Story (6): The premise of the series sees our protagonists waking up in a fictional world, similar to that of an MMORPG. There are goblins, thieves, black knights, hunters and more. They awaken into this mysterious world, barely remembering their past and recalling vague terms from the real world such as “cell phones” without remembering what the words actually mean. The main protagonists separate from their other counterparts and form a party. The main purpose of the 12 episode series is having the protagonists try and achieve their dream of becoming fully fledged members of the Reserve Army, by raising money and defeating enemies. This would be a fine series if it was solely a fantasy anime, but the introduction of characters whose origins come from a realistic world into that of fantasy, arises several questions. “Why are they here?” “How did they get here?” In cases such as this, other fantasy based series where the protagonists come from other worlds delves into the question of how and why, with series like Log Horizon going into depth into trying to solve the mystery, with Sword Art Online actually giving a vague answer. This series (at least this season), answers none of the initial questions, and brushes them aside to solely focus on character development. Fans of similar series won’t see anything particularly new, with the entire series’ plot being an extended version of the 3rd episode of Sword Art Online. The pacing of the series dregs along at times, and makes it hard to enjoy with much of the series being chocked full of filler, and not enough meaningful character development or substance. There are some great moments in the series, but as a cohesive hole, the individual pieces stand out better than the entirety of the product.
Art (8): The art style is a breath of fresh air, and offers an appealing stigma to the eyes. While I was not fond initially of the art style, the simplicity of the watercolor backgrounds calls back to other series such as Valkyria Chronicles, which use the distinctness of the art style to their advantage. While the characters and plot may have been generic, the art style used in the background helped alleviate some discomfort while viewing the series.
Sound (6): The music used is serviceable, but the OST was not exciting or memorable enough to be missed or listened to again. While others may have enjoyed the ost or the sound design, I felt that there was no standout or memorable tracks from the series.
Characters (6) When other series attempt meaningful character development, this series tries to make generalized character development. The characters never truly feel fleshed out, with them being archetypes without any pay off from all the random activities we see them engage in. They all show signs of growth at the end of the series, but the sense of growth and development felt contrived and drawn out, and the series could have easily been told in a single episode or a short OVA series.
Enjoyment (7): Grimgar is a decent series that hits the right points at the right time, but fails to muster up enough interest or enjoyment in between the big moments. The series starts off with questions that it never answers, and turns down on a path of general living that fails to ignite enough intrigue. A unique art style and serviceable characters might make the series a draw to others, as well as great action scenes that arise here and there. But nothing truly steps out in a show fumbling with mediocrity.
Overall (6/10) Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash is a decent series that shares similarities to other series in the fantasy genre, placing more of an emphasis on character development and the lives of non-hero characters. As opposed to other series such as Overlord, Sword Art Online, and Log Horizon, our protagonists are not major players in their universe, and hold basic lives. Instead of answering the big questions of why and how, they try to answer the smaller personal questions in their lives. There was a lot of potential in the series, but it generally fell flat. I'd give the series a pass and worth checking out if you're into the fantasy genre and like watercolor art. Otherwise, you're better off with a different series that does Grimgar better than Grimgar.
