The natural reaction to how much work went into this post.

Welcome, one and all, to my special series of retrospective posts on the sci-fi / fantasy epic Kyoukai Senjou no Horizon. In the following two posts, I'm going to give you everything you need to know in order to enjoy this wonderfully complex series, including background information, character bios, detailed summaries and impressions for every episode, and a giant final impressions section that explains exactly why I felt compelled to write so much about this series. In the end, these two posts are going to cover the entire season - all 13 episodes - of one of the most vibrant and detailed worlds that has graced our screens in years.

In this first post I'll be talking about the basic premise, the world, the factions, the characters, and many of the other fiddly little details that might trip you up. Then, just to get the party started in earnest, I'm going to go ahead and give you summaries and impressions for the first six episodes. If you have any questions, whether you haven't watched this series yet or suspect you might have missed something on your first time through, this post may very well contain the answer.