Horizons (TV series)

***Horizons*** is a British-Japanese science fiction anime series created, written and directed by Jay Stevenson, and produced by J-Animations. The series serves as a continuation from the 2021 mini-series of the same name. The series aired from January 2024 to December 2034 on Thursdays, on numerous channels in a variety of regions, including TV Tokyo in Japan, BBC One in the United Kingdom, and NBC in the USA. It spanned 6 seasons and 312 episodes. The series has been collected into 39 Blu-ray volumes, each containing 8 episodes, and is available to stream globally on Disney+.

*Horizons* follows on from the final episode of the 2021 mini-series, centering around 12 space couriers aboard the Miraguanis IV, who take commissions and try to avoid conflict in a galaxy where there is an imminent war. These include the ship's captain Daisuke Hanamura, his eager lieutenant Shiro Kubo, and the ship's navigator Elizabeth Prague. The universe of *Horizons* is multi-faceted, divided up into several different factions that are all engaged in a functional but weak alliance called the GWPO, led by President Galani Thix. Tensions between these factions are present at the beginning of the show, with many citizens feeling that President Galani prioritises the upper classes, leaving much of the galaxy's population in poverty. Hotaru Tajima, an ex-politician who resigned following disagreements with Galani, forms a rebel group that serves to represent minorities across space, and engages in acts of terrorism to make the GWPO aware of their issues, though these acts of terrorism soon serve to try and overthrow Galani. The first 3 seasons of the series feature the Guapo (the crew of the Miraguanis IV) completing odd jobs and providing humanitarian aid across the galaxy against a backdrop of political unrest. The fourth season of the series sees the Guapo land on an undiscovered planet, staying there and unaware that a war between different factions aligning with either Galani or Tajima has split the GWPO and caused havoc amongst the stars. Upon returning from the planet, whereby Shiro went insane and attempted to kill Elizabeth and Daisuke and is subsequently imprisoned, the series follows the Guapo as they are split across the planet and beocme involved in the war.

The series features voice performances from Johnny Yong Bosch, Yuri Lowenthal and Cherami Leigh as Daisuke Hanamura, Shiro Kubo and Elizabeth Prague respectively. Jamieson Price voices President Galani, and Robbie Daymond voices Rebel Leader Hotaru Tajima.

Throughout its run, *Horizons* has received universal acclaim. Critics have praised the series' writing as complex, progressing authentically whilst containing many unexpected turns. The pacing of the narrative has also been well received. The series' animation was a focal point for the company, with *Horizons* being the most expensive anime ever produced as of 2034, and this resulted in unanimous acclaim for the animation, in addition to the art direction. The series' sound design was also praised, though criticism was drawn to the logic of sound travelling in space. The voice cast's vocal performances received overwhelming praise for having the actors adapt their voices to the ever-changing atmosphere of the series. Yuri Lowenthal, who voices Shiro, has stated that his role in *Horizons* is his favourite role throughout his career, and this has been mirrored by critics and fans who cite Lowenthal's performance in the series as his best. The characters were greatly popular with fans and critics, seen to have authentic character development, unique character designs and natural chemistry that allowed the dynamics between the cast, especially the Guapo, to be enjoyable to watch. The series' worldbuilding has arguably been viewed as its greatest asset: the series spans over a hundred star systems, featuring an extremely large cast, and many have noted that Jay did a good job at portraying the different civilizations independently. The greater society across the galaxy was also well received, seen as having multi-layered politics that centre around grounded and realistic issues. Many enjoyed the subversion of typical anime tropes, including the young enthusiastic Shiro Kubo transforming from the show's "loveable protagonist" in a popular television relationship, to the show's villain. The show's fourth season received rave reviews during its initial broadcast, and the tonal shift of the series in its second half was only met positively. The series' final season, seen by many as a tragic conclusion to the story, received overwhelmingly enthusiastic reception, with its finale being the highest rated episode for any television programme on multiple review sites including Metacritic and IMDB.

*Horizons* was J-Animations' most popular anime since *Elixir*. The series built upon the cult following of the mini-series and achieved an average of over 70 million viewers for its first 3 seasons, which increased to over 100 million viewers for the show's latter 3 seasons. The series' Blu-Ray volumes are also the best-selling of any J-Animations anime. The series has won numerous awards throughout it's duration, including two Anime of the Year awards in 2030 and 2034. Its voice cast has also received numerous awards.