Heavens Fall … the day that is still etched in the minds of all Terrans, who were born on Earth, and Versian, who were born on Mars. It began when human exploration brought them to the red planet of Mars. While there, a man, the future first king of the Vers Empire, discovered an ancient alien technology known as Aldnoah. With Aldnoah, the people of Mars were able to advance their technology at a very rapid rate and soon parted ways with the people of Earth. From the moment the Vers Empire announced its separation from the people of Earth, the seeds of war were planted.

Wine. Using a technology known as Hypergate, the Vers Empire was able to instantly transport its units to Earth’s moon. However, for reasons that are not yet clear, during a battle on the moon, the Hypergate spiraled out of control. This was known as the fall from heaven. The moon was shattered almost in half, and the destruction on Earth’s landscape was massive. Without a way to dispatch troops quickly, the Vers Empire fell back; however, they still had many troops left in Earth’s orbit, namely the Orbital Knights. The Orbital Knights are senior members of the army, each with huge ships known as Landing Castles. Unable to properly communicate with their homeland to continue the attack, the Orbital Knights made their home in the asteroid belt. After falling from the sky, a ceasefire was officially announced.

Now, fifteen years later, the princess of the Vers Empire, Asseylum Vers Allusia, is planning a nice visit to Earth to promote peace between the two. She firmly believes in peace between Earth and Mars and wants to do her part. However, the Orbital Knights fear for their safety, in fact some talk about what they would do if something “happened” to them. The princess ignores the potential danger, as she trusts the goodwill of the Terrans and heads to Earth anyway. Once there, during a parade, she is assassinated.

The enraged Orbital Knights deploy many of their castles in an all-out assault on Earth, without the consent of the ruler of the Vers Empire. Earth is now in a fight again, except this time, it is more apparent than ever that the gap in technology is huge. Earth immediately suffers great losses against the power of Aldnoah. How will they survive, if they can’t even take down a single enemy unit?

Man! It’s a bit difficult trying to get the whole plot out! Anyway, the main line is that Earth has found itself in a war that they cannot win. The war was provoked in a way that may or may not have been configured, wink wink. So how the hell are the people of Earth going to oppose something like the Vers Empire? His name is Inaho! Inaho is a student / trainee at the time of the attack; since the fall of the sky, military training has become part of the educational system.

Inaho is different from her other classmates, which means she is totally amazing. He has a cool head, thinks about situations, and has a unique ability to see a battle from different angles. Instead of panicking while attacking or being attacked, he puts his enemy to the test. Push and poke until you find a weak spot. This becomes apparent immediately after he is thrown into his first fight, along with a couple of his classmates, against an opponent who is seemingly invincible. Inaho, alone, is one of those people who can turn the tide of a war.

On the other hand, on Vers’s side, the story follows a boy named Slaine. Slaine is a son of Earth, but is serving under one of the Orbital Knights. We see the struggles Slaine has to go through when the people of Vers see him as scum. He is very close to the princess and hits him deeply every time he learns of her death. However, he is the first of the Vers to realize the truth and must make a decision on how he will act on it.

There is a lot of information that I am missing, but I don’t want to digress. Overall, this anime is pretty fantastic. The soundtrack alone will have your heart. The characters, especially Inaho, are very well done and it is a pleasure to go on this journey with them. This is one of those anime series where, in the end, it’s hard to choose a side that you want to win. You feel on both sides, which is quite rare in an anime. The action sequences are very well done, as well as the dialogues and the evolution of the characters. I enjoyed watching this anime in both sub and dubbing.

If you’re a fan of … well, anime. You should go ahead and give this anime a try. It’s an action / mecha, but it dives deeper than that. You get very attached to the characters and the drama and the loss of the war are very emotional. I would definitely recommend this anime!