First Impression: GNOSIA

“Do you think humanity should be erased from this universe?” This is the second thing Yuri hears after awakening in some kind of medical pod. The first thing they hear is, “Do you understand?” The one asking the questions is Setsu, who quickly leads Yuri to what may be the control room of the spaceship they’re on, while filling the confused youth in on what has happened, since Yuri seems to have amnesia. They’re about to meet with three more people, one of whom is not human, after having been infected by Gnosia, an alien contagion that turns the infectees into diabolical destroyers of humanity. They’re escaping from a planet that has been compromised, but the ship is set to self-destruct, unless the five strangers on board can correctly deduce which of them is the Gnosia, and inter them in “cold sleep,” a type of cryostasis that has been banned across most of the galaxy due to its high risk of fatality. Yuri gets ten minutes to become acquainted with the others before it’s time to vote. They get it wrong. As the numbers dwindle and the tension rises, the Gnosis continues to elude capture. It’s down to the moment of truth, but before said moment, the final vote loser wishes to speak with Yuri alone. “Doubt not, fear not, and know. Knowledge will save all.” Has Yuri made the biggest mistake of their short, conscious life?  

Whoa! Now, I love me a sci-fi space series, and goodness knows, they’re few and far between (especially those without “Gundam” in the title), but frankly, I don’t need space ships and star travel and futuristic gadgets to sell me on this one—they’re just the icing on the cake of this deliciously tense, mysterious, and beautifully animated premiere episode! It kept me guessing the whole time, and after that ending, I honestly can’t imagine where it’s going next! (Well, there’s a little hint, but still, how is that going to work?!) The animation is, appropriately, out of this world, with a great deal of attention being paid to microexpressions and movement to intensify the suspense and create a distinct way of being for each of the characters, who also have fairly striking designs. I saw no melt or awkward inbetweens; even the compositing, blending the 3D sets and assets into the 2D character animation, is notably smooth, so that the CG elements enrich the animation rather than detracting, enabling some very cool cinematography and inventive perspectival shots. The layouts are really strong, infusing the human drama playing out with tension and dynamism—even if they did slow me down as I watched, since I had to keep skipping back to take screenshots! The world-building is well executed, provoking me to ask many questions, but in a good way. The story seems to be set in a distant future where humanity has colonised the cosmos, and some have transcended gender, like Yuri (potentially?), which makes me wonder whether humanity is still human, or rather, has been replaced by something else, a la Nier:Automata? Guess we’ll find out. Meanwhile, Yuri’s uncanny sense of knowing certain things despite the amnesia is also intriguing, and, given the emphasis on knowledge and understanding, there may be some mysteries here far deeper (and with greater spiritual meaning) than simply the question of who is infected. After all, the Greek word gnosis, from which the title derives, means “knowledge of spiritual mysteries.” Needless to say, this space mystery series has already gotten under my skin, and I can’t wait for episode 2!

GNOSIS is streaming on Crunchyroll.

claire
Latest posts by claire (see all)

One thought on “First Impression: GNOSIA”

Leave a Reply