Story: 3/10
Tales of Zestiria’s main issue is that it came out in 2016. For anybody who has experienced a decent amount of fantasy stories, the whole premise of "a crew with different powers goes on a journey to save the world" gets old quickly. And while it's true that Zestiria might work as a baby's first show, this alone doesn't make up for its shallowness and lack of originality. ToZ also disappoints when it comes to direction and pacing. The original idea of the show taking liberties with the plot seen in the game was originally promising (due to it being considered below average by a large portion of the Tales fanbase), but unfortunately, the result proved to be disappointing too. There are several anticlimactic/awkward moments across the show: namely characters who suddenly laugh, cry or scream for no reason. Lastly, the fact they rushed the finale in spite of the slow-paced first cour is unacceptable for a 27-episode show.
Animation: 7/10
Ufotable is known for providing high quality eye-candy. They deliver where other studios usually fail: smooth fights, good-looking backgrounds and CGI usage. That being said, ToZ's animation failed to live up to the high standards set by Ufotable's older works (e.g. Kara no Kyoukai and the Fate series). The character designs are charming at first glance, but part of the cast often looks inexpressive or has forced reactions. It is also worth mentioning that ToZ's CGI dragons strike as jarring compared to other animated elements. Additionally, Zestiria tends to show off its backgrounds too frequently, taking up screentime that perhaps could have been used to fix pacing issues.
Music and voice acting: 6/10
Unlike other successful Ufotable works, Tales of Zestiria does not have a memorable OST. However, I felt like the soundtrack was acceptable overall, with FLOW taking the lead. The music used throughout the show wasn't mold-breaking and is mostly forgettable. Regarding the voice actors, most of them did a nice job, especially Fukuen Misato as Edna and Ono Daisuke as Dezel. Only a reduced amount of the cast does not have fitting voices.
Characters: 2/10
Most of the cast is generic, bland and has no real development. Rose and Dezel are two of the few exceptions, but they don't get to excel regardless. Besides, dealing with Sorey's dull personality is challenging for those who have medium/high standards for main characters. This becomes a serious matter at a certain point of the story, where Sorey's mindset should take a turn for the better, but he ultimately decides to keep up his idealistic antics. Truly frustrating.
Enjoyment: 4/10
This show picked my interest after watching other works by the same studio, but those expectations were slowly crushed on a weekly basis. I didn’t drop it hoping for a great fight scene that never came. Those two promotional Berseria episodes from the first cour were the most interesting part of the show, even though they were only slightly above average. It is safe to say that Ufotable's animation and the soundtrack are the only redeeming features of ToZ from an objective point of view.
Overall: 4/10
In short, Tales of Zestiria is a walking cliché not worth anybody's time investment. For those interested in Ufotable’s gorgeous animation, Kara no Kyoukai and the Fate series are far better choices. Most popular titles from the fantasy genre are superior to Tales of Zestiria, and have done everything it does, but better.
