I'll start this review by saying I started watching this show with no prior knowledge about the writers and the premise, so I had no idea what to expect. What I found was a mature and compelling story that kept me entertained throughout the season.Even in such an amazing season, it managed to shine through as the anime that defined the summer of 2014. Even compared against such great shows as Gekkan shoujo, Tokyo Ghoul, and Aldnoah;Zero, Zankyou no Terror stood on top.Story: 9/10There are many stories that focus on anti-heroes and terrorism, yet none have come close to the level of maturity found in ZnT. This shows succeeded in areas that other shows such as Death Note faltered. You will find no edgy character development here; no shonen-esque elements. This is the kind of show that you could quite happily show to any non-anime orientated friends with confidence that they won't leave mid-way through, or that you will have to justify why so-and-so is making unnecessary fan-service.Art: 10/10The art style of ZnT perfectly fits the tone of the show. There are many still-life scenes in ZnT, and each one perfectly captures the essence of Tokyo. After seeing Tokyo rendered in both Tokyo Ghoul and Tokyo ESP, the realistic calming images in ZnT were a breath of fresh air. The character design also mirrors the art style: realistic enough to provide a sense of severity, yet different enough to give the show an underlying artistic element.Despite some background characters lacking detail in some parts, this is expected for the first release of an airing show and does no detract from the overall excellence. Sound: 10/10There are very few shows in which I decide to buy the OST, and even fewer in which I will continue to listen to the songs many weeks later. These songs bear a strong resemblance to 'songs from a cold country' which is a phrase that will become clear if you watch ZnT. In short: the sound is beautiful, elegant and very melancholic.Character 9/10Both 9 and 12 have starkly contrasting personalities: 9 being blunt and mature with 12 being childish and playful. Lisa describers them as having'a smile like the sun and eyes like ice'. However it goes far deeper than that. Underneath 9's calm exterior lies indescribable grief, and under 12's smile lies a form of severity to match 12s.At this point many watchers would criticise Lisa fir being 'bland' or simply a plot device. However it is impossible to imagine the show without her. Not only does she create a contrast, with her troubles with her mother against 9 and 12 orphan statues, she shows a great deal of development over the show's progression.Finally I will touch on the characters in the police force, and how ZnT manages to capture adults in such an appropriate way. The police are neither shown as mindless soldiers, nor as clumsy un-organised oafs, and although the duo play along with them, the police are never antagonised. Enjoyment 8/10From episode 1 I was hooked. Now that it is over I feel as if I have gained something from the experienceTo summarise, Zankyou no Terror is a high-quality Anime which I recommend to all of you.

Re-entering a period of anime obsession, I honestly couldn't ask for a better start. Everything about this series is so well written, composed and planned out: The plot is unique and catching from the very beginning, humoristic and dead serious, the music is fantastic; so unusual yet emotional, and despite the characters being a little stereotyped, they didn't fail to amaze me with their strong personalities and relationships. It's been a while, since I watched an anime that really 'got' me the way that Zankyou no Terror did, and unfortunately it makes it hard for other thriller-anime to compete. Call me a fan-girl, but I am so stunned from the show at the moment, that I can't watch another one without feeling that Zankyou keeps mocking them down immediately. Repect. What a masterpiece. What a clean masterpiece.

ZnT is a well produced and generally well written series, with an interesting idea for a plot that borrows elements from real day politics, science fiction and Nolan films sense of doom and escalation (specially The Dark Knight). However, it needed time for character development, mood setting, and time for the story to proper develop and the secrets to be revealed. If they had the budget for 26 episodes, this would have been absolutely genius. However, the characters have so much to do and so little time, they rush to the conclusions and the character arcs feel sloppy (like Five being a thrown away villain, Twelve's relationship with Lisa, her own personal life details, the detective's relationship with his daughter, and the whole school setting, which is inexplicably introduced and abandoned after one scene). Some questions are left unanswered or vague (do the children experiments make them live only a couple of decades?). The soundtrack is competent, but far from Yoko Kanno's best days. The animation is mostly top notch and those familiar with Tokyo will recognize the city's landscape, streets, buildings and atmosphere (down to every inch of detail), with a few cell shaded CG being a bit distracting.All in all, a good attempt, but a wasted one. One can only dream of a 26 episode epic saga this series could have been.

When I saw the poster advertising this show on the internet I was immediately intrigued. I googled the show and then saw it was directed by Shinichiro Watanabe (of Samurai Champloo and Cowboy Bebop). Knowing then that my initial interest was well founded, I began to watch. From the opening minutes the thing that struck me most was the art. It is absolutely gorgeous. It's so vivid and beyond anything I have seen before. On that front this show is perfectStory-wise this is also very strong. Far from shonen anime, this is deeply rooted in reality and the present day. It features terrorism, a topic not usually explored in this medium and it is refreshing to find it so well done.This series started amazingly and had me hooked, but as the episodes went on I found myself watching out of habit rather than eager anticipation. The plot was rushed and REALLY could have done with at least 25ish episodes rather than the meager 11 we got. Also, Lisa Mishima as a character is mostly predictable and even annoying throughout the series. When learning about her home-life, I thought we would get a 3 dimensional character, not a snivelling weakling who ends up causing trouble for everyone.In fact, most characters are pretty standard. There aren't really any characters apart from Five who are actually that interesting. Overall, this is a high quality anime, but lacks in a few areas which holds it back from greatness. If you are expecting Death Note 2.0, you are going to be disappointed. It is not as complex and thrilling as DN, although it looks much better and doesn't have a shitty second half like DN had.Good Points: Art Style, Story, Ending Bad Points: 1Dimensional Characters, WAY too short