- published: 05 Jan 2012
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Xenosaga: The Animation (ゼノサーガ THE ANIMATION, Zenosāga: Za Animēshon?) is a 12-episode Japanese anime television series by Toei Animation, which premiered on TV Asahi in Japan on January 5, 2005. The series is based on the PlayStation 2 game Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht. The anime series was picked up by ADV Films but, in 2008, the series, along with over 30 other ADV titles were transferred to Funimation Entertainment.
Xenosaga: The Animation is a largely faithful retelling of Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht. For more information on specifics related to the characters and events of the story, please see the game's article. This section will go over some of the key differences between the game and the animated series. In the US, the 12 episodes come in 3 volumes ("Enter the Gnosis," "Voices From the Past," and "Free Will"), It also comes in a 2 DVD Complete Collection Edition.
The twelve half-hour episodes cover the length of Xenosaga: Episode I's plot, remaining faithful to the game's content at key moments while significantly changing or removing other portions of the game's narrative. Of note, there exists an entire subplot in the game revolving around a character named Cherenkov, who travels with the main characters until his death on a large gnosis referred to as a Cathedral Ship. In the anime, Cherenkov is killed on the Woglinde towards the very beginning of the story. Conversely, Lt. Virgil, a character that died early on in the game, takes his place. Virgil, in turn, is killed by KOS-MOS in episode nine in a scene that closely mimics the manner in which he was killed in the game.