On Sunday, June 28, 1914, the crown prince of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the commoner wife he had married for love were murdered in Sarajevo. In his pocket lay the rosary he had begun to pray not long before. The chain reaction after that changed history forever. But what if the dominoes had been aligned a little differently? Prince Aleksandar, the only son of the couple in this universe, is taken in the middle of the night to a giant robot-esque machine in what is supposed to be a surprise training exercise. Only on the road is he told the truth: His parents have passed away. His own life is in danger. Also, the Germans are invading Austria (for some reason). Meanwhile, in the green prairies of Scotland, the empire that defined the 19th Century is preparing a new kind of army. National pride and innovative science come together, and many teens and youngsters enthusiastically enroll, dreaming of adventure. Among them, a teenage girl disguises herself as a young man and adopts the alias “Dylan Sharp” to have a chance at piloting…a gigantic floating jellyfish. Yep, the technology is a little bit different, too. This is one of the “transgenic beasts” invented by none other than Charles Darwin…

Ever since I read the life of Blessed Charles I, the last Emperor of Austria, when I was still in high school, I have loved the turbulent, elegant, tragic period of the Great War. From The Big Parade to The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp to 1917, there is no shortage of stellar stories about the world that was, and its relationship with the world that came to be. Even though I have not read Scott Westerfield’s novel, which this anime is adapting, I can feel the care and the texture of the time. Many details made me nod in agreement. I think the Dieselpunk twists really add to the story: For the people at the time, the new, disturbing war machines could just as well have been flying whales and giant robots. I think our characters are positioned perfectly to help us explore the two sides of the conflict. My only gripe is that the Germans seem to have the same role they did in the Wonder Woman movie: Are we the baddies? I’d love to see a story grapple with the complexities of the situation for once. My other complaint is the animation: Come on, Netflix, in the era of Arcane, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, and the Spiderverse movies, things should not look this videogamey. Nevertheless, none of this makes the story unbearable so far, and I certainly want to see where this goes. See you at episode 2!

Leviathan can be streamed on Netflix.