In a post-apocalyptic world where gigantic man-eating beasts known as Aragami roam the land, the last survivors of humanity are holed up inside walled cities throughout the world, protected by soldiers called God Eaters who wield weapons known as God Arcs. Being released by MVM Entertainment God Eater Part 1 includes the first 7 episodes of the 13-episode season with part 2 being released later in the year. God Eater is a multimedia project which includes 5 games, manga and light novel adaptations, and an OVA serving as a prologue to the 13-episode season, both of which were created by Ufotable (Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works, Tales of Zestiria the X).
Confession time. Confession number 1, I watched this when it aired in summer 2015 but never finished it due to the final few episodes being delayed and then never finding the time to be able to re-watch the first part of the season, so I’m looking forward to finally finishing it. Confession number 2, I’ve played the re-release of the first God Eater game on PS4 to which I really enjoyed but never finished it due to finding it to be very repetitive.
Set in 2071, after most of the world’s population has been killed by monsters called Aragami. The survivors find themselves seeking refuge under the protection of an organisation called Fenrir inside of walled cities separated from the killer Aragami roaming the ruined wastelands of the Earth. Protecting the last remnants of humanity are the God Eaters, these soldiers wield the weapons called God Arcs which are made from Aragami cells. The God Eaters venture out of the protection of the cities in the search of Oracle cells to be used for humanity’s last-ditch attempt for survival.
Over the course of the 7 episodes, we follow the First Squad of God Eaters from the Far East Branch consisting of Lenka Utsugi the reckless rookie with a point to prove. Lindow Amamiya the experienced squad leader trying his best to make sure everyone makes it home. Sakuya Tachibana, the second in command who acts as the caring mother of the squad. Soma Schicksal, the soldier who keeps to himself during downtime but can be counted on in a fight. Kota Fujiki, a rookie who joins the squad the same time as Lenka, he’s the cautious type. Alisa Amiella, a Russian transferred to the Far East Branch, who has had a traumatic encounter with the Aragami when she was younger.
For anybody who has watched other Ufotable titles like Fate/Stay Night Unlimited Blade Works and Tales of Zestiria the X, you’ll know that Ufotable always go above and beyond when it comes to visuals. Looking darker and grittier, with a slightly different animation style to the aforementioned shows God Eater doesn’t look as nice as the other Ufotable shows do, but it keeps the quality which they are known for. The fight scenes are also well choreographed, not being too chaotic, nor are they too long or short. Being the DVD version which I watched for this review, it did look blurry during the dark scenes, I have no doubt that this will be best suited to watch on Blu-ray. DVD extras include clean opening and ending themes.
In the 7 episodes which the first part covers, not much is explained of the plot. We do know that Lenka previously lived outside the walls, and the humanity is on its last-ditch attempt for survival. Not much is explained behind the circumstances for the fall of humanity. Each episode does have a flashback which follows a group of scientists researching the Oracle Cells which covers the events which lead to the rise of the Aragami, but nothing is truly explained yet. Hopefully, the second part fills in these gaps.
God Eater comes with both English and Japanese audio tracks, both are just as good as each other. The only main difference I’ve found with the cast between the game and the anime is that Cherami Leigh (Asuna in Sword Art Online) now voices Alisa which I find to be a better fit for the character. Both language tracks are as good as each other for God Eater, nothing stands out between the two tracks. The music throughout the episodes is also another standout point of God Eater, the opening is “Feed A” by OLDCODEX, and the ending is “Ruined Land” by Go Shiina feat. Naomi. Also used are multiple insert songs, which are used perfectly to fit the scenes.