Review for Horizon On The Middle Of Nowhere - Series 2

Introduction

Given how I felt about the first season of Horizon on the Middle of Nowhere, I’ve been asking myself if I am really the appropriate person to review the second season. After all, I could barely make head or tail of season 1, a melting pot of an apparent infinity of ideas, fast-paced, incredibly referential to world history, full of anime clichés and tropes, and with a cast so extensive that not even taking notes helped keep straight just who was who. Add to that so much fan service that Japanese hospitals would fill up with otaku bleeding from their noses after each episode, and you have a series that I didn’t think too fondly of. Surely someone else should review the second series? Quite frankly, I wish to remain on speaking terms with my colleagues, and I wouldn’t wish this show on anyone. Besides, there might be a chance that with season 2, Horizon on the Middle of Nowhere might just start making sense, maybe... hopefully... please?


But just as in the first season, at this point I can’t make head or tails of what is going on. So once more I resort to cutting and pasting the series synopsis from the PR release.

Quote:
Taking advantage of the opportunity that the Mikawa Conflict provides, Tori and his comrades attempt to rescue Horizon from the Testament Union. But even as the Floating City Musashi speeds towards its next destination, the Floating Island England, Tres Espana is preparing its own armada for war against the British Islanders. Now, as the quest of Horizon's emotions builds to its climax, Tori's new battle is about to begin in the land ruled by the Fairy Queen! The re-enactment of the history described in the mysterious Testament continues as the secret of the Armor of Deadly Sins is unleashed!


Thirteen episodes of Horizon on the Middle of Nowhere Season 2 are presented across two discs from Manga Entertainment. It’s released on Blu-ray on the same day as the DVD, but I only received the DVD check discs for review.

Disc 1

1. Members of the Vermillion Grounds
2. Herald on the Stage
3. Those Descending to the Surface
4. Ruler of the Theatre
5. The Hunting Ground’s Humanitarians
6. The Man and Woman in the Plaza
7. Storyteller in the Hall

Disc 2

8. The Decision Maker on High
9. One Parting Under the Night Sky
10. Howler at the Theatre
11. Successful Candidate in the Flower Garden
12. Where the One Scarred by Swords Belongs
13. The Greedy Ones Who Cross Borders

Picture

Horizon on the Middle of Nowhere gets a 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer on these discs, and the image comes across well, It’s clear and sharp, with minimal visible compression artefacts and aliasing, despite some frenetic action sequences. Colour reproduction is strong and consistent, and it all brings across the anime as good as it’s going to get on DVD. It’s a far future anime with a visually inventive mix of sci-fi and fantasy, and that is reflected in the character and world designs. The animation is fluid, and the quality of the character designs isn’t compromised when things get hectic on screen.

Sound

Audio comes in DD 2.0 Stereo English and Japanese form. I went with the original language track as always and was presented with a fairly generic set of voice actor performances, getting the clichéd characters down to a tee. I managed about three minutes of the English dub and thereafter endeavoured to forget it as quickly as possible. The audio does enough to bring the action across well, and the sound design is of the quality you’ll have come to expect from modern anime shows. The subtitles are accurately timed and free of error, although you’ll need a fast finger on the pause button to keep up with the translation notes. I almost felt nostalgic for the ADV vidnotes at one point.

Extras

The discs present their contents with static menu screens, while there are jacket pictures to look at when the discs are at rest in compatible players. This is a Sentai licensed show in the US, and as usual, Sentai are apt to maintain the original language credit sequences and follow them with a translated English language credit reel. However Manga’s masters are sourced from Madman in Australia, and Madman have chosen to omit the translated credit reels for their release.


As for extras, they are on disc 2 and comprise teaser trailers, Blu-ray Commercials, the textless credits (although only 2 of the several end credits sequences), and most substantial, three more of the Far East Lightening Lectures, which run to a total of 26 minutes. They purport to fill in the background of the show, explain some of the more arcane aspects of the story. Since I found the whole thing to be incomprehensible, you can imagine that 26 further minutes of incoherent character interaction sheds little light on the story.

Conclusion

Horizon on the Middle of Nowhere Season 2 is just as transformative an anime as its predecessor. I know; it’s turned me into an OAP. All through this show, I wished there was someone a quarter of my age sitting next to me watching it with me, so every 30 seconds I could turn to them and ask, “What’s happening now? Why did that happen? What did he just say? What did she just say? What did it just say? What does that mean? Why are her breasts so big? Why are her breasts so big? Why are HER breasts so big? Why doesn’t she have breasts? Is that a boyish girl, or a girly boy? Why does that giant robot have breasts? Why is that guy always naked? Why does that girl keep punching him in the balls? Why does he keep coming back for more? Why don’t any of the women we know have breasts like that? What is Britain doing floating in the sky? What’s with all the mangled history? Just what the hell is going on in this show? Can you pause it so I can read those subtitle notes? Now can you pause it so I can read those subtitle notes? Can you pause it again so I can read those subtitle notes? What do you mean I’m snoring? I didn’t close my eyes, I was just resting my eyelids. Yes, I believe you, this is a critically acclaimed fan favourite anime. Yes, it’s deep, meaningful, resonant, and one of the best anime ever made. Yes, I know it... aw bugger it! I’m going to bed!”


I didn’t go to bed. I slouched through the whole thing, trying (and quite often failing) to keep my eyes open, hoping against hope that simply by just inhaling the show, it would at some later time sort itself in my head into something resembling a narrative. As far as I can tell, naked ball-punched guy was making a big deal about getting stonefaced ball-punching girl’s emotions back, while ninja duck-bill hat was falling in love with the queen of England, who was on death row but walking around free pretending to be a guy, trying to avoid her twin sister. And everyone’s having a fight with everyone else, and it’s ripping off every anime ever made and cramming it all into one series, a bit like the Genie in the Lamp from Aladdin. “PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWERS! Itty-bitty living space!”


Call me grandpa! I don’t care. As far as I can tell, Horizon on the Middle of Nowhere is for people who don’t know better, who don’t give a squit about what they actually watch. Somewhere in Japan, there’s a production committee rubbing its hands in glee at the prospect of actually making some money by pawning off this nonsense as entertainment. Now I know how Murtaugh felt in Lethal Weapon. Horizon on the Middle of Nowhere Season 2; I never would have thought it possible, but it’s even more intellectually and emotionally vacuous than the first series. The worst anime show I’ve ever had the misfortune to sleep through.