Story (6/10) The production team at Silver Linx Studios came together and said, "Listen, we need a new show thats gonna be a huge hit." To which one replied, "Lets throw in all the shonen cliches, a competition, swords, and romance.....ohh and BEWBS!" This won unanimous favor and was what we received in the form of Rakudai Kishi no Calvary. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it. However, the story was a recycled plot by taking all the tropes and scenarios from popular anime and meshed it together. They believed that to pander to a large audience, they should take all the good parts of anime and combine it into one. However, they failed miserably as a piece of art. The story is chaotic and rubbish. We have, yet again, an OP main character fighting his way to the top of another battle royale to gain recognition from someone. However, instead of being a steady sequence of events; the plot cuts off here and there to add some character dialogue and filler entertainment. The battle royale was the main focus in the early episodes yet strayed into the unknown background by the finale: which is fine but there was no set reason or explanation to do so other than a weak side plot. Then we had the extremely weak backstories for all the main characters....and when I mean weak I mean WEAK. I'm not one of those types to not fully explain my reasoning for hating on a show. I'll explain it in the Character section. Overall, the story was partially enjoyable.
Art (8/10) I really need to figure out a scaling system of art styles. I don't really remember if I hated the art style in any anime. The reason I won't give this a 9 or a 10 is simply because this show uses an overused art medium and it didnt stand out in any particular way. What do I mean by overused? The characters are all crisp and clear, yes. The fight scenes are clean cut, yes. However, there was nothing new. Each character fit into a anime cut-out sequence: in this case, each one wore the school uniform. There was nothing really outstanding about the artwork. It was just that the characters blended in with the plot flow. The setting is an academy.....so everyone needs to wear a school uniform cliche. It's a shame really.
Sound (8/10) I enjoyed the opening quite a bit. I'm gonna steal from another review here only because he described the opening best as (twangy/Western)...which were my thoughts but credit is due to that guy for writing it. The opening introduced or "hyped" the action fight sequence yet was a complete downer when the action came. There was no real "feel" or "depth" to the fights. It was just.....there. The only real depth was that one fight for revenge, that was it but that was simply introduced through faulty forethought and planning, which is sinful. The soundtrack/sound effects were solid. The ending had an Enka-influence so that was a tad interesting. Other than that, nothing really stood out.
Enjoyment (8/10) I'm skipping character for now on purpose. I believe my character paragraph is easily going to be the longest, so think of this as an intermission from my long digression of my disgust with this show. Did I enjoy it, yes. Sadly, I did. I'm a sucker for sword fights and this pulled me in hook, line, and sinker. However, I'm self-aware enough to know just how bad this show was.
Character (4/10) Simply put: there was none. I'm going to address each main character in following paragraphs explaining why. Just don't get your pants in a twist if you get hurt. Rant on my comment section if you want to. It's there for a reason.
Ikki: Apparently, Silver Linx Studio's production team really loves SAO and Shokugeki no Soma.....so the main character is none other than Kirito/Soma or Kiroma if it were. Why? Ikki steals the badass swordplay, the occasional witty maxims, and the chick magnetism straight from Kirito. I couldnt give enough examples of that. He also steals the "ordinary guy becomes badass through lots of successes and failures and wants to earn recognition from Dad" straight from Yukihira Soma. So he's a perfect blend of the two. Why do I have a problem with this? The backstory is too bland. It's the overused tale of a man hated for his failures or ineptitude in a certain field. Although, it tries to reel me in to connect with him, the overused stereotype prevents me from doing so to the point where I am desensitized to care about it. Second problem I have, the overpowered cliche. Its fine to be overpowered, I dont care. However, you need to connect the audience to how he got there. Just simply glossing over the fact that he trained really hard is not gonna cut it. You need visual samples. You need to show the failures....the countless failures to actually begin a tie with the audience. Trying to weave a character such as this is ridiculously hard in 12 episodes. However, what separates Yukihira and Ikki in this category is the fact that Shokugeki no Soma actually showed how he got to that point. His failures. His progress. His breakthroughs. to the point where you can "feel" the character logic and understand and cheer him on. Thats the difference.
Stella Vermillion: Already, they stole the "Crimson Princess" title straight from Highschool DxD. In the first episode, they introduce her as a condescending Class A imitation of Nakiri Erina: again from Shokugeki no Soma. She comes from a higher lineage who has latent talent far greater than that of the main character and the rest of the academy (again, Shokugeki no Soma). Her barking attitude, her demand for respect all point her as a culprit of a snobby. spoiled childhood. however, at the end of the first episode....they COMPLETELY TURN TAILS! It was as if the production team were reading volume 1 of Shokugeki while producing the first episode and realized they were copying it and said, "Whoops, gotta do something different here." She completely loses her condescension even when addressing her rival, Ikki's sister, and the show expects us to believe that it was because of that fanservice mishap in the dorm room. Thats my biggest dislike of her character. Other than that, I think she's fine. Too much emphasis on the fanservice. A really, really rushed romance with the main character that recovered in the end.....reasons that you need to explore yourself cuz spoilers. Oh, and she wasnt turned into a supportive waifu material by the production team....which is good. I would've been pissed if she got weaker simply to illustrate the "white knight saving the damsel in distress" cliche, and I ain't even feminist.
Shizuku: Again, the production team came together and said, "Listen, we need more clickbait." To which one replied, "Let's put in a loli!" however, in this case there was not a unanimous agreement. They pondered, "We cant simply just put a loli in there for no reason." Then they came up with the brilliant solution: Incest ex machina! Yes, the family incest situation is back! I aint lying.....she literally is there for fanservice and incest. It's incredibly disappointing.
Nagi Arisun (Alice) The production team came together one more time to discuss the final main character. They posed the question, "Listen, we need to pander to a larger audience...most of the people who will watch this are males and otakus (an undefined gender)." Then one man raised his hand, "Let's put a gay guy in there for the homosexual demographic and political awareness!" Thus, Alice was born. As described in the character development, "A woman born inside a man's body." Thats literally how Alice described himself. Now do I have anything against gays? No! Of course not dude! I have a problem with introducing a character for political and gender clickbait and thats it. There was no character development which ticked me off even more.
Rest of the cast: extremely forgettable and hardly mentioned.
Overall: This was an extremely forgettable show. It was interesting, yet failed to stick out in any sort of way. The characters and art all blended in together with the faulty plot flow to form a uniform bland color....one not worth mentioning. Would I recommend this show to you? Nah. Its hardly worth watching. It was enjoyable, yet I cant find a justifiable reason to share it with anyone else. Its like recommending Pacific Rim for that scene where the robot drags the cargo freight through the city and bashes the monster over the head with it........oh and the sword too, that was cool. So, I hope you enjoyed this review. It was long, but I felt like I needed to explain why I had a problem with the characters in detail. So, have a good day! Cuz why not cheer up your mood when you read this depressing debacle?
