The 1st thing worth noting starting off this review is how amazing this story is. It's the tale of two boys and their own specific journeys while they work together to save the world. Interestingly enough, while they do plan on saving the world, their motivations are much more powerful than a generic anime hero's decision to protect everyone and is instead a display of how different people respond to the death of a loved one. At the same time, we're introduced to a girl, a mage and princess left in a barrel and sent to an island, who aids them from afar. This story is so unique while relying on the idea of tragedy, specifically Shakespeare's work.
The primary reason why I loved the story was how it played out. Nothing feels rushed, everything goes at a logical pace and the best part of the show is a 4 episode part in which the three protagonists and an enemy of theirs work to prove their respective hypotheses (That may sound like it'd be too wordy and boring but it is masterfully engaging).
The second aspect of the show which must be discussed is the characters which were some of the best I've seen from such a large cast since FMA Brotherhood. 1st We have Yoshino Takigawa, a quiet boy in high school who is seemingly not phased by anything. However behind this outward appearance is a damaged person trying to properly process the death of someone he loved. This approach to the character was very engaging to watch and I loved every second of his character arc, particularly the flashbacks he has. His dealing with grief is very real and sympathetic but by the end of the series, his growth is so measurable while not blatantly in the viewer's face.
The 2nd character to note is Mahiro Fuwa, an angry teenager given the ability to use magic from a mysterious princess and mage named Hakaze. His development is arguably just as strong as Yoshino's due to his very different handling of death. He seeks vengeance and holds resentment at the world for the loss of his beloved younger sister, going as far as to agree to help save the world with Hakaze in exchange for having the killer be found. This juxtaposition of vengeance alongside Yoshino's handling of grief really helps the viewer see these characters and their differences, making scenes with them interesting to watch.
Our 3rd and last main character I need to refer to is Hakaze Kusaribe. As previously mentioned, she is the infamous mage/princess left in a barrel and sent onto an island. She works as the "odd-man out" in the series by having her work with the other two who are so deeply connected, allowing for an outsider's perspective can be shown. She deeply cares for those around her and is driven by her morals, making her a very lovable female protagonist.
On a side note I'm going to make a comment that provides spoilers so skip ahead.
******SPOILERS******
I loved the Yoshino and Hakaze pairing so much throughout the second half and am so glad they get together at the end. While I did like Yoshino and Aika together, I loved this pairing we got in the second half as well the message the show gave us: You have to move on. While Yoshino did love Aika, him living his entire life alone because of it is just too bitter an idea for me to swallow. The scenes with Yoshino and Hakaze were great and I'm glad that this show did not do one of the worst taboos in anime, where the other love interest gets screwed over and she's okay with it. Yoshino and Hakaze were a fantastic pairing and I was panicking with the amount of time left they had to put them together at that ending, I was so afraid nothing would happen but leave it to bones to save the day.
******END OF SPOILERS ******
I don't have much to say in terms of the Art and Sound. I'm giving them both a 10/10 because I loved the feel they both provided and how they worked with the story but I don't have anything I feel needs to be discussed.
Zetsuen no Tempest is a rare thing to see in recent anime: A well done story that does not allow for any cliches such as fan service or shounen action scenes to weigh down the narrative (granted you could argue the show has both but they are down appropriately and without being jarring when watching). Instead, we get a fantastic series that will go down in my memory as one of the greatest animes of all time.
