Sound: 8/10
The soundtrack for this anime was pretty good in my opinion. It was always full of good OSTs. That's actually why I couldn't give it a full 10 out of 10. One of the early episodes (the 2nd if I remember correctly) featured a long scene of slow panning shots and OST. It was a long scene. With no dialog. I was sitting there thinking, "What am I watching?" It seems like they forcefully placed in the OST - substituted music for content. This happens in a few scenes in the later episodes. None of them, however, are as long as the scene in the episode I just mentioned, thankfully. Apart from that, and this is of course from a personal standpoint, I did like a lot of the soundtrack. I usually skipped the OP and ED, but I do remember certain tracks that I will want to look up later and perhaps add to my personal collection.
Art: 7/10
The unique art that was used in Hai to Gensou no Grimgar added to the game-like feel of the series. Pastels are used extensively, a lot of the scenes look as if they've been painted or water-colored. It's definitely not the typical "nothing special, gets the job done" art style that you're used to seeing in most anime.
There are a few cool effects used as well in respect to fight scenes and spell-casting. The style in which the characters are drawn though, while not necessarily bad, do contribute that feeling that it's meant for a younger audience.
Characters: 8/10
Alright. A few of the characters did not impress me that much at all. Annoying characters, even though they're supposed to be annoying, annoy me a lot. Ranta - typical rude selfish pervert that exists only to annoy the viewer - and excels at this role. I know a lot of it exists for comic relief - something that I honestly don't care for. Only really at a later stage did I see anything that brought any sort of quality to the character - during the "one-on-one" talk with Haruhiro.
Mozugo - seemed like a typical "gentle giant" character. He tanks for the party, but is usually soft-spoken, quiet and loves to cook (and eat, I suppose).
Shihoru - a shy girl who you really don't hear much from throughout the series. She does seem to have more confidence in the battle scenes as she develops her magic skill. This is the one area where her prominence comes to the forefront, and at first, it's easy to miss. Though reserved and quiet, you do see a lot of emotion from her though, with Manato mainly being the subject. The story does not explicitly point out any relationship between the two, but the viewer gets to decide and fill in the blanks. Again, due to her personality, you have to wonder what her emotions are based on or what she's thinking about at any given moment. I did appreciate that about this character interaction. And that brings us to
Manato. A priest, vanguard and tank. Hold on here. That's literally asking for trouble. Come on. Your healer should not be the one a. taking point or b. taking damage. It could work that he's the leader, as in many games, the caller or party leader is able to watch everyone's moves from further back in order to maintain the big picture of the situation.
Anyway, about Manato himself. He seems a bit older, at least more mature than most of the other party members. In one episode, he mentions that he doesn't think he is the "kind of person most people like, where he comes from," (Yes, I know that was poorly paraphrased.) which is a surprise, because everyone in the party looks up to and relies on him. This adds a bit of complexity to the character that is left undeveloped - due to obvious reasons. Overall, Manato comes off as a person that has a lot of compassion and responsibility, but tragically ends up taking on a burden too heavy to bear.
Haruhiro - Doesn't have main character syndrome! Thank god. He's just a normal guy with doubts that is thrust into a position of great responsibility, and ends up not sucking at it. Okay, that does sound like a main character. Though not terribly perceptive, he is not completely aloof, nor useless. (Unfortunately, way too many main protagonists are.) He's an alright guy.
Yume - She definitely has personality. One of the most notable things about her is that she has a very unique speech pattern, very casual/colloquial. She doesn't seem to be a highly intelligent character, but she isn't outright stupid. She can kind of drift off in speech and sometimes is off in the clouds. If you upset her, she can be fiery and antagonistic. She has a personality that isn't homogenous. One of the nighttime scenes between her and Manato halfway through the series was excellent at bringing out her character (No, I'm not talking about an H-scene). Yume is feminine and seems real, not scripted. She was one of the characters I liked more. Often times, I found her to be a soothing prescence.
The series also did introduce us to a few supporting characters that were either weird, or drew sympathy, but fortunately, none of them seemed too cliché. For example, Renji doesn't come off as the typical arrogant jock leading the most successful party around, even though people awe at his prescence. Merry's former party members pretty much all seemed likeable. Hayashi's account of past events is a compelling one, more or less. I actually did not hate many of the characters in the series. Just Ranta. But then, everyone does.
But there is one character that could singlehandedly bring up the score - Merry. I liked her from the first glance. You can immediately tell that she is the serious, isolated type. You then see that she is logical. Unlike Manato, she does not waste effort healing minor wounds in the middle of combat when the threats have not yet been neutralized. The group has a hard time getting along with her or getting to know her. And because of all this, you start to inquire about her background. When it finally is revealed, you are not disappointed. Most of this is given through Hayashi, her former party member's account.
One of the best parts about Merry is that while initially (okay, mostly) cold and logical, you see how she has changed because of her experiences. You will learn that she is completely different from the girl she used to be long ago. Her past burdens her, and she carries it with her every day and every night. In one of the more effective scenes, you also see her go from calm and collective to showing outright fear (not to marginalize it, but I would call it severe PTSD). Towards the end, she softens up quite a bit considering what she's been through. Merry is a dynamic character that truly reacts to the storyline. Though many would argue about the predictability, Merry's character development is done brilliantly.
Story: 7/10
At first, of course, Hai to Gensou no Grimgar comes off as a more light-hearted anime in a game-like world similar to Sword Art: Online. Of course the visual and sound elements as well as some of the characters' behaviors attribute to this. Also, the fact that the teams are referred to as "parties." This anime has a strong MMORPG vibe. The characters are dumped in this world not knowing where they came from or who they were. This question has yet to be answered, but other developments take shape.
I know that other viewers may appreciate these and that the series was not designed specifically for my enjoyment, but one of the things that I could have done without is the wide use of comic relief scenes - such as the staple sneaking into the girl's bath scenario.
The plot of Hai to Gensou no Grimgar is based on a few commonly used structures. A party starts off as an uncoordinated bunch and develops under increasing challenges. A central party member, one that is respected and loved, is replaced with one that seems very uncooperative. Let's see how the group adapts to this challenge... etc. Cliché is not necessarily poor in this case.
Finally, while it doesn't always work, what worked well with Hai to Gensou no Grimgar is that they didn't answer all of the questions. "How did the characters get to this world? Why? Who were they in the world they came from? Are those two in a relationship?" Intentionally or not, the viewer is allowed to fill in the blanks and make speculations about the past, present and future.
Enjoyment: 7/10
While again the first few episodes had me wondering if I should continue, I definitely did not struggle to finish this anime. Much of the plot was based on common challenges, but the story was still decent. I really enjoyed how some of the characters were portrayed and developed. The questions left unanswered throughout the series serve to draw in the viewer. A lot of things are left to speculation. Perhaps these questions may be addressed in a sequel, which will of course bring up new questions if it is well-written. This line of thinking is what leads viewers to inquire about a sequel, or a second season.
Overall, I have to give Hai to Gensou no Grimgar a rating of 8 out of 10.
