Story - 7 (Good)
The story I can sum up from just the game's description itself:
"Set in a fictitious continent reminiscent of the 1930s, Valkyria Chronicles depicts Europa, divided and ruled by two super powers: the Empire and the Federation. The Empire has set its sights on invading the principality Gallia, which shares its borders with the two superpowers, in an attempt to secure an invaluable natural resource, Ragnite. Within this struggle a hero named Welkin, and his fellow soldiers of the Gallian Militia, ‘Squad 7’ are fighting back against the invasion and the Empire’s attempts to unify the continent under its power.
During the ensuing war, Squad 7 discovers that the Empire possesses a secret weapon, known as the “Valkyrur” – an ancient race with special powers thought to exist only in legends. With this new discovery, the fate of Gallia’s ability to defeat the Empire and save the lives of the Gallian citizens…"
The game's synopsis is essentially the same as the anime here. For the most part it follows the OVERALL story pretty faithfully. Having said that though, it changes up quite a few of the details to fit the alternate narrative. I won't get into too much for fear of spoilers, but otherwise significant parts(in my opinion) are completely absent or replaced with other things for the sake of it here. Examples include a certain cabin scene in the game versus the anime, the Princess and her appearance, or even the introduction/beginning in the first city.
Don't get me wrong now, some of the changes are welcome additions. Some of the changes make more sense, only serve to flesh out those scenes even more, and give certain characters more development. Someone like Largo, who's a main part of Squad 7, gets plenty of screen time and growth. However, certain changes just end up making you scratch your head and ask "Why?" when the game depiction did it so much better and wasn't lacking whatsoever. One such example is with Zaka, who doesn't even get the Shamrock featured whatsoever(when it was a huge addition to Squad 7 in the game).
Regardless of my personal taste there, the story still follows the same plot points and even includes a good majority of the game's battles. I liked the game's story, so needless to say I thought the story here was very good as well.
Art - 7 (Good)
The art style of this anime attempts to capture the sketching-like quality of the game to a certain degree, and it's serviceable. It's a nice homage to the original material, and even without the pseudo-filter the art is all animated well and it flows nicely in even the action scenes. The world, characters, settings, backdrop, and all the little details are nicely done in this anime making it very pretty to look at. I didn't find myself straining to keep watching because of artistic hiccups like in Dragon Ball Super, nor did I find myself checking if I accidentally installed a SweetFX or ENB profile as was the case with No Game No Life.
Some characters also look noticeably better(in my opinion) in this anime versus the game. Rosie looks far more vivid and colorful, than her washed out game variant for example. The only character in comparison that I would say looks "worse" would be Largo, as they made him look a tad different, but nothing that someone would have any real gripe over. Plus...you get to see Selvaria in quite the sexy dress during one banquet scene. <Insert Lenny Face>
Sound - 10 (Outstanding)
The strong point of the anime. From the sound effects of the tanks, to the pops of the guns when they shoot, it's there and gets you immersed when wearing a headset. What really takes this to the next level, is that they included bits of the OST from the game and integrated it pretty seamlessly into the anime. On top of this they even included the original Japanese voice actors/actresses from the game to reprise their roles here. This is flat out awesome. I jump from the game world, and go into the anime and don't miss a beat whatsoever. Top notch stuff, especially when there's a death in the anime it will sometimes play the game over theme from the game(and I shouldn't smile or laugh at that, but I usually did).
Character(s) - 3 (Poor)
This is the big failing of the anime, in my opinion. It changes the personalities of some of the characters completely, especially Welkin and Alicia the two main characters. This is one of those moments where as I said before it begs the question of "Why?" Welkin in the game is depicted as an oddball at times, but when it comes to leading his squad he is very much about the business. Sure he's quirky, but when it's time to lead his troop, fire upon the enemy or give orders, his tone and demeanor change completely.
In the anime? Welkin is beta as all get out and never stops being the airhead interested in nature, bugs, and biology. They also make Faldio quite the ladies man, who flirts with Alicia, creating this weird love triangle when I don't recall him and her having much interaction in the game to begin with outside of 1 side chapter. This can only be a change done for the sake of drama, but it doesn't sit well with me whatsoever due to having played the game first. They also add in characters I don't recall AT ALL from the game into the anime, such as a guy named Ramal who shows interest in Isara. He doesn't really serve a purpose in the anime, and because he wasn't in the game in any manner he just feels forced.
That said, are the characters and their portrayals themselves bad? No, not at all. You still get antics from Largo with his usual boasts on vegetables, or the daydreaming of sexy muscles from Jann so it keeps the spirit of certain things... But it just changes some characters I came to expect as one thing, and replaces some of them with something else. For example, they randomly make Alicia generic tsundere anime archetype character, and Rosie a huge cuntbag in the anime(she wasn't THAT bad in the game). Are they bad portrayals? No, it's just more out of place concerning the characters that did get changed, than anything else honestly.
Enjoyment - 6 (Fair)
Objectively speaking, if I never had the game to base my experience or introduction to this world on, I would say there's some enjoyment to be had here. This is especially true if you like WW2 and/or military anime. There's lots of character development, an intriguing little alternate universe, and a good blend of drama, humor, storytelling/world building, and action here. The pacing can be a bit off at times, but honestly can be supplemented and explained with having played the game.
Playing the game can be a double-edged sword in that aspect, however, as mentioned there are noticeable differences that might irk you(as it did me). All in all though, it isn't enough to detract from a decent enough anime. It ends up being a solid watch, and I can't say that I regret it even if it went off from the source material in some aspects.
Overall - 6 (Fair)
I can see myself recommending this anime out there to people who haven't played the game. It can stand alone by itself, and on the flip side only helps to get you back in the world of Valkyria Chronicles if you thoroughly enjoyed the game world and want another go at it with your favorite characters.
Having said that though, the game is far and away the better and true depiction of the original story here.
