Earth, no longer able to sustain life due to the rapid development of human civilization, was abandoned. Leaving Terra behind, mankind set out in search of new. Toward the Terra “. So I had no expectations for Terra e it was my first Space Opera anime and I was only wishing it to be decent. Oh boy, I was surprised.

[WT!] Toward The Terra / Terra e.. (TV) - X-Men in a Space Opera

NOTE: I have never seen the 1980 film adaption, and thus no comparisons to it will be made.

This anime is unavailable for streaming at this time.

Toward the Terra was formerly licensed by Bandai, and thus DVDs of this series do exist, but they are out of print.

The 1980 movie on the other hand, is available from Nozomi Entertainment, and is streaming on their YouTube Channel.

Toward the Terra is a Spring/Summer 2007 anime that slipped under most people's radar, as evidence by it's ranking of #438 vs. it's popularity of #1380 on MAL. Produced by Minami Machi Bugyousho, a studio that's worked on a grand total of 4 anime in the past 25 years, and adapting from a 30 year old manga, Toward the Terra sounds quite underwhelming, even though it may be one of the great anime space operas, rivaling Gundam or LoGH.

Story: In the 31st century, humanity is spread amongst the stars, after having to leave Earth due to pollution destroying the planet. A new system of governance, known as Superior Dominance, is in place, where humans are ruled by a series of supercomputers to keep humanity from making the same mistakes they made back on Earth.

Our protagonist, Jomy Marcus Shin, is a boy, who having just turned 14, must take the Adult Exam to see what he will be assigned to in life. During his exam, he is kidnapped rescued by a teleporting man with white hair, and a man who seems to communicate telepathically. Jomy is told that he is a Mu, a mutant with telepathic and telekinetic powers, who humanity wishes to exterminate, and that he has been brought to a spaceship made up entirely of Mu. Under the guidance of the teleporting man, named Soldier Blue, the Mu wish to make a home for themselves on Terra, humanity's origin planet. Thus begins a story that spans 16 years in one of the most epic space operas of all time.

Characters: With a huge cast of memorable and fleshed-out characters, Toward the Terra truly stands out. While there are villains, their motivations are explained in such a way that you can understand them. Not every character gets a backstory, because they don't need one. They are interesting and multi-dimensional enough on their own. Truly, characterization is a strong point of this series.

Art and Sound: For a studio that's done pretty much nothing, Minami Machi Bugyousho blew it out of the park with the art and sound of Toward the Terra. From its unique character designs to its atmospheric music, Toward the Terra is not an anime you'll be forgetting.

Sub vs. Dub: The Japanese voice actors due a good job, with no terrible or amazing performances. The dub, however, was produced by Animax Asia. It's terrible. Watch it subbed.

In conclusion, Towards the Terra is an insultingly underrated Space Opera that should be seen by any fan of the genre.