Summary: From my knowledge, this isn't a well known anime. The only reason I found this was while looking through the top anime list and found it way back. But I consider this to be one of the most underrated anime I've ever seen. Details to follow.
Story (9/10): The story started kind of slow and really picked up steam about half way through. I think the best part of this story was the originality. It was way cool having a female protecting the male. Second, the intricacies of the plot were well worth the score. The way characters were forced into change was really great. I also liked how they weaved two worlds together. Perhaps the only problems I had were the slow start and questions on how Jiguro had anything to do with Chagum. But the story was well worth watching.
Art (10/10): The art is in a similar mold to Claymore. It's a different style that you could say makes it look more realistic. I didn't have a problem with it. Enhanced the enjoyment.
Sound (10/10): Opening theme and closing theme were both great to hear. Background music enhanced the enjoyment.
Character (8/10): First of all, I thought Balsa was a great main character. She fights well, makes intelligent decisions, and as time went on gained a very nice maternal instinct. I think the whole save eight lives part got muddled in the plot, but she was a good character with nice development all the same. Chagum also had some nice development as well. Start off as a bratty prince and learn to actually live life. While it may not be the first time I've seen it, the development from prince to outcast was well done. As for the herbologist, I kind of lost the point in his character. The half romance/unrequited love with Balsa was unnecessary and really only served to distract from the main plot. Other side characters played their part. No comments on them.
Enjoyment (10/10): Perfect marks here starts off with the second half of the anime. The plot really took off and I enjoyed the ride all the way. Providing closure to the story also gained good marks from me. Beyond that, the fight scenes weren't drawn out unnecessarily and were good. Also the use of spears gained bonus points here. It was a nice change from swords or guns. Finally, perfect marks come because I simply like Balsa as a character.
Overall (9/10): I saw a couple flaws that don't make it a perfect 10, but this was really well worth watching. The plot isn't Code Geass intricate, but it was enthralling all the same. If for nothing else, watching Balsa and Chagum grow as characters together really made it worth my while.
Thanks for reading this. I'm open for discussion so if you have anything to add, message me and I will get back to you.
