Back to ReanSchwarzer's Profile ReanSchwarzer's Profile

Hello. My name is Naoto, and I will be writing a review for this show. I have come across this show in my forum post, in which I asked for recommendations of anime whose setting takes place in medieval times, preferably with a female main character. I was recommended this anime series, and thus, I watched it in my free time. I am glad that I did, as it is very likely that this is the best series that I have watched, despite the ratings that I have given. This is my very first review so, please, do not hesitate to give me any constructive ... criticism that you can think of.

Now that the background of the review has been introduced, let us continue with the review itself.

The setting is, indeed, medieval, during the hundred years war, a time where witches were oft suspected in villages and were considered heretics, as is shown in the anime itself. I believe it is relevant and important to note here that while the anime is fictitious, it draws heavily from the bible. If you need proof of that, look no further than to the names of the characters, which should be obvious if you know even a fraction of Christianity. Maria, Joseph, Michael, Ezekiel, Artemis, etc. However, that should not be reason enough for you to judge the series or shy away from it. It is very well worth watching, in my opinion, and I will elaborate more on that later.

The characters are very well fleshed out and developed, save for a few, such as Edwina, and Gabriel. Maria is very well fleshed out throughout the entire series, and she continues being developed from the first episode to the very last. She seems to be a solitary witch who takes her power for granted and tries to impose her belief that humanity should not fight one another for any reason using her magic. The Archangel Michael comes down to Earth upon her when she tries to do this to a group of mercenaries, and "puts her in her place" using her own logic against her. As the synopsis says, she refuses and defies him, causing him to place a curse and warning upon her; if she loses her virginity, she will be stripped of her magic, and if she uses her magic, Michael, himself, shall punish her again. Michael cannot watch over her constantly himself so he sends down Ezekiel in his stead with the task of observing Maria's actions and reporting back to Michael should she disobey his orders. Naturally, what ensues is a comical "battle" between Ezekiel and Maria, with Maria outsmarting him by shielding his vision while she continues to use her powers to end battles by a draw.

The story itself is heavily based on the story of the lives of the Virgin Mary and Joseph depicted in the bible. This is the artist's interpretation of that story, which I found to be quite interesting. There are some elements in the anime that were added from the creator's own creativity, possibly so that he would not be called out as a heretic himself for dishonoring the Holy Bible. But, enough of that, I enjoyed the series greatly and I give it a perfect score on many levels. I absolutely loved it.

My recommendation: watch. In my opinion, it is a series that can be viewed by theists and atheists alike, and does not pick a side on the religious spectrum. I hope those of you who read this and watch the series do enjoy it, as it is very interesting, although, there are some things in which viewers may not understand. I hope this review was at least useful to some of you.

Until next time, farewell,
Naoto S.