While there is the plot line about the past that is supposed to be the "big picture", the show instead focuses on the present, the "now". It's never explained nor is it revealed near the end. That whole thing is not important. The first few episodes may have turned off some viewers, as they were kind of slow-paced, and I was one of them. However, once all of that is out of the way, things get a little more interesting, which made me enjoy it more than I initially did. Though, I must say, despite the story picking up, there's nothing grand in scale, but that doesn't seem like what the series is looking for.
The characters is the key element in this series. We follow this specific group of people and we see just what type of people they are. At times, they get along and cooperate very nicely, and other times they're at each other's throats. We even see them suffer through harsh circumstances that almost breaks them apart (I cannot explain it because major spoiler). All of this is why I like these characters; they have a bit of depth. Since we mainly focus on them, the support characters, while not having much significance to the story, remained as the support. Might I add that the acting, specifically when it came to normal chit-chat, sounded very natural, which gives you empathy for these characters.
Though the animation is pretty good (with some flaws every once in a while), I'd say the most notable aspect is the background design. It gives off that water color painting effect. Locations, such as towns and the forests, are well detailed and gives off a very relaxing atmosphere. This was the first thing that caught my eye when I watched the trailer for the first time. If there was anything to get out of this series, it would have to be the art style of the backgrounds.
While having a slow start, Grimgar quickly becomes quite entertaining with likable characters and gorgeous backgrounds. For a fantasy series, it's quite laid back at times, but there's not an entire focus on the action. I would recommend this to anyone that's a fan of the fantasy genre, as well as anyone else.
