Grancrest Senki (Record of Grancrest War)

The continent of Atlatan once again finds itself devoured by the flames of war after a horrific event known as the Great Hall Tragedy. What was supposed to be a joyful occasion that would establish peace between the Fantasia Union and the Factory Alliance, the marriage of Sir Alexis Douse and Lady Marrine Kreische, was instead a tragedy. As the bride and groom walked down the aisle, the ceremony was suddenly interrupted by a powerful convergence of "Chaos," a dark energy from another dimension that corrupts the land and brings forth monsters and demons into the world. From within that energy appeared the Demon Lord of Diabolos, an evil being who instantly murdered the archdukes of both factions, shattering any hope for peace between them.

Having failed to prevent this disaster, Siluca Meletes, an Alliance mage, is traveling through the Chaos-infested countryside to study under a master magician. When she is intercepted by a group of soldiers working with the Federation, Siluca is rescued by Theo Cornaro, a young warrior carrying a mysterious "Crest," a magical symbol that gives its wielder the ability to banish Chaos. Bearing no allegiance to a specific domain, Theo hopes to attain the rank of Lord so that he can liberate his home town of Sistina from its tyrannical ruler and the Chaos spreading within it. Impressed by his noble goal, Siluca enters into a magical contract with Theo, and the two embark on a journey to restore balance to their war-torn land.

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Adaptation:	Grancrest Senki
Summary:	Grancrest Senki: Tsuisou

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Characters & Voice Actors

Meletes, Siluca

Main

Kitou, Akari
Japanese

Cornaro, Theo

Main

Kumagai, Kentarou
Japanese

Aishela

Supporting

Ueda, Reina
Japanese

Kreische, Marrine

Supporting

Kayano, Ai
Japanese

Irvin

Supporting

Nakamura, Yuuichi
Japanese

Constance, Villar

Supporting

Sakurai, Takahiro
Japanese

Lassic, David

Supporting

Hino, Satoshi
Japanese

Odius, Margaret

Supporting

Kaida, Yuuko
Japanese

Kooches, Mirza

Supporting

Hatano, Wataru
Japanese

Farnese, Priscilla

Supporting

Takamori, Natsumi
Japanese

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Oowada, Tomoyuki

Producer

Nakajima, Yasuhiro

Producer

Omata, Shinichi

Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Iwanami, Yoshikazu

Sound Director

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Opening Theme

	1: "starry" by Mashiro Ayano
	2: "Rin (凛)" by ASCA

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Ending Theme

	1: "PLEDGE" by ASCA
	2: "Shoudou (衝動)" by Mashiro Ayano

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Reviews

Jun 22, 2018

RebelPanda

Recommended

I can't say for sure what convinced me to stick with Grancrest Senki until the end, but it became a surprisingly good JRPG inspired action-adventure series.

Record of Grancrest War is, in my opinion, a shining example of how a story can be brought to life remarkably with a talented director. The director Shinichi Omata previously perfected his craft with Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu, he’s proven by now that he’s capable at adapting a good source material; plenty of his visual storytelling quirks are visible in the political drama this series offers. Grancrest is quite different from the drama oriented Rakugo in that its story is ... fantastical and its setting revolves around the battlefield.

In adapting this different kind of story, Omata employs new methods to realize the more battle-focused structure. However, this adaptation would prove to be a much tougher ambition. The light novel Grancrest Senki was adapted from is quite long, which is the cause of pacing issues in the first half. The plot moved quickly at first, but upon rewatching all 24 episodes at once they're not nearly bad enough to ruin the show. After all, this is a fast-moving adrenaline-pumping battle show, moving from one battle to the next prevents it from growing tiresome. However, the fast pacing does make it hard to keep track of all the characters and plot lines when watching it weekly. This is likely the cause of so much hate for the show, I know it turned me off at first, but giving it a second chance was definitely worth it. I highly recommend watching this series all at once to enjoy the story at its best.

The story’s premise is relatively simple, Chaos reigns throughout the world and only lords with the power of Crests can stop it. Rather than focusing their efforts to put a stop to the chaos, the lords choose to fight and take one another's Crests because having the power to purify the chaos means control over everyone in the continent who needs protecting. Enter the mage Silica, the series heroine who despises the lords for their greed, through a chance encounter she meets the compassionate wandering knight Theo, seeking to save his homeland. Together they join forces and in a style not dissimilar to a standard JRPG or Dungeons & Dragons, they assemble their party of lords and gradually grow their army. With the goal of unifying the crests and ending Chaos, so more or less world peace, they’re really easy heroes to root for.

This isn't an original story by any means, but it did manage to engage me in spite of this. Not even the fast pacing of the first half could make it difficult to understand what is occurring, although it does help to watch the show consecutively rather than weekly. Rewatching Grancrest after witnessing how it develops in the second half led me to pick up on many details I had initially ignored. The first time I watched it I was mostly disinterested in the plot until the pacing slowed and allowed the main cast time to develop enough to be likable. After rewatching the first half I noticed how despite the cast being incredibly large, the series always makes an effort to give it’s characters motivations.

The source material is probably more in-depth with backstories and more extensive dialogue, but somehow this adaptation is able to compensate for what it’s missing with fantastic directing. One of the best and most frequent examples of this is during important discussions, the director loves to clue you in on how one of the major characters is reacting. He uses very purposefully uses close-ups to consolidate a subtle emotional reaction at the perfect moment. It’s like how you could praise a joke for being well timed, the close-ups are timed right when a key phrase is said invoking a small but important reaction. Perhaps using close-ups like this is sort of a shortcut in writing, but when you have so many characters to juggle with so little time it’s a very helpful way to keep the audience engaged with the cast.

The cast themselves are a fairly standard JRPG party with Theo Cornaro as their leader. Theo is your typical nice guy protagonist, except he actually uses the power he gains to make the world better throughout the show. He’s sort of misguided at first; one of his best lines representing this being “Why can’t we get rid of taxes?” and as usual Silica gently implies that he’s kind of an idiot in the same way a kindhearted little kid is. Even without having the most complex personality, he proves consistently that he is a compassionate person by always putting others ahead of him. Regardless of how high his status rises throughout the series, he doesn’t let himself forget even his foot soldiers.

Frankly, Theo’s simplicity isn’t an obstacle for enjoying the show because he doesn't dominate center stage, he shares it with his partner and eventual love interest Silica, who is a considerably more compelling character. Thankfully Silica is given plenty of agency in the story, she strategizes Theo’s wars with and sometimes for him while he riles up his army with niceness. I hate seeing the love interest character shuffled off into the corner with no pull in the narrative, so Silica’s defiance and individuality are quite refreshing. Their burgeoning romance throughout the series feels incredibly organic, they don’t fall in love because Theo is the guy with the power but out of mutual respect for one another and passion for the same goal. He wants to unite the crests so they can be used to protect everyone and she expresses disdain for the lord's misuse of the crests; they’re a dynamic duo and they have genuine chemistry together in and out of the battles.

And the battles, so many battles. I wasn’t prepared for exactly how much fighting would be in Grancrest Senki, but I suppose it does live up to its English title Record of Grancrest War. The battles are how the series progresses its story, similar to the JRPGs that inspired it. If you want an ally, fight them and prove you’re worthy. If you have a disagreement, fight them and prove who’s right. Thankfully, the action is passionately animated. Action scenes are dynamically directed with many different fighting styles used, with different animators hired throughout the series to keep this approach to telling the story refreshing. Even the guy who animated the breathtaking sakuga in Fate/Apocrypha returned to do a few episodes here, and dare I say they fit Grancrest even better thanks to its strong emotional core. There were, however, a few times where the visuals weren’t up to snuff and it was clear they were saving the budget for a grand climax. Other than those low points, it’s visually quite solid.

The various art styles and animation techniques used to great effect make Grancrest Senki feel more experimental rather than the standard look you’d expect from A-1 pictures. Director Shinichi Omata reminds us of his penchant for well realized dramatic moments with great editing on and off the battlefield. Notably, some of the storyboards used for one of the show's cruelest antagonists Milza are suitably moody with alienating points of view constantly hiding him in shadows. Another great way the villain is portrayed is through the striking thicker lines and his character design being engulfed in darkness aside from his eye and weapon, perfectly conveying the intimidation meant to be felt by the heroes. The visuals superbly define the tone at many points throughout the show; whether it be sweeping establishing shots of lush castles, the dark abstract style to show the presence of chaos, and especially the hopeful horizons illuminated by the setting sun to convey levity after a war. Also, the use of its thrilling orchestral pieces and occasionally uplifting ones do wonders for ensuring emotional beats are on point.

The most impactful part of the story comes at the very end with the most satisfying and rewarding finale the series could have possibly had. Resolving the conflict in a way that beautifully reincorporates the uplifting themes and previously unresolved character arcs. Although the plot's direction is predictable to anyone who has played a JRPG of its type, what matters is the execution. This isn't some kind of mystery story, although there are plenty of twists and even a couple of shocking betrayals sprinkled in, the story's main success lies in how it's stellar story-telling. I can't say more without spoiling it, but just know that the ending truly feels like a reward for completing the series.

[Final Score: 7/10]
Grancrest Senki’s standard tale of underdogs rising to power is so engaging because of great visual storytelling. If you’re looking for a combat-oriented action-adventure, with plenty of in-depth strategizing, and a romance featuring two compelling leads, then chances are you’ll find this series as enthralling as I did.

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Jun 22, 2018

Yas-

Not Recommended

Spoiler

***Caution: This review contains spoilers (the specific spoiler discussions will be clearly marked for you to see) so if you can't predict a cliched anime’s cliches, skip the spoiler sections I've marked. Also, do not read this review if you are a Grancrest diehard because it'll probably trigger you, unless if you're objective. If you're neither of these parties, read on with a free mind!***

Grancrest was the first seasonal I picked up in 2018 (not saying much since it released in Jan 6 anyway) and unfortunately my 2018 mean fell right off the bat. Grancrest stumbled out of the gate and fell flat on its ...

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Jun 22, 2018

Krunchyman

Not Recommended

Spoiler

***THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS***

Fantasy-genre shows, often times, have the dilemma of getting too caught up in their own facade, resulting in an omission of the basic rules of adequate storytelling (i.e. developing realistic characters and a coherent plot). Grancrest Senki not only fails on the latter account, it also doesn’t concentrate enough effort on the fantasy itself, instead opting for, rushed, battle scenes with insufficient background knowledge to know why certain events are taking place. Needless to say, the viewer is left in a state of confusion, wondering why events seem disjointed from one another, and what the purpose of the show is ... as a whole. Despite these glaring oversights, the show attempts to display a sense of grandeur with its use of magical spells and crest powers; however, it feels rudimentary in its approach, failing to distinguish itself from the crowd of analogous shows that came before its time.

It is, in a word: commonplace.

In fact, I would venture to guess that the show’s staff spent more of its time discussing what color a character’s hair, or eyes, should be, rather than determining an interesting way of presenting a strong narrative. Sure, there are numerous, unforeseen plot twists that produce genuine shock, but they don’t meld well with the ongoing story. They are, in essence, empty events, lacking necessary substance for the viewer to latch onto, and become empathetic to what is happening on the screen. To crystallize these claims, look no further than episode nine, a major turning point in the series. In a scene that is oddly reminiscent of episode eleven in Berserk (the 1997 series), Theo and Siluca take shelter in the base of a tree from precipitous rainfall. Siluca, unable to control her emotions, confronts Theo about his thoughts towards her, as he admits that he loves her. Besides being overly-romanticized, their infatuation for one another lacks the appropriate depth to feel authentic. These two hardly know each other, except for the fact that Theo is a “prodigious” wanderer, and Siluca is a mage who get’s infuriated when other’s stare at her scantily clad outfit — for god’s sake, just wear something else you whiny tramp.

Speaking of which, that brings me to the next whore, Marrine Kreische. Being the “clairvoyant” that she is, Marrine decides that she cannot win the war without Mirza (the perpetually angry dude); thus, she passively offers herself to him in a scene that can only be described as inane. I mean, let’s be honest, she just conquered the entire nation of Starck with little-to-no effort, because of the use of miasma. Why, then, is it essential for her to have Mirza to the point of having intercourse with him? Besides being proficient with his sword (hehe), he doesn’t offer much in terms of strategic planning or anything else that requires a modicum of actual thought. Therefore, her decision to do the nasty with him doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. It’s not the content of the scene that I’m enamored with — as far too many fanboy’s are — it’s the execution, and the lack of build up to her eventual fall from grace.

The story, for lack of a better term, is nonsensical, and with each resultant plot twist, the damage becomes significantly worse. Instead of concocting logical battle plans or implementing the use of military tactics, we see an angry Mirza slashing his sword through countless enemies, as his troops, apparently, watch him as he does so. Swords glow, blood spills, magic happens, and new characters/countries are introduced with each passing episode; but, ultimately, it’s all window dressing to conceal the vacuous character’s that plague the viewer’s enjoyment. Investing two minutes of each episode, to chronicle pivotal attributes of each pertinent character would have been time well spent; instead of resorting to cheap fan-service ploys (a-la Queen Eudokia when she “inspired” her troops).

The omission of narrative flow is evident from the outset, as episodes leap from one critical moment to the next, without ample explanation to bridge the narrative gap. Simply put: it is a gallimaufry of perplexing events. The crux of this issue lies with the desire to construct an expansive story with a myriad of nations. Nothing wrong with striving for breadth in an anime series, but when character’s are glossed over, and battles just seem to a happen — as if, from thin air — it becomes frustrating to solve the puzzle that the anime staff was too indolent to solve themselves. Furthermore, there is no historical context as to why the Factory Alliance and the Fantasia Union are at odds with one another in the first place (let alone the intrusive involvement of the Mage Academy). We are given a generic explanation that the various Lords want to collect the crests to increase their influence and power. But, even then, where did the crests come from, and why do they possess such miraculous powers? Can anyone become a mage, or only certain people? Why didn’t we hear about the divine beasts until episode 20, and did they rip that concept off from Zelda: Breath of the Wild — certainly seems like it!

Though, with “inspirational” lines like this, “It’ll all work out somehow,” from Theo Cornaro, the show’s main protagonist. It’s not terribly surprising the show left numerous questions unanswered. In the end, it aimed for everything (mostly through appropriation), yet it was all for naught, as it became the medieval equivalent of an Expendables movie.

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Is there a lot of romance hobiyeon - May 21	8 replies	by Dante_Inferno3 »» May 30, 2:44 PM
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Poll: Grancrest Senki Episode 20 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - May 25, 2018	68 replies	by Mahoteininaru »» Apr 8, 7:43 PM
Marrine's punishment jaune-banane - Feb 12	12 replies	by jaune-banane »» Feb 15, 1:34 AM
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