▪	RELEASED BY:		FUNIMATION ENTERAINMENT
		▪	ASPECT RATIO:		16:9 ANAMORPHIC WIDESCREEN
		▪	AUDIO:		ENGLISH DD 5.1 AND JAPANESE DD 2.0
		▪	RUNNING TIME:		315 MIN
		▪	RATING:		TV PG
		▪	RELEASE DATE:		05/12/2009
		▪	REVIEW DATE:		05/19/2009
		▪	REVIEWED BY:		DAVEY C. JONES

Now humanity wanders the cosmos in search of a savior. Prophesy has foretold of one who will labor for their freedoms, and on a planet of ruin, a champion is found. A feral boy named Age holds the destiny of their species in his hands and the untold power of the Tribe of Hero within.

REVIEW:
A mecha series that blends mythology with epic space battles and the survival of humanity combine for the visually stunning anime Heroic Age. Any fan of Fafner or Neon Genesis Evangelion will want this series.

It begins with a pure hearted daughter of the royal family of the Tribe of Iron on a long and seemingly hopeless quest to find the prophesized savior of humanity. She has searched on the vessel the Argonaut with her loyal followers far and wide to find the last remaining member of the Tribe of Hero who has within him the Nodos, a being of unimaginable and frightening powers. On a planet with a ruined civilization, princess Dhianella finds Age, a wild boy so pure of heart that he is the only male who can go near her, she being a super sensitive and powerful psychic. He knows of the 12 Labors, part pact, part prophesy that tells of a savior who will help the Tribe of Iron and restore humanity by regaining the ability lost by the Tribe of Gold – the power to create planets.

A vicious attack by the Tribe of Bronze to destroy Iron, leaves no doubt that Age is the savior the Iron tribe has been praying for.  Some are skeptical about this feral boy’s ability to save them all, but in one battle after another, Age proves himself. He would do anything for Dhianella.  Unfortunately not everyone of Iron is as worthy of devotion as the princess. Betrayal faces them at a terminal planet when the Silver Tribe attacks and the four other Nodos, all under the control of the Tribe of Silver, send one of their own to attack Age. In the aftermath, no terminal planet will aid the Argonaut and the crew must face further hardships in order to get home.

Their return home comes at a cost. Age must use himself as bait and be separated from the princess and the ship in order to save them. When they are at last reunited again on her home planet of Dewey, it is a brief respite before greater danger comes forward. Her brothers are not as deserving of loyalty as she is and their move for power and control of the Nodos, Age, and the fleet leads to disaster on the frontlines of battle in space.  A planet is destroyed, lives are lost, even commander Nilval who has led the fight so valiantly until now and would follow the princess into hell, must face a drastic choice in leading her fleet into battle under the helm of men who are greedy, ambitious and self-important, all the things their sister, the princess is not.

The first half of the series ends in an epic battle against the Tribe of Silver, the loss of a planet, Dhianella faced with an impossible choice, and drastic measures taken by the Nodos to destroy Age. In battling him, they risk the entire universe. It is said that Nodos fighting each other for extended periods and when more than one is involved, risks madness. This frenzy sees the Nodos go berserk and with their power unchecked, they can destroy entire galaxies. Age is facing that threat now, but with Dhianella so far away, what chance does he, and therefore the universe, hold?

It is an epic saga, well told and excellent animation. The title Heroic Age is a play on words. Age is a person from the Tribe of Hero, while at the same time the story is about an age of heroism. The anime also plays around with Greek mythology. It refers to the 12 labors which is what Hercules had to do before he could join the pantheon of Greek gods up on Olympus. The name of the ship, the Argonaut, refers to the Argonauts of Greek myth, a band of heroes led by Jason that included Hercules and the search for the Golden Fleece. Other names are plays on Greek myths such as Dhianella is Diana, the Roman name for Artemis, goddess of the hunt and the moon, said to be a pure maiden both wild and free. The son of the captain of the Argonaut in the anime and head ace mecha pilot is Iolaous, another name from Greek mythology, as is the Ikaros (Icarus), and so on. When Age fights the Nodos Karkinos, the enemy Nodos turns into a multi-headed dragon mecha looking much like a hydra.

The use of mythology into the anime and the noble way the main heroes act gives the science fiction story a fantasy feel to it. The animation however leaves no doubt that this is a space saga of the highest order. The 3D animation is intense. The battles in space are immense and show unique designs. The varying tribes have strikingly different ships and methods of fighting. For example, the Tribe of Bronze have space “anthills” which are like mini death stars filled with giant centipede like creatures capable of great destruction.

The animation production is done by XEBEC, a studio well known for their work on Fafner, an anime that bears a strong resemblance in character designs to Heroic Age, as well as fan favorite sci-fi Nadesico and Outlaw Star, along with well loved shows like Negima. It is smooth animation with a myriad of special effects and exciting space battles.

The opening sequence is done by angela who also did songs for Fafner and other epic sci-fi anime series. Here angela sings “Gravitation”. The ending theme song is the ballad “Azurite” performed by Urakabe Tae.

EXTRAS:
Bonus features include trailers, reverse cover art, and clean opening and closing animation.

IN SUMMARY:
Heroic Age is a blockbuster science fiction saga with striking animation and epic storytelling. It is a must see for fans of Fafner and Evangelion.