January 19, 2005
Xenosaga: The Animation
Xenosaga, for those who don't know, is a major RPG videogame for the PS2. Episode 1 came out several years ago and was a cult hit. Fans are rabid, much like Final Fantasy fans. Message boards popped up, shrines, and websites rose like mountains. It was a fantastic game. A must for RPGers who love complicated storylines, lots of cut scenes, and likable characters. The game play was pretty standard, nothing spectacular really, but nothing horribly bad either. Most of us who love the game, love the story, which is surrounded by riddles and red-herrings.
So, when the animation finally came out a couple weeks ago, many of us were excited. I was really happy. Seeing the story of Xenosaga brought to televison was something worth watching. However, I must say, after two episodes, I'm not impressed.
Firstly, the animation style is sub-par. It's so second rate, so bland, so disappointing. I was expecting a better, more extravagant stlye for this show. I feel like I'm watching Transformers or something...back when I was a kid...They throw in a few CG scenes here and there, perhaps trying to make up for the disappointment, but the show is still pretty bland. I will admit, the Gnosis coming out of the gate jump was really cool, and a few of the fight scenes were nice, but it sort of ticks me off they skimp on the rest of the show. Once again, I feel I might just be watching the show for the story again, like I did with the game.
(Upclose with one of the Gnosis. They come in all shapes and sizes; Kosmos in a battle simulation wearing some weird suit; Alan talking with fellow Vector employees)
BUT...
I'm not one to complain about subtle changes in storylines. They don't bug me that much, and so far, the story hasn't gone become too wayward. However, a few of the alterations in Xenosaga: The Animation irritated me and have made me worry. Shion's interaction with the sliver haired girl, a Kirchswasser (I'm assuming that's what she was suppose to be since she "returned" to Albedo in episode 2) on the Woglinde boggled my mind. We didn't see any Kirchswassers until Albedo's introduction later in the game. And I wasn't aware that Kirchswassers were 100 Series Realians (it's been awhile since I played the game). Kosomos's awakening during the Gnosis attack was cool, but they really skimped out on it. They left little explination to why Alan was so afraid of her waking up on her own, and they left out the other crew mates, which took away a lot of the impact of the scene. I guess that's a nitpick, but it annoyed me. The main thing that really bothered me was Lt. Virgil DIDN'T DIE on the Woglinde. That's a major change to the story...big time. Kosmos shot through him to kill a Gnosis and he croaked like he deserved to, yet in the animation, he's alive and stuck on the escape pod with Shion and Alan. It was Commandar Cherenkov who was rescued with them, not Virgil, and that too makes for a HUGE change in the story...as it was Cherenkov and Margulis's fault the Woglinde went down (in my opinion), thanks to their operation to retreive the Zohar emulator. Cherenkov gets touched by a gnosis while on the Elsa later in the story, and changes into one...Lt. Virgil shows up from the dead at the end of the game...why, we don't know yet (I'm waiting for Episode 2 of the videogame), but I'm sure he's up to no good.
(Lt. Virgil is a creep. The stuff on his face is a disease he got from eating Realian "brains";Kirchswasser or 100 series Realian? We don't know; Albedo is as nutty as they come. He scares the hell out of me)
Of course, they can do whatever they want to the story. Like I said, I don't dislike adaptations, however, with a story like Xenosaga, I find it hard to believe they'll be able to make changes like these and have the story make sense. It's already hard enough to follow in the orginal, making it more complicated doesn't make sense, and simplifying it would ruin the story to the point it would no longer be Xenosaga.
(Shion stands in front of the Zohar Emulator the Woglinde picked up in space; Gnosis gate out to attack the Woglinde and fleet; Shion running for her life)
I'll try to curb my disappointment for the time being. The changes weren't rampent, though significant. They did keep the majority of the important events, such as Cherenkov talking with Margulis, the man touching the Zohar Emulator and disappearing, the Gnosis attacking the Woglinde and infiltrating the ship to take the Zohar Emulator, Virgils hatred of Realians, the appearence of Nephilem, etc. I'll continue to watch and see what happens. If it gets too bad, I'll just go play the game again until Episode 2 is released for the PS2 in the States. I will say that the Animation has a great soundtrack. The opening music is beautiful, very much on par with that of the game.
(Kosmos, the anti-gnosis weapon, awakens for unknown reasons; Kosmos is a badass; The Hilbert Effect forces Gnosis into our demension so they can be killed. Kosmos has a massive range when using the Hilbert Effect)
A few other characters that haven't shown up much yet, but will later:
(Jr, also known as Rubedo, might look like a kid but he's really 28 years old; Jin is Shion's older brother. He doesn't play much of a role in the first half of the story, but he may be responsible for the scar on Margulis's face; Nephilem is a mysterious little girl who only Shion and chaos (no capital for his name) see. Who or what she is is yet to bee seen)
Oh, and a big welcome back to Arxane! Nice to see you again!
Posted by Zoso at January 19, 2005 09:19 PM