Rokka no Yuusha is, simply put, not popular. It's not a familiar title; I've never heard of it until I saw one of the characters (Fremy/Flamie) on Google Images. Originally a light novel series, this anime adaption is outstanding art-wise, and does follow rather closely to the first novel thus far for the first season. However, even for only 12 full episodes and adapting the first novel, be prepared for a lack of... action, per se. In other words, you'll be left feeling like nothing happened by the end of the season, and hopefully, the anime will continue to future seasons according to the novels.
I've read a blog post translated into English basically summarizing each light novel in long paragraphs, so I basically spoiled myself silly before watching the anime. The anime itself is quite clear and well-executed, and reminds me a bit of SAO, Danganronpa, and the like. I find it interesting that the protagonist isn't your ordinary innocent, normal-gone-powerful character (and based off the character design alone, he oh-so obviously looks the part) - Adlet Mayer comes off as cocky and controlling in a comical way, as his abilities seem mediocre beside the other Braves.
S H O R T C O M I N G S
If you've seen The Hobbit: Battle of the Five Armies, it's like this anime. The anime feels very dragged, to put it bluntly. The main characters are stuck in one place for most of the episodes, and they're busy being suspicious of each other rather than being focused on the reason why they're there, the main task at hand. The reason for this is because there are apparently supposed to be six of them chosen to defeat an enemy force, but seven meet. You'd think that the problem would be solved within an episode or two, maybe three at most, but it drags on for 12 episodes. Unfortunately, that causes the feeling that nothing is happening, when there are things that are happening, like the characters showing their powers by battling against each other and such. The quality too slips midway, and that's such a shame to me because I enjoyed the first episodes. The OP and ED are also not memorable, as they've really easily slipped past my mind. Lastly, the characters may look pretty, but most of them serve as plot devices, either moving forward the story or holding it back. It's very tiring.
P R O S
Despite the lack in plot, which I've explained the reason in the "premise," the anime still incorporates a shroud of mystery and requires some brain power to piece things together without making many things seem obvious. I've spoiled myself (dang it), but that still didn't cause me to be unsurprised at the turn of events near the climax. It's not the best for mystery-fans, and they'll definitely not get a hoot for this, but this includes more of action and such to keep me preoccupied. There are parts that raise questioning and that seem completely random and strange, or even out-of-place, but they do come back to bite your nose at the end, and that excited me. The characters have very unique designs and have great, original names. The art is the best part, and I give it the highest score because it's consistent and I've had so many urges to pause each episode just to bask in its beauty - I'm not kidding, that's the only reason why I decided to watch it initially. The animation is fantastic as well, but it does go wayward somewhere... it upsets me so much!
C L O S U R E
In the end, my rating for this anime overall is high because it's not bad. The only problem with it is how dragged it feels, really. If the creators decided to fit 2 light novels in 12 episodes, however, I know that that'd be difficult. Maybe I'm just wishing that the author of the light novels would put more action in each novel. I am currently reading the translated version on a hardworking blog, looking at it all myself, so Rokka no Yuusha's story will likely be more interesting that way.
Story: 7/10
Art: 9/10
Sound: 7/10
Character: 7/10
Enjoyment: 7/10
Overall: 37/50 ~ 74% ~ 7/10
