Videogame adaptation God Eater sees what’s left of humanity fending off attacks by deadly creatures called Aragami. Flying mechanical snakes with hideous faces, these fearsome beasts are somewhere between Evangelion‘s Angels and the Chitauri from Marvel’s Avengers. Battling them in post-apocalypse Japan are the titular God Eaters, who take on the invaders with God Arcs – formidable weapons forged from Aragami DNA.

The first thing that hits you about God Eater is its animation style; this show sure doesn’t look like your average anime. It’s a CG animated series made to appear as if it is 2D animated, but it doesn’t look like other ‘cel-shaded’ anime or games, as it lacks the strong outlines typical of that style. It’s a novel approach and one that comes pretty close to working, especially in the action sequences. Less convincing are those scenes where characters are just standing around talking, as they tend to look unnatural and doll-like.

Some viewers won’t be able to get past the style. If you can’t stomach the look of new Berserk or Knights of Sidonia, this probably isn’t for you. What’s surprising is that the series is made by Ufotable, which can usually be relied upon for quality (2D) animation. If God Eater sported the studio’s normal polish, it would have been a solid hit, even if the sci-fi plot and cast of characters are hardly original. Instead, we have a show that, while by no means a total failure, falls just short. Reviewed by Chris Perkins

INFO
Released: 17 July 2017
From: MVM
Format: DVD & Blu-ray
Price (RRP): £19.99 (DVD), £24.99 (Blu-ray)
Age rating: 15