Schwarzesmarken

Set in the universe of Muv-Luv Alternative, a decent to good mecha series from last year, Schwarzesmarken is a sort of `prequel`.

Prequel as in, it`s set a few decennia before the main show, but in this 12 episode season there aren`t any leads to the future series an sich.

Plot

In 1983, East Germany is the shield of Europe against the BETA that continue to pound at humanity`s defences.  Eastern Europe has been overrun and is nothing more then a giant wasteland battlefield, and the 666th TSF Squadron, the Schwarzesmarken, are East Germany`s prime line of defence.

Against this backdrop, the Stasi, being split into two seperate factions themselves, struggle for controle to make Eastern Germany a military totalitarian control country, in order to deny freedom to it`s people to make it a weapon against the invaders at the cost of their humanity.

Rebellion burns inside however, and the 666th is at the center of it all!

Opinion

This is a mighty strong series.  Sure, it has mecha suits vs aliens action, but in the end this is nothing more then a backdrop for a very, VERY strong and charged storyline.
At it`s essence is the call of the people in all ranks of the populace to end the control of the Stasi and work to a democratic, unified Germany, and the sacrifices made, together with the cruelties both sides need to make happen to reach their goals, make this something I don`t see happening in a `mainstream` show.

Rating: 8.5 / 10