Terra Formars

Twenty years after the Bots 2 expedition, Shokichi Komachi still carries the fallout of what his team uncovered on Mars: aggressive, evolved creatures called Terra Formars, the unexpected result of a terraforming experiment that blended human and cockroach traits. He survived as one of only two crew members, and when the AE virus linked to Mars begins to spread on Earth, he signs aboard Annex 1 to try to secure a sample for a vaccine. The mission brings together specialists and hardened fighters, and during the return trip they face equipment failures, political coverups, and increasingly dangerous Terra Formars. The series keeps the pressure steady and the dangers immediate, without revealing how the larger conflict resolves.

Released in 2014, Terra Formars was created for television by Hiroshi Hamasaki and Naruhisa Arakawa. The anime leans hard into action and science fiction, and the cast includes Akira Ishida, Kaito Ishikawa, and Daisuke Ono, whose performances anchor the show’s high-intensity set pieces.

The series didn’t pick up major industry awards, but it drew attention within genre circles for its production scale and for taking risks with graphic violence and bioethical material. That attention helped build a dedicated fanbase even without mainstream prizes.

Terra Formars stirred lots of discussion for its bold use of genetic engineering as a plot engine and for scenes that pushed anime’s usual boundaries on brutality. Its monsters and fight choreography became recurring reference points in online communities, and the show boosted interest in the original source among international viewers.

Critical and fan reactions are mixed to positive, reflected in an average rating around 7.2 out of 10 from a devoted viewer pool. Reviews often praise the series’ intensity, worldbuilding, and voice cast, while criticizing pacing and extreme content. Thematically, it centers on survival, human enhancement, the cost of scientific hubris, and how nations and corporations manipulate crises.