Story-8
The story is set on a fictional continent where magic and fantasy are the norm. The continent seems to have many other countries and varied landscapes yet the anime spends most of its time at the edge of it. At the far west end of the continent is the Balca Peninsula or Demon Territory. Our two main protagonists, Adlet and Nachetanya, are tasked to go there and meet up with the other braves to repel the demon threat. According to legend, hundreds of years ago demons would plague the land and the only one with enough power to defeat them was the Saint of the Single Flower. Ever since The Saint had slain the demons only twice have they been resurfaced since. The previous times the Demons were banished by the Rokka No Yuusha, which were prophesized by the Saint of the Single Flower to return and defeat the demons. Apparently they are chosen by proving themselves to the Goddess of Fate, which I am unsure is the same person as the Saint of the Single Flower. Lots of the legend is still left a mystery throughout the show but thats really what the show is all about, mystery. Why is it so damn foggy? Why do the demons keep coming back? Side-boob or Underboob? Does Jet Fuel Melt steel beams?! How many braves ARE there!? Plenty of questions arise and the anime does a good job at answering them, for the most part. The entire mystery of the show if figuring out who the imposter is among the braves. A answer which is not revealed until the very end. The story that starts of as an action adventure quickly turns into a mystery show but don’t worry, there is still plenty of action left in the second half of the show. The pure hysteria between the group has everyone on edge looking for clues as to who doesn’t belong and the entire time the show will have you wondering who the 7th brave is.
Characters- 7
Big points the character designer for this one. Flamie, Nachetanya, and Adlet all have interesting designs that really make them stick out. Although I’ve go to admit Flamie is one of the stupidest names for a character Ive ever heard. I really used to hate her as a character, Kuuderes just dont float my boat. It is nice that she does get some more of her background revealed so it makes a little more sense that she acts the way she does. She is almost TOO calm and collected if that makes sense. Extra points for her actually having a gun in a fantasy anime. She is by far the most mysterious character out of the group. Next is Adlet. At first he just comes off as another Overpowered fuckboy protagonist always spouting off about being the “Strongest man in the world” which was a little annoying but as the story progresses he became easily the most likeable character aside from those that really liked Flamie. Unlike the others that have some sort unique power or strength, Adlet fights using much more unconventional means like using smoke grenades, throwing needles, a small sword, and some really cool fire braces that don’t make sense to me but are still badass. Then theres Nachetanya, the Princess of the Largest Kingdom, Her bodyguard Goldov thats 16. (yah fuckin right). Hans the token cat character that I thought I would hate but was actually pleasantly surprised from later on. Chamo the true fuckboy… girl… I dont even know. Who decides its a good idea to have all these little kids become gods among men. Its a toddler not a damn MMA fighter. Why these loli characters exist still baffles me. Then theres Mora Chester. And we definiely want more of her chester. Shes the saint of the mountains and I wouldn’t doubt her seeing as shes got twin peaks herself… ok Im done now. All in all the cast isnt that great but Adlet, Flamie, Hans, and even Nachetanya in a sense make the anime very interesting. Since most of them still have quite a lot of mystery to them it is anyone’s guess as to who the imposter is. The reactions and reasoning behind why they think someone is suspect leads to great tension throughout the show.
Animation 9 / Sound 8
Animation in this show is beautiful and its a shame that the earlier cityscapes and wilderness are not shown very much past the beginning few episodes. As stated before all the characters look great and the show uses its pretty visuals bring the world to life. In the beginning when the story of the Saint of the Single Flower was told in a unique artistic way utilizing what looks to be more like wall paintings rather than the style used i the rest of the anime, which worked great for telling the old legends. The fight scenes are fluid, the colors are vibrant in the beginning and much more gritty towards the middle and end, the atmosphere is very foggy as most of the show takes place in a foggy forest area but what better way to set the atmosphere for a mystery show than that? A lot of the show is fog but there are plenty of scenes where the backgrounds are very eyecatching. As for soundtrack the show has some good OP’s and ED’s that only add tension to the show as well as backing up every fight or chase scene with intense and driving music. Nothing really sticks out from the track per se but it does do a great job at keeping the show tense and mysterious. It doesn’t stick out but it is definitely there, subtly adding more and more mysterious elements to the show.
Enjoyment- 8
I keep saying it but the theme with this show is tension. Throughout the second half every situation could mean life or death and with anime becoming more bold, it seems that nobody could be safe from death. It feels like this show has just barely scratched the surface of its world and it feels like there is so much more to it than was presented in the anime. Hopefully this show gets another season cause I would love to see how the journey progresses. I was pleasantly surprised by this show coming from a young animation studio and I would say that It is definitely worth checking out.
Final Score 8
Watch this! Possibly the best anime of the season
