Shuumatsu no Izetta

After Germania invaded a neighboring country in 1939, Europe spiraled into a devastating war. During the war, Germania set its sights on the weak alpine country of Elystadt. Boasting a far superior military and having achieved profuse success earlier in the war, it was expected that Germania would conquer Elystadt with ease.

Matters are only made worse for the small country when Germanian soldiers capture their princess, Ortfiné "Finé" Fredericka von Eylstadt, as she is heading to a crucial meeting with Britannia. Yet, when a concurrent Germanian transport mission goes awry, Izetta, the last witch alive, escapes. When she recognizes Princess Finé from her childhood, Izetta rescues her from the Germanian soldiers by making use of her magical abilities. Now reunited with the princess, Izetta pledges to protect Elystadt from Germania, and with the last surviving witch on their arsenal, Elystadt hopes to turn the tides against the imperialist war giant.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Izetta Main

Akaneya, Himika Japanese

von Eylstadt, Ortfiné Fredericka Main

Hayami, Saori Japanese

Berckmann, Arnold Supporting

Suwabe, Junichi Japanese

Obermayer, Hans Supporting

KENN Japanese

Bianca Supporting

Uchida, Aya Japanese

Lotte Supporting

Touyama, Nao Japanese

Ricelt Supporting

Hanae, Natsuki Japanese

Sophie Supporting

Amamiya, Sora Japanese

Elliot Supporting

Hirakawa, Daisuke Japanese

Elisabeth Supporting

Inoue, Kikuko Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Itou, Shousei Producer

Isogai, Noritomo Producer

Kanemitsu, Kazuhiro Producer

Reviews

Dec 18, 2016

TrashDax

Recommended

Liechtenstein is fighting Hitler with magic. That's all. But if you want a more detailed review...

Story:
It's World War 2 and the country of Eylstadt (which geographically would be Tirol) is about to be curbstomped by the Nazis. Good thing though that the princesses faithful doggy...I mean, good friend Izetta just woke up from her slumber and does her witch thing. Izetta uses its story within the real life happenings around that time, which is pretty nicely done. However, it doesn't do much with the military setting after the nazi witch shows up, which is a wasted opportunity. The ending was lackluster and I can't help ... but think, that the creators were too scared to leave the safe route for this little fantasy story.
6/10

Art:
This anime looks very good. From backgrounds to character designs, Izetta is a very eyepleasing show. When it comes to the fighting scenes, they were able to turn it up even more. It also lacks the usual "oops, we ran outta money" episodes in the middle. I can't find a flaw in the visuals at all.
10/10

Sound:
The opening song is pretty cool and thrilling, the ending a good, relaxing song. The background music fits very nicely in the whole scenery as well. Voice acting was very good too, even though I found Izetta to sound a little too cutesy at times. Sora Amamiya gives me another reason to praise her and it was nice to hear Kana Hanazawa in a completely different kind of role than what she usually does.
9/10

Characters:
Oh, Izetta, as cute as you are, you are a very, VERY one-dimensional girl. It's only natural for this anime to focus on the (homoerotic) relationship between Finé and Izetta, but all this little witch thinks about is her "hime-sama" and how she can be of any use to her. Finé herself isn't that bad, she can be a good politician every now and then, but once we get back to her worrying about Izetta, it all comes tumbling down. The other witch that turns up later has a motivation for her actions, but...I don't know, I just didn't feel it. In the end she did the same thing Izetta does, despite telling her how idiotic that is. The best characters were the agents of both sides, who did the logical things to do and acted pretty clever.
5/10

Enjoyment:
Like most others, I enjoyed the first half more than the second, though I don't think it went completely to shit. While this anime started out interesting and creative, they started playing it safe halfway through, which was quite disappointing. The ending was a lame cop-out for a show that did a lot of things right, but then started heading the wrong way.
6/10

Overall:
7.2/10

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Dec 17, 2016

Stark700

Mixed Feelings

If potential is something that you’re seeking for, Shuumatsu no Izetta (Izetta: The Last Witch) will breathe life into that word. At first glance, anyway. Think about it though. It’s a series that combines elements of military warfare, witchcraft, political conflicts, and other magical shenanigans into a single package. And as an original series, the show isn’t held back by a dedicated fan base or those who lusts for “faithful adaptation”. However, Shuumatsu no Izetta isn’t exactly perfect or even close as the word potential is dragged down each step of the way.

The risk of making a historical fiction war drama story can be viewed ... from many angles. While it doesn’t always have to rely on historical accuracy, it should still make sense. In essence, the show attempts its best job at that by adapting the setting into World War II style war story. That’s right. It’s when the Allies fought against the Axis Powers that stretched from Europe all the way to the Pacific theater. However, this series doesn’t fly across the globe even though it has a cute little witch. In fact, it focuses primarily on this tiny Alpine country of Eylstadt as imperialist forces of Germania decides to invade them.

Mark my words, the show gets straight to the point pretty fast. The first few episodes easily establishes the fact that there’s a war conflict going on. Ortfiné "Finé" Fredericka von Eylstadt (the princess) is pursued by Germanian forces and even gets captured aboard a train. A mysterious witch named Izetta shows up from a capsule and she recuses Fine. Turns out, they actually knew each other before during childhood. While all this is happening, it’s hard to forget about how Izetta saves her. Literally, she flies on a giant gun and is able to use magical powers to influence objects. So basically, she is a witch although where her powers came from is a mysterious origin. What we do know is that Izetta is among the last of her kind and she enters an alliance with Fine to protect their country. So for standards, the series leaves me a good impression as the storytelling can expand quite a bit with the war drama and mystery. A lot of questions will pop into viewers’ minds like “who really is Izetta?” “Why does Germania want to invade Eylstadt”? or “Who will win the war?”

I’ll be honest here though. Perhaps my expectations for the series were a bit too high from the start but the series seems to dwindle down each and every episode. The first few episodes does a fairly well job at launching the series with its premise. However, the pacing drags back the show as transitions between certain episodes just feels stale. Certain episodes such as ones that info dumps about witch magic or Izetta’s daily life style can easily be condensed to further the storytelling. Instead, they are stretched out with slice of life content with little impact. The series also seems to have a fetish for Izetta’s breasts as the girls often makes fun of them, especially Fine and the maids. On the other hand, it is evident that the series remains faithful to the premise. The war is still the main focus and we see how the roles of characters are played out. Izetta is a prominent figure as a witch so her allies uses her in ways to not just directly engage their enemies but also with psychological warfare. In other words, they want to make the best of what she has to offer with her powers, carrying military squadrons to certain positions, and boosting morale. While it’s not realistic, it does make her character intriguing to watch as we can see what a witch can really do. While I did mention how ludicrous the comedy can get sometimes, this show does not joke with death as certain characters really do die. As such, do expect the violence and war drama to take hold to show how tragic warfare can be.

Even though she’s the titular character, the series isn’t just about Izetta. Fine, the princess of Eylstadt, serves as a good mentor and leader for her country. She plays the role of a strategist, idealist, and also a friend for her people. The most important relationship she has is with Izetta as the latter saved her during childhood. However, I am not overly impressed by the character relationships in the series. Beyond Izetta and Fine, there’s hardly any others that are memorable. For instance, there’s Bianca, Princess Fine’s personal bodyguard who only gets a memorable role in the latter half of the series when she kills a Germania spy. There’s hardly any development between that spy and her so most of their storytelling is easily forgettable. The main antagonist of the series is Berkman, a Major of a Germanian Special Unit. And oh boy, he is about as stereotypical as you can get out of a villain. Egoistic, manipulative, and cunning are just a few words to describe this man. The fact that he also has a secret weapon to counter against Izetta shows him as a sinister bastard.

One thing that does surprise me though is the quality of the visual production. Ajia-Do is practically an unknown studio that most are unfamiliar with. Their most recognizable work might as well be this one so it’s interesting to see how they took on this project. On the surface level, the series is beautiful with crisp animation. The landscapes and country-style feel gives a good impression of its setting. Furthermore, character designs is noticeable as it fleshes out Izetta being distinctive with her white dress and scarlet hair. Fine is noticeable for her beauty and classic blonde hair, fitting for a princess of her country. On most parts, the action has solid choreography without much jerky movements. Camera angles often capture the most intense parts of war that makes the show thrilling. Do note that there’s a bit of fan service that seems to have more fun with itself than it should.

When it comes to soundtrack, Shuumatsu no Izetta, Nagasaki Yukio seemed like a fitting choice for sound director. His most recent work from GATE shows his talent and brings it into this series. The fast pacing of the action combined with the elements of military warfare all seems to work with the instrumental music. The feel of the European style OST also brings credibility for the series’ setting. Finally, character voice acting is well performed for characters such as Fine with haughty personality, Bianca’s toughness, or Berkman’s arrogance.

How do I really sum this up? A massive disappointment or just a show to watch for the pure entertainment? To be fair, this show is probably not suitable for everyone. Fanatics of historical elements and war drama enthusiasts will probably find this series more entertaining than others. However, if you’re seeking for a well-rounded story, then this show will feel like one that dropped the ball. Not literally but just the type that makes you hope there’s so much more. Too bad really.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Dec 17, 2016

MozillaFennekin

Not Recommended

What’s worse: a consistently mediocre show, or a mediocre show that looked like it could’ve been a lot better? Whichever you prefer, Shoemaster no Izetta is the second option.

I’m not gonna sit here and pretend that Shuumatsu was, at any point, even a strong contender for anime of the season. I don’t feel particularly burned or let down by this show falling apart, but at the same time I can’t help but feel a little surprised: Two super hot main characters, one of them being a witch or magician, a story with historical context, a metal-based OP, and one of the best soundtracks of the ... year come together to form… a light 4. So, what the fuck happened?

To be honest, it wasn’t that anything really happened, it’s just that Shuumatsu put on a nice facade for a bit. That sounds like I’m stating the obvious, but hear me out: This anime was only good on a conceptual level. Beyond writing "MAGIC + WW2" down, the writing team had no idea what the fuck to do. There’s no singular element to Shuumatsu that makes it bad, it’s a consistent series of fuck-ups and bad writing that starts to become apparent after the story’s introduction.

Much of the conflict can be blamed on people being complete fucking idiots, and that’s never a good thing. When you have some pretty high stakes such as… I dunno, a WORLD WAR involved, it’s expected that the people have some sort of responsibility. This involves not discussing the weakness of someone who is single-handedly carrying you in the war, or even discussing this someone period, in broad fucking daylight. God forbid someone hears you and runs back to camp to tell all his friends about it for no reason... ... ... ... ... ...HEY WAIT A MINUTE

Another problem that becomes more apparent as time goes on is the absolute perfect perfectnicityness of the three lead characters: Izetta, Fine with an accent at the end, and Izetta’s Tits, which you better fuckin’ believe are fine with an accent at the end. These are the good guys, so they’re good people. They do absolutely nothing wrong and have no flaws whatsoever. Finemon is noble and brave and lives to defend the country she proudly leads. Everyone that’s not literally Hitler happily supports her. Izetta is the most OP being on the planet, and all she wants to do is use her power for good, which means indiscriminately killing shitloads of Nazis. Her entire character is that she totally wants a piece of dat Fine ass and will do virtually anything for it. She might be a little childish due to literally not having a life for the most part, which doesn’t really count as a flaw.

Meanwhile, the bad guys are Nazis. They do bad things because they’re the bad guys and that’s basically it. I suppose the real context of the antagonists can be summed up as “read a fucking book”, but it’s not like we’re getting actual historical figures in this anime. This isn’t Drifters. This is an original story with not-very-cleverly renamed things like “Germania” involving original characters. Original characters such as Smug Villain who is a villain that smiles in a smug fashion. He has a low voice and talks clearly but quietly while smiling in a smug fashion. Because he’s the bad guy.

Unyielding good versus unforgivable evil. It’s too obvious who you should root for. Tropes aren’t bad on their own, but too many of them will dumb things down and come off as boring, unless you can fully embrace them and use the best parts to tell a satisfying story. I’m describing ‘My Hero Academia’ for the record. Not that it’s related. But meanwhile, Shuumatsu is full of one-note, trope-y, flat basic bitches. Well, not Izetta. She’s not flat. She got some pretty big dynamics nahimean?

In short, despite the serious tone Shuumatsu puts off in its early moments, its story is far from mature. Even when nothing is happening, there’s still something wrong. Like, talking about pie for all eternity, or watching Izetta get molested by some creepy designer lady. I think that’s where they uh… Cross the Line, eh???? Goddamn that song is good.

Okay, so I’ve complained a lot about a show that’s based on a hot chick flying around on a gun. So let’s talk about that for a moment. For some reason, people defend bad writing and fanservice with “she’s riding a gun, it was stupid to begin with!” Just because something’s a little silly doesn’t mean all its faults are suddenly cleared. Like, what? It doesn’t even look or seem that silly. Not only is it cool as shit, but it brilliantly combines both the setting of war and the concept of magic. If anything, wearing a big hat and flying around on a broom would’ve been inappropriate.

But anyway, the battles themselves are actually pretty good. Izetta is OP as shit and just fucking destroys everything in her path. It’s a lot of fun seeing shit like that, and it’s not every day where you see tanks getting thrown around. But, of course, the stakes need to be raised at some point, so the enemy introduces… more magic. Aww… It’s kind of a bummer that they couldn’t stick with Magic vs. Military and had to make it Magic vs. Magic instead. Granted, the story’s timeline gives it very limited technology, but it would’ve been really cool to see the Germans--oh, sorry--the GERMANIANS (you know that's just Germany in Romanian, right? That's not a rename at all, those hacks!) develop some sort of weapon or even a clever strategy to level the playing field a bit, instead of just introducing more magic out of nowhere.
That said, when Izetta has finally met her match, things don’t go downhill. They get crushed, flattened, stomped on, pushed off a cliff, and dropped into the fucking ocean. Shit gets real FAST and that made me appreciate the evil side a lot more.

Nothing’s animated too well, though. Izetta flying around looks quite nice, and let me compliment the character designs one more time because they’re outstanding. But, as expected, the larger animations such as large objects getting tossed around or a collection of swords slicing around… they’re CG. The CG itself isn’t particularly good nor bad, but combined with normal 2D animation, it looks kinda weird and took me out of the experience a little. I don’t remember anything being terrible, though. The general style is very common despite the obscure studio--if you told me this was by A-1 Pissants or J.C. Staff, I wouldn't have questioned it.

The soundtrack on the other hand… now there’s a hidden gem. The mystical, magical music in the back with a rock influence, particularly with Izetta’s fight scenes, holy shit it’s brilliant. It felt a little overdone, though. Exposition could be going on, and the composer’s still going apeshit with dark, jittery, and mysterious music as if the most amazing plot twist’s about to happen. Still, I’m gonna be downloading thi--I mean purchasing this soundtrack in a very legal manner when it releases to the public. And the credits themes were equally outstanding. ‘Cross the Line’ has one of the most hype-inducing introductions of the entire year, and its piercing metal sound kept me on my toes the whole way through. The epic piano ballad used as the ED is equally mesmerizing despite being basically the exact opposite sound.

Would I recommend Izetta: The Last Witch? Given the interesting premise, I might. After all, an anime with historical context always draws in an audience. 'member Joker Game? Talk about awkward! Anyway, just be warned. You’re not getting a very intricately-written story. It has some good moments for sure, but more often than not you’ll want to rip your hair out. Come in mostly for the fights and the occasional charm. And don’t forget the boobies. Hooray for boobies.

Story - 3/10
Art - 6/10
Sound - 9/10
Character - 2/10
Enjoyment - 4/10
Izetta - Fine/10
Overall - 4.25/10 (Score range: 3.5-5.0)
Favorite episode - 1
Favorite character - Izetta’s Ettas
Recommendation level - Medium

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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	Poll: Shuumatsu no Izetta Episode 12 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ) Stark700 - Dec 17, 2016	214 replies	by korsarz »» Aug 26, 12:58 PM
	Poll: Shuumatsu no Izetta Episode 11 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Stark700 - Dec 10, 2016	111 replies	by korsarz »» Aug 24, 12:55 PM
	Poll: Shuumatsu no Izetta Episode 10 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Dec 3, 2016	91 replies	by korsarz »» Aug 22, 12:52 PM
	Poll: Shuumatsu no Izetta Episode 9 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Stark700 - Nov 26, 2016	129 replies	by korsarz »» Aug 22, 12:19 PM
	Poll: Shuumatsu no Izetta Episode 6 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Stark700 - Nov 5, 2016	144 replies	by korsarz »» Aug 18, 3:52 PM