Dies Irae

I can get why people have a problem with this show. The pace is quite uneven, the story isn´t that coherent, much is not explained, and the clear haram vibe can be a turn off. I haven´t read/played the popular visual novel that the anime adaption is built on, so I can´t say if it´s a good adaption or not. However, I actually quite liked the show, its just demand that you are focused on the bits and pieces of information you get, and that you puzzle them together yourself. But before we dig into the actual review, some background information can be good.

Let´s first ... understand the title “Dies Irae”, the show actually makes more sense when you know the meaning of it.

“Dies Irae” is contrary to what many believe (me at the beginning as well), is not German, it´s Latin. Directly translated it means “Day of wrath”, and I found out when googling some, that it is a real psalm text about the absolute dooms day, which has an old catholic origin, and were translated to German in the 1700th. Dies Irae, is the day the world will be dissolved in ashes, much like the Vikings “Ragnarök”. Which basically telling you which direction this show will take.

Now when we cleared that out, let´s take a look at how “Dies Irae” were as a show.
The fractions of the show that let you in on the plot, weren´t that bad at all. An old society of super powerful mages, with some dark plans and a big end game, the origin of the main character Ren and his friends Kasumi and Shirou, the connection with the mages powers and human souls, and the techniques and incantations they use to preform magic, are all some interesting parts. But it´s just that, it´s just fractions of those bits throughout the show, which never were explored or explained to an extent that would have taking the show from “this is kind of cool” to “kind of really damn good” level.

As for the 0 episode, if you didn´t get it the first time, re-watch it after the 7th episode, it fits pretty good there, and the episode will make since.

The show has some of its focus on other parts, such as the harem part (yes, it´s very harem influenced, hence the several routes), surprisingly much slice of life, and some fights that felt kind of pointless in the beginning, besides present many of the villains as psycho sadistic assholes (with a few exceptions). Personal opinions aside, many of the characters are stereotypes with a twist, and used as such. For example, the childhood friend that wishes she now would be teenager MC´s girlfriend, MC´s rival male childhood friend, and a loli-looking tsundere senpai. But at the same time, I weren´t bored with them, they had enough importance in what´s was unfolding, and interesting enough personalities.

Some explanations of the circumstances and certain characters place in the story are provided during the watch, but they could´ve have focused much more on those parts to really make it interesting.

Besides that, I actually looked forward to watching a new episode each week. “Dies Irae” grow steadily on me, and had something that made me not only keep watching it, but looking forward to it. And that may been partly because of the plot development, it takes a little bit of a lift in the 7th episode, and partly because of the soundtrack. Some of the soundtrack is some real high-class pieces; German classic-music-orchestras, sometimes with some good opera. Which fitted the atmosphere of “Dies Irae” really well, with the German inspired uniforms, plot-base, and names. And after googling some more, I found out that the incantations the mages preform is individual, and are based on famous German literature and operas like Wagner and Goethe (the quote which is seen in every episode, just after the opening, is from Goethe´s two pieced tragedy). The rest isn´t too bad either, with some nice rock pieces fitting the darker theme. The opening "Kadenz" by Yui Sakakibara, is engaging and presents the mode and spirit of the show well. It´s a lot of characters and connections, which the visuals do a good job of displaying. With the highlight being the ending song, "Opera” by Phero☆Men. If not watch the show, just look that one up, it’s pretty great, it was the best part of the show according to me. The VA´s were well matched, with a nice sounding Japanese accent.

I liked the art and animation. The character design seemed to be somewhat similar to Kouta Hirano´s works (the man behind Hellsing), with their specific hair styles, eye and face shapes, long limbs and bodies, gloves and uniforms with Nazi-Germen design. Which is in my opinion isn´t a bad thing, I´m a big fan of his work. To see the similar style in another show, was just a plus. The animation, by studio A.C.G.T, is absolutely decent, it often looks pretty good. Nice colours, backgrounds, effects for the super natural/magic parts, and the fight scenes were fluid and interesting enough.

So, to round things up, I actually did enjoy most of my time with “Dies Irae”.
Especially after I looked up some information, that gave the show the platform it needed. Some will be explained throughout this first 11 episodes, and since the show is scheduled for at least 6 more episodes (ONA), it has the opportunity to grow in that department, and give the show a solid feeling. The soundtrack, opening, and ending were worth the time on its own, I´m still a bit surprised about how good they were. And the Kouta Hirano inspired art were a clear plus as well. I will definitively check out the visual novel it based on, I haven´t had the craving for a game in a while, but Dies definitively awoke up that feeling a bit.

Story: Fairly interesting, although incomplete by the last episode. It's not nearly as confusing as people are making it out to be, though I can understand thinking that it's confusing because all of the information simply isn't there. If anything will leave you scratching your head it's the last episode, which concludes "in the middle of the climax", as best as I can describe it. It's interesting enough and has some unique concepts, perhaps remnants of the critically acclaimed visual novel. Still, the way it is handled falls short of "good", and without the ONA this is clearly an unfinished production.

Art: Once again, fair. ... It's not a high budget production, and this shows in both the art and the voice acting, but it has its moments. Acceptable.

Sound: The voice acting is overall fairly weak, and the background music doesn't stand out in any particular way. Passable. The guillotine song is kind of cool.

Character: Eh. They're not extremely well developed and come off as pretty generic, but that's fine. Some of the bad guys are interesting.

Enjoyment/Overall: An alright anime. Not something I would recommend you go out of your way to watch, but not a total failure. I will watch the ONA to see if the story gets fleshed out more. There's plenty of better stuff to spend 11 episodes on, though. Be warned that the (Funi?) translation is pretty bad, and kind of ruins a couple of scenes with awkward lines and misunderstandings.

Dies Irae is absolutely one of my favorite typical dark fantasy visual novel, i got excited after hearing this one got anime adaptation... however, my hope got down so fast after watching the first episode.

(i'm going to avoid the spoiler)
Story 4/10:
Dies Irae has a great story, however.. the anime skip so much detail and feels like they just throw a pieces of puzzle at a random place, you could enjoy watching it more IF you played the VN, but if you didn't.... trust me, you can barely understand the story, or worse.. you can't understand it at all. Plot twist is one of its greatest ... asset(as a VN).. but the anime twisted the plot so much that you can't even see it.

Art 3/10:
Nothing to say, the Art looks poor for even for 2000's anime.

Sound 6/10:
The Voice Actor/Actress is good, they enlist a pretty good cast right here, all the theme used really fit its natural dark fantasy atmosphere. When the theme kicked in some of the fight scene(eventhough the animation are kinda poor), it feels intense and could give you a chill down your spine.

Character 6/10:
The "MAIN" Character is probably the lion part of the series, First.. you need to know that the anime is based on Marie Route, personally i think.. this route is where Ren got most character development. The anime really did a good job with Sakura and Marie, and shiro too, although some support character looks rather bland and need more screentime, but it's fair at least.

Enjoyment 3/10:
This probably isn't the case if you watch it several times, but for the first-timer, you probably couldn't enjoy it that much... this is a kind of anime that required you to watch it several times before you could solve the twist. For those who have played the VN, they probably will enjoy it more... But yah... still not some "jawdropping" material.

Plot/Story: 6/10
The plot of "Dies irae" presents a challenge for viewers, even for seasoned veterans of the genre. It revolves around a group of characters whose lives are intertwined across generations due to the influence of gods. While the plot is interesting, it can be confusing and complex. The adaptation overall respects the franchise, but it may require some effort to fully grasp.

Animation/Design: 8/10
The animation in "Dies irae" is impressive, particularly after Episode 7. This is where the anime shines the most, especially in its intense and visually stunning fight scenes. Each encounter is a feast for the eyes, featuring expansive and destructive battlefields. The ... powers displayed by the characters are remarkable, thanks to the talented artists behind the show.

Characters: 5/10
The characters in "Dies irae" are relatively basic and predictable once the plot unfolds. While they are easy to define, their motives can remain unclear, making it challenging to fully understand why they are driven to their actions. Fortunately, by the end of the show, the characters' motivations become more apparent.

Audio/Soundtrack: 8/10
The soundtrack of "Dies irae" is a standout element, adding to the overall experience. The orchestral tracks used throughout the series fit well with the theme of the show. Despite relying on the same four tracks across all 17 episodes, the music is not tiresome and enhances the atmosphere effectively.

Honorable Mentions:
"Dies irae" showcases impressive designs reminiscent of Warhammer 40k, featuring large monsters and cathedrals.

Review Conclusion:
I recommend giving "Dies irae" a chance, but it requires patience as the show picks up its momentum later on. The late-game payoff is worth the investment. The ending may vary depending on individual preferences, so I won't spoil anything. If you're not fully engaged by Episode 9, it may be worth considering dropping the show.