'Seven Worlds, One Planet' couldn't have started off on a more fantastic note than it did with "Antarctica", which boasted the usual superb production values, the hugely informative writing and delivery, David Attenborough's ever distinctive voice, varied habitats, a wide range of animals and a wide range of emotions. It also boasted a few of the series' most powerful moments and a particularly strikingly shot sequence.
"Asia" is equal in quality and doesn't disappoint in any way. With Asia being such a varied continent, the most varied of all the seven continents featured in the series, this is one of the episodes of 'Seven Worlds, One Planet' that has appropriately some of the biggest variety of animals and environments. One of the series' particularly most powerful scenes is in "Asia" and the episode with the second biggest amount of less familiar material, closely following "South America" perhaps.
Once again, "Asia" is a fantastic-looking episode and quite exotic in its scenery. The photography is dazzling throughout, especially in the opening and the brawl between the snow monkeys. The music is grandiose without being over-powering and add a lot to the emotional scenes.
Expectedly, the narration is hugely informative and always engages, with sequences worth pondering on. How refreshing it was to see some human kindness in the whale sharks sequence. Loved the mix of familiar (the bears and walruses) and unfamiliar (the sarada lizards and a frighteningly bizarre spider tailed horned viper), with "Asia" being second as said already to "South America" as having the biggest number of creatures not as commonly seen.
Several scenes stick in the memory once again. A big example being the truly powerful and most hard-hitting opening sequence, easily the most powerful and hard-hitting opening of all the seven episodes. It is similar to the walrus sequence in the 'Our Planet' episode "Frozen Worlds" but that doesn't matter, the emotion and beauty remains. Was very surprised by the dark edge of the snow monkeys' brawl and the mating competing between the sarada lizards (amusing that was). One part made me jump and flinching is guaranteed.
Cannot praise Attenborough himself enough. He delivers the information so sincerely and enthusiastically, without talking down, and he is easily in the top 10 of voices that one can listen to for hours tirelessly.
Yet another wonderful episode. 10/10