Story: 8
HT is a story about a simple-minded young man named Taito who is just living his life with his family, minding his own business, when Keiro, a power-hungry warlord busts down his door and demands for the sacred sword that will make him the emperor. Taito, barely surviving his confrontation with Keiro, soon learns that the two of them have their fates tied to two celestial deities and their destines are mapped out by the Karma of the Stars. Taito knows that he can't face Keiro alone so he, along with his sister Laila, embark on a quest to gather the five Celestial Guardians and take down the Dubhe warmonger, Keiro, before Empire collapses under the powers of fate itself.
The plot is very by-the-books shonen: one guy needs to gather whole bunch of other guys to beat the final boss. Despite that, the anime deserves more credit for what it does right. It shows the development of character strength in a realistic fashion. It throws wrenches in the heroes' road to Keiro and the good part about that is that the good guys don't always win. Characters that Taito and his friends love die before their eyes. The cast discovers themselves and while some may find closure, others only find more conflict. Soon, those trapped within fate's plans try to break free and make their own choices. This is a show that could not have been rushed, and it is clear that time was taken to make sure that the audience could develop a feeling for the characters. Sure, you might guess that they'd probably win later down the line, but at what cost?
Action is the obvious focus of the series and the action present is quite well done. Fighting isn't every episode, but its in the episodes that matter. The comedy in the series is decent, nothing ground breaking. However, there are a few scenes where despair is accurately portrayed. You'll feel the anguish, the exhaustion and the desperation of the characters, especially during the conclusion. Its a shame that the conclusion wasn't wholly original, but as I said earlier, this anime plays it safe genre-wise but that's not always a bad thing.
Art: 8
Anyone who has seen FMA can notice the striking similarity to the art in HT. Its an art style that will probably pique at least a "oh, that looks like FMA." It was the reason why I decided to give this series a chance.
The animation is solid. Character designs are pretty down to earth, at least by anime standards. What really stands out is the choice to make a very Chinese-esque setting. While colors don't pop off the screen, the series at least makes an effort to look different than a lot of modern shounen.
Sound: 7
Each one of the openings is catchy in its own way, especially the first one. The first ending left a lot to be desired but the second ending was very good. It maintains the kind of the typical friendship theme but is still a very nice track, even though there is some sub-par engrish. That part is all to opinion, however. The rest of the BGM is composed of mostly Chinese-influenced tracks that don't help or hurt the series. The voice acting fits each character nicely.
Characters: 7
There seems to be an inherit problem with a lot of shounens: too many characters, not enough development for the vast majority. Taito doesn't change that much and neither does Keiro, but each fufills their role perfectly. Keiro is a brutal warmonger who uses anyone and anything to achieve his ends and isn't afraid to kill his own men to do so. Taito, on the other hand, is a knuckle head powered by friendship. While at times he can be a fool, he knows how to bring out the best in people. He's an all around good guy and proceeds to at least he fufill his role. Ryuko is the rival of Taito and the two of them eventually cross paths. Along the way to fight Keiro, Ryuko learns a lot about himself and he eventually needs to work out his priorities and loyalties in life. Hosei is the clown of the group, but he too begins to see that there are more important things than making fun of Taito's habit of repeating himself.
Sadly, that's about as far as the character development goes. Laila does a decent job at standing out in the little sister crowd (she's not in love with Taito, by the way, which is a nice bonus) and she and Rinmei have a blast with the "Men are useless" club, but neither of them go farther than that. All of the others character don't go too far with their developments either. There are a few other side characters that make a splash, but their significance is better left to be experienced rather than just explained.
Overall, HT doesn't go far with its characters, but the subtle details do matter and the party chemistry is still entertaining none the less.
Enjoyment: 9
So, what makes HT so enjoyable? Is it the actions scenes, the comedy, or the friendship? My answer: Why not all three? What really makes it stand apart is actually the very thing that makes it seem so unremarkable: Its absolutely shounen. It should be a must see for anyone just getting into anime, but wants an alternative to those big series. HT is all the shounen goodness anyone could possible ask for in just 26 episodes. It might not rock the boat, but it coasts relatively smoothly. Unlike a lot shounen that try to be more, HT is comfortable with what it is and the passion really shows. Its plays out and sticks with the audience like how an ancient Chinese myth might stick with a person: Looking back, isn't aren't anything brilliant but still enjoyable and deserves to be shared.
