Ranked #837

Guin Saga

Guin Saga is a very interesting show. It gets you all pumped up with the action and fight sequences in the first half and plays with your emotions and keeps you guessing with complex political exchanges. As a preface, I have yet to see the entire show, I can't find the last two with subs, and the version I'm critiquing is a fansub, so dialogue and actual character development may, and probably will, differ from the official version. Needless to say, I am excited for official release.

Story: They do a pretty good job of introducing all the main characters in the first two or three episodes. If you have seen the first episode already and was really pissed about the male twin Remus, it's okay, he will get cooler later on. The overall story is almost perfect, the issues are namely:
1.Guin, Rinda, and Remus get captured all too often in the first couple of episode.
2.There is almost a sense of reality in the world of Guin Saga, but they don't explain enough. They show the two nations of Parros and Mongaul. Then they say there is the middle country and Nospherus and Aldros or something. Later on, when countries are joining up or betraying different counties it would be nice to know where the stand, both geographically and politically.
Like I said, other than those points the story is uniquely compelling.

Art: The art is fine. I'm not really picky when it comes to art style, as long as they pick a style and stick to it. And they did. I wasn't blown away by the animation but it didn't distract from the story the overall enjoyment of the show.

Sound: The sound was pretty good. The music adds to the scenes making the emotional scenes more emotional and the battle scenes more intense. The main theme is original and they don't play it so often it gets annoying.

Character: The most unlikely characters are the deep ones. Guin is your typical brute who smashes everything in his path, but he says somethings that are interesting. Most of the other main characters develop into something opposite I had originally expected. These are good points in character development. If the show is too predictable it gets boring. I was hardly ever bored during Guin Saga. However one character had to go and ruin that. Istovan, during almost every conversation you can guess he is going to swear something to or on “the gods.” This gets really old really fast and actually gets really annoying.

Enjoyment: I really enjoyed this series, at least so far. Most of the time it kept me second guessing people's motives or their intentions. Later on, they really get you, or maybe just me, to feel for the characters especially when they turn morality on it's head. They have like a thousand love triangles which gets to be a bit much but it seems to turn out all right.

Overall: I'd have to say an 8/10 for now. The end really seals the deal for me. I think the ending is the most important part, so depending on where and how they tie off the loose ends, this rating is likely to change. read more

**Only watched the first 9 episodes**

After watching the first 9 episodes, I can say "Guin Saga" has a lot of potential and has proved to be rather enjoyable. Guin, an unusual leopard-headed man, awakens in the dangerous Forest of Rood without any memories except for the names Guin and Aurra. It is then that he wishes to find more about himself and why he is the way he is (a leapord head with a human body). When in the forest, he comes across the parros twins, a princess and prince. As they are being hunted down by Mongaul soldiers, he takes the twins along with him promising them safety. From then on, Guin proves his unnatural strength to many in battles.

This series doesn't just contain one on one fights, but battles and wars - country against country. Seeing various types of warriors in battle, battle strategies, and creatures - this anime has kept me entertained. Because of the way Guin is, people caution themselves against him, even sometimes looked upon as an "evil spirit". However, Guin's kick-ass skills in fighting, courage, and good will gives him allies as well as enemies. Many of these allies and enemies he comes across are interesting individuals as well. The twin pearls of Parro who are the only heirs to a country's crown, a mercenary, various generals belonging to the Mongaul empire, the people of the Sems (country with monkey looking warriors), and many others.

This series doesn't just have interesting characters and story line, but the animation is well done. The music through out the anime is also top notch - I'm looking forward to the release of the OST. read more