guillermo87 - 2013-07-07 21:04:41

Zetman is one of those series that could have been much better than it actually was. In fact, it had everything in its favor. The premise of genetically modified beings escaping and trashing about around the city, severely endangering humans is nothing new to western viewers, but it’s still something rather uncommon in anime. With a rather refreshing premise, a cast of characters that, due to their circumstances, personalities and upbringing, had plenty of potential to develop and a nice and different artwork, Zetman had the main ingredients for success, right from episode one.However, it didn’t succeed. The series got worse with which new episode, mainly due to its overly paced story, and tried to do more than what was possible in a the time it had been given. The result is a highly convoluted narrative that requires the viewers’ suspense of disbelief in a rather high number of moments.Story aside, the characters themselves were a big disappointment. Besides the two main characters, who serve as a contrast to each other and whose views of justice – the main theme in this show – are challenged and change throughout the series, everyone else is as shallow as a cardboard, especially the antagonist (who’d be better compared to a sheet of paper), whose motives are never fully explained and just comes across as being plainly evil. Something worth mentioning as well is the relationship between Jin and Hanako, which ends up playing a big role in the final episode, yet its development is as rushed as one can imagine, and I didn’t really care about it at all, for the protagonist’s feelings failed to evoke any emotion on me. In sum, while two of the characters are indeed interesting from an objective point of view, the lack of development for other characters ends up detracting from any possibility of attachment on the viewers’ part.Despite all the problems it had, Zetman wasn’t a total waste of time. Both main characters are interesting enough to be worth analyzing, as both have really different views on justice, probably highly impacted but how they grew up and how shielded from the world they were (or weren’t), yet they still respect each other. Kouga, in particularly, stroke me as the most layered character, and watching him develop was probably the highlight of the series for me, despite my preference towards Jin’s personality, views and design.Overall, Zetman wasn’t a bad watch, and was artistically balanced, as while it didn’t have that great animation or soundtrack, both were above average and served their purpose quite well (I’ll never forget how awful a OP this series had, though). Besides, when compared to the mess that most middle episodes were, the finale was well paced and directed, managing to leave a good final impression. I did love the first episode and this turned out to be way bellow my expectations. It’s a shame something with this potential gets wasted due to an overly ambitious adaptation. Well, it’s not the first one and it won’t be the last series with this problem. It’s something I don’t consider a waste of time, but it’s also something I’d prefer not to have picked up if I knew it’d end up like this.

akeem.bergstrom - 2013-03-17 17:37:31

Originality: There aren't many superhero anime, so I'm sure Zetman is a unique series to the Japanese. But to Americans who grew up around Superman, Batman, the X-Men, and Spiderman, Zetman feels like your typical superhero comic. Even the ending, voice over and all, feels like it was taken straight from a Batman movie. The show just feels recycled. The only thing that felt original were the character designs, which were a blend of Western and anime styles.

Plot: Whoever thought of trying to adapt 17 volumes of manga in 12 episodes needs to be fired. Things happened far to fast. One thing after another was thrown at the viewer with the only breaks coming when there were fights. Most of the plot twists were predictable and the ones that weren't have little effect because we haven't been given time to care about the characters. Even a terrific plot is underwhelming if you don't care about what happens, and this was not a terrific plot to begin with. I did find two plot twists enjoyable, but generally you are not suppose to find a tragic reveal or psychological breakdown enjoyable.

The one positive is the ending which was concrete and tied everything up. It left room for a sequel if the producers want to make one, but it doesn't need it. It feels complete as it is.

Characters: The most notable aspect of the characters were their designs. They looked like a blend of Western and anime styles. On the plus side, they were unique and help Zetman feel even more like a typical superhero comic. On the negative side, they were not very appealing, and some anime fans may find the designs hard to get past.

The characters suffer from the same problem as the plot: they weren't given enough time to develop. They felt one dimensional and stiff. Even worse, I can honestly say I didn't care about any of them. Seeing one of the characters fall to pieces and go crazy was what I enjoyed most through the entire anime. That's a bad sign. I'm suppose to be lamenting the lose of this character, not taking delight in it.

Barriers: Gore: Zetman is rated mature for a good reason. Every fight was blood soaked, many characters died painful deaths, and there was even a brief sex scene thrown in for good measure. If you're not comfortable with gore, stay away. 

Sexism: This is my largest problem with Zetman. The issue isn't that there were no badass women. The issue is that not a single woman did something productive. All of the female characters were either a love interest, a mother figure, or a hostage. There wasn't a single female scientist, or a business woman, or anything like that. When female characters were taken as hostages (which happened a surprising number of times), none of them did anything to try to save themselves. They would just wait for someone (ie. a man) to come along and save them. I don't expect my entertainment to be the pinnacle of social equality, but I do expect it to not insult me. The sexism made some episodes hard, uncomfortable, and insulting to watch.

Special Mention: Atmosphere: One of the few things Zetman has going for it is the atmosphere it sets up. The city looked dirty, old, and harsh. There were far more shadows than lights, and who knows what could be lurking in the shady alleyways. The gritty ambiance gave the show an even larger Batman feel.

Overall: 1/10 An extremely rushed plot, characters the viewer is given no time to care about, lots of blood, and sexism make it impossible for me to recommend Zetman to anyone. An entertaining, complete ending and the ambiance somewhat redeem it, but they're nowhere near enough. If you're looking for some good horror, go watch Hellsing Ultimate, Deadman Wonderland, or Another; not Zetman.

This review was originally posted at http://radiantserenechaos.deviantart.com/art/Anime-Review-Zetman-328007192