Story- 7
Starting off with a... cliché. Nothing new here. MC meets princess, tournament, and battles ensue. So why did I give it a 7? Mostly the pacing. The show's pacing felt just right, now rushing (Tokyo Ravens) or dragging (IS) too much. Other than that, nothing significant.
Art- 9
The best part of the show for me. The characters are detailed and the backgrounds are more than sufficient. The fighting animation was exceptionally fluid and never dragged unnecessarily (think Kara no Kyoukai). And some scenes were, uhm, "exciting".
Sound- 8
Nothing to say 'cept that I liked the OP and OST was above average.
Character- 8
Ikki Kurogane isn't your everyday main character. Imma say it- he has personality. *GASP* He works hard for his goal, as he wasn't born with natural talent, and feels like a person. His interactions and emotions are all at least somewhat realistic
Stella Vermillion, our other lead, isn't nearly as unique. Standard red-headed spoiled tsundere princess, although she's not so spoiled as the series goes on. Oh well, at least she's honest about her feelings (more than I can say for a lot of main female characters).
One other thing- you may notice that this anime is tagged as "romance" and not "harem". Surprisingly, Rakudai Kishi no Calvary has a fully fleshed out romance that develops past the "first kiss". Nice job, Rakudai, nice job.
Enjoyment- 8
This show, while not original, was damn entertaining at some times and the romance really helped it feel more complete than a lot of others. The way it ended way was awesome.
Overall- 8
Give it a try. It's only 12 episodes, and even if you don't like the characters, at least you can enjoy the fight scenes.
Here's to season 2!
