Owari no Seraph starts out with a mix of interesting and generic features. Vampires, teenage heros and even the wiping out of adults is nothing new to any medium, but even so I hoped something a little interesting could be done with this one. And by the end I was pretty disappointed.
The story really seems to have no idea what it's doing for the first half, splitting between not only the pre-described premise but also supernatural forces (besides the obvious vampires), school and various other situations which make no sense given what is told to the viewer at the start.
Despite that, the second half improved on this considerably by giving them a set goal (albeit short term) and reintroducing some of the other characters. Unfortunately, because this comes so late it feels rushed, despite not actually progressing the main plot really at all until the last episode.
Because of that it feels like we've gotten nowhere fast. By the end I felt like I'd wasted 2+ hours to watch an introduction to something potentially pretty good.
Also would someone please explain to me why the damn vampires don't use their missiles until they're within range of bows and arrows. Or why the military has zero modern AA weaponry. Magic bows or not that doesn't make sense.
Art: 6
So before we get any further, please be aware that I'm fairly new to anime in general so my opinions on things like the art and sound may be a little skewed. That said, I think I've gotten a pretty honest interpretation of this show.
I felt the animation was a little...jumpy at times. Not very much, and certainly not to the extent that it damaged the overall package, but I did notice.
Characters look ok. Nothing special there.
One thing I did like were the backgrounds though. They had a slight "painted/blurred" look to them which personally I really liked.
Sound: 4
I personally loved the OP. Might not be the most unique thing, but by god is it catchy. The end song... not so much.
Background music/sounds are often non-existent, which is a problem since at times there's a battle going on yet all but of the characters are on mute. It's like playing an older Elder Scrolls or Fallout game - the world just stops around you.
That said, when it does remember to actually play, the music can do its job just fine. There were definitely a few points where certain effects or music made the scene, particularly in the more emotional bits.
Character: 6
A mixed bag. Some of the characters I thought were great, some I hated, and some I forgot existed.
The main character is usually following the cocky idiot/revenge guy, or the secretly "protect everyone" hero. It's as generic as it sounds, though he has a nice twist revealed at the end. Plus refreshingly he's both competent enough to like and yet still weak enough to keep things interesting. There are also a fair few points where I genuinely felt for this guy.
The female lead, Shinoa, is probably my favourite character though. Acting as both a mentor and tormentor to the others, she brings most of the comedy to the show (or at least any worth mentioning) whilst still again seeming competent and relatively fleshed out.
The other humans really aren't worth mentioning. They're all either tag-alongs or boring as hell.
On the vampires side again only two really shine, though one for mixed reasons. Mikaela (when he's grown up at least) seemed pretty irrational at first, but the twist at the end both justifyed and built an awful lot of sympathy for him. It's also nice how much can be read into or speculated about him even without exposition because of how he acts. Too bad he plays so little part in this.
The other is Ferid. He's the only obvious villain since the show builds some sympathy on both sides (or really just Mikaela), but as a character he's rather well done. His only consistency is that he's eccentric and inconstant, riling up members of both sides to suit himself. The final twist at the end only confirms this. But at the same time, it's like they tried too hard to make him hateable.
Enjoyment:6
There's nothing new under the sun. It's an average show. I feel like with the second season it could evolve into something better, but currently there's just too little for a show that's spread itself so thin. That said, I rarely if ever felt like I'd outright wasted my time, and more often than not found myself enjoying what I saw.
