I’ve been following the animated series Onyx Equinox created by Sofia Alexander. Onyx Equinox takes place in Mesoamerica based on the mythologies of the Aztec and Mayan Empire. In this series we follow a young Aztec boy named Izel who finds himself caught in the middle of a dangerous game from the gods. In order to save humankind, he must complete an impossible mission—closing the five gates to the underworld. Instead of making fans wait for the reset of the episodes Crunchyroll surprised its fan by dropping 7 episodes. The series was released from November 21, 2020 until December 26, 2020 on Crunchyroll. Allowing many fans to be able to binge watch the series.
As we follow our protagonist, Izel and company to close the five gates of the underworld; we see the rollercoaster ride of emotions, action and blood in the rest of the episodes. During this journey we watch them face life threating situation, we have betrayal and realization about the gates. The viewers are informed more about Yaotland the Queen of the Underworld, Mictecachualt. We watch the characters develop for the better and grow into a team. We are also left with a cliffhanger, in hopes there will be a season 2.
My Point of View
Having followed this series from the beginning, all I can say if how happy and proud I am to have a watched an anime that represents my people and culture. The infusion of Mesoamerica mythologies in an anime from the gorgeous artwork, to the Native music and the interesting character dynamics has surprised me and left me excited for more. The usage of vibrant color schemes and bold lines helped intensifies the violence and supernatural elements the anime. It allowed the charm and vibrancy of the Mesoamerican art to shine throughout the series. Although the series touched on Mesoamerica mythologies, it did have a bit of blood and gore in which I felt was a bit excessive. I do not want viewers to misunderstand the Natives as brutal or savage people. However, that is my only complaint. This series is full of humor, gore, blood and compassionate to make me want to recommend it to others. I hope you consider watching the first season of Onyx Equinox on Crunchyroll.
