“ | Over 4000 years after abandoning the Earth, humanity is in peril. Under attack by a merciless enemy from another dimension and constantly on the brink of war with one another, all hope for the survival of humankind seems lost. At the center of it all is a mysterious monolith with unknown powers. Enter: KOS-MOS. A black box weapon that is dangerous and misunderstood as she is beautiful. And she may be our hope. From the wildly popular video games series: Xenosaga: The Animation. | ” |
Xenosaga: The Animation is a twelve-episode anime series by Toei Animation, which premiered on TV Asahi in Japan on January 5, 2005. The script's author was Yuichiro Takeda, who went on to work on several projects in the Xeno series, such as Xenosaga I & II, Xenoblade Chronicles, Xenoblade Chronicles X, and Xenoblade Chronicles 2.
The character designer was Nobuteru Yuki, and Kousuke Yamashita was music director.
It received both an English and Japanese dub. The English dub was done by ADV Films in Texas.
The series is an adaptation of the first Xenosaga video game Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht.
The anime is about 4 hours in length.
Episodes 1-4 were released on DVD as "Volume 1: Enter the Gnosis".
Episodes 5-8 were released on DVD as "Volume 2: Voices from the Past".
Episodes 9-12 were released on DVD as "Volume 3: Free Will".
Differences[]
While the series is based on Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht, there were several changes to the storyline. Some things that were cut were:
- Jr., Ziggy, and MOMO Mizrahi's first appearances in Episode I
- Andrew Cherenkov's backstory and the Cathedral Ship
- Miyuki Itsumi's role in the story
Some points that were later explored in Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse are revealed in the anime. For example, Albedo Piazzolla's personality and motives are further expanded upon, leading to many plot points that are explored more fully in Episode II.
Another change is the inclusion of Luis Virgil, who accompanies the main characters for nine episodes in the place of Andrew Cherenkov, who is killed by the Gnosis aboard the Woglinde. When Virgil is killed in the Kukai Foundation Gnosis attack, he mentions Febronia's name, which still parallels his final moments in Episode I. There are a few filler scenes such as Allen getting drunk at a bar with Virgil there. Episode 7 is almost entirely filler with scenes like MOMO gaining a Sailor Moon style transformation sequence.
Another major difference is the role of the Kirschwassers. Before the destruction of the Woglinde, Shion Uzuki befriends one of Albedo's "personal assistant" Realians, the Kirschwassers. While in Episode I they serve in a minor role working for Albedo, the anime focuses on only one named Kirsh. This Kirschwasser was impersonating a 100-Series while on the Woglinde in order to escape Albedo, but was recaptured and set to work against Shion, who had befriended her earlier. The ending of the anime has Kirsch in the control room of Proto Merkabah, setting it to self-destruct mode, where she dies. In the game, KOS-MOS does this and escapes unharmed. Kirsch was added as a specific Kirshwasser NPC in the DS version of Xenosaga I & II after the anime's release.
The Encephalon dive is changed. Jin Uzuki, Shion's brother and a major character in Xenosaga Episode II, can be seen in it despite him only appearing in the post credits of Xenosaga Episode I. Febronia and Cecily and Cathe do not appear in the Encephalon dive.
The Song of Nephilim portion of the game is skipped, and instead, the anime skips to the Proto Merkabah.
The final confrontation with Albedo on the Proto Merkabah is changed, removing the Sophie Peithos boss entirely, in favor of Albedo and Kirsch in E.S. Simeon.
Episode list[]
- Awakening - 覚醒 - The Woglinde attack.
- Imminent Defeat - 轟沈 - The Woglinde attack.
- Chance Encounter - 邂逅 - The Elsa.
- Jaws of Death - 死地 - The Elsa.
- Heteromorphic - 異形 - The Elsa is rescued by the Durandal.
- Anchorage - 投錨 - Kukai Foundation.
- Encephalon - エンセフェロン - Encephalon.
- Memories - 記憶 - Encephalon.
- The Song - 歌声 - Attack on the Kukai Foundation.
- The Weapon - 兵器 - Planning to save MOMO on the Proto Merkabah.
- Delusion - 妄執 - Saving MOMO on the Proto Merkabah.
- KOS-MOS - KOS-MOS - Proto Merkabah finale.
Of note are the use of the Zohar Emulators in the title card; each one contains a Hebrew numeral which denotes the episode's number.
Music[]
Xenosaga: The Animation Original Soundtrack is the soundtrack of the anime. Consult Official Xenosaga Soundtracks for more information.
Reception[]
Xenosaga: The Animation received a 6.34/10 on MyAnimeList, as of June 22, 2022.[1]
The anime was criticized for poor animation in certain areas, such as the in-betweens.Template:Citation needed
External links[]
- Xenosaga TOEI ANIMATION
- Xenosaga: The Animation at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
- Xenosaga: The Animation on Wikipedia (ゼノサーガシリーズ/Xenosaga Series)