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Year: 2007
Genre: Action, Mecha, Military, Sci-Fi, Space
Episodes: 26
Rating: 3.25 out of 5
The world of Greek mythology. Stories from the world of Ancient Greece. Stories that dwell into the origin and the nature of the world. The lives and adventures of deities, heroes, and mythological creatures. Stories that have been passed down from generation to generation. Epic poems like Homer’s The Iliad and the Odyssey, show the world truly about Greek mythology.
The world where the Gods controlled the lands. Godlike Zeus in the sky, Poseidon in the sea, and Hades in the Underworld. The beautiful goddess Aphrodite or the wise goddess of Athena. The heroes of Greek mythology stand today with the help of the gods. Heroes like Perseus and his fight against Medusa. Then there is Jason and his band of Argonauts after the Golden Fleece.
There are many tales and stories about the Greek Gods and their heroes. The one that usually stands out is Hercules, the son of Zeus. Back in the day, there used to be a TV show called Hercules: The Legendary Journeys starring Kevin Sorbo. That show was pretty good. One of the famous stories of Hercules is when he is driven temporarily insane by Hera and kills his family. As punishment, he must perform 12 Labors. Heroic Age, takes the concept and names from many Greek mythology stories and throw them into an anime. The main character in Heroic Age must perform 12 Labors to finally be free and see his home restored.
Overview:
Set in a futuristic universe. Long before anything was in existence, there dwelled a group of people called the Golden Tribe. They had the power to create worlds and who knew the will of time, beckoned to the other tribes spread out across the stars. As their words spread throughout, three tribes answered their call. Those tribes were the Silver Tribe, the Bronze Tribe, and the Heroic Tribe. As time progressed, the Golden Tribe decided to leave the known universe for another. As they were about to depart, a new people emerged and answered their call. The tribe was known as humanity and was called the Iron Tribe.
Heroic Age follows the voyage of the starship Argonaut. The Argonaut is led by the young telepathic princess named Dhianeila, who is on a mission to find a prophesied savior for the human race. The savior is expected to aid humanity in their quest of getting back their homeland. The savior is also a weapon to helping mankind in their war against the Silver and Bronze tribes, who are bent on destroying humankind from the known universe.
After four long years, the expedition of the Argonaut has lead them to a partially destroyed planet. On the barren planet, they discover a boy by the name of Age. When the Argonaut is attacked by the Bronze Tribe, Age transforms into the legendary “Nodos” (a lost Heroic Tribe member) by the name of Bellcross, a powerful, blue, gigantic being. Bellcross easily defeats the attackers. Having found the savior they were looking for, humanity gives Age twelve labors in their quest for humanity. With the fate of humanity resting on Age and Dhianeila’s shoulders, will they have the will and power to propel humanity to freedom or fall to the Silver Tribe and their four legendary Nodos?
Review:
The story’s theme is based on stories in Greek mythology, especially those surrounding Heracles, upon whom the main character is based, and his Twelve Labors. Many of the other characters are also based on Greek mythological figures. Characters share similar names to their Greek counterparts, and how their relationship is defined with others correspond with Greek stories. The title of the series, Heroic Age, is also a slight testament to the similarities to Greek mythology, referring to the time of the Heroic Age. The tribes featured in the anime are loosely based on Hesiod’s Five Ages of Mankind. The use of mythological creatures is greatly used in a way that makes you see how prominent Greek mythology is in this anime.
One of the highlights of this anime is the action scenes. Whenever Bellcross comes on screen, big things are about to happen. Actually, when any other the Nodos comes on screen, big things are bound to happen. The only difference is that Bellcross is an absolute BEAST. What is incredible is that the other Nodos can’t figure out why they can’t beat the dude. It’s because he is a BEAST, that’s why! What is great about the action scenes is they show the difference in power between the humans, insects, and Nodos. What I will say is that after a while, the scenes do become a tad bit repetitive. How many times can one dude blow up and destroy an insect battleship?
I will say this, the pacing was pretty good for this anime. It starts off with a bang. For twenty-six episodes, it does keep your attention. The second half of the anime is actually at its best with the war. Nothing like watching a war break out. The reason is that it is not a conventional war. You see the idiotic tendencies of two princes trying to get their way for their own fame and glory. The war is actually needed because it does push the story. Things actually get really crazy when Bellcross loses all control and almost destroys the whole universe.
The characters also hold their own. Age is almost the perfect main character. He is innocent and pretty naïve about the world around him. Yet he is pure of heart. You can’t help to like him because no matter the situation, he seems to always smile and then try to be friends with everyone. His painting skills are quite extraordinary to only use his hands. Dhianeila is an excellent complement to Age. She is almost precisely like Age in terms of purity of heart and innocent. She tries her best to lead but sometimes becomes a minor push over. The best part is when she takes over (YOU GO GIRL!!)
Besides the main characters, other characters do help the story along. Iolaus is the jealous type as he wants Dhianeila’s heart but can’t. He is strong and aggressive. What is the deal with him and his father calling Age a monkey? Better chill out because he saved that a** on countless occasions. Then there is the Silver Tribe. Pretty much the smart a** of the galaxy who have a stick so far up their….My apologies. They play good/decent enemies looking for their own way of finding what they want.
The music is good. My personal favorite song is Azurite. That song right there is just excellent. It definitely touches the heart. When I first heard it, I was like, “Okay. Not bad.” But when Age came back from his crazy mode and that tone/melody hit, while Dhianeila was looking at him. Oh, damn the feels. Where is my love like that?
One of the downsides to this anime is that some of the story has plot holes. We learn all of Age’s labors, but when it comes to the other Nodos, we get nothing. Some we learn and others we just know the number. It wouldn’t have been hard to tell us in one full episode but nope.
Heroic Age is a great anime to watch if you want to learn a tad bit about Hercules and Greek mythology. It will not make you an expert. Not even a novice. But what it will do is give you some groundwork. The best part of this whole anime is the action scenes. So watch and connect the starways.
