Story - 5
I thought that with a french manga we would get an original story with a different perspective on the medium we know and love. Instead, I got just another cliche ridden shounen. Which if executed well can turn out pretty good. Unfortunately, this is not one of those times. From the beginning I could tell this was going to be a disappointment as the first episode was probably the most boring first episode of any anime I had seen in recent memory. Now, I'm not one to make knee jerk reactions after one episode so I stuck around to see how the story would play out. As expected they kept the same style at the same sluggish pace. The story for the most part was slow, boring, and what felt like filler even though this is a decently sized series at 21 episodes. Even when the story gets to its "hype" moments later on they still feel underwhelming just because of how the show was handled. So the story was lacking, but there are ways around this.
Characters - 5
That way is compelling characters which this story has very few of. Off the bat we are introduced to our main character Seth, a sorcerer, who acts very much like your standard shounen protagonist. His power isn't very creative either so its not like he stands out from the crowd very much. The side kicks that go alongside our main character have nice designs but personality is lacking. As the series progresses we are introduced to a few more from the cast who in my opinion are far more interesting then our main group. Yet, they don't stick around for very long but I'm hopeful they will play a more vital role in the future.
Animation - 7
I was surprised that a foreign property like Radiant would have some nice animation and art so it was a pleasant surprise. The animation stays consistent for the most part and its easy on the eyes. The characters themselves do not look cookie cutter which I like. They look like they actually have some personality even if that is sadly not the case. Action scenes are decently handled as well. Overall, for a non Japanese manga turned anime the animation was quite good.
Sound - 8
By far and away this is the main reason why you should watch Radiant. The opening song alone is straight fire and instantly gets me hyped for the coming episode. Even if you don't end up watching the anime, at least watch the opening. The ending song is decent and the voice acting is fine as far as I can tell, but the opening is something else.
Enjoyment - 6
The show started off slow and most of the filler episodes which took up a good bit were boring, but the content towards the end was decent enough. The characters outside of a couple later on were not very compelling nor was I interested in their motivations or journey. I liked the music and the animation though so maybe I'm just a sucker for a good OP, but overall it was a decent enough watch. I am curious to see where the story will go next as of the time of writing this a season 2 was announced. Here's hoping for some more compelling story lines. My recommendation would be to check out the opening and then decide from there.
