When it came time to write a review for this anime, I found it difficult to nail down. It is part adventure, part action, part quest, mystery and even contains elements of horror. The story is set in the near future after a cataclysmic battle was lost by humanity to monsters. Afterwards, as time passed, humans forgot something called the Melody of Oblivion, humanity's last hope for survival. Only the few Warriors of Melos who seek the Melody.
It seems to be an action/adventure quest, yet Melody of Oblivion is so much more. We see a Japan very similar to present day and boys and girls going to school. But children go missing; not many, and not all at once, just a few here, one or two there. Enough that when our main character, Bocca, discovers his friend missing, questions are raised about the disappearances. The stories of monsters and the legends of the warriors emerge. We learn that the conquered humans paid a great toll for their current 'peace;' the sacrifice of some of their children. The apathy by which the society accepts this trade is chilling. Although we have yet to see any actual sacrifices take place, a tense atmosphere permeates the anime, alluding to the awful horror that awaits those picked. By the end of the first volume, we have some sense of what Bocca might be up against as he leaves his home to become a warrior and find the Melody of Oblivion and unveil the secrets about the Melody and life as he knows it. He not only must fight the monsters but also misguided humans who have chosen to willingly, even eagerly serve the monsters. They have given themselves over to a life filled with a false sense of peace and only despair for the future. Horror from one side and apathy from the other, Bocca must face them both. He travels on his cyber cycle with a young woman haunted by her past, and they both try to unravel the mystery before them.
This anime series is rated 16 and up for violence and language although I didn't witness any violence as yet that seemed that graphic or any language that as yet would warrant such a high rating. I therefore assume it is to come in later episodes. I would note that there are mature themes throughout the story as the disturbing circumstances are revealed to us.
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