The overall plot theme is pretty generic, nothing special. It's humanity pitted against some force, in this case, vampires, in a life or death battle. The characters are pretty generic. Just for example, Yuuichirou is you classic example of shounen protagonist. He was abandoned by his parents, his family from his orphanage was killed by the bad guys, and now he seeks revenge. Yeah, it's pretty plain. Not to mention, he's with a group of other kids that are also "started from the bottom" type, and they seek revenge against the bad guys. Yeah, I don't think the plot is able to get any more generic than this.
You know, while I was watching this, I came up with a new acronym, JYAS, or "just your average shounen".
Now I don't want to beat a dead horse here, but I would like to mention that Yu is probably the most cringy, most edgy, most pubescent person I have seen, met, irl or not. Parts of the show, I actually had to pause because the garbage that came out of that mouth of his was just too much for me to handle. Ranting about family, defying his commanders, you name it.
BUT, that's not what this review is about. If you want to find out how awful the characters or story or anything about Owari No Seraph is, just check out any other review on this website.
Despite of all the bad things that I just listed, and countless more that are listed on this website, I actually found this show quite enjoyable. Yeah, OK, people are throwing rotten tomatoes at me already, but let me explain:
Yes, the basis of the plot is very generic, BUT, as you keep watching, it starts getting more and more engaging. It's as if it drags you in. Certain things happen, I won't spoil what, but as the show moved forward, I found it harder and harder to put down, and I just HAD to figure out what happened next. The way the story was written, the events develop in such an intriguing way, that no matter how generic the general basis it is, it still pulls you in. Basically, the story's good or bad is not decided by how generic the basis for it is, but instead by how it develops and how it engages the audience. And Owari no Seraph does a great job at engaging the audience.
I would like to note, many people note that this show is super cliche, and I do agree to this, somewhat. It's true every time Yuu opens his mouth, something comes about killing vampires, and every time somebody is in trouble, a comrade will jump out at the last moment to save him/her. However, just being able to know what's going to happen, doesn't mean it's not engaging or boring to watch. For example, any good vs. bad plot, we basically know that good will win. If you focus on how the comrade will be saved, instead on the fact that you know he/she will be saved at the last moment, I think you can still enjoy this show.
Another thing I quite liked was the character development throughout the story. Again, people will mention how the "started from the bottom" and seeking revenge themes are really generic, but I think the show still handled developing the characters very well. I won't list too much specifics since I don't want to spoil anything, but the journey that each character, especially the edgy protagonist, Yuu, is quite a wild ride. However, I do feel like some plot elements are rushed a bit, which at the same time does make the character development rush, which results in some elements being a bit shallow.
Moving on to the sound and visuals. I don't really have much to say here, since I'd say both were very good, and doesn't cause any reason for complaints. The soundtrack, composed by Hiroyuki Sawano (who makes a lot of other really good soundtracks) sounds great, and the opening, X.U. is hella catchy, not to mention it's in English so it makes it easier for Japanese illiterates like me to sing along!
Overall/TLDR:
You WILL NOT like Owari No Seraph if:
1. You can't stand edgy teenagers (being one myself, I'm more immune than most)
2. You can't stand generic plot elements, or generic characters or cliche and everything must be unique
3. You are an anime critic and any little thing wrong is bothersome af
You WILL like Owari No Seraph if:
1. You just want an engaging story to follow that will keep you on the edge of your seat
2. You want to watch some nice action, and some humor
3. You want something that leaves an impact on you after you finish (hint: you should watch the second season:
4. You like following a group of characters as they grow and develop through struggles and challenges
5. You want to listen to a hella catchy opening 12 times
So why did I give Owari no Seraph such a high rating?
I really liked how the characters develop through the challenges they face, but most of all, how I was almost always on the edge of my seat, and wanting more. I feel this should be the ultimate goal of an anime, or any show in general
I know most people on MAL will fall into group 1, or will read some of the reviews and fall into group 1, but I really encourage you to give this a shot.
