Friends of "ATLA", "LoK" and "The Dragon Prince" will like it.
Hope there will be more seasons.
Hope there will be more seasons.
24 Reviews
I like it
hoboss280629 December 2020
By the last episode this they'd found their feet
nrgigaba1 August 2021
The storyline was a bit annoying. How the protagonist, Izel takes nearly the entire season failing to understand his mission is bigger than just being reunited with his sister. It should have taken half of the season to get to the realization but the storyline was good holistically.
Perfect story
basbajo-036526 January 2021
It is a fine work of art, at last someone does justice to Mesoamerican stories, simply the fact that there is no censorship in sacrifices and weird customs are respected, the cult of death, gods, places, all are historically endorsed, nothing to do with western culture, Mesoamerica is more rooted in Asia than Europe.
Intuitive and deep
danieljohn-5515323 November 2020
Beautiful imagining of Mesoamerican cultures in a magical dark adventure. Like a more mature Avatar and Castlevania shows primed towards older audiences. The sense of scale in this show is amazing. Can't wait to see where it goes.
completely reproachable protagonist
odetoio25 June 2021
The point of main character aside, he is the failing of this show. Irritating to endure and creepy to listen to, more so after realizing the boy character is being voiced by a woman, his voice just sounds off and the unrelenting whining.
He's also a bit of a Marty Stu when necessity requires him to be smart or have skills. From weaver to leader, swordsman, tactician, and back to whining...
He's also a bit of a Marty Stu when necessity requires him to be smart or have skills. From weaver to leader, swordsman, tactician, and back to whining...
Strong start
ghandhimahamata22 November 2020
Episode one is out and it quite impressed me. A good take on Aztec and Mayan mythologies with Zapotec deities too and a pretty nuanced and realistic take on human sacrifice. If I have one complaint is that using Mictlantecuhtli as the main villain is a bit boring.
Sadly Disappointing
Jmclarknm0414 May 2021
This show had so much potential, but was sadly brought down by terrible writing and a lack of true world/story building. It honestly feels like they rushed 3 seasons of information and writing into one. On top of the fact you never really get to know or fall in love with the caracters or their struggles. Because by the time you learn something, 5 more things are thrown at you and the last thing is forgotten. The Animation style is beautiful, but it lacks fluidity most of the time. On top of which the dialogue is also clunky and out of balance. This show felt like it could have been the next Avatar in both animation and character building, but just falls short of its greatness.
I'm obsessed with this series
sleepingfearlessness27 December 2020
I can't explain how much I adore Onyx Equinox, it has a lot of potential. The story and setting are simply great and I love all of the characters, especially the main hero. Izel may seem to be over-sensitive but I really liked his soft and delicate personality. Everyone says he cries and whines a lot but I think he is allowed to do so since he's just a child who lost his only dear person in a truly horrible way. Not to mention that he was forced to deal with some serious and dangerous stuff.
The animation was a bit awkward but I am ready to overlook its flaws due to beautiful and complicated story Sofia Alexander is telling us.
So excited for the continuation!
Cliche writing. Horribly boring characters. Things just happen because plot magic.
joshua-patrick-jones30 December 2020
Warning: Spoilers
After the panther says "do it boy. fulfill your destiny." for the 90th time in the second episode my eyes just couldn't roll any further back into my head. "Faster boy. You need pain to become tougher." The panther just says boy so often and has no personality besides shouting commands that the boy seems to complete completely on accident or by running away until the monster inadvertently kills itself.
The animation is straight from Avatar. But then they through in some suicides that are the dullest death scenes you could imagine. They all die in the exact same way. Slit throat. Eyes stare straight ahead and they fall over. Apparently slitting your throat elicits no emotion or response whatsoever. No grasping at their necks. No sign of pain. Boom falls over. So its likes the avatar animators wanted to get edgy but not too edgy. But then the writing feels like something straight out of a 6th graders edgy fan fic. Everything just happens because it needs to happen. The writing is so flat its 1 dimensional.
It really sucks because the story could have been so good exploring a very seldomly told story. I wanted to enjoy it but its just cringey and boring. It feels like they chose this animation style so they could make everything flat. A temple just fell over and it crumbles in killing people but the physics just aren't right. If you gave this 10 stars i will put money on you being a socially awkward 7th or 8th grader.
The animation is straight from Avatar. But then they through in some suicides that are the dullest death scenes you could imagine. They all die in the exact same way. Slit throat. Eyes stare straight ahead and they fall over. Apparently slitting your throat elicits no emotion or response whatsoever. No grasping at their necks. No sign of pain. Boom falls over. So its likes the avatar animators wanted to get edgy but not too edgy. But then the writing feels like something straight out of a 6th graders edgy fan fic. Everything just happens because it needs to happen. The writing is so flat its 1 dimensional.
It really sucks because the story could have been so good exploring a very seldomly told story. I wanted to enjoy it but its just cringey and boring. It feels like they chose this animation style so they could make everything flat. A temple just fell over and it crumbles in killing people but the physics just aren't right. If you gave this 10 stars i will put money on you being a socially awkward 7th or 8th grader.
Super interesting and cool.
soroes7 December 2020
Such an honor to see the aztec, mayan, zapoteca and olmeca cultures reflected in this anime. It's interesting how you can discover new references in each episode and I like how it tooks a lot from the Popol Vuh. You got to watch it, hispanic or not. I think the history deserves most investment on better animation effects. Love all the concept.
Compelling Story About a Culture Lost
stormfiregirl28 December 2020
I'm often entranced by media that takes place during a historical period in which mythology is reality. When I first heard about Onyx Equinox, I thought it was going to be another "The Road to El Dorado" - a colonial telling of the Aztec/Incan/Mayan indigenous people and painting them to be blood thirsty savages. This show amazed me. Yes there is bloodshed, but the cultural practices surrounding it and their beliefs is fascinating. I had to go and look up articles to understand what I was watching and I have learned so much! This show tries to provide a compelling tale about the Indigenous peoples of South America pre-conquisator invasion and I must say, they succeed very well! If anything, the show can be a tad melodramatic (but given what the characters have suffered through, it's warranted) and the action feel a bit wooden but if those aren't hang ups for you, please watch this show!
Me gustó esta serie super buena
josiadelosdenis27 November 2020
Bad in a lot of ways, but has some redeeming qualities
ulrichbrodowsky19 December 2020
I stopped watching after episode 5, this review stating the reasons why.
Story: This one is jarring. In the first episode we get some glimpses of the Gods (more on them later) and human sacrifices, which I found to be an interesting premise. But then it turns out the story isn't about the cool Gods but about some random boy who has to save the world.
Characters: They are all over the place. I rarely understood why they behaved like they did and often they change from one emotional state to another within seconds.
Setting: Great, actually. Firstly I don't know much about the precolumbian mesoamerican culture, but this feels like the writers did their job here. We do see them working and trading, which gives a feeling for the culture. However there are different tribes and since I never heard of any of them and no map is ever presented. I cannot pick them apart. I'm happy whenever a non-standart culture is presented in media. That aside I find the Gods fascinating. They treat humans like ants beneath their feats and not without reason: These Gods are almost all powerful and can wipe out and recreate humanity whenever they see that fitting. Fascinating concept that unfortunately isn't explored enough. Unlike in a lot of media, blood sacrifices aren't treated as evil, but as a necessary tribute humanity has to give the Gods. In fact, nobody is happy about it, but since the Gods are as powerful as they are, it's still better than being wiped out. Again, fascinating but not explored enough in this series.
Voice acting: Horrible. Not sure whether they feel bad because the characters are written inconsistent or whether it's the other way around but I didn't like the voice acting. Also while every thing looks Indian, nobody talks like it. (Obviously they need to talk English, but they could choose their vocabulary more fitting.)
Visuals: I can't quite point my finger on what it is, but sometimes I find it ugly and other times it's the visuals that keep me watching. You'll probably either like or hate it. It's however at it's best when it shows big stuff like Gods or Buildings.
Action: Sometimes horrible sometimes subpar. Also brutal. Whenever the protagonists are outmatched, their opponents wait to give them a fighting chance. (That's at least how it felt for me.) That means, there are no stakes and whenever they are paired against some strong monster, it drops in quality, but is watchable when fighting weaker monster.
Fazit: You can watch this one if you like the visuals or the fact that it's about mesoamerica. Otherwise skip it. Why 4 stars? Firstly I want to preserve anything below 2 stars for series that I find insulting as a viewer, which is not this one. Plus two stars for the two things I liked.
Story: This one is jarring. In the first episode we get some glimpses of the Gods (more on them later) and human sacrifices, which I found to be an interesting premise. But then it turns out the story isn't about the cool Gods but about some random boy who has to save the world.
Characters: They are all over the place. I rarely understood why they behaved like they did and often they change from one emotional state to another within seconds.
Setting: Great, actually. Firstly I don't know much about the precolumbian mesoamerican culture, but this feels like the writers did their job here. We do see them working and trading, which gives a feeling for the culture. However there are different tribes and since I never heard of any of them and no map is ever presented. I cannot pick them apart. I'm happy whenever a non-standart culture is presented in media. That aside I find the Gods fascinating. They treat humans like ants beneath their feats and not without reason: These Gods are almost all powerful and can wipe out and recreate humanity whenever they see that fitting. Fascinating concept that unfortunately isn't explored enough. Unlike in a lot of media, blood sacrifices aren't treated as evil, but as a necessary tribute humanity has to give the Gods. In fact, nobody is happy about it, but since the Gods are as powerful as they are, it's still better than being wiped out. Again, fascinating but not explored enough in this series.
Voice acting: Horrible. Not sure whether they feel bad because the characters are written inconsistent or whether it's the other way around but I didn't like the voice acting. Also while every thing looks Indian, nobody talks like it. (Obviously they need to talk English, but they could choose their vocabulary more fitting.)
Visuals: I can't quite point my finger on what it is, but sometimes I find it ugly and other times it's the visuals that keep me watching. You'll probably either like or hate it. It's however at it's best when it shows big stuff like Gods or Buildings.
Action: Sometimes horrible sometimes subpar. Also brutal. Whenever the protagonists are outmatched, their opponents wait to give them a fighting chance. (That's at least how it felt for me.) That means, there are no stakes and whenever they are paired against some strong monster, it drops in quality, but is watchable when fighting weaker monster.
Fazit: You can watch this one if you like the visuals or the fact that it's about mesoamerica. Otherwise skip it. Why 4 stars? Firstly I want to preserve anything below 2 stars for series that I find insulting as a viewer, which is not this one. Plus two stars for the two things I liked.
A thrilling, visceral watch with rich culture woven in
juliabrodovsky22 January 2021
I am so in love with Onyx Equinox. I knew nothing of Mesoamerican religion before watching, and the show has enriched my life by inspiring me to read up more on the topic. I wish I could give the show a 9.5, it is so close to a 10! The only reason I can't is sometimes I found the dialogue and voice acting to be strange and a bit clunky. It seemed to bother me the most in the "normal life" scenes in the beginning. I can't quite explain it because I was perfectly fine with all the main characters' modern dialogue. That was my only critique though. Brilliant show and please renew for a second season, Crunchy Roll!!!
A series with a great story as foundation but poorly executed
isuruthebest25 January 2021
If I were to sum up it in a one word, this is a series where gods are all powerful and do whatever that pops into their mind + a 'hero' who is a crybaby almost all the time.
Most of the actions doesnt have any reasons to why they did those. And the story moves at a very fast phase with lots of gaps in between them.
For me, those are the major points thats drag this one down. Maybe the English dub should also be responsible for that because I kind of felt that the dub has lots of flaws as well.
Most of the actions doesnt have any reasons to why they did those. And the story moves at a very fast phase with lots of gaps in between them.
For me, those are the major points thats drag this one down. Maybe the English dub should also be responsible for that because I kind of felt that the dub has lots of flaws as well.
Truly enjoyable
pillin_domi12 December 2020
It is so splendid to watch these old cultures represented in this way, every detail has been thought and it is nice to see
I adore how the main character shows sincere feelings.
I am not kinda sure about the reactions from other characters, sometimes is a bit flat but overall is magnificent
I love this
pooyamkxwow29 December 2020
I liked this series very much. Especially the last episodes which were great. The first two episodes I thought were not very interesting series, but when I sat down and watched to the end, I realized that I was completely wrong and it was beyond what I expected and I really liked it. If you want to start this series, you may not like the first two episodes, but when the story finds its way, the series becomes much more interesting. I already knew the myths of the Aztec and Maya civilizations, so this series was very interesting to me. Be sure to watch that it is wonderful
A diamond in the rough
brettsmithsa31 December 2020
Is it perfect? No. But that doesn't matter. A series doesn't have to be perfect to be incredible. Colorful, unique, intriguing and surprisingly emotive, Onyx Equinox is a breath of fresh air in fantasy adventure. It leaves me with so many questions that I hope a second season, or more, will answer.
pathetic
felixnkubi1 January 2021
The storyline actually has potential but was wasted in this show, and also the gore here is just unnecessary... I like shows with gores and blood but there are types where when you see it, you are like that's scary and dope but in this show, it's like way too unnecessary. the animation is a bit ok
The characters are boring with their lame ass dialogues and one pointer jokes probably written by idiots, this show did have potential to be the next ATLA but they just butchered it with lame ass writing and unnecessary killings.
also how TF did the main character suddenly know how to fight monsters with a sword, dude was a coward who gets beat up but suddenly he becomes batman overnight and can now think up strategies and fight big monsters just because he was told he is the chosen one... only people with two brain cells will like this show
Goodbye, Onyx Equinox
calahao6 November 2023
On November 5 2023, roughly four years after her series run on Crunchyroll, Onyx Equinox creator Sofia Alexander confirmed the show was cancelled.
This is beyond tragic for me. I loved this series with all my heart, and what it represented for me.
As someone with indigenous heritage and a love for mythologies and cultures, Mesoamerica is seldomly represented in media, let alone its rich and vast pantheon and legends. To have a fantasy show set in a non-European setting is rich enough, but Onyx Equinox really went the extra mile on being accurate to the various cultures it depicted as well as their gods and overall humanised civilizations that are still demonised for the blood sacrifices, offering a human window into this amazing, now lost world.
Further, it had a gay main character, still a rarity in animated media, and that made me feel even more seen.
The series ultimately inspired my own magnum opus, Lands of Fire, and even beyond that it has rightfully earned love and community of dedicated fans, many of which actual historians.
Onyx Equinox stands as a timeless gem, and it breaks my heart that its story was not completed.
This is beyond tragic for me. I loved this series with all my heart, and what it represented for me.
As someone with indigenous heritage and a love for mythologies and cultures, Mesoamerica is seldomly represented in media, let alone its rich and vast pantheon and legends. To have a fantasy show set in a non-European setting is rich enough, but Onyx Equinox really went the extra mile on being accurate to the various cultures it depicted as well as their gods and overall humanised civilizations that are still demonised for the blood sacrifices, offering a human window into this amazing, now lost world.
Further, it had a gay main character, still a rarity in animated media, and that made me feel even more seen.
The series ultimately inspired my own magnum opus, Lands of Fire, and even beyond that it has rightfully earned love and community of dedicated fans, many of which actual historians.
Onyx Equinox stands as a timeless gem, and it breaks my heart that its story was not completed.
Wow, you really have to try to make it THIS bad
nodlimax23 November 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Let's get the simple stuff out of the way first:
1. It looks terrible. The animation quality is very low. They went for a style similar to Avatar. However the animation itself looks choppy and overall just horrible.
2. The sound design in pretty much every aspect is bad. The voice acting is absolutely flat - no emotion whatsoever. I've got nothing positive to say about the soundtrack neither. I guess they're trying to for the Aztec musical theme. It just doesn't work for me. And the sound effects are just average at best.
Now let's take a look at the content of the show: What has been shown in episode one is horrendously bad. The show itself is aimed at an adult audience due to massive amount of blood and gore that is already shown in the first 25 minutes. Some nudity is included as well and you can also hear heavy swearing. However the writing appears to focus on young kids, because no adult could take this stuff serious the way it is presented.
The first episode starts showing a fight between a boy and girl which is won by the girl. The boy hasn't done anything bad to her but when she easily wins she just laughs at him while he's on the floor and calls him pathetic for no reason whatsoever. She right away establishes herself as an unlikeable character. If you disagree then feel free reverse the gender in this situation and look at the behavior of the characters again. It's terrible.
Then out of nowhere an attack happens from monsters which apparently belong to some god from the underworld. These monsters swallow up people. Apparently they have been spawned because the god didn't get enough blood sacrifices. A bit of fighting happens and all humans basically have no chance to defeat the monsters. At the end all the humans swallowed by the monsters are then shown again to have their throats slit to become blood sacrifices.
We then see a random young kid which is taken over by some kind of being which apparently is supposed to be a "good" god (at least not underworld). He gets together with a few other characters also representing gods. They have a chat about getting their blood sacrifices and that there is not enough blood for them and the underworld gods. I'm not quite sure who I'm supposed to be rooting for here. Btw. at the end of their little chat all 4 people (including the kid) that they inhabited die and turn to dust immediately. Lovely characters - killing people just to have a quick chat...
There is another blood sacrifice in the form of the girl we saw at the beginning (I guess that is her, but it's kind off hard to follow). Btw. she is also shown with full frontal nudity. I don't even know how old she is, but she seems young...
Her throat is slit in the middle of a conversation with her brother which apparently is voiced by a woman. At least he sounds like a girl and also has a feminin features. But he is addressed as a boy. So I guess I will believe that.
He falls into the same pit his sister was thrown after they killed her and for some contrived reason the "gods" consider him to be their future champion while finishing it off with "we're *swear word*"
There is also some random creature that was summoned at the start of the episode to "protect the village" which then continue to murder monsters and people alike while destroying half the village in the process.
Honestly this was one of the worst opening episodes I've ever watched for an animated show.
Now let's take a look at the content of the show: What has been shown in episode one is horrendously bad. The show itself is aimed at an adult audience due to massive amount of blood and gore that is already shown in the first 25 minutes. Some nudity is included as well and you can also hear heavy swearing. However the writing appears to focus on young kids, because no adult could take this stuff serious the way it is presented.
The first episode starts showing a fight between a boy and girl which is won by the girl. The boy hasn't done anything bad to her but when she easily wins she just laughs at him while he's on the floor and calls him pathetic for no reason whatsoever. She right away establishes herself as an unlikeable character. If you disagree then feel free reverse the gender in this situation and look at the behavior of the characters again. It's terrible.
Then out of nowhere an attack happens from monsters which apparently belong to some god from the underworld. These monsters swallow up people. Apparently they have been spawned because the god didn't get enough blood sacrifices. A bit of fighting happens and all humans basically have no chance to defeat the monsters. At the end all the humans swallowed by the monsters are then shown again to have their throats slit to become blood sacrifices.
We then see a random young kid which is taken over by some kind of being which apparently is supposed to be a "good" god (at least not underworld). He gets together with a few other characters also representing gods. They have a chat about getting their blood sacrifices and that there is not enough blood for them and the underworld gods. I'm not quite sure who I'm supposed to be rooting for here. Btw. at the end of their little chat all 4 people (including the kid) that they inhabited die and turn to dust immediately. Lovely characters - killing people just to have a quick chat...
There is another blood sacrifice in the form of the girl we saw at the beginning (I guess that is her, but it's kind off hard to follow). Btw. she is also shown with full frontal nudity. I don't even know how old she is, but she seems young...
Her throat is slit in the middle of a conversation with her brother which apparently is voiced by a woman. At least he sounds like a girl and also has a feminin features. But he is addressed as a boy. So I guess I will believe that.
He falls into the same pit his sister was thrown after they killed her and for some contrived reason the "gods" consider him to be their future champion while finishing it off with "we're *swear word*"
There is also some random creature that was summoned at the start of the episode to "protect the village" which then continue to murder monsters and people alike while destroying half the village in the process.
Honestly this was one of the worst opening episodes I've ever watched for an animated show.
Shocking!
archangestelle1 December 2020
I thought wow some maya & aztek culture, finally something different like Papyrus when I was young!
But no:(
Bloody gore nudity suicide etc.
After 20 years of anime I was shocked and not because of the awful colors!
It's like they are trying to be the anti-Disney, but they went overboard.
I need some anime after this.
But no:(
Bloody gore nudity suicide etc.
After 20 years of anime I was shocked and not because of the awful colors!
It's like they are trying to be the anti-Disney, but they went overboard.
I need some anime after this.
Might have worked in 1991
nyaykujata10 June 2021
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