Why is Zoids so underrated?
I'll admit it, I like political anime (maybe I found Gasaraki to be a tad bit too much, but the story was still pretty interesting). Twelve Kingdoms is one of my favorite anime and I'm sure that if I ever get to watch Zipang, I'll love it instantly.
FYI, I'm referring to the Chaotic Century/Guardian Force seasons of Zoids. Sadly, Zoids Fuzors got rid of the political content of the original series and made it a generic kiddy friendly action series. Haven't seen the other two Zoids series yet (Zero and Genesis).
I think the problem with Zoids is that they marketed the show to the wrong audience. The Zoids figurine toys are pretty popular and Hasbro thought it as a good idea to market the anime to kids to sell toys. Big mistake, the anime has little action and the endless conversation scenes drove kids asleep.
Among adult fans like myself, I can't get enough of it. Sadly the US dub is censored and there is no dvd release of the uncut spanish dub. If you have a chance, try this anime.