Xam'd: Lost Memories

     Not an anime you want to re-pickup half-way through after a two week intermission. I am lost and memory of this series is scattered, so read this review with those mitigating factors in mind. The show takes place on Sentan Island, which is an agreed war-free zone by the Southern Continent and Northern Government. The story begins with three close friends: Akiyuki, Haru, and Furuchi, on the verge of another common school day until Akiyuki decides to let a suspicious albino girl onto the bus. Little beknownst to Akiyuki this will be the wick that ignites the storyline.
     Because when she goes on that bus, she does not intend to go to school, she doesn't intend to get off the bus, she doesn't even intend to survive - instead she's there to commit martyrdom. By blowing up herself and killing many of the students it surprises the masses putting the land into an uproar, and that's only the beginning.
     The main moral message this anime tries to convey is the importance of the sanctity of life. Regardless of appearance, a human is a human. Whether their a different race, from another country, or if their soul has merged with an Xam'd creating a powerful weapon. This is an Xam'd:

Despite being labeled as weapons, it's not their purpose. What they seek will be a question brought up multiple times throughout.
     Onto the characters in Xam'd: Lost Memories, which I thought were very cliche. Way too many characters too. You'll see how they develop, but for me it was difficult to care for any of them with the exception of one young boy picked up later in the series. It seems as if they've all had their filling of serious pie, and it shows in an off putting manner.
     Another part of the series I disliked was that the wars weren't well explained. Possibly by design or more likely I didn't pick it up on it, but nothing in depth about why the sides hated one another. I do vaguely remember indications, but nothing stood out. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say that they were trying to show how wars can wage and how people do seem to not give the justification of the war any thought. Could have been done better. The potential of this anime didn't feel like it was met. Especially near the conclusion. Many ideas were left underdeveloped.