This is a short sci-fi ONA from 2001 – not so long into the slow rise of CGI in anime, and while it has a few problems for me, I didn’t end up abandoning Zaion.
Zaion: I Wish You Were Here (Anata ga koko ni Itehoshii) 2001
Most aspects were good enough without being outstanding.
Which sounds like not much of a compliment, I know but not every single second has to be outstanding, right? The storyline was the classic ‘save the city’ this time from out of control space-virus mutations, with a small team of human-nano-machine-hybrid soldiers having to bear the brunt of the attacks.
That is, except for Ai, whose psychic powers are the only guarantee of victory.
Sadly, she’s a prisoner of her military & their scientists – and while she develops a relationship with male lead Yuuji, it was just as interesting to see the mother-daughter relationship between her and conflicted scientist Misao, who is her first ally.
I won’t go deep into the story but it plays out as expected, though with a more sombre ending than say a typical action sci-fi.
Despite things that kept me watching, I will say that the CGI is not integrated too well – the age of it is clear, and obviously Gonzo and the industry would improve over the years.
When it comes to the plot, there’s some real problems with the obliviousness of the general population too… but to go back to things I liked, the themes around the futility of war worked for me, and Kenji Kawai’s OST really stood out too.
Not sure I’d recommend Zaion, however, unless you are a fan of the era?
3 Stars
The Review Heap 
I only saw the trailer and I remember reading a very negative review of THEM a long time ago.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Interesting, I’ll have to go and check – curious to see if they saw the same flaws.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I remember them talking about the subpar CGI especially given Gonzo’s work that same decade or how one of the characters may or may not be Chun-Li’s long-lost twin. Hahaha! I believe they mentioned something about the characters or plot, too.
LikeLiked by 1 person
She does have that look, yeah 😀
(And that CGI is definitely not the best, for sure.)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Gotcha. Hahaha! Looking at the screenshots, I know Gonzo has certainly done better in that department. I do know it’s a short watch, so at worst lose less than 2 hours.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The running time was a point in its favour for me, definitely aided in me finishing it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good call. I’ve felt similarly when I watch something short, so I feel like I haven’t wasted that much time compared to a full TV series.
LikeLiked by 1 person