a worm. If you watch episode 6 and 7 and still don't care, then this isn't for you.
Overview:
Hard not to spoil anything, What can I tell you that isn't a lie?
I'll say the English voice actors thought they were doing an Animatrix series until episode six. You can hear the boredom in their voices go away at that point.
I'll tell you the robots and the organization wielding them are fighting a pointless war. A lot of Sogoru's struggle is to find a point and not get drawn in by the desire for revenge or simply to protect those he loves. I call him cyber-Buddha sometimes.
Premise:
Guy, Sogoru Kyo, is high school student. Girl appears in his apartment. Takes him to the future where gian…
Read at the sourceMatas
Zegapain is a not so well-known sci-fi mecha show that is sci-fi first and mecha second. So if you're looking for some bombastic action-oriented anime and just want to see cool looking robots blowing each other up then steer clear, Zegapain isn't for you. However, if you're looking for a heavy sci-fi show strong in thought-provoking themes and a complex story and narrative then continue reading and maybe I can convince you to watch this.
Jumping into the first episode Zegapain seems like a generic Mecha show with high-school flavor but that's exactly what the show wants you to think as everything isn't as it seems. Our protagonist, Kyo, is living his normal life and starts noticing some weird occurrences and through a course of events finds himself piloting a robot and in an alternate gam…
Read at the sourcePreFuturism-0
In the early stages of the series, it is extremely easy to dismiss it as not only derivative with how the main character is dumped in the pilot seat of a mecha without any preparation or warning, but also grotty with the off-coloured, sparsely detailed visuals. However, deception is a major theme in the story and as the plot unfolds at a confidently steady pace, it truly becomes a staggering quest for survival for a human race that was at a crossroads with their evolution. (And the artwork is arguably justified. I’m sure from watching the series it’ll eventually make sense that it could be down to ‘system limitations’.)
The series is actually rather elegant in its delivery: The focus is kept firmly on the protagonists’ earnest defiance for free will. This is signified by the notably small…
Read at the sourcethedarkreaper
I started this series without really expecting anything and I was completely taken off guard. The first few episodes are a little confusing, but not enough to deter you from continuing, in fact it's the opposite. I had to know what was going on. The story is about a kid, Kyou, who realizes things aren't what they seem to be in his world. He then follows a beautiful girl, Shizuno, to another world where the earth is seemingly destroyed and the leftover's of mankind fight against some alien race with mech's called Zega's. There is some good love story throughout this anime, and that's usually a staple for me. Along with that though, the character development between even friends is entertaining to say the least. Along with a crazy sci fi story-line that is unique and colorful, and art that i…
Read at the sourcezabu_san
So I really don't expect anyone to know what this series is cause no one knows what this series is...But you should, it is one of the best underrated mecha shows available.
Set in a Maihama (Urayasu, Chiba, Japan) our main character, Kyo Sogoru, is the leader of the swim club, and is determined to keep it part of Maihama High.
One day, he stumbles across a young girl preparing to dive into the pool, anxious to think she wants to join his dying swim club, he approaches her and she utters something unintelligible and dives never to resurface.
As the day continues he asks others of the girl atop the diving board, his peers assure him she doesn't exist and with video proof further proving her non-existence, he confides in his neighbor and best friend, Ryoko Kaminagi.
Later that evening he h…
Read at the sourceBishounen_Hunter
Three cheers for existentialist anime! Hip-hip....um, well you get what I mean. Following in the footsteps of it's predecessors such as Rahxephon and the monumental hit Neon Genesis Evangelion, Zegapain is a mecha-oriented anime that attempts to break the traditional shonen guidelines of being just another “shoot-em-up, blow-em-up” type action series and explore deeper philosophical themes. But while these concepts are sufficient enough to create a compelling story, I can't help but question; what makes Zegapain unique, what sets it apart from the other anime shows that have already gone down this path? Shows like Rahxephon, NGE and even the Matrix trilogies have already told this story and each one have had great success to the point of reaching legendary and even cult-hit status. So did…
Read at the sourcedbaranyi
Fundamentally, there are mecha anime, and then there are Sunrise mecha anime, and the TV Tokyo/Sunrise mecha anime "Zegapain" is no exception. Sunrise has a tradition of bringing top rate animation, evocative themes, beautiful girls and complicated plots to its mecha anime, and we have all those and more in this new series.
In the near future, first year high school student Kyou is trying to start a competitive swim team at his school, but his former teammates from middle school are mad at him and no longer want to swim with him. Never-the-less Kyou continues to go to the school's swimming pool to practice, where one day he sees a stunningly beautiful girl make a perfect dive off of the high board. But the girl disappears after hitting the water, and when Kyou dives in to find her, she su…
Read at the sourceslpless
I’ll admit I was quite biased when I heard that Sunrise was going to make yet another mecha anime. One day I said “why not?” and watched the first episode afterwards I knew this was something quite different than your usual mecha fare. One of the major things that struck me was the OP (disguised as the ED in the first ep), “Kimi e Mukau Hikari” sung by Akino Arai. This was not a fast paced song with intense mecha action in the background. Instead the OP featured a slow, beautifully sung ballad predominantly featuring the characters of the series, not the giant robots. This really sets the tone for the entire series.
Many people say that the beginning of Zegapain starts off very slow and doesn’t really start till a few episodes in. However, for me I was…
Read at the sourceWasabi
Zegapain is yet another mecha anime done by Sunrise. It, in no way, looks like any Gundam show though. Zegapain is not only a show full of plentiful mecha action, it has a romance side and a philosophical side to it as well.
Story: The story starts off a normal day for Sogoru Kyo but it quickly escalates as he is placed in the cockpit of a mecha called Zegapain Altair. The story progresses at a fairly decent pace and has several twists in the plot that'd question what you know from before. As said before, aside from the mecha action, you'll be witnessing a romance story between several of the characters. The romance isn't too heavy but it is nicely done in flow with the plot.
Art: The art of the anime is one of its highlights. The designs are well done and the CG scenes are smooth but th…
Read at the sourceIdentity
Zegapain is one of those animes that lets you, the viewer decide what you think is truth. That kind of story basis is throughout quite alot of the episodes. It follows the main character Kyo throughout his appectance/denial of the evidence that reality to him isn't atall what its made out to be. This along with clues that the writers threw in made this a very interesting anime to watch.
Personally I found the main background story very compelling series and a slight urgency to see the next episode. There was a big drama side to zegain more of following kyo and his decissions and how he devlops as a person.
They have provided alot of cliff hangers in the series which could be described as moments where you think "did that really just happen?" , "wth is going to happen next!!".
As for the a…
Read at the source