Garo: Honoo no Kokuin (GARO: THE ANIMATION)

In the name of the king, the Valiante Kingdom launched hunts to exterminate users of witchcraft. Seventeen years later, their pursuit is still growing in both size and brutality. Unbeknownst to the citizens, the targets of these witch hunts are the secret protectors of humanity. Known as the Makai Knights and Alchemists, they have a strong will to protect people from Horrors, demons who possess souls plagued by sadness and pain.

One such Makai Knight is 17-year-old Leon Luis who inherits the legendary armor of the Golden Knight Garo from his mother. Though he possesses great power, he struggles to overcome the hatred he bears from his mother's death at the hands of the kingdom. His father German, known as Zoro the Shadow Cutting Knight, is still training Leon when he is called to investigate the upsurge of Horrors in the kingdom's capital. Although German knows Leon's will is wavering, he decides to bring Leon along to continue his training.

As German and Leon head to the capital, the king's amiable son Alfonso San Valiante struggles to find a solution to the growing Horror threat. But before he can do so, he is double-crossed and banished from his own kingdom. To return home, Alfonso sets out to find the help and strength he needs to reclaim the throne. During his search, he comes across Leon, whose interactions with the prince will forever change both of their fates.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Background

Garo: Honoo no Kokuin is inspired by Garo Tokusatsu and is one of the few Tokusatsu franchises adapted into an animated work.

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Related Anime

Alternative setting:	Garo: Guren no Tsuki, Garo: Vanishing Line
Sequel:	Garo: Honoo no Kokuin - Home
Other:	Garo: Honoo no Kokuin - Yurugaro

Oozeki, Eri
Japanese

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Staff

Cook, Justin

Producer

Maruyama, Masao

Producer

Ootsuka, Manabu

Producer

Hayashi, Yuuichirou

Director, Episode Director, Storyboard, Key Animation, Animation Director

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Opening Theme

	1: "Honoo no Kokuin: DIVINE FLAME (炎の刻印-DIVINE FLAME-)" by JAM Project (eps 1-12)
	2: "B.B." by JAM Project (eps 13-24)

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Ending Theme

	1: "CHIASTOLITE" by Sayaka Sasaki (eps 1-12)
	2: "FOCUS" by Showtaro Morikubo (eps 13-24)

Reviews

Mar 29, 2015

Link_of_Hyrule

Recommended

**SPOILER FREE REVIEW**

If you were one of the people who dropped Garo back in 2014 because the plot seemed a little too aimless, this is a PSA: Y’done goofed. What started off as a slightly clumsy and generally directionless action romp with only a mature tone to differentiate it eventually came into its own and emerged as a visually stunning, well written, memorable action-drama complete with strong characters and an emotionally investing plot. Garo was arguably the best anime that aired this season and it deserves far more attention than it is getting.

Synopsis: In a world full of bloodthirsty creatures known as horrors that terrorize ... the people, the only ones who can protect them are known as the Makai Knights; a secret organization dedicated to preserving peace throughout the kingdom. However, little do the people know, the king is being manipulated by his advisor into painting the Makai Knights and alchemists as evil witches in order to eradicate them.

Before you even figure out what Garo is about, one thing will stick out: It knows how to have a mature tone. Too often do anime fall into the trap of confusing maturity with gratuitous blood, guts, nudity, and/or death; but not Garo. This show deals with topics of emotional loss, altruism, coming of age, sex, and violence without ever feeling like they are in over their head. This alone is commendable because it opens up a far wider spectrum of potential material to deal with that you won’t be able to see in a typical anime that’s bogged down by fanservice, moe, etc.

The biggest complaint that can be made about Garo is that it seems to lack direction or even a real overarching plot, but this only really applies to the first half of the show. Lots of people lost interest in this anime early on because there wasn’t any specific goal in mind, and that’s understandable. However, what emerges from the initial failures of the show is a touching tale about coming of age. It’s complete with some great drama without ever feeling forced, great pacing, and the perfect mix of dialogue and action. It puts you through a great deal of emotional ups and downs, really making you never want to take your eyes off of the screen. If you can tough it out through those first few episodes, you definitely won’t regret it.

While the plot really manages to come into its own, that phenomenon can largely be attributed to the growth and development of the fantastic cast of characters, who are the highlight of Garo in my opinion. Leon, the protagonist, starts off an insufferable, angsty teen. He complains about everything, is never satisfied, and is all around insufferable. So basically, he’s your average teenager. What makes him such an effective focal point for the show is how he learns and grows from his experiences; Leon is a dynamic character who ends up becoming supremely likable and even sympathizable.

However, Leon is only one of the many interesting, dynamic characters. German, Leon’s “father”, accounts for a lot of the personality in the show. He’s very funny without ever diminishing his important and rather serious role in the plot, which is not an easy balance to achieve. There’s also Emma and Alfonso, who each bring their own intriguing subplots to the equation as well. When it comes to characters, Garo overwhelmingly succeeds at fleshing out their respective backstories and motivations. The characters are the reason I was able to stick with the show through the slow start and the payoff ended up being much amazing than I ever thought it could be.

The last thing I’ll mention is how studio MAPPA, who is quickly becoming one of my favorite studios for having the balls to take on risky projects, deserves a lot of praise for the superb animation in Garo. The Makai armor battles are perhaps one of the greatest examples of CGI done right in anime to date, but even more impressive to me were the detailed landscapes and the fight scenes that didn’t use CGI at all. There is one particular fight in the later half of the anime between two main characters that is easily the fight of the year so far. The amazing choreography took my breath away; I probably watched that scene five times just for the hell of it. Combine the uniquely great animation with a… “interesting” soundtrack (watch the OPs and you’ll know what I mean) and you have an anime that delivers in the aspect of presentation.

In conclusion, Garo is a well-written drama with a mature tone and a focus on action that is definitely worth watching. The meandering plot eventually finds its way home and delivers a lovely narrative that you will remember for a long time. I highly recommend Garo to anyone who has a little bit of patience. Here’s to season two!

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Jun 27, 2015

Cauthan

Mixed Feelings

(This is a spoiler-free review adapted for this site)

[Synopsis]: Under the influence of his trusted adviser Mendosa (Hashi, Takaya), the king of Valiante initiates a massive witch hunt in order to exterminate both the Makai Knights and the Makai Alchemists after the king’s health was threatened by the curse of a witch. As she was burned at the stake, the witch in question gave birth to a son, Leon Luis (Namikawa, Daisuke) who was then spirited away by his father and Makai Knight Luis Herman. Many years later Leon returns with his father to exact his revenge on those responsible for his mother’s death and ...

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Aug 1, 2018

ktulu007

Not Recommended

Garo: Honoo no Kokuin is an anime from the mid 2000s. It was created by Amemiya Keita (who's done a lot of work on Kamen Rider). Although the anime was written by Kobayashi Yasuko (who also worked on the anime for Claymore & Shakugan no Shana) and was brought to us by MAPPA. A studio I only know because they worked on Sakamichi no Apollon, which was pretty crap.

Story:

We open with a very pregnant witch being burned at the stake for “causing disease.” Although she was probably just a woman who owned some land, given the history of actual “witch” burnings. She gives birth while ...

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Poll: Garo: Honoo no Kokuin Episode 13 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Jan 9, 2015	65 replies	by macabongx »» Nov 8, 2023 4:02 PM
Poll: Garo: Honoo no Kokuin Episode 17 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ) Stark700 - Feb 6, 2015	204 replies	by Inexplicable »» Oct 4, 2022 3:50 PM
Poll: Garo: Honoo no Kokuin Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 ) Stark700 - Oct 3, 2014	169 replies	by Inexplicable »» Oct 3, 2022 3:40 PM
2nd half is a lot better than first Barry_Allen_14 - Aug 16, 2021	2 replies	by Scythe97 »» Sep 30, 2022 3:52 AM
Poll: Garo: Honoo no Kokuin Episode 18 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Feb 13, 2015	89 replies	by Creepyarea »» Sep 17, 2022 1:42 AM

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Luis, Leon

Luis, German

Guzman, Emma

San Valiante, Alfonso

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Garo: Honoo no Kokuin

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