Fire is fed by the wind and extinguished by the wind,
Grant us peace."
Okay, now I will admit one thing here. I have been itching (that's right, itching), to review this series from around episode 6. There's very few shows that have that effect on me, and almost every one is a special case. This one is no different, not because the show is actually good, or because it's well animated, or even because it has a good soundtrack. I've been wanting to review this show because of the things that inspired it's creation, and by this I don't mean the eroge that came before (although admittedly this version is based on the PS3 remake). Instead, I mean the cultural, historical and mythological references that have been poured in, mixed around and served to the audience.
If there's one thing that I've always loved about anime, it's the way that the creators take things that we know and turn them on their head. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, and sometimes ... the end result is just a little bit special.
Tears to Tiara is a case in point.
The series, as I've already mentioned, is based on the PS3 game of the same name. However, don't be fooled into thinking that the show loses points because of this. The producers have done a remarkable job in that, if you haven't heard of the original game, you would have no way of knowing that it's based on one.
The story is set in a time very similar to the Dark Ages in Britain. A group of soldiers from the Divine Empire have come to a deserted village belonging to the Gael tribe. Their purpose is to take the priestess Rhiannon, who is also the chief's daughter, and use her as a sacrifice to resurrect the demon king Arawn. Rhiannon's brother Arthur senses something wrong and goes to rescue his sister.
And now to the nitty gritty.
Tears to Tiara is, quite simply, the proverbial dragon's hoard when it comes to references, both historical and mythological. The creators have dipped heavily into Welsh Prydaic myth and Arthurian legend, as well as "The Chronicles of Prydain" by Lloyd Alexander (a series of five books that remain, to this day, among my top ten fantasy reads). There is also a healthy smattering of historical references, from Londinium (the original Roman name for London), to Gaius (based on the Latin name for Julius Caesar). Even the Divine Empire is a reference to the Holy Roman Empire.
What impressed me the most about the series is how it plays about with mythology and history to create a story that is both flowing and understandable. The numerous references to Welsh mythology that appear, like Dyrnwyn, Annwn, The Cauldron of Ressurection, amongst many others, are used in an extremely intelligent manner. Even the names of some of the characters are taken from mythology, Arawn, Ogam, Llyr, etc, etc. There's also a smattering of Christianity in there as well, but anyone with half a brain will see those references fairly quickly.
If you want a more detailed breakdown of the various references then google it or ask me, but there's too many for me to put down here.
Now one would think that having so many references would be an attempt to hide a poor story, and normally I would agree (with a proviso of course). Tears to Tiara, on the other hand, has not only a great story, but also a cast of characters who are pretty damn good overall. The plot is extremely well paced and flowing, and there is nothing that occurs that doesn't have an impact on the progress of the story (although some instances may not seem that way at first).
Art and animation are big plus points for the series. Oriental Light and Magic have doen sterling work blending CG and normal animation. The backgrounds are atmospheric, but lack a certain polish on occasion, something which, once or twice, has distraced me from enjoying the show. The characters on the other hand, are extremely well animated, especially during combat. One of the high points for me were the differences in sword styles used in the show, something which was particularly in focus during the "duel" between Octavia and Arthur.
As far as the designs go, the anime seems to have followed the path set by the game. This has both advatages and disadvantages, and is the main reason why I'm of two minds where the design is concerned as all too often the original template needs some updating. The advantageof using the original character design is that no time is wasted envisioning the characters, but the disadvantage is that the show lacks a certain creativity because of the inherent limitations from using this method.
The music is very well done throughout the series, in particular during several scenes where the choreography between visual and aural is superb. Unfortunately the same cannot be said of the OP and ED. The OP is a nice enough J-Rock track called "Free and Dream" (sung by Suara), and is nicely choregraphed, especially the metaphor where Arawn and Arthur share an apple while fighting back to back. My problem with it though is that it's a bit too "boppy" for my tastes. That doesn't mean it's not suited to the show as it does have a hopeful and joyful feel to it, it's just that given the theme of the series I would have preferred something a bit more in tune with the overall atmosphere of the show.
The ED, "True Sky, Blue Sky" (sung by Aira Yuki), on the other hand, is pure J-Pop and it really feels out of place given the nature of Tear to Tiara.
The cast used for the series are noteworthy in that they are also the same voice actors used for the PS3 game. I actually applaud this move as rather than bringing in new actors, the producers have stuck with people who are already familiar with the characters. This actually shines through with the quality of the voice acting as the cast are able to really sink their teeth into their respective roles, something they were only able to do in a limited fashion before. Granted there are one of two annoying voices in the crowd, but the series is well served on the whole because of the experience of its cast.
The characters actually represent something of a quandary for me as I'm familiar with the mythic and histroical usages of many of the references. Because of this I have a slightly different take on them than most, especially those in the lead roles. Out of all the cast the one who really stands out is Arawn, and the one thing I most liked about him is that from the beginning of the series he is a complete character. Much of the development occurs on the part of Arthur, Rhiannon, Morgan and Octavia, and whilst the girls may be sporadic with their growth, Aruthur is coninually pushed by Arawn. In essence, Arawn (and Ogam to a degree), play the father figures to the humans, and it was nice to see the producers acknowledging this by allowing the viewer to understand the reasons behind Arawn's actions.
I actually found myself liking most of the characters in the series, even the Fairies. There isn't any single character who I would call truly annoying as, for the most part, the characters spend much of their time on edge.
This is an extremely good fantasy anime that may appeal to fans of Fate/Stay Night (because of the Arthurian references), as well as to fans of Arthurian legend, Celtic myth, or even Roman History. The pacing and style of the series, together with it's numerous well used references, make this one of the better fantasy anime I've watched.
Now why can't all game based stories be as creative and enjoyable as this one?
