Zoids (2001) User Reviews

Good Fun Anime

[ionprey · 8/10 · 8 September 2008]

Zoids New Century Zero is the second season of zoids stateside. It should be known however that Century Zero, and its prequel, Chaotic Century, are very different.

Chaotic Century is more like your average action anime with a decent amount of drama and fighting. and OK characters- not too memorable, not too forgettable.

New Century Zero leans more towards cartoon on a story basis- battle after battle, hardly any plot twists or drama whatsoever, although the humor is typical anime humor- which in this case is quite amusing. And don't be deterred by the lack of story because the action is great- better than chaotic century I'd say - and characters such as Bit Cloud and Harry Champ are wildly entertaining, and almost impossible to forget. Also the soundtrack is amazing, blows away that of its predecessor Chaotic Century.

There is also a third stateside season of Zoids, Zoids Fuzors, which is my opinion is trash- it is very childish, and tarnishes the reputation of memorable zoids such as the Liger Zero and Berserk Fury. The Zoids appear to be more cell-shaded, and the fusion zoids look terrible as well- the CG is also a mess, the 3D cars are done so bad you'll laugh. Even the drawn animation is choppy. The Soundtrack is equally awful.

In my opinion Zoids New Century Zero is a great Anime and the Zoids you should watch if you must choose between the various seasons. However there are many who would say that Chaotic Century was better, i think we can all agree that Zoids Fuzors should have never been made

Finally, a series that combines CG with handdrawn animation well.

[shivermetimbers15 · 1 December 2001]

Zoids, as it is currently known in the US, is actually the second series of the Zoids franchise, which stemmed from a popular line of toys. Zoids, produced by Tomy, were assembled models of gigantic fighting robots that resembled animals. The series focuses on these battles, which are officially regulated by robot judges. The concept vaguely resembles that of Pokémon, but with fighting robots, instead of animals. The main character of the series is Bit Cloud, a former junk worker who ends up joining the Blitz Team, and receiving the zoid Liger/Zero, rumored to have strange powers. He goes through many battles, both against other teams in official battles, and also against zoids sponsored by the treacherous Backdraft Group. The zoids, and other mechanical things like the judges and satellites in this series are all computer-generated, but made to resemble standard animation through shading. The zoids are often presented in the standard anime framerate, but occasionally are given a much higher and smoother one. I'm personally glad that they use the standard framerate, because you can sometimes forget that they are computer-generated. And though there are times you can tell they are just made of polygons, most of the objects are too detailed to let it slip through. The series itself is decent, though with too little character development for some. However, there is complete continuity throughout the series, building up to the "Royal Cup" at the end. There are plenty of comic moments to be had, and the series is generally light-hearted. No one ever dies in the series, and zoids are never destroyed, just wrecked up. This doesn't keep the series from presenting exciting battles, however. Although most of the battles are formulaic (the opponents attack, beat on the Blitz Team, Bit retreats and turns his Liger into one of his other three forms, then comes back and beats the other team), they rarely disappoint.

One of the highlights of the series is its music. There aren't many themes, but they do manage to capture the spirit of the battles taking place.

Zoids is an above average anime series, combining the charm of Pokémon, and the excitement of robot battles. It's also worth checking out just for the wonderful CG animation.

The Best of the Best of Zoids

[ChakatBlackstar · 10/10 · 25 August 2010]

I have watched every episode of earlier Zoid series (Chaotic Century/Guardian Force) and later Zoid Series (Zoids Fuzors) and neither of them compare to the New Century Zero series(known as just "Zoids" in the US). Every episode features amazing battles, some goofy humor, and most importantly never leaves you bored or feeling like you just wasted thirty minutes of your life...well, no more then any other show will. Of all the anime I've seen with giant mech battles, this one pulls off epic-levels of combat without being over the top.

In comparison the other two series are a waste of time. Unlike Fuzors which forces you to wade through 13 bad episodes, and Chaotic Century which drags out the plot forever and then leaves you unsatisfied, this series keeps the action going at a regular pace, and unlike the more militaristic Chaotic Century series, the characters actually use strategy when fighting, making the fights more interesting then anything in its predecessor.

If you want to check out any of the Zoids Anime series, this is the one to look up first, or last if you want to save the best for last.

Ziods, Another fine Japaness Animation

[Fury9033 · 21 January 2002]

This is a great introduction into the world of Animation from Japan. I found this series, a very complete and wonderfully detailed story. The American adaption seemed have gone well, thou i still want to see a uncensored version of the show. Some of the light humor is actually bit cheeky. Which is fine, however the age group that this show is aimed towards in the United States is bit different from the age group that it was originally intended. Japanese audience is bit more mature minded, including the children. However the stricter rules that dominate American channels force the adapter company cut down little. Which is too bad, however the series's adapters did fantastic job. Its a wonder to see, and someone who likes good and well done Animation should try it.

First thing first. Skip the new episodes.

[Toxikfoxx · 16 October 2002]

Not saying the New Century 0 cartoons are bad. Those are the ones following Bit Cloud. But, as someone else said, it's like Pokemon with robots. What you need to watch are the Chaotic century and Guardian force episodes. The 75 episodes plus in that series follow the adventure of Van and Fiona, as well as the Organoid Zeke. The stories flow much better (not the fight a day every day thing) that the newer ones. Actually containing a plot and charecters that you can care about. While the NC0 episodes are worth watching, you would be better off getting into CC and GF. I would suggest getting them of TV, as the American dub tapes are very hard to find, and can be rather expensive.