For some, shojo anime might immediately conjure up images of ornate magical girl transformations and flowery romance. The demographic has always included series that explore a variety of other genres and styles though, and one such title is Jyu-Oh-Sei. The 11-episode series, released in 2006, follows twin brothers Thor and Rai as their peaceful life on the space colony Juno falls apart when they are sent off to Chimaera, a penal colony planet subject to extreme weather patterns and deadly flora.
Jyu-Oh-Sei delves into the extremities of nature and the lengths humanity will go to in order to prolong civilization. The fast-paced series is packed with intensity as everyone struggles to survive the deadly planet, uncover the truth behind the myth of the Beast King, and why Chimaera even exists in the first place. The 11-year-old twins come home one day to find their parents murdered, then are quickly kidnapped before they can find any answers. They are sent to Chimaera, the Planet of the Beast King where prisoners go to die, forced to fight among themselves for survival and against the incredibly harsh environment.
The inhabitants of Chimaera are divided into four groups called "Rings", with the best of each positioned as the leaders. The only way to leave the planet is to become the Beast King, or the one to conquer all four Rings. With no clue as to why this has happened, Thor resolves to become the Beast King so he can escape Chimaera and find the truth. Over the years he's there, he rises in the food chain and begins to unravel the mystery of the planet's purpose -- as well as his own.
Being a short series, each episode of Jyu-Oh-Sei keeps viewers on their toes. The death toll begins immediately -- with some sure to shock viewers -- letting fans know that no one is safe from the dangers of Chimaera and its secrets. Very little is mentioned about just what landed the other Chimaerans here, however. It's a mystery that is not so deftly resolved with the reveal that Chimaera is actually a testing ground for a new species of human. Centuries before the present day, Earth became uninhabitable following an asteroid collision, forcing humans to terraform various planets in the Balkan star system -- including the planet Juno.
Now that he has risen to Beast King, Thor is brought to meet with the President of Juno, Odin, who explains everything. Having been unable to survive on Earth post-asteroid impact, and with natural birthrates now nonexistent, Chimaera was meant to breed a hardier type of human that would then be used as the prototype for all future humans. This revelation also comes with the knowledge that Thor was created through using DNA from past Beast Kings, making his genes the most adaptable regardless of circumstance. By putting Thor through life on Chimaera, the hope was that he would rise to become the pinnacle of humanity, only to be used to create further generations of humans on the dying colonies.
Throughout the story, a key point that Thor brings up is the desire to leave Chimaera as a human, not as a beast. In spite of the terrors everyone is forced to endure, he doesn't want to be reduced to seeing other humans as fodder and a means to an end. It's this belief that drives him to stop Odin from terraforming Chimaera, which would kill all of the Chimaerans. Ultimately, Thor returns to live out his life on Chimaera with the remaining inhabitants.
Jyu-Oh-Sei is an intriguing blend of action-adventure and sci-fi, pitting its bishonen against the perils of nature. The anime isn't without its faults, as its 11 episodes compress what was originally five volumes of manga. The story also inevitably upholds lighter skin as the ideal for the new human race, and even further lightens the skin of the other, darker-skinned Rings that are defeated than how they appear in the manga. Keeping that in mind, Jyu-Oh-Sei may not provide the most original outcome for human evolution, but it does manage to offer a unique mystery and enemy in its setting.
Jyu-Oh-Sei is available to stream on Funimation.