A Look at Zankyou no Terror

Even now as I'm currently writing this review....I'm shaking from all the emotions I felt from watching this show. Zankyou no Terror was (in my opinion) a masterpiece. It is an anime that has easily earned a spot on my personal top 10 anime of all time list and is definitely a show I will be talking about for a long time to come. This show has been one of the best anime to have come out in recent years. It has been a long time that I've liked practically everything in a show. That being said, apparently many people in the anime community seem to have some problems with this show. I want to break down all my thoughts on the show in different sections and address some of these issues that viewers seems to have. As such, if you haven't seen the show go watch all of its brilliance in it's entirety before reading this review. Many spoilers ahead:

Story:

Zankyou no Terror is a show that was driven brilliantly by a simplistic story that still allowed viewers to think. Directed by master Shinichiro Watanbe himself, (Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Space Dandy, etc.) the series presented the story of two adolescent boys who go by the names Nine and Twelve. The two make up the duo known as Sphinx who are terrorists who were experimented on and trained as children. Right off the bat, the series' subject matter is a pretty solid hook. An anime about terrorism!?!? You don't see that every day! Let alone young terrorists...
The show ultimately becomes a story about Nine and Twelve placing bombs all throughout Tokyo and leaving riddles for the police force in order to figure out the locations of said bombs. It's all one big game, convoluted with mystery and clever implementations of genuine character development. 

One thing that I found very interesting about the show was the fact that Nine and Twelve successfully executed these bombings without killing a single person. This is an amazing feat that I think ultimately lent itself to allowing the audience to feel sympathy for our protagonists by the end of the series. The entire show was a conflict of morals as to whether or not we actually were able to get behind (and at the same time like) what our protagonists were doing or not. We don't know their motives until the very end, and this sense of suspense trying to figure out what I felt about Nine and Twelve was something I personally had not felt watching an anime in a  long time. The show's writing, in my opinion, was  a good example of good exposition in a "show not tell" format. Many anime shows subscribe to babying its audiences and telling you directly what is going on. Now while this standard, when utilized, doesn't speak of a show's quality by any means, any divergence from such is appreciated and well received. Zankyou allows for a much more enjoyable watching experience by showing you what is going on through expert direction and scenes such as the police debriefing conferences that allow for much more solid exposition. Viewers as a result, are deeply engaged in a plot that feels equal parts natural and believable. 

Characters: 

I felt the characters of the show were brilliant in many regards but let's look at a few individually. 

Nine

Nine is the more serious and stoic of the duo of Sphinx. He's constantly reminding Twelve to act appropriate, take their mission seriously, and to not get attached to anyone. Nine is a character whom above all else wants to see Sphinx's mission complete. At the same time, throughout the series we get to see how he suffers from post-traumatic stress. He has horrible nightmares and constant recollections of how he escaped the Rising Peace Academy with Twelve. These flashbacks also seem to constantly depict powerful flames, but this may have been an artistic choice to highlight his trauma. We also later find out that Nine along with two other children from the Athena Project (the horrible project that was behind children experimentation) were the subjects of really powerful drugs. These drugs cause the consumer to feel horrible side effects (such as Nine constantly feeling the world spinning and his come-and-go headaches) and ultimately die early (something viewers get to see in the show's final episode). With the fact that these drugs kill its consumers off early, we come to realize that Nine was constantly working on very short time with Twelve in order to see their mission complete. This fact alone adds a deep layer to Nine's characters, explaining his stress and full-fledged dedication to Sphinx's mission; not willing to diverge from such nor adopt a carefree attitude unlike his counterpart. 

Twelve

Twelve is very childish and light-hearted compared to his counterpart Nine. Also hailing from the horrible Athena Project, (that experimented on children with savant syndrome [look it up] in order to make super soldiers/agents to be utilized as weapons who could out-think/out maneuver anyone) he escaped the Academy early on with his friend Nine. Nine and Twelve share a very close relationship as they have been together for a long time. That being said, I thought it was very interesting that someone who went trough the same mental agony of the Athena project like Nine ended up so lively and light-hearted. Twelve is a character who is infatuated with the idea of companionship and being needed by another individual. So much so, that he is even willing to betray Nine later on in the show in order to pursue his feelings for Lisa and ultimately save her during episode 8. Being locked away for years from the world in the Academy, he was never really allowed to form close bonds with others beyond Twelve and presumably some of the other children in the program whom all died. Thus, he can't help but feel very curious and lovingly towards Lisa whom the duo meet early on and claim as their accomplice (as she witnesses them bombing a building). I definitely feel his character is set up in a way that audiences can like and empathize with him as he truly wishes to feel needed by another individual and loved.

Lisa

Many reviews I've read think Lisa is one of the weakest characters of the show. From the very beginning, she is set up in a way that audiences are supposed to sympathize with her. She's constantly being bullied at school, she seems to be quite anemic, (as she's quite pale, throws up a lot, feints a lot, and is portrayed as overall physically weak) and she lives with a very deranged, over-controlling mother who even results to domestic violence in order to control her child's actions. We really can't help but feel bad for her from the very get go. Yet... "she retains these characteristics throughout the show and really doesn't even end up being of any use to the protagonists. The show essentially marks her as useless and keep her there." These are the opinions of many viewers of this show...However, I will say this about her character: despite how "lame" she is made out to be, she fulfills the purpose of what the show is trying to achieve. She is just a normal, every-day girl who plays sidekick to very gifted and talented young men who are TERRORISTS!!!! I think people these days constantly want that strong female character in their shows that is extremely fleshed out and vitally crucial to the plot. I like those characters a lot too but in the case of this show however, we don't need that... Lisa perfectly served the role of a weak character who is a mess and needs saving. And that's perfectly fine as I feel it ultimately lends to a normal person's reactions and potential role should they find themselves in a crazy situation like that of the show. Lisa's life was complete and utter shit before Nine and Twelve gave her attention and gave her life some meaning (even if it seemed evil at first). Twelve (along with helping Nine fulfill the ultimate goal of Sphinx) is looking for someone who can depend on him. He wants to feel needed by another person and ultimately tells Lisa this while commenting on how he was glad he met her. In being the way she is, Twelve felt he had to protect and take care of Lisa as he does throughout the show. Thus, Lisa essentially helped Twelve to feel more like a bloody human being! If there was one thing I can agree with that was rather disappointing about her character, it would have to be never truly finding out about her mother and the true nature of their relationship. However, this plot hole is something I'm willing to let go as Watanabe probably wished for Lisa's mother to ultimately serve as a a means to an end for Lisa's overall development, albeit minor. 
-Is Lisa a good, well-written character? In the grander schemes of things..probably not. 
-Is Lisa a bad character in this show? Hell no. She's just a normal girl who happens to come from layers of horrible self esteem and an abusive home life. She play a pivotal role in allowing for Twelve's development as well as ultimately keeping the memories of our protagonists alive. 

Five

Now this is a character that is an interesting one to talk about. I have read a bunch of reviews on Zankyou that all feel the show was great but fails to reach master level because of Five's presence alone. Many people felt her story bits ultimately died down the series and was effectively unnecessary. I really don't understand this and actually view her as a very important character that drove an entire portion of the show in  a good way. Five is one of the last living survivors of the Athena project that is assisting the American government (who get involved in the Tokyo Sphinx case) to stop and catch Nine and Twelve. Here's why I think she's important and not a terrible character that brought down the entire show: 

-First of all, she was necessary to showing what the result of the experimentation on the children did when they finally "succeeded." They thought they'd be able to create genius savants that would be superhuman tools for the government, and what they got was a socially distorted person whose condition only led her to obsess over defeating Nine at something because he always beat her at games in the Academy. Everything else in the Academy was made to be a chore without joy, even eating, so I imagine competition and playing games was one of the only things she knew how to derive any joy from when she left. Unfortunately, she also had experienced so much trauma and was so mentally corrupted by the whole process they'd done to her that she also developed an obsession with getting revenge on Nine and Twelve for abandoning her when they escaped the facility.

-Second of all, she pulled that whole stunt with the ferris wheel making Twelve betray Nine so that Nine would have to feel her pain of being betrayed and alone!!! Seriously though, that ferris wheel scene as Five is watching Twelve struggle to free Lisa was intense stuff! Anyways, there are some very valuable and huge historical contexts subtly referenced in this show. Read about Unit 731 on Wikipedia. I think this show was meant to reference that, among other things. Just like with Unit 731 in WWII, when the US discovered the horrifying truth of what Japan had been doing with human experimentation, they opted not to prosecute them in front of the world and make the information public so they could TAKE the results of the research and keep them confidential for their own military use. In this show, the US discovered corruption, decided they'd rather take Five than expose the Athena plan to the world, and they got more than they bargained for in that. This show depicts American foreign policy fairly accurately. No matter how you look at it, Five is one of the children from the establishment, and the sole "success" of the research. That she seems to represent evil makes her all the more easy to sympathize with in my opinion.  

-You have to remember that Savant syndrome (combined with trauma and drug experimentation) can lead to incredible distortion in the way a person thinks and socializes and what they perceive is acceptable. I think Five's wickedness was entirely meant to be perceived as a result of the experimentation. She doesn't realize what she is doing is wrong, perhaps until the very end when she doesn't go through with finishing off Nine, which makes her a victim more than a villain, in my opinion. 

-Yo

-Lastly, a lot of her actions served to escalate the detectives' awareness and involvement in the case that ultimately helped Nine and Twelve's goal come to fruition. They may not have succeeded entirely on their own. We can never really know because that is not how the story went. Five was a great character that I felt by no means brought down this anime at all and instead brought something very unique and fantastic to the show.  

Shibazaki:

Shibazaki is probably my favorite character in this entire show. He's a top notch police officer/detective working for the metropolitan police department who 15 years prior to the show, originally belonged to the 1st Division of the police force (the best of the best). However, during a case in which a secretary fell to his death and was ultimately labeled as an accident, Shibazaki insisted on looking for the "real truth" as he truly believed the death was connected to a larger conspiracy. Because of how far Shibazaki went, he was eventually kicked out of the first division and forced to forget about the case (but he never really did). Fast forward to the events of the show and Shibazaki is essentially your quintessential, hot shot detective character. He has a strong sense of justice and is the man who ultimately discovers the mysteries behind Nine and Twelve during the Sphinx case. Shibazaki was the only detective who was able to solve all of Sphinx's riddles and was able to stop some of the bombs from going off in Tokyo. Reliving his past in doing everything it took to seek out justice and figuring out what Sphinx was really trying  to accomplish (so much to the point that he even begins to realize they may not be the real bad guys) was really interesting. There's a line by Shibazaki in episode 10 where he states, "I know him (Nine) better than all of you," that really served as a fine example of some of the emotion that was behind his character and how he was slowly unraveling it all. Shibazaki was necessary to piece the case together and was the only one who was capable of figuring it all out. Another detail I liked about his character, albeit minor, was how he had personal ties to wanting to stop the atomic bomb at the end of the series. We find out early on that Shibazaki is the son of a second generation of Hiroshima survivors. Thus, he had personal ties having already seen the affects on his family from an atomic bomb to stop at nothing to try and prevent it from all happening again at the end of the show. 

Artwork:

10/10...... The artwork and visuals of Zankyou no Terror are gorgeous and stunning. It is done in a very unique, hand drawn style that helps to flesh out every ounce of detail in every scene. Being a show that was an interesting length of 11 episodes, the show's budget was apparent throughout and really showed off beautiful visuals. Even if you didn't like the show's story, I think the visuals and music are two things that are hard to criticize. Speaking of music.....

Music:

100/10. The soundtrack of this show was composed by the legendary Yoko Kanno (you know... the lady behind the fantastic cowboy bebop soundtrack)! This soundtrack is in my opinion, one of the greatest anime soundtracks to come out in recent years. There is not a single track on this album that isn't fantastic in it's own right. The composition is on a master level in this soundtrack. I can speak for hours about how brilliant the musical direction in this show was...but I'll try and keep it brief. 

-I believe that good music in anime by all means is not paramount in order to create a great show. However, when it is present, it is most certainly appreciated. But when it's present in a great story....it only serves to make the experience even more brilliant. 

-Shinichiro Watanabe is known to incorporate unique and great music in all of his shows. He feels that his shows need good music involved in order to deliver the stories he wishes to tell. And by all means he already has a great track record with this so why stop now? (Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, etc.)

My Thoughts on the Ending:

If you are still with me up to this point I truly thank you as I know this has been kind of long. Anyways, I'd like to wrap this all up with my thoughts on the ending of the show. For some reason, I keep reading reviews that all talk smack about the conclusion of this show. They find it anticlimactic, stupid, and a weak conclusion for everything the show was trying to set up. Once again, I truly do not understand these statements as I thought the ending was beyond brilliant and very satisfying. So let's take a couple things into consideration: 

- In my opinion, it was a very satisfying way to conclude the show, albeit sad. We knew Nine and Twelve were going to die. After all, at the end of the day, they were still terrorists. The death scenes were powerful too as Twelve is literally shot down by the Americans and Nine dies from the side effects of the drugs but  not before handing off the rest of their mission to Shibazaki (to expose everything in court) saying, "Don't forget we lived."It's the theme of how they died for their mission that I think will resonate with fans of this show. Nine and Twelve did everything they did so that someone could figure out that they were trying to expose what had happened to them in the past and what really occurred with the Athena Plan. They had to lure an "Oedipus" (Shibazaki) to go and find out what really happened in the settlement that experimented on children and that ultimately Sphinx was trying to get arrested but not without exposing the Athena Plan's secrets. Nine and Twelve had to display what they were capable of in order to prove to the government that they really were part of the horrific experimentation that occurred. And yet, they did not kill a single person throughout their entire campaign. Instead they brought Japan back to the stone age by launching an EMP that wiped out all electronic devices in Japan. 

-Many viewers found the whole wiping out all the electricity in Japan part kind of lame and anticlimactic. However, I saw this as more of Nine and Twelve wanting to make all of Japan feel exactly the way they did when they were still in the Academy: alone and cut off from the world in the dark. They wanted Japan to feel just a small fragment of what it was like and expose the corruption that took place. 

-Another thing that's rather small but I feel is worth mentioning that made this conclusion effective was the voice acting in this episode. My friend Robert Volante recently spoke to me about how he appreciates it when a rather emotionless character in an anime (Nine) suddenly shows a moment of intense emotion and exposure (Nine crying when Twelve gets shot). Twelve's death scene serves as a good example of this and truly was powerful. Nine's voice actor was successful in delivering pure, raw emotion. 

-Also, can I just say that the scene right before the death scene where Nine, Twelve, and Lisa are playing with a ball and just being kids for once was amazing!!! It was a nice refresher and it was great to see them all just be bloody children for once! 

-Lastly, we find out at the end that the word "Von" (a word that is seen in the beginning of the series on two separate occasions involving Sphinx) is the Icelandic word for "Hope." What an amazing theme that really tied together what Nine and Tweleve were trying to accomplish the entire time. Hope: that they could kill nobody in the process. Hope: that there story would be heard. Hope: that Shibazaki would end up coming through for them. Hope: that someone out there could really need them and make them feel human. Hope: that the truth will be exposed.... Ladies and gentleman... it is within my firm belief that Zankyou no Terror is truly a masterpiece of an anime. One that I highly recommend watching it to the highest degree. Thank you for reading and have a wonderful day.

-Nights Off