Anime Review: Moonrise
- Very Average Joe
- Apr 29
- 5 min read
English Title: Moonrise
Japanese Title: ムーンライズ
Director(s): Koizuka Masashi (series) & others
Screenwriter(s): Koizuka Masashi & Kawaguchi Tomomi
Studio: Wit Studio
Released: 2025
Runtime: 18 episodes, 22m–31m each.
Starring: Kobayashi Chiaki, Yamada Misaki, Uemura Yuuto, Aizawa Masaki, Aina The End
Created by Ubukata Tow and written by Koizuka Masashi and Kawaguchi Tomomi, Moonrise opens with a “cold start” in which our heroes are on the moon, apparently on the run in their armored vehicle and under attack from droids. It’s not spectacular as it is supposed to be but it mostly sets the tone.
The first episode goes back one year earlier and on Earth when the Earth-Moon connection involving giant orbital stations which facilitate the transfer of resources is about to be launched. Jacob “Jack” Shadow is the son of rich parents and along with his friends are part of the elite. But then an attack destroys the orbital station, dropping it to Earth with predictable devastation. Jack’s parents are among the casualties. Bob Skylum, the rebel leader of the Moon, has declared independence and in effect war.
Jack desires revenge and the military recruits him, conveniently along with his friends. His sorta girlfriend, Rhys Rochelle, is the unit commander and they are sent to the Moon to take out Skylum. The premise is essentially Earth vs Moon taking place on the latter.
The overall pacing of the first few episodes is good, getting the commonly used plot points out of the way. Jack was adopted and his origins, as revealed to the audience, are connected to some genetic engineering program. Given the unknowns, he is under suspicion for the attack and his execution is suspended partly because of Rhys’s influence. The main character under suspicion is nothing new and the narrative wisely avoids having him go on the run; he is recruited and we simply move on. Skylum’s identity is also revealed early on, thus avoiding some pretentious twist later.
However, the structure throughout can be a bit off. For example, it takes quite a few episodes before the narrative catches up to the “cold start”. It is common that some moments are deliberately skipped so that a key exposition is given later in the form of a flashback. Whilst the effort to keep it fresh is appreciated, some of these are done for the sake of it.
The story has a lot of minor characters on both sides of the conflict. This is arguably necessary given the scope is 18 episodes and not the common 12 episodes or less. However, and this is admittedly difficult, the narrative struggles to find the balance between focusing on the characters as well as providing the “big picture”.
It follows Jack moving from one city to another, showing both the environment and the mood of the population. The worldbuilding is not bad initially, but it does feel crude and ultimately fails to deliver. At 18 episodes, there is plenty of time to follow the minor characters and/or step back from the characters and simply show the Moon as well as the wider conflict. It sets up but does not utilize the minor characters well.
Also, the many cities or parts of the city can be very different, which is fine, but there is little sense of what daily life is like and how cities are connected in terms of location and politics. In terms of location at least, given all the graphics on monitors and holograms, displaying maps is easy and yet it is generally not done.
The pacing stagnates from about halfway through the series. Having gone through the common plot elements and having set up Jack’s mysterious origins, the plot drags a little. The premise is Earth forces fighting Moon rebel forces which initially there is not enough of and then escalates and… and… and it just plods along.
Since the story involves genetic engineering, it is revealed early on that Skylum is looking for something and [Minor Spoiler] there is some blob-like entity. This becomes a threat and although supposed to be a mystery, is somewhat jarring in terms of storytelling and visuals. [Spoiler] Also, as the series transitions to its final act, there is another time skip. Again, this keeps it fresh in a way but it doesn’t entirely make sense given the conflict.
Visually, the designs aren’t bad generally but vehicles and weapons lack the refined details that make anime great. Either way, the CG is way too obvious for both the cityscape and vehicles. The tone of the storytelling tries to have some grit and some shots are beautiful but it is generally too clean and slick.
The action sequences lack the wow factor. Our heroes wear suits that include a cape that can propel the user and, along with the Moon’s relatively low gravity, allows them to make massive jumps and leaps in a fight. It’s supposed to be cool but it merely comes across as pretentious and looks mediocre.
They also use “engrave” technology which allows them to form whatever they want based on templates as long as the mass is comparable… which means whatever because it seems they can form a big gun as easily as pistols, and whether ammunition is part of that is not explained. This is a poor excuse to just make up whatever they want; indeed, there is a bit of that for the entire story.
The music composed by Kawasaki Ryou tries to be grand with its sweeping orchestra and the use of blaring horns. It has hints of Sawano Hiroyuki but does not go as far with his mix of classical and contemporary. In any case, it fits and it works.
The themes are obvious, the primary one being the class struggle between Earth and those less fortunate on the Moon. Earth is run by a one-world government that heavily relies on an AI called Sapientia. Unfortunately, the audience is mostly told about this (through dialogue) rather than shown since most of the plot is set on the Moon.
The other problem is that Sapientia can solve Earth’s problems using the Moon but not for the Moon. That is such an obvious flaw in problem definition. In this regard, the conflict is too contrived.
The premise is not dissimilar to, for example, the original Mobile Suit Gundam, but neither the characters, plot or visuals are particularly gripping. On balance, at 18 episodes, the worldbuilding and structure are not quite right, as well as failing to fully utilize all the characters and the entire setting. The pacing stagnates about halfway through and the final act is a little rushed. Ultimately, it has potential but is overly ambitious and comes across as unfocused.
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