Leviathan Review: Two Teens & a Flying Beast Try to Stop World War in Epic Fantasy
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Weaponized bats, bomb-dropping pigeons, flying beasts, and Transformer-like war machines! ‘Leviathan’ (2025) is a gripping sci-fi reimagining of World War I, where the Central Powers, known as ‘Clankers’ wield advanced machinery, while the Allied forces led by Britain, called ‘Darwinists’ in the series, deploy genetically modified animals as weapons.
Directed by Christophe Ferreira, ‘Leviathan’ is based on the novel by Scott Westerfeld, illustrated by Keith Thompson, which follows two teens from opposing sides of war teaming up aboard a flying whale-ship. Just like the original work, the anime adaptation richly blends history, fantasy, and teen heroics.
Spanning 12 episodes, the series begins in an alternate history where Prince Aleksandar of the Austro-Hungarian Empire is forced into hiding by loyal soldiers after his parents, Archduke Franz Ferdinand and Duchess Sophie of Hohenberg, are assassinated by a Serbian, setting the stage for a world war.
A parallel subplot follows Deryn, a young girl who dreams of becoming a pilot. Disguised as a boy named Dylan Sharp, she joins the British army and finds herself aboard the titular Leviathan, a massive and powerful airship that is the pride of the Darwinists. Onboard the vessel, she learns that their mission is to accompany Dr. Barlow, a renowned scientist, on an urgent journey to deliver a secret package to the Ottoman empire.
Prince Alek is on the run with Count Volger, a gruff Austrian officer, and Klopp, one of the world’s top mechanics. While hiding in neutral Switzerland, they witness the Leviathan crash into the mountains. Despite it being an enemy vessel, Alek defies orders to help potential survivors, leading to his first encounter with the fiery Dylan Sharp. From that point on, their destinies become intertwined. Alek, of course, doesn’t reveal his true identity, but during his time aboard the Leviathan and through interactions with members of the ‘enemy’ nation, he becomes increasingly convinced that the world needs peace, not war.
The animation by Studio Orange is fantastic, though it might feel a bit old-school to some viewers, it suits the historical-fantasy setting perfectly. The retro yet dreamy world of ‘Leviathan‘ is a visual treat, with the story taking viewers across the landscapes of Europe, Ottoman empire, and even America. The background score carries a nostalgic thrum, although a few vocal tracks come off as emotionally familiar and slightly stale. But music is a core them in the story, with Prince Alek finding solace in playing an instrument when he is consumed by anxiety, helplessness, or simply loneliness. Dylan too takes to singing at the end of her day, bringing her joy after a day full of hard-work and playing soldier.
The first few episodes swiftly establish the personalities of principal protagonists Alek and Dylan. While Alek is a young, sheltered royal, with an overtly idealistic view of the world, and a soft heart, Dylan on the other hand is more practical, brash, and has a clear-cut military attitude in her behavior, even though she is a fresh recruit. In some way, Alek and Dylan are quite similar, which is what make their characters click as ‘friends’. Since Dylan is after-all a girl, she sometimes gets awkward around Alek, but the Prince never really registers anything amiss for a long time.
In fact, I enjoyed the fact that ‘Leviathan‘ doesn’t reduce Dylan to a comic cross-dressing trope. She’s portrayed as just another soldier, often better than most. She is quick on her feet, unafraid, and always ready to volunteer for dangerous mission. Alek provides pacifist point-of-view in the anime, and even though he sometimes comes off as naively annoying, he makes a strong protagonist in the tale.
The first six episode of ‘Leviathan’ are well-paced, packed with adventure, violence, politics, and intrigue. It’s midway through the series that we’re taken to an alternate Ottoman Empire, which is famed for both its coffee, and elephant-shaped machines! Alek and Knopp find themselves in Istanbul, soon amidst rebels, planning a revolution against the oppressive regime, so we get French revolution style mutiny. At this juncture, a few new curious characters are introduced and there’s a mild romantic triangle between Alek, Dylan and a new rebel girl they meet.
I feel the last few episodes weren’t as exciting, even though the plot of ‘Leviathan’ only gets wilder, bringing in some really famous historical figures into action. The climactic episodes are set in New York, where Alek and Dylan team up for meet a world famous scientist, in possession of ground-breaking technology that could either plunge the world into violent chaos or bring lasting peace. In the end, it’s up to the two of them to see the war doesn’t worsen.
That the Darwinists would leave the fate of the world in the hands of two plucky teenagers is absolutely absurd, but since this is an action-fantasy tale, several subplots are understandably far-fetched. The last two episodes do feel a bit harebrained, but overall, Leviathan is a thoroughly entertaining watch.
Rating: 8 on 10. Watch ‘Leviathan’ on Netflix.
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