First I would like to state that prior to watching this series I had no idea that it was intended to be a promotional series for a mobile card game, however, taking that into account it only adds to my appreciation for the series.
I will sometimes just abbreviate the series as SBG to keep things simple, and I will be breaking down this review into a few components: Story, Art/Animation, Sound, Character and overall feelings.
SBG is a series I had high hopes for and was waiting in anticipation to finish. I took up the series immediately as the last episode was uploaded to Hulu Plus and I enjoyed finishing it in just two nights.
Story: 9/10 Now SBG does not have a totally original or brand new concept for a story. I wont break down and run you through the whole thing as I would like people to watch it and enjoy for themselves, but here is some of my thoughts. To be quite honest, SBG is a typical story seen done many times throughout anime history. Despite this, how well it is executed and the great cast of lead and supporting characters is what makes it into an epic and fun watch. There is a great blend of enough comedy, action, adventure, and fantasy to make SBG into something epic. Although it starts off very episodic meaning that each episode was a different venture or such, when the series hits about episode 6 it takes on a main arc if you will. This arc takes on a more serious tone however it still manages to implement just the right amount of humor to keep things fresh. The ending is not a massive cliffhanger leaving you begging for more and all in all the story is just very well executed.
Art/Animation: 10/10 Art and animation is where SBG truly excels. I remember seeing the trailer for this series back in the spring of 2014, and it immediately gripped my attention with its seemingly smooth CG animation and vibrant colors. Now being able to watch it all the way through all I can say is WOW. The world that was created for SBG is truly a work of artistic masterpiece IMO. It was amazing to see shades and hues of colors that are rarely used in anime. The color pallet is truly very broad and the studio utilized tons of colors. A perfect example of this is in an episode that has our main protagonists taking a dip in a lake. As they look off into the distance they see a beautiful sky filled with 6 different shades of lavenders and purples that all work together in beautiful fashion. I just found it very refreshing to see such a broad range of colors being used instead of being presented with a typical landscape or such. Character models are very unique with one exception. In all honesty one of the main protagonists, Kaisar is really just a Space Dandy clone LOL. But other than him, character models are very well done. The main protagonist Favaro, is very unique and not what you would expect from a lead and the models for all the various demons and Gods were very well done. Lastly we have the fight animation. Whenever I know CG is present in a series I become very skeptical, as it either works and I love it or the contrary. Luckily SBG did a great job of seamlessly integrating the CG models with the traditional style. The CG is very smooth flowing and does not move awkwardly like sometimes seen in other series. The fights in SBG are very smooth and lack any sense of "lazy animation" ie things such as constant flashes and pings. SBG nailed the animation aspect.
Sound: 8/10 There is one thing that is most memorable about SBG's sound and that has to be the opening track. Now this is very very very subjective (as is this whole thing as it is a review LOL but you get me) but i gotta say the opening track is just pure badass and adds an intense feel to the cool opening animation. Other than that however, SBG does not have an overwhelmingly great soundtrack. It is filled with orchestral notes and symphonies and is mostly only head during a fight scene or such. These sounds are not the most memorable but they do a solid job of adding the needed ambiance and feel to certain scenes.
Character: 9.5/10 SBG has three main characters and a great cast of supports. I will discuss the three leads individually and the supports as a whole. First off we have Favaro, the selfish and funny yet loving bounty hunter. Favaro is a great lead as he is not what you would typically expect from an adventure/fantasy series. He is VERY selfish and really only wants to look out for his own good but for some reason he is always very likable due to his great sense of humor and comedic actions. He develops into a very strong lead with a strong will and determination and he is easily one of the most different leads i have seen in a while. Next we have the mysterious girl Amira. Amira is an uber powerful girl who despite her power, is very child like. She seems to be blind to the world and like a child, only focuses on what she truly desires. She learns a ton from Favaro and their companions through their trials and despite her sense of babyness, she never becomes annoying. I never thought to myself "WHY IS SHE ALIVE OR WHY CANT SHE JUST DIE?!??" as I do with many other characters of her archetype. She adds to the humor and comedy of the story but still manages to maintain her sense of badassery as she is truly a powerful character in literal terms. Next up the Space Dandy clone Kaisar who is the exact opposite of our other lead Favaro. Kaisar maintains a constant sense of seriousness and pride throughout the series and his comedic actions incidentally come from being constantly duped by Favaro. Kaisar is still a great character however, and is very likable due to his sense of justice and willingness to do the right thing. Now the support characters, who I feel complete the show. There are many supports on all three sides meaning the humans, demons, and gods. All of the supports are very unique and add more to the series rather than being stereotypical bystanders. One support in particular, Rita became a personal favorite of mine and she adds a ton of comedy through her stoic conversations and by always putting down Favaro's stupid actions. Overall SBG has a great cast of characters that dont see too drastic of a development as the series is only 12 episodes long, but they are a very likable cast and they never really seem to fit stereotypical archetypes that we normally see.
Overall Thoughts: Overall I am rating this series a solid 9.5 as I truly did enjoy it a ton. I was surprised by this series and found it to be a truly wonderful experience. I did not think going into watching this that i would fall in love with the cast, the art, and the world that as created. I feel this is an underrated series and I dont believe that its connections to a game should bog down its rating or anyones feelings about it. If you are looking for a fun and epic adventure filled to the brim with action, Shingeki no Bahamut: Genesis will not disappoint. Thank you for reading and i really hope you found my review helpful.
