For the first time, I'm doing an anime review, and for my first review, here are my first impressions on the latest installment of the Zoids franchise, Zoids Wild.

The overall plot of the story involves the main character named Arashi, who meets a sentient zoid called Wild Liger, and their adventures together.

Arashi and Wild Liger

Impressions:

- This installment marks the return of the Zoids anime franchise after 12 years (Zoids Genesis).

- The show appears to be set in a new universe.

- The show kept the tradition of having a liger/lion-type zoid to be piloted by the main protagonist.

- You can see that all the zoids in this show are more like animals, though the sentient zoid concept has already been used for the past installments.

- Traditionally, the zoid pilots control the zoids through cockpits normally found inside the zoids. In this show, the pilots ride on either the head or back of the zoid, controlling them from the outside rather than the inside. This adds to the feel that the zoids are more like animals than robots.

- While the bond between zoid and pilot can make miraculous things happen as demonstrated in previous shows, Zoids Wild makes things look more supernatural.

If you are a long-time Zoids fan, I believe this is worth a shot. While it keeps some traditional elements such as the overall design for each zoid, the creators also added the new elements to keep the show interesting.

If you are new to the Zoids franchise, you can start by watching Zoids Wild without having to watch any of the previous entries in the franchise, as this new show appears to be set in a different universe altogether.

As of this article, the 1st episode can already be found online, so go ahead and try it out.