Netflix's 'Levius' review: The series mixes intense action sequences with endearing themes of love and sacrifice making it a must watch
The war is over, but the scars remain. And sometimes, those scars bleed themselves dry. In Netflix's adaptation of the popular manga series 'Levius', we see society slowly reconstructing itself from the ashes of a war that almost burnt out the world.
Those who managed to stay alive are filled with a burning survivor's guilt, like our eponymous protagonist Levius. To get through these times, nations have now gathered around the deadly sport of mechanical boxing. It's like martial arts, except that athletes can augment themselves with mechanical enhancements.
Levius, who is a casualty of the horrific war, is keen on this sport after an epiphany. He is equipped with a mechanical arm and goes to live with his good-hearted Uncle Zack (Junichi Suwabe) and grandmother.
Levius has his own reasons for battling it out to death, and it involves his comatose mother and an unfulfilled dream. He becomes one of the most famous fighters in the world. But even that is not enough for him.
In the first few episodes, 'Levius' takes time to explain the core of its story. At first, it seems as if Levius is just out to fight with apparently-cocky opponents, who have touching backstories.
The battles are gruelling, and there is heavy exposition from the characters to make you understand what exactly goes on behind this mechnical boxing. In short, at first, it is like a textbook case of any sports drama — learn your opponent's signature move and defeat them.
However, that's not the case here. The tables turn, and victory in the battle arena is not the priority anymore. The rescue and safety of a lost and captured soul in a war-torn world is the first and foremost priority.
There are sadistic and sinister elements at hand, one of them being Dr Clown (Mamoru Miyano) who appears to be heavily inspired by DC's insidious Joker. Levius has to solve the mystery of AJ (Saori Hayami), who is Clown's "child", as he fondly says.
Levius shares a past with AJ, though she claims to remember it differently. The episodes begin to rush like a river by episode 8 and the loose ends are slowly tied.
Apart from Levius and Bill (voiced by Takahiro Sakurai), the other characters tend to be rather uni-dimensional, which is disappointing especially in scenes that are supposed to have a hard-hitting impact.
To put it bluntly, Levius' original rival-turned friend-turned possible love interest Natalia (Ayana Sakura), is downright jarring and her dramatic bouts almost dumb down the effect of the series.
It feels really out of place, and her dialogues are extra cliched. The irritating part is that she seems to have promise in the beginning as a tough fighter, but then just is relegated to the sidelines as a cheerleader-trying-to-be-tough, and desperate to win against Levius in one match at least.
Ironically, you want to root more for AJ, who seems to have more intriguing depth, despite being in Dr Clown's control.
'Levius' deals with the effects a world ravaged by war, where people's scars cannot be seen. The show about that true bit of determination and hope that helps us overcome our darkest past and deepest fears. It is about love and sacrifice, for even people who you might not be directly connected with.
Bill spends nights trying to fix a prosthetic for Levius, and Uncle Zack takes a decision in the finale that almost costs him his life, but he does it for the ones he loves. It's these themes that make 'Levius' endearing, despite its flaws.
'Levius' is rather clunky at points, and the theme song can curdle your brain after a while. Seriously, it plays in every episode, after every battle. Yet, all said and done, it does make for an interesting watch.
The show delivers on the bloodied and intense action-sequences, packing in an emotional punch now and then when referring to war.
The ending of 'Levius' paves the way for a Season 2. There is much hope that it will be crisper and more concise. 'Levius' dropped on Netflix on November 28.
