Dec 9, 2020
I want to begin this review by saying I know I have given this show quite a modest score, however there is an elegance to this anime and it has inspired me to write my second review, lets indulge.
The story of "The journey of Elaina" follows a young witchs adventures and it is just exactly that. The introduction of the show briefly passes over her training and qualifaction of a witch and then goes straight into individual stories and Elaina travels to different cities, encountouring interesting characters that drive their own narrative.
It is because of this simplicity that I think the show deserves such a
...
high score. The one continuation in the story is the stalking of Elaina by the witch she trained which makes an appearance at the end of episodes, because of this each episode can be whatever it wants to be and the show can end however it likes.
I think that some anime's that aim to be simple have the opportunity to shine above the rest because of the sheer volume of show's that have taken to stereotypes and cliche's and over used concepts. An essential comparison I want to make is to 'Dr. Stone' although this show does have a large underlying back story of progression and an antagonist, I found myself anticipating each episode more than I would most shows because I knew the show picked theme and stuck with it.
Now although I have repeatedly said its the simplicty that draws me to this show, you will find that some of the stories that the show presents are actually very dark, having just watched episode 9 I found myself very shocked at the darkness of it in such a wholesome show, however when the episode ends that story is finished and the next episode has room to follow any story or theme within the fantasy world setup for it.
The art and animation in this show is very clean and crisp, as far as animation goes its far from top tier, however the colours, background and action sequences are all enjoyable to watch, I would expect nothing less than an 8/10 for animation from Funimation.
Lastly I want to go onto the main character of the show, Elaina. Most female characters in anime fall into the cliche of being a shy, tsundere with no actual personality however few shows do offer normal, realistic characters and I feel this is one of them. Having a character that could feel either way about a subject gives the viewers a sense of suprise when following the decisions she makes. In general the protagonist is a helpful girl who is travels with the intention of doing good in the world, but at the same time she is aware she really doesnt have to do anything. Even when being complimented, rather than most characters blushing she turns around and says yeah I know im beautiful. It's small things like this which make Elaina such a great protagonist.
To finish up I really think more upcoming shows could take inspiration from this, maybe its okay to make an anime and treat it more like a western cartoon, make each individual episode its own enjoyable thing that somebody could watch with no backstory. As of yet the show hasn't ended and im sure I wont be dissapointed whatever direction it takes.
I hope anyone still reading you've enjoyed the review. This is my second attempt.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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