Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere
境界線上のホライゾンIn the far future, humans abandon a devastated Earth and traveled to outer space. However, due to unknown phenomenon that prevents them from traveling into space, humanity returns to Earth only to find it inhospitable except for Japan. To accommodate the entire human population, pocket dimensions are created around Japan to house in the populace. In order to find a way to return to outer space, the humans began reenacting human history according to the Holy book Testament. But in the year 1413 of the Testament Era, the nations of the pocket dimensions invade and conquer Japan, dividing the territory into feudal fiefdoms and forcing the original inhabitants of Japan to leave. It is now the year 1648 of the Testament Era, the refugees of Japan now live in the city ship Musashi, where it constantly travels around Japan while being watched by the Testament Union, the authority that runs the re-enactment of history. However, rumors of an apocalypse and war begin to spread when the Testament stops revealing what happens next after 1648. Taking advantage of this situation, Toori Aoi, head of Musashi Ariadust Academy's Supreme Federation and President of the student council, leads his fellow classmates to use this opportunity to regain their homeland. (Source: Wikipedia)
Reviews
predovic.eduardo - 2013-07-25 08:08:28
So Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon, or in English known as, 'Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere', is an anime set in the 'far distant future'. To me it took me a while to actually get what was going on, and that will probably be the biggest let down of this anime. However, once you get to episode 8 I think the story becomes clear of where it wants to go. After finishing this anime I actually wanted to watch its second season despite my initial feelings at the beginning. In one sentence, the anime is about a massive pervert named Aoi Tori whom with his classmates, work together to save a girl named Horizon who is being held captive and sentenced to die so that history will be 'reenacted'. So onto assessing this anime...Story & Setting (0/2):Story-wise, it becomes clear, very focused and enjoyable about halfway through. However with the setting was a real let-down because half of the time I couldn't tell who were the good guys and who were the bad guys. Then I realized that this anime was presented in a style similar to 'Game of Thrones', where every side has its enemies and they all have similar intentions of trying to avenge or rescue. This anime also heavily focuses on the political, economical and historical contexts of the story. And this wasn't set up very well. So I would have to deduct 2 marks from this aspect because it really bothered me for a while. Art & Animation (2/2):Okay so one of the memorable points about 'Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere', is that most of the women have really, really big boobs. BOOBS. So if you don't like the excessive amount of fanservice then that's alright, there's still much more depth to this anime than a normal romantic comedy showing off girls with big boobs. Other points about artwork which are memorable is the virtual interface thingy which I can't describe. But it very much reminds me of the virtual interface in the game of Sword Art Online. It is very similar. Animation was really well done here. Especially towards the end of the anime, where there were lots of fight scenes and special flashy skills. I appreciated that a lot. Sound [Voice Acting, OP + ED, BGM] (2/2):Voice acting was done well. I watched the subbed version and I didn't find many of the character's voices annoying. When I searched up the voice actors, I was surprised that the same Japanese voice actor for Aoi Tori was the same guy who voiced Lelouch Lamperouge from Code Geass. The two characters sound very different but that only widened my appreciation to the skill this voice actor has. There is only one OP for this anime, and I liked it. I don't pay much to the EDs though. I think there are two. The background music to me was enjoyable. Sometimes it sticks in my head after I've seen an episode. To some people the background music will be very distinctive. Towards the end of the anime the music compliments really well with the sort of 'epic' feeling that is being created.Characters (2/2):In this anime there are a wide range of characters presented, all with different personalities and skills. You'll definitely remember all of them thanks to their unique personalities and abilities. Together they form a really good team. You may think that some of the characters were not important to the story but in its second season they will be useful. The chemistry between many of the characters are quite enjoyable to watch. I certainly got a lot of 'ngaaaaaaaawww' moments in the last few episodes. There are also a lot of hilarious moments too.Overall Enjoyment (2/2): I can definitely say that I enjoyed this anime after watching it. Although the story was set up pretty badly, it was still worth it to watch all the way to the end. I would say that most people would really like the end. The anime also sets itself perfectly for its second season, which I have also seen. Would I recommend this to anyone? Yeah I would recommend this anime to those who are patient, like women with big boobs and who like immersing themselves in a far distant realm where they can lose themselves in a story. You don't have to have all three of the above qualities to enjoy the anime. The take-home point of this anime is that it lacks established setting but develops an extremely well fitting ending. 8/10
caleb.ernser - 2013-07-15 00:16:09
If you love over-the-top action, historical references, don't mind fan service, and like a great anime then this is the show for you. However, if you shy away from fan-service, dislike a slow build-up, and like serious anime then this isn't the show for you. Despite the bad reviews, probably created by people who didn't finish the series there is indeed a plot. However the plot itself does not develop until episode 4, and things don't get intense until episode 6 or 7. However, by then you should be able to enjoy this fun and enjoyable show. You shouldn't take this show serious, because it doesn't. The world building aspect of the show is amazing, and the characters above all else are enjoyable yet fit clichés.
The series is based on an ongoing light novel series which has been known to be increasingly heavy. A few of the books themselves dwarf all three Lord of the Rings books fit together. With more detail in a whole book than Tolkien can put in one forest. A good comparison would be with Game of Thrones, since everyone has their enemies and allies. These things are fickle and drama, politics, and old standing grungdes unite and divide both the main cast and supporting characters. If you want an epic sci-fi adventure that has elements of Song Ice and Fire, role-playing games, and historical tropes then get ready to have fun.
drunolfsdottir - 2013-06-05 02:18:44
Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon is the very essence of a guilty pleasure. Should I enjoy a show with a laughably bad story, heavy emphasis on breast animation, and stereotypical characters? Probably not, but I still loved the series regardless. (Disclaimer: I haven't read the light novel(s), they will not be referenced)I won't beat around the bush, Horizon has quite possibly the worst plot and story-telling I've ever seen. Names of people, places, and technology are thrown around from the very beginning. Some re-occurring characters (I'm talking about you, dorm girl) don't seem to actually do anything, and are most likely only included in anticipation of the second season. That said, the plot isn't completely incomprehensible. It might take pausing the video or re-watching the episode, but the plot isn't necessarily complex; it's that a huge torrent of information is given to the viewer in the first episode that it's overwhelming. Once you get past the first roadblock, it's (mostly) smooth sailing.If you don't like breasts, steer clear. Fanservice is everywhere, for better or for worse. At least there's a variety of fanservice: ridiculously large and small chests, yuri, Asama's dirty imagination, etc.Horizon's character list is almost like a list of TVTropes pages: girl with different colored eyes, girl with huge drill hair and flat chest, other girl with flat chest, shy blind girl, yuri couple, battle-focused girl, emotionless girl, the list goes on. On the one hand, there's a metric ton of cliches here. On the other hand, the huge variety breathes life into an otherwise dull anime. Most of these characters are developed on a character(s)-of-the-week basis, though they still play roles later on. Seeing the members of such a huge cast interact with each other is certainly one of the show's highlights.In the end, I find Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon a tough series to recommend. If you can stomach (or enjoy!) a lot of fanservice and you can bear rewatching scenes in order to digest information, Horizon is certainly a great show, with engaging characters and beautiful art and animation. Unfortunately, those two prerequisites may be hard to satisfy for many people.
ramiro.powlowski - 2013-03-18 23:22:19
"Complex" is one of the words you could say to describe 'Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere'.I found my self going back in an episode to try and understand what exactly was going the freak on. This adventure was full of "wait what's?" and "hold on what did he/she say's?" And that kinda hurt the enjoyment of it all.Story - 9The story was very well done from my point of view. The complexity of it all just astounded me. Although it needed more episodes in my opinion so that it could explain everything a little more clearly and slowly. Maybe I'm just a simpleton who doesn't catch on fast enough. But it did made it interesting and fast-paced. You have all of these multiple countries and they consider how one decision will affect everybody else. They have alot of characters. And couple of different storylines rolled up into one. Some of the characters even look the same(this is what really got me confused). But I liked how all of the storylines seemed to tie together. It was all new and nothing seemed cliched. They way they attack and the way they do things all seemed new to me. Which I liked.Art - 10I thought the art looked good. Everything look beautiful and crisp. The backgrounds were nice and all the characters looked really good.Sound - 8The OP was good and I enjoyed it. It was catchy and had a nice beat to it. The ED was nothing speacial but was still good. The backgroud music to me was non-exsistent. I never once noticed it. So I thought that it kinda lacked in that department. Although 'Horizon's' singing made my day. I love every bit of that song. Characters - 8These were new types of characters to me. And trust that doesn't happen to often. After seeing plenty of anime you kinda feel that you'll never meet a character that doesn't remind you of another. And I can honestly say Aoi Tori (the hero of our story) reminds me of no one. He's just a likeable, perverted, boob groping, hilarious, naked dancing, erotic game playing boy that makes you smile everytime you see him. But when you mention 'Horizon' he seems to beome serious without even changing that goofy smile on his face that I love so much. 'Horizon' (the heroine of our story) is a very quiet person. She's not shy or anything she just doen't talk much. Mainly because of the fact that......... lets just say, she's a 'robot' but at the same time she not, for the sake of our storyline. All of the other characters are fun and entertaining. There is no character in this anime that I could say I dislike.Enjoyment - 8I enjoyed 'Horizon in the Middle of Nowhere' quie a bit. And feel a stong urge to rewatch it. It probably should have gotten a 9 or 10 but I was confused at so many parts that I couldn't. If it had been a 26 episode season I think this would have been a much better anime. But hay, thats just me. Watch it for yourself, I promise you'll enjoy.