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| Overall | Art | Animation | Character Design | Music | Series Story | Episode Story | Reviewer | |
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| Unevaluated |
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[series:4613#628] | ||||||
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(Nine episodes watched): As I started watching this, I wondered if I had accidentally downloaded a movie rather than just an episode of a new TV series, because it was so artistic and novel that it seemed to be in a totally different league. A completely original plot, no isekai, no idols, no magical academies--what was the deal here? It seems that there are those who live on the canopy and those who live on the Great Snow Sea, and Princess Ririha uses a sort of balloon to travel from the latter to the former. That's about where things stand after one episode. One mystery is old signs that canopy dwellers have long studied and tried to make sense of--they look like they might easily have come from Earth, but everything else about this world is different. Maybe it's another planet that humans have migrated to. At any rate, I found this show to be strange and original, and I wonder where the story will go from here. Princess Ririha had hoped to find 'the Mage', a person with fantastic powers to hopefully reverse the creeping ecological disaster all over this world, up in the canopy. But the folks there have never heard of such a person. The elders decide that the best outcome for Kaina would be to escort Ririha as she rapells back to the Snow Sea below. This episode was not quite as novel as the first but I remained eager to see what Kaina would find once he arrived at the Snow Sea. In episode three the two get to know each other better as they descend. We learn that only the two of them can see that glowing, floating, mushroom shaped thing, which Ririha calls 'The Light'. They reach the base of the orbital tree, but encounter the Valghians, the enemy. I had thought these were some sort of monsters, but no, they are humans who just wear suits with strange masks. Ririha is captured but Kaina escapes to Atland, where he is persuaded by Ririha's brother, Yaona, to join him in a rescue attempt. What lies below the surface of the snow sea? Ririha and Kaina fall through it at one point; it is clear, like water, but water is supposed to be in desperate short supply. Couldn't the plentiful snow be melted to get water? I don't understand. Anyway, this show keeps me interested with its novel premise, though I can't say it thrills me. Despite the bizarre premise it is more realistic than most anime when it comes to emotions and motivations. I sort of wish the pace would pick up a little. I wish the 'Admiral' had a little more depth, too; he seems like just a cruel person who will gladly kill anyone who crosses him. Kaina and Yaona carry out a courageous but not too well thought-out plan the rescue Ririha. The three wind up in the Valghian homeland. Whatever you may say about this show, it does have a novel premise which makes it a good deal easier to remember what's going on. But that doesn't make it brilliant; the way the three get out of trouble was not exactly edge-of-my-seat exciting. I couldn't say that I felt that it was imperative that the Atland side win this little war. And I bet there won't be any 'winner' at all; more likely Ririha will arrange some sort of truce and both sides will wind up more-or-less as friends (the Admiral will probably be the only major character who buys the farm). And then in episode nine things just fell to pieces and I threw up my hands in dismay. The Valghians have a secret weapon a mobile suit which made no sense at all in this world where swords and catapults are typical. And somehow this thing can float on the snow sea? It should plunge like a stone to the bottom. And there's some sort of 'Great Trench' at the bottom of the sea that somehow blocks boats from sailing over it (?) to reach the fabled Great Spire Tree. And some object, which looks like a pillar of rock, which would enable a big ship to be built to reach the tree. It was all absurd, and the battle that took place was distinctly unexciting as well. I can't help but feel that little effort was made to make things plausible in this show and instead we are expected to accept everything at face value. And while all this nonsense has been underway, Kaina and Ririha have remained relatively undeveloped and uninteresting. I decided that this show had just been stringing me along and was never going to deliver a satisfying ending, so I might as well cut my losses. Last updated Friday, March 24 2023. Created Monday, January 16 2023. | ||||||||
