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Heroic Age
Anime DVD Review
Heroic Age takes anime to a grand scale, recalling epic, galaxy-spanning mythologies that also influenced series such as Battlestar Galactica and Babylon 5, and you'll see elements of those and many others here, as a complex tale unweaves before you.
Set during a time where humans have been a space-faring race for so long that their homeworld of Earth has been lost to them, it introduces us to a group of "tribes" that populate the universe. There was once a "Golden Tribe", and they were like Babylon 5's "First Ones", a superior and powerful race of beings, they are what we, in our ape-state would have considered "gods". The Golden Tribe sends out a message to all the other tribes to make contact, and three tribes respond; Silver Tribe, Bronze Tribe and the Heroic Tribe.
The Heroic Tribe have been at war with themselves, resulting in massive destruction across the universe. The Golden Tribe, before they leave this universe, decide to end their fighting by scattering the remaining five Heroics among the other two tribes.
 But, just as the Golden Tribe is about to leave for parts unknown, a fourth tribe responds to their call; the Iron Tribe, otherwise known as Humans. Humans have lost their homeworld of Earth to the Bronze Tribe and roam the universe in massive fleets of ships. However, their leader, a powerful psychic, has seen that the salvation of her people rests with a young boy who was raised by the Golden Tribe, a boy with wonderous powers...
Heroic Age is anime taken to a new extreme. Everything is done in a over-the-top way. The space battles don't just involve hundreds of ships, they involve thousands, maybe millions of ships! The fleets are so massive they fill the screen even in wide shots. Destruction happens on planetary scales, shattering entire solar systems.
 The overall complexity and scale of what's going on takes its toll. Character development suffers and battles seem to go on without end. But, as we learn more about the "contracts" that were made with the Golden Tribe, and what secrets they left behind for the younger races to discover, and what part the Nodos play in it all (the Nodos being the physical shells that the spirits of the remaining Heroic tribe members inhabit), it can become quite compelling as the mystery unfolds.
Heroic Age builds largely on well-established stereotypes and situations that sustain the series, making it an absorbing ride for any mainstream viewer; in fact, even if the subsequent events are far from innovative, for young teenagers and die-hard fans of space epics, there is definitely enough here to enjoy. Near the end, there are some twists and turns to the plot (some are innovative while others are downright silly). But overall, if you're a fan of classic "Space Opera", then Heroic Age is your cup of tea.
Reviewed by Brian Cirulnick, February 2010
Below: Scenes from Heroic Age.
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