Seiken no Blacksmith

What it's really about:
A big-chested clumsy knight gets involved with a demon problem, as well as handsome blacksmith and his mysterious past.

The Good:
- Excellent production value
- The relationship between the blacksmith and the knight is cute
- The episodes that don't directly further the plot are still very interesting
- The setting has an intriguing history

The Bad:
... - The knight can be viewed by many as "annoying."
- Those expecting a Lord of the Rings experience will be sorely disappointed.

Conclusion:
I think the reason this anime got so many below average reviews is because of the reviewers' preconceptions of what the anime should have been. If you can manage to dispel any preconceived notions you have about this anime, then you're in for a very nice treat. Just enjoy it for what it is.

I find this anime pretty interesting, it's rare to find animes where the main protagonist is not almost an "all-mighty-god" who kicks everyone's butt in less than a second, this makes the anime more interesting to me due to the fact that I want to see that character's progression.

First thing is what I think of this anime on a whole. Your first impressions are this is going to be a big disappointment. Sure! it may not be the best but it's enjoyable. There wasn't any surprises, nothing new but it was enjoyable. Don't judge it by the first episode. It really gets better.

Story(6-fair)
Cecily Cambell becomes a knight and she is totally useless. She's all talk. She is saved by Luke Ainsworth and begs him to make a katana like his. And so their relationship begins. The story was like a Déjà vu (literally!!) But it shines! It makes you laugh, sometimes cry and ... feel the feelings of the characters in the story. It wasn't repetitive nor boring. Sometimes the fillers and disappointing. There is only one filler episode but in each episode there is a part that has nothing to do with the actual plot. Either it is at the beginning or the end. Even so, it's no boring or unbearable.

Art(7-good)
the art was exactly like K-ON's sometimes I thought Cecily looked like Yui just in a red version(LOL). I'm very picky about my art. It has to be up-to-date and such. But the animation flaws my eyes just don't see I don't know if there aren't or if there are. But the fights, when the swords are swung and the colors it's really catchy.

Sound(4-Decent)
The theme song matched the anime but it wasn't special in particular. The ending son was very catchy. Also, the background music, which sometimes I don't notice is good and it goes with the whole flow of the anime and it's set date.

Character(10-Outstanding)
I liked Cecily's character. She's useless but she understands others feeling and her feelings are genuine. She isn't one of those big mouth girls who cant do anything or the crappy type of girl she's a strong willed character that I like.
Not only Cecily but all the character's have their share in the spot light, their time to shine. You can feel the feelings of all the main characters.

Enjoyment(7-Good)
As I said it is really enjoyable even without much action.

Overall(7-Good)
Just watch the anime!!!

Guard, Save, Belive. No, you didn't just misread that. These are in fact the words etched into the stone of Chester Cambell's grave; spelling errors and all. I guess he must've been a little dyslexic. After he passed away from a serious illness, his daughter and only child Cecily was left with the responsibility of becoming head of the Cambell House, which has long been a prestigious representative of the Independent Trade Cities of Housman. Having now succeeded her father, Cecily enlisted as a third generation knight to uphold the tradition and respect of the family name. However, she is inexperienced and clumsy, and often ... has to rely on intimidation using her title as a knight to hide her weaknesses. Eventually, this strategy ran out of luck, and when her combat skills finally had to be put to the test, Cecily was defeated and her family's precious sword shattered. Now she must seek out the blacksmith Luke Ainsworth to forge her a new sword, which consequently thrusts her into an unexpected chain of events that threatens her life and involves her in a dangerous plot. Between this and the fact that no one can take her seriously because of her huge breasts, it's needless to say that Cecily has plenty of stress on her hands.

Yes, you'll find that there's no shortage of fanservice here. In fact, it's pretty much the running gag of the entire series that everyone pokes fun at Cecily's chest. This is further explored by convenient costume malfunctions and shameless bathing scenes. Thankfully all the pandering is at least tasteful enough that it never interrupts the flow of the story. The writing carries enough wit to know when sexual humor is appropriate.

At a glance, much of Sacred Blacksmith's story is standard procedure for an average fantasy anime. It has all the elements one would expect; knights, magic, demon swords, and giant mythical creatures are abundant. It even comes complete with an angsty tsundere romance. Where the series falls short in originality though, it makes up for this in its near-flawless execution. All of the main characters are rich with distinct personalities and deep backstories that are revealed steadily as the plot unfolds. The story progression also strikes a perfect balance between comedy, drama, and action; constantly keeping the viewer engaged with these three elements while the pacing never stutters or moves too quickly. Even episodes that could potentially be considered filler don't really feel like it, as they serve up plenty of character development to excuse them. Although at its core the plot is fairly familiar and straightforward, Sacred Blacksmith is not without some of its own twists on the genre either. It mixes a strangely light-hearted tone to the story with very dark and mature medieval themes, and while demon swords may sound conventional for the setting, their ability to transform into rather unassuming humans with more nuanced intentions is quite unconventional. Though it may seem like this odd mixture wouldn't blend well at first, the series somehow manages to make it all mesh together nicely.

It's worth noting that Sacred Blacksmith's narrative is heavily character-centric to such a degree that traditional fantasy tropes one would expect to see in its setting are often absent or take a back seat to character development. This may be off-putting for some coming into it expecting to see a Tolkien-esque expansive epic, which is unfortunate because the series does otherwise tell a very good story for what it is, but it often gets a bad wrap from critics who may be judging it based on something that it was never aiming to be. Sacred Blacksmith takes its time to flesh out its characters and doesn't invest much in the adventurous side of fantasy or exploring its world. Although it's clear that there is still a rich history behind it from the brief glimpses we are occasionally given, nonetheless this is not the story's focus.

The series' character-driven plot does often work to its advantage though, because where Sacred Blacksmith truly shines is in its ability to masterfully craft a cast of characters whose interactions make them instantly likable and constantly engrossing; never leaving the audience with a dull moment. Cecily's unwavering dedication to helping others is interesting to see being put to the test as her inability to defend others frequently conflicts with her convictions. Aria's mysterious past as the demon sword of wind hides behind the veil of her lovable friendliness, making you eager to find out more about her history and motivations. Even the most seemingly loathsome characters can become hard not to sympathize with as more of their histories and backgrounds are uncovered. It is commonplace that conflicts arise between them purely because of of how sharply contrasting and vibrant their personalities are. Luke's cold and dismissive attitude perpetually clashes with Cecily's stubborn determination, which makes for some particularly entertaining dialogue. The script is often written rather heavy-handed, but it helps establish the strong characterizations of the protagonists. Still, Cecily's melodramatic monologues can occasionally overstay their welcome.

The production values of Sacred Blacksmith's art and animation are nothing short of superb as well. Character designs are thoroughly detailed depicting even the subtleties of Luke's fake eye, and animation is consistently smooth and fluid. Couple this with its epic orchestral soundtrack and solid voice acting that fits the characters and effectively brings them to life, Sacred Blacksmith satisfies in nearly every aspect of its design. All of this is accompanied with quality intro and ending segments set to some J-pop tunes. The ending in particular has a rather catchy and cute arrangement, which is further enhanced by the associated artwork with it that really shows off the impressive designs of the characters. In fact, it's possibly my personal favorite ending piece just because it's so adorable and the music and visuals play off each other so well. The intro on the other hand has a decidedly more standard song choice that isn't quite as interesting, but it more than makes up for this with a good mixture of action scenes and beautiful perspective shots of the characters. Sufficed to say, this is one of those rare cases where I found myself watching both the intro and ending for every episode because they were simply that enjoyable.

With everything right that Sacred Blacksmith has going for it however, it's difficult to take notice of any of its major flaws--until it ends. Just as soon as it feels like the journey is only beginning, it is abruptly cut off. This unfortunately is Sacred Blacksmith's greatest shortcoming. By the time the series come to its conclusion, many major plotlines and ambiguities in the story have yet to be fully fleshed out. It's clear judging by the finale that there was still much more of the story to tell, but for one reason or another there appears to be no sequel coming in the foreseeable future. As of the writing of this review, you will need to consort the manga that the series is based on if you wish to delve deeper into its story. Despite this, it's not enough to break Sacred Blacksmith's strong momentum from start to finish. Even with these problems, the anime still manages to deliver as satisfying a resolution as can be reasonably expected while leaving the plot open for continuation. With its colorful cast of characters, high production values, and engaging narrative that has its own twists on the genre, Sacred Blacksmith is sure to entertain many fans of fantasy anime.

I felt compelled to rewrite this review as the previous one I wrote seemed to lack alot of substance.

This story seems to have taken place in a land resembling 15th century England, France, or some other Western-European country. From what I watched, I found this anime great in many aspects because of one of the main songs (not themed) that helped create the atmosphere of the simple yet very interesting storyline concerning the Empire's General wanting to recreate a catastrophe to gain dominance using what they call the Devil's Contract. The devil's contract seemed to use some sort of enchantment to create a ... demon from a human heart. The main villain is blamed for the death of the father of the 2nd main character, Luke Ainsworth, resulting in his will to seal away the main antagonist, Valbanill. The main protagonist is a clumsy knight recruit following her father's footsteps. She wants to live the glory that her father once lived defending the nation against the onslaught of Valbanill's demonspawn. As these demons are spawned, so are the weapons of focus - the demon swords. There are several demon swords, and few of them even were granted the forms of normal humans who have their own stories, personalities, and ambitions. What I found odd yet intriguing about this story is the background of Luke Ainsworth's assistant, Lisa. This story also involves a merging of the knowledge of molded swords and folded swords such as the katana, which is the preferred weapon of Luke. Luke is the believed Sacred Blacksmith who is ultimately the catalyst of stopping Valbanill's wishes of purging the world in to hell as it was once before purged 44 years before this story takes place. How you assume Luke is that Sacred Blacksmith is the use of prayer contracts to create powerful elemental (ethereal) katanas only capable of 3 successful slashes. Some negative aspects of this production involve silly and unnecessary insertions of fan service surrounding the main protagonist, Cecily Campbell. This production is however shorter than most only planned to span half a season and for it's short-lived airtime I personally felt it was worth watching. The story being great and all however may be bumped by the slow progression of the first few episodes. Overall, this anime deserves a 9 overall. Happy watching to all those interested!!!

The Sacred Blacksmith is a decent anime that I really enjoyed; partially due to a load of crap I happen to be watching, and also I had really low expectations of this show. When I heard of that this series is gonna get animated, I went ahead and read a few chapters of the manga and frankly, the story isn't anything impressive. Any many other similar works becomes worse when animated so yeah... that is what I've expected out of this series.

Now, I don't remember the studio Manglobe nor remember if I've watched any series from that studio, but it turns out that Manglobe does ... a damn fine job with it. Even if the manga wasn't good material, I'm glad they stuck with the pacing of the story instead of going inventive, which usually sucked. The colours are brilliant and the animation are crisp; and for once, the action scenes are actually pretty good. I don't know how a series like this got that kind of budget but hey, I'm not complaining.

I didn't think much of the story but I really love the characters, even Cecily, who I thought was irritating in the beginning for being really useless, but her really cool action scenes towards the end made up for it. The ending of the story feels like one of those last minute addition to create a finale (I don't know because I didn't get that far in the manga), and though the main villain is a pretty crappy character the ending ain't too shabby.

A fairly nice series to watch if you're a fan of medieval settings, like me.

Plot/Concept: Fairly Good
Story Style: Great!
Audio/Visual: Great!
Value: 7

Overall, the show is not as bad as it seems at start. Yes, it starts off pretty slow and not all that interesting, but around episode 7 it picks up the paste. I was just about to drop this anime last night, until I decided to watch the new episodes. Witch by the way caught me off guard. The story line seems to get more and more interesting as the episodes go on. And NO, its not based on Cecily's breast like the guy above me says. Its pretty good and the fighting scenes are awesome and attract me a lot, and it has potential. ... Check it out and don't give up on it so quick.

Not going to go into the details, as it will ruin it for you, but wanted to voice my opinion. I really enjoyed watch blacksmith, it is one of the recent animes i have enjoyed watching, as all other new animes are made just to show bras and panties so "pervs" would atleast watch them, and that makes their t.v rating go up even though they have no base story, or a really shitty one. But blacksmith isn't one of those animes, it isn't ecchi at all, theres comedy, and a bit of romance, but its mostly an action based-slice of life anime, with considerable ... strong story. One of the best things about this anime is that art. It is very colorful, and one of the best "new" animations i've seen. In the end its your choice to follow all the negative reviews under mines, or give it a chance. I say GO FOR IT! its awesome!

When you think of blacksmiths, you think of large, strong men who make swords, horseshoes and other appliances for a medieval world. What you normally don’t see is a kid doing all this with a smaller kid as an apprentice. That’s what happens when you watch this one.

The characters seem not fleshed out enough, and we barely see a back story to any of them except Luke and even that happens a little to late in the game. By that time, the characters felt a bit stale, and hard to relate to. In a 12 episode show, they shouldn’t be dinking around like they ... do, mostly bringing up jokes about Cecily’s breasts and her strange breastplate that seems to be way to close to her to not of been molded on her breasts. And what’s with her mother even bugging her about it? Really? It’s not enough that the whole town talks about her breasts but her mother too? I’m not fond of how this show seems to move a bit too slow this show gets, but once it gets to the point, it is pretty good, and then it ends... Really, they spend more time talking then fighting and nothing really gets said.

It seems that everything leans up to the climax but many of the things are lost in the first part. For instance, the only time I find out that that Luke has a fake eye is to the second to the last episode. If it was a big thing with the story then it should be said earlier in the story along with Luke’s story. I feel like I only got half the story through the show and I wish there was much more to help me see the lines. It just screams second season to and from what I know of, there isn’t one.

The artwork is pretty nice though some of the characters look familiar to other shows. Little Luke reminds me of Sora from Kingdom Hearts and I can pick out little things hear and there that felt like rip offs. And don’t get me started on the creepy monsters that attack. It plays out mostly like a monster of the week style though the story makes it hard to watch them out of order. The comical parts in the art seem forced in whenever we have a serious point and trust me, that happen way to much for this show. I wish they chose a side, ether comical artwork with comical plot, or serious artwork with serious plot.

The voice acting is pretty good but I am a little put off by one or two of them. Lisa isn’t that great a voice, making me sigh at the high pitched sound from her mouth. Some side characters really need deferent voices because sometime it makes them feel way too important then they should be.

This is an almost excellent anime for the trad community. I stopped watching at episode 6 (was long ago Ill have to figure out for sure) because I didn't want to risk watching more for it to ruin.

The female character is feminine, but not totally, her dad had no sons to carry his legacy so she wants to. She tries so hard, and in episode 1 or 2, in front of the strong male character saving her, her hilt breaks. Just as she says she is trying to make father proud. This is symbolic to show that the daughter cannot carry her fathers legacy, and ... she now belongs to the strong male character in front of her, having to fully rely on him now with her shattered hilt, her last connection to her father.

I'm looking for recommendations like this.

When I started on this anime, I kind of regretted watching it because I felt bored at the first episode, but, since I've been looking for an anime that has a strong male character, I decided to watch on and I'm glad I did.

Story - The story is very poor or rather, like most animes, rushed. The series is more about the main character's daily life and interaction with other characters of the series rather than the main character itself. They focused too much on the main characters that the story was neglected and at the end, it was rushed to complete the series. If ... there were just one more episode, I believe that the anime could've ended on a nicer note.

Art - Like most of the anime that are currently being released, character designs and animations for them are pretty good. I particularly liked the designs of the houses like they were in medival times. Other than that, nothing much to say here.

Sound - The only music worth mentioning is the opening and ending songs. Other than that, I have no impression of any noticable music really. Which is also one of the main flaws of the series. Although fights need not necessarily require music, it does add to the flavour and feel of the situation at hand.

Character - Character development is fantastic. The main character does grow over time and slowly gets people to acknowledge her, though of course it's not like she was ostracized, bullied or looked down upon by the community in the first place, just that she wants to prove a point and she did. The only flaw is that we don't get to actually see the character become strong since everything was rather rushed towards the end.

Enjoyment/Overall - Aside from the flaws I mentioned, I rather enjoyed this series and I do hope that a season 2 will be made. I think that the series will do very well in season 2 should there be one.

The current score for this anime is harsh (6.99). This was one series that deserved to be stretched to double the amount of episodes it has. Sure, the series was rushed but it has more character development than any other long anime series I've seen. Although short, they showed a lot of character development in the main characters (Particularly Luke Ainsworth). I admit that I am a fanboy when it comes to Medieval setting and Holy references. But many modern day anime lack what this anime has. Jealousy is a very common factor in modern day anime and I saw no hint of jealousy here. ... Seiken no Blacksmith is one of those series where I've had a ton of enjoyment and will always by one of the best Medieval sword themed anime I've seen.

I watched this anime because I saw it on netflix, I was bored, and the cover caught my eye. Thus, I went into this series not only unaware of what it was, but with no expectations either way.

As I said, though, I watched the first episode on Netflix (which has only dubbed anime) and enjoyed it well enough; I liked the character designs, the voice acting was alright for a dub (except Lisa whom I wanted to throttle after 3 lines) and it seemed like it could develop into a decent story, so I decided to continue. However, fate intervened, and I was unable ... to get to netflix the next time I wanted to watch, so I looked it up online and found the original--and OH GEEZ was it good comparatively. Especially the voice acting:

Sound: 10 AMAZING

When the obnoxious girl from the English dub was replaced by Toyosaki Aki going to the original after one episode, I nearly exploded with joy (she is my personal favorite Japanese voice actress). Besides that, Luke was now voiced by Okamoto, Nobuhiko (whom I recognized, having just finished watching To aru Majutsu no Index). So I will not deny that my love for the voicing and music are indeed partially due to the sub-par dub counterparts I was originally exposed to. Even so, the voice acting is incredibly strong in this series, from the entire cast. The theme song took a few episodes to grow on me, but it certainly did, and it is now one of my favorite anime themes. Toyosaki Aki singing the ending theme won me over after the first 3 lines.

Story: 7 Good

The story does fall into a few stereotypes and uses a few stock characters, but they're not too distracting and the rest of the story has some interesting ideas to it. The idea of the object/not-quite human character struggling with questions of their existence is nothing new (Data from star trek, even Hatsune Miku in the song "The Disappearance of Hatsune Miku" explore similar issues) but the story offers enough of a twist on this admittedly cliche but interesting plot point to make it acceptable.

Art: 7 Good

Not too much to say here, the art wasn't super amazing but it was by no means bad, and each of the characters were distinct and memorable.

Character: 9 Great

This mixes with what I said about the story--which is partly because most of the story is exploring the characters and their pasts. All of the protagonists, and even some of the minor characters, are developed surprisingly well and enjoyably, especially Lisa. (I won't go into detail there to avoid spoilers)

Enjoyment: 8 Very Good

This would have been a 9. It was almost a 10 actually, until the end. I won't give away WHY but the ending was....infuriating. I found out why later--the series, like many anime, is based off a light novel series, and of course the anime finished before the books did, and so the anime writers had to slap together an ending. There are some times where this is successful, at least to a point, but this NOT one of them. Little is resolved, the final battle is frankly STUPID and the ending left me sitting there saying "what, THAT''S HOW IT ENDS?!?!?!" I still enjoyed the rest of the series, but such an awful ending could not let me leave it with a perfect score.

Overall: 7

Despite the atrocious ending, this anime is still more than worthwhile I think. I thoroughly enjoyed following the growth of the characters, and as I said, the amazing voice acting. Though there is little hope, as this wasn't the most popular anime, I do wish they would make another season to give it a respectable ending, but nonetheless I do not regret seeing this anime, and still would recommend it to anyone.

"Sacred Blacksmith" is a point above "the middle of the road." The story could've been better if it's removed of the focus on tities and the "hate to love you" relationship between Cecily and Luke. I still want for a male lead who's able to avoid getting punched around for "otaku lulz." Or atleast retaliate physically. Like Rance, or Seto from "Juuden-chan."

Atleast Cecily didn't come off as another "invincible chick." She was literally BEGGING Luke to make a katana for her. She had her faults, but that emphasized her strengths; and she made a good character overall.

Atleast Luke didn't ... come off as a total jerk. Because, you know. That's what "people who are still suffering from their past mistakes" are called nowadays. (And the people who call them that are the REAL jerks.) AHEM. Luke is another overall good character; powerful, harsh yet kind. I'd wish he WOULD kick Cecily's butt just to knock her down a peg.

Atleast Lisa, Aria, on down proved to be good character; some of them with great backstories. What's up with Siegfried and his "Shounen Jump Boss Syndrome?" The only character that REALLY needs something like a BPKO (belly punch knock-out) is Fio, the Campbell family maid.

Honestly, I believe one of the only "good" anime worth having / supporting / buying is "Heroic Age." The characters herein don't make me wanna punch them in their face, the plotline doesn't make you wanna wish that the storyboaders and writers get smacked in their faces, and it's a breath of fresh air from all the pandering to the loser otaku...

(CAN a "good" anime be done where the (supporting) male lead isn't a wussy punching bag AND panty shots can be shown from an upskirt angle? No licensor in the US wants to touch "Juuden-chan." "Dokuro-chan" and "Working," but not "Juuden-chan.")

Oh well... There's always adult anime. And anime like "Sacred Blacksmith..." My recommendation is that you look beyond animation (and "boobie chestplates) to find the true spirit within. Because pretty soon you'll need to ask a title like this is worth keeping around.

Man.. This show will be the death of me.

First episode GREAT! set up the story well and showed some cool slicing and dicing.

Unfortunately the show goes downhill from the first fight scene, looking back it feels as if half the season was filled with filler if each episode had a purpose and impacted the surroundings this would be a great little anime but nothing happens.

I waited the entire show expecting the heroine to leave home and go adventuring yet to plot just stalls and stagnates with indeed new characters being added but i didn't feel as if this rejuvenated the program very well

In summery the ... few fight scenes are really good, characters have good story's but with a weak overall story arc i would give this one a moderate rating as i believe a good story arc in a second season could make this a very good anime.

Negatives:
- Annoying Female knight that acts like every fucking weak protagonist from many different anime, but at certain time, they somehow became so strong that they surpass others.

- The unnecessary nudity/fanservice (eventhough in kissanime this anime hasn't been categorized as ecchi at all) kinda destroy my experience for me. It mean, the fanservice is definitely better than Love Ru darkness, but man, it doesn't really fit this kind of genre anime.

- The pacing of the story, or the plot line is pretty slow. Many things tend to be digress into the build up of relation, learning about their world, seeing cute interaction between ... characters (although, since i find the female protagonist annoying, it kinda ruins it for me), and doing things that digress from moving the plot forward.

- Despite being an anime with genre like Action, Adventure, Fantasy anime. There seems to be alot of slice of life stuff going on here. And that's not what i came for. The Male protagonist is pretty badass. That's an enough reason for me to watch the entire of the first episode, but later on i eventually got bored. Although the action scene is pretty fun to watch. There seem to be more slice of life rather than what the genre have initially stated.

- It's just a hypocrisy when a knight didn't want to protect its kingdom and its people that supported those kingdom that the knight were served to defend in the first place. So the Female protagonist is pretty annoying when it comes to killing someone, or to use whatever is in her capability to use on human life like hers. One word, "Naive".

- I personally feels like the entire enjoyment of the show is solely on seeing our male protagonist fight, because that's when we get to see some badass fight scene. And btw, why the fuck does the enchant "kill good" at the very end of turning themselves into a sword after being seen to be in their human form? (as in the magic sword). It's just so random, and makes no sense.

Positives:
- If you like the character in the show, then you will enjoy the large amount of time of character's interaction that digress from moving the plot forward. I mean take slice of life anime for example. This anime is kinda like that.

- The Male protagonist is fucking badass. His personality is pretty strong/cool, and deft with many combat like skills.

Opinion, all reviews are simply opinion and with that in mind ill continue. Most of the reviews on this anime are against it, i guess my opinion is different since i liked it, not loved it but i liked it.
Plot:
The plot is original i assure you and though its not a strong one it does satisfy the watcher. Theres not much to say on the plot, it focased more on the building of the characters than the enemy at hand but it didnt make it bad in any way.
Art: The art was good, it was clear and descriptive and ... yet still easy to watch.
Sound:
The sound was average, not bad at all.
Characters:
The main character were what the anime's episodes focased on, you may be thinking duh but what i mean is the anime made most of the episodes about their growth and development and bits of their past. The main enemies were not very main at all, although they were meant to have a place in the plot they didnt. They had maybe 3 or 4 episodes about them in general and didnt really tell us what happened to them afterwards.
Overall:
The plot was not what it was supposed to be but it was fine although i would have liked to see more about the antagonists and less of the protagonists. Overall it was a very watchable show and i would re watch it and also suggest it.

it's not as bad as the rating or in discussion forum

the story is interesting, balance between comedy,romance, and have emotional side too
unfortunately 12 eps feels too short, the main story is progressing only in last four eps.
the art also average-good, i can see much room for improvement, especialy in enemies (the art of enemies like anime from 1990's)
character, rather defect in cecily, the armor is ridiculous (plate of chest follow the shape of breast), and the changes of her role is too fast (from zero to hero)
enjoyment, at least i didn't yawn, it means didn't too boring or grandiose for me


the disappointing part: this anime ... from 2009, i am sure it will end here, even i hope there is sequel.the novel is difficult to find, still ongoing, the progress like to stop. the story has great potential, it feels too shame if it ends here

I really love this show. At 12 episodes, I've been able to watch the entire series multiple times and enjoyed it each time. It is fairly lightweight, has a good pace, and has some fun characters. I like the soundtrack - particularly the opening theme and the music for the fight scenes. The dubbing is well timed and the dialog runs the range from serious to humorous to emotional. And then there's the pleasure of seeing bonds of friendship form between the characters and the hint of future romance.

What first captured my attention was the character of Cecily Cambell, a teenage, rookie knight who starts ... out severely lacking in experience and confidence. On the plus side, she has an unyielding, noble heart, great courage, the drive to protect everyone, and compassion for human life. Qualities that I highly admire. She is frequently teased about her large, but not overly large, breasts and her flustered, embarrassed reactions add a charming element as well as provide a certain levity to the show (a little bit of fanservice). Some may dislike her for being initially weak but I find it makes her more real.

Pretty much immediately you find the blacksmith character, Luke Ainsworth, is a very taciturn fellow who shows a near complete lack of consideration and empathy for others. Not exactly endearing qualities but...stick with him and you'll find out why. It is going to take someone special, perhaps a particular strong-willed female knight, to draw him out. He is a master swordsman and somehow always seems to be around when Cecily needs him the most. Imagine that.

You aren't going to find a really deep plot or backstory here and the animation is fairly standard. Some criticisms noted in other reviews are definitely valid. It feels like there should have been more episodes between the 8th and 9th and thus the ending comes sooner than expected. Definitely prepped for a sequel.

What I see is a fun little show with some sword play (katanas and demon swords), characters to admire and feel for, the very early stages of a budding romance usually manifest as verbal (and occasionally physical) sparring, and a lot of heart. It's perfect entertainment for me and that's why I gave it high marks.

Often I hear reviews about this anime that make it out that make it seem like its not worth the time to watch it. However I feel like while its no masterpiece, its certainly a great anime that's worth a watch if you've got the time. The heroine seem to drag our hero on her adventure despite his protests. I found it amusing that when the heroine asked our hero for a sword he politely told her that if she doesn't have the money she can't have one.
The main thing that sets this anime apart from all the other anime out there is actually ... the thing that I have the biggest problem with, not to say that this isn't enjoyable its just that I feel like it is done a bit too much in the anime.
The anime has a running theme that no sword is unbreakable, which is true, unlike what other anime's like Bleach would have you believe, a real sword requires careful cleaning and constant repair to maintain and it is not and unbreakable object. However this anime seems to sometimes take this idea too far, often resorting to it in what seems like every episode in order to make an action scene seem more intense. While I like the idea of an anime where the swords can break, the swords in this anime seem like they are made of hardened glass, and break just as easily.
The ending is good, but leaves you wanting more not necessarily in a good way. to put in it in a metaphor so that I don't spoil anything, it's like they killed a lion but never entered the lion's den to kill the rest.
Confusing metaphors aside, I did enjoy the anime and feel like it was well worth the time I spent watching it, and while its definitely not on my top ten list, its most certainly an anime I'll watch again sometime.