- Episodes : 9 (10-13 in Winter 2016)
- Genre : Action, Military, Supernatural
- Airing Date : July 12, 2015 to September 27, 2015
- Producers : Bandai Visual, ufotable, Aniplex of America
God Eater Preview / Plot (No Spoilers)
God Eater is an anime adaptation of the PSP/PS Vita video game series of the same title. The world of God Eater is one where humanity has fallen prey to a newly discovered lifeform. In the midst of studying its characteristics and applications, this substance consisting of “Oracle Cells” begins to consume the planet. These cells combine to form monstrous creatures nicknamed Aragami or “angry gods”. True to the name, humans are unable to deal with their unbelievable strength and ferocity and are soon driven to near extinction.
But, there is a small ray of hope. A group of scientists have worked with the government to create something capable of damaging the Aragami. These weapons are known as “God Arcs” and the people brave and worthy enough to wield them are known as “God Eaters”. These highly trained warriors are the last line of defense. If they can’t turn the tide of this bloody war, then the earth’s days are numbered.
Who does God Eater cater to?
Fans of the PSP franchise will want to watch this show. The setting is the same, many characters and enemies from the game are in the anime, and it looks like Lenka will likely follow a path similar to that of the protagonist from the game (rising through the ranks and leading his unit). It’s almost like watching the original God Eater game unfold but with a different main character.
At its core, God Eater is an action show with a bit of mystery thrown in. The situation with the Aragami is explained clearly in the first episode. So even if you’ve never played the game you’ll be brought up to speed and have plenty of fights and intrigue to enjoy.
What’s so appealing about this piece of work?
Its video game origin and action genre alone will draw in many viewers. People using futuristic weapons (that can change form) against large beasts and seemingly insurmountable odds is a tried and true formula. However, if you watch the first episode you’ll become invested in the origins of the “Oracle Cells”. The flashback scenes with the three scientists create an air of intrigue and are a nice contrast to the battles taking place in the present. So, God Eater delivers handedly on two fronts.
God Eater PV
God Eater Main Characters List
Lenka Utsugi
Voice Actor :Kijima, Ryuuichi
Lenka is the main protagonist of the show. He looks and plays the part of a hero with a troubled past. He harbors an intense hate for the Aragami. His sole reason for joining up with Fenrir was to destroy all Aragami. We’re told right away that he grew up outside of Fenrir’s walls. So, from a young age he was forced to look out for himself and was probably always on the run from Aragami. This is where his hatred for them stems from.
Lenka is one of the few people considered to be a “New-Type”. This means that he is compatible with the New-Type God Arcs. These newer designs are able to transform from their melee forms into guns almost instantly. They provide utility and strategic advantages during skirmishes with the Aragamis. Unfortunately, very few people are compatible with these weapons. Lenka is just discovering his abilities as a New-Type user, but overtime he will be counted on to lead his comrades into battle with his unique skills.
Lindow Amamiya
Voice Actor :Hirata, Hiroaki
This leader of the First Unit is praised by his fellow comrades as the embodiment of a true soldier. Lenka is saved by Lindow after defying orders and heading into battle unprepared. The two soon form a bond of mutual respect. Lindow (and Sakuya Tachibana) sees Lenka as a younger version of himself. So, he tries to instill in him the proper mindset and bravery he’ll need to survive out there in the dangerous world.
Lindow is a highly proficient Old-Type God Arc user. He is one the strongest melee fighters in the unit. He quickly assesses battle situations and commands his soldiers with authority. He takes pride in his unit and will do anything it takes to ensure humanity’s survival.
Alisa Amiella
Voice Actor :Sakamoto, Maaya
Alisa is the first New-Type user to showcase extraordinary combat abilities. She is able to quickly switch between her gun-mode and melee-mode with ease and style. Not a movement is wasted in her methodical takedown of multiple Aragami at the same time. She proclaims to be the strongest New-Type.
Despite her combat prowess, she is prone to psychological bouts with terror and depression. She usually takes large doses of pills to suppress her condition. But when she fails to do so, her traumatic memories and emotions arise. They put her into the mental state of a frightened child. She is no longer capable of using reasoning and recognizing her surroundings. This condition could one day put her life and those of her comrades at risk.
Contains Spoilers
God Eater Review
I haven’t played any of the God Eater video games nor have I read the light novels or manga. So, I came into this anime with no expectations. In my mind this was going to be another run of the mill sci-fi anime about fighting an alien lifeform that was trying to take over earth. The only means for surmounting a comeback would be “fighting fire with fire”. This is the only aspect of the story that somewhat interested me: using the Oracle Cells to take down the Aragami. I thought that maybe these cells would somehow affect people and possibly turn them into Aragami themselves. After watching the nine episodes so far, that is still the main reason why I keep watching the show. I hope that Lenka’s extreme compatibility with the Oracle Cells will prove to be a blessing in disguise for him.
First off, the character and enemy designs didn’t look to appealing. Alisa especially was a disappointing character. They made her out to look like a badass in the first few episodes. But, then she suffered a mental breakdown and has yet to recover. For someone so handicapped by their condition that they have to carry around a case of pills at all times… she sure picked a terrible time to forget to refill it. Her team up with Lenka and Lindow was arguably the best fight so far. Unfortunately, she hasn’t been back in action since the attack of the Dark Vajra.
Speaking of fights, most of them have felt subpar. A lot of the time fights don’t seem fluid because characters stop to assess the situation, a monster attacks suddenly and then backs off to look at its enemy, or slow motion is overused for dramatic effect. Then, there are usually multiple fights going on at once. So you can’t really get into the action when several fights are taking place at the same time and combatants keep pausing in between their attacks or the scene cuts away to other characters. Other shows pull off this type of scenario easily and it can be very entertaining. Unfortunately, God Eater hasn’t shown that it can create a fast-paced or compelling fight. Even the team up I mentioned above was slow paced. I figured it was because it was their first time working together. But, that’s actually how all the fights in the series have been so far.
Instead, I try to enjoy the show’s narrative. Only there isn’t a fleshed out story arc yet. So far all we’ve seen are the Aragami start attacking groups of civilians so Fenrir are dispatched to take them down. While protecting people they do their best to rip the cores out of the Aragami. Those cores are essential to building Aegis.
The construction of Aegis is supposed to be the only way mankind survives in this world. It is a man-made island where Aragami are not able to enter or penetrate the defenses. So, essentially the Fenrir are just gathering materials for the completion of the project. The catch is that even after all the battles Fenrir has had with the Aragami, they’ve only managed to collect 0.06% of the cores they need. A futile mission to say the least. However, it seems that apart from Lenka no one else in Fenrir has figured that out yet. At least Lindow seems to have uncovered some secret during his trip to the Aegis. But, we’ll have to wait until winter 2016 to see what he discovered.
Which brings me to my last point. The delays on this show are horrendous. There have been at least 3 delays not counting the cancellation of the episode 1 preview screening at UDX in Akihabara. The latest delay is also the longest. The last four episodes from this season have been pushed back to winter 2016. The most likely reason for this hiatus is because the series had already used their allocated slots for this season. What I mean is that God Eater had a certain amount of weeks to air all of their episodes. Any time past that deadline was already allocated to another series. So, winter 2016 is sort of a best case scenario. Nothing is set in stone yet. Needless to say, that turn of events did not help out with God Eater’s already uphill battle with fans.
1. The Dark Vajra’s Strength (Episode 5)
Seeing the Dark Vajra was a shock. It came out of nowhere and proceeded to shred and devour the smaller Vajra that were about to attack Lenka and crew. This is the only memorable Aragami because of its black color and menacing red eyes. It was this monster’s presence that jolted Alisa’s system and caused her to relive the events of her traumatic past.
2. New-Type Teamwork (Episode 3)
I know I’ve mentioned this fight several times already, but it really did have the potential to be the best fight shown yet. We saw a glimpse of Alisa’s expertise with her God Arc and how she could be acrobatic and deadly even while on a moving airship. Plus, Lenka displayed his ability to quickly mimic other people’s techniques and make them his own. It’s one of the few times we got to see him show off his agility and battle aptitude that had already earned him much praise.
3. Revelations (Episode 9)
This episode has multiple plot elements jammed together. It contained more plot development out of any other episode. First, Lenka is told that the Oracle Cells in his body are slowly consuming him and that he will die. Also, using his God arc speeds up the process. Second, we learn that Soma is actually the child of two of the scientists we saw in the flashbacks, Johannes von Schicksal and Aisha Gouche. He had Oracle Cells injected into him when he was in his mother’s womb. Lastly, Lindow took some pictures that could be damning evidence for what’s really happening inside the Aegis Project. It looks like it is actually harboring an Aragami creature.
In closing, I’ll state the obvious and say that this show was very underwhelming for a summer anime. Despite that, I will watch the final four episodes if and when they do air. The fights could improve and it looks like a real story will start to develop. Either way, I’m invested in Lenka. I want to see what he does with his limited time or if he turns into a human/Aragami hybrid. Hopefully, ufotable uses this extra time to create some excellent last episodes. That will help suffice as an apology to the fans and possibly bring them around for a second season.
Author: Javier Garcia
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