Aldnoah Zero is one of those shows that is stuck halfway up the ladder. It hasn't reached "great", but is out of reach of "bad". While there are better alternatives to this show (Code Geass, and Neon Genesis Evangelion, for example), that doesn't mean you shouldn't watch it. It has enjoyable fighting scenes, a pretty neat soundtrack, and interesting characters, and quite simply, is entertaining. The disappointment lies in the direction of the show. It started off with a riveting premise (I actually thought it would be another Code Geass), but it fell short of expectations, which is why I think this show receives substantial amounts of hate. Just to clarify, the ending wasn't bad, it just wasn't satisfying. So if you're bored, and can't find anything to watch, you might as well settle for this average show, just don't expect much. Enjoy it for what it is.

Lots of reviews cover why this anime is bad because of the lackluster ending and mediocre writing, but it really delivers some powerful scenes and the soundtrack is INCREDIBLE. The plot is generic futuristic/alternate reality mecha: a world on the brink of war and young people's experiences through the ordeal (typical Gundam archetype). The big characteristic is the stoic main character that isn't overprotected by a plot armor, I've come to appreciate his stoic style. Animation is great, mecha fights are well executed. However from plot and animation itself it is slightly above average at best, what really makes this anime an 8 is the INCREDIBLE soundtrack by Hiroyuki Sawano (Attack on Titan, Gundam Unicorn, Guilty Crown, etc).

In 1972, an ancient alien hypergate was excavated on the surface of the moon. Utilizing this technology, humanity began immigrating to Mars. During their time on mars some colonizers uncovered some highly advanced technology originally left behind by some mysterious alien race. Through this technology, the recently established Vers Empire declared Mars and its secrets for themselves. Due to Vers Empire's technological pride, the Vers Empire declared war on Earth in 1999. Overwhelmed by the human martian's technological militaristic advancements, the people of Earth destroyed the hypergate, thus shattering the moon and dispersing the remnants of the Vers Empire into a debris belt around Earth. Cut off from Mars, the remaining members of the Vers Empire established several enormous orbital space stations within the debris belt and a ceasefire was inaugurated. However, after 15 years of tensioned peace, an attack on the Vers Princess, Asseylum Vers Allusia, during a peace mission, causes the Vers Empire to launch an all-out attack on the citizens of Earth. Overwhelmed by the Vers Empire's superior mecha militaristic technology, Earth's only true defense is the brilliant tactical mind of a high school student named Inaho Kaizuka.As someone who has watched several different Mecha anime such as the Gundam franchise, Robotech, Code Geass, Neon Genesis Evangelion, etc… AldNoah.Zero, directed by Ei Aoki, originally created by Gen Urobuchi, is a brilliant story about a small handful of citizens from both Earth and the Vers Empire who are desperately trying to stop a war which was caused by an attack on Princess Asseylum Vers Allusia. This show is atmospherically driven by wonderful music, amazing characters, outstanding animation, and a pleasingly intense action-packed plot. This series successfully challenges the stereotypical archetypes of conventional anime and leaves you wanting more. My only suggestion is that you watch this anime in its entirety, (All Seasons!), because it will emotionally astonish you.8 Stars

Even though I can't claim that I've watched many Mechas, I'm a big fan of Mecha genre because of my love for sci-fi and robots. Knowing the fact that most of the Mechas having trouble with their scripts, I try to choose ones that have something to tell (e.g Code Geass, Neon Genesis Evangelion etc), not the ones just showing big robots with great action. The first season was great, actually, I hoped it'd be something like Code Geass, which is one of my favorite Anime. But then, came the disappointment. The start of the second season wasn't bad but as the Anime got closer to its finale, things really got out of hand. It had the material enough for at least 30-40 episodes but instead, it ended in a really unsatisfying way. But I still think it was worth watching despite all the flaws, and I have to say that the music (especially the first season ending song "aLIEz") was pretty good.