First Impression: SNOWBALL EARTH

In 2025, when intergalactic kaiju started to invade and ravage the Earth, the Anti-Kaiju Defense Force (E-RDE) struggled to protect the Earth against them. But a savior for the planet stepped in. Piloting the robot Snowman unit that his father had invented, which he’s named Yukio, Tetsuo Yabusame provides hope for the Earth. Over the course of ten years, Tetsuo rides in Yukio and smashes their foes while trying to make friends (he’s successful at the former but not at all with the later), until he, Yukio, and the rest of the force meet the kaijus for a final mission. But when things go awry, and the end seems near, Yukio will make a choice that will change Tetsuo’s future and that of the whole Earth…

Kaiju. Mecha. Robots. And a post-apocalyptic setting? Sign me up! Episode one of SNOWBALL EARTH mixes these various genres together in a genre adventure that starts out in a relatively typical fashion: “Young boy overcomes insecurities to become a hero.” The kaiju are pretty ugly and scary, and Yukio is a really cool robot partner, but what stands out most are the final few minutes of the episode, starting with the unexpected challenges in the final mission. And while I won’t ruin it here, I will say that what follows is a deeply emotional scene followed by a reveal of the story’s true setting. While I’m not totally bought in yet (among the things I didn’t like were the odd CGI or CGI-esque movements made by Tetsuo when he was doing common actions like moving his arms), I like the elements of the series, the character of Tetsuo (he’s a silly, sweet kid), and the cool setting enough to see where SNOWBALL EARTH goes next. There’s definitely potential here!

SNOWBALL EARTH can be streamed on Crunchyroll.

Twwk
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