So its 2019. Here I am sitting in a room, writing a review for a series already 5 years old instead of going outside and getting my priorities straight. Yup, that's how dedicated I am to writing this and hopefully someone out there would be willing to take this review to heart and try this series out without simply conforming to the majority's views.
This series is underrated and I don't use that term a lot. A lot of people are actually willing to call a series that don't get enough attention "underrated" which is really just the wrong use of the word. I say World Trigger is underrated because it doesn't deserve even half of the hate it gets. The other half though, I can understand.
1. The Production.
As someone who read the manga right after finishing the anime, I can say that as a series, World Trigger did not deserve the lackluster production Toei Animation gave it during its 73 episode run. And now we get to the 50% I was talking about earlier, one which I understood for being this anime's failure. Toei Animation really choked the life out of World Trigger and I mean that literally. Almost everything you don't want to see in an anime adaptation is pretty much present. Recaps ranging from one minute to two, the opening popping up out of nowhere in the middle of the episode, cliffhangers, still frames (the worse being at least a minute long) and just outright bad animation. They even had the nerve to make an episode where it's 50% recap and 50% plot. So why do I still like this series? Is there something wrong with me? No because if you can get behind all of these flaws, what you have is a battle shounen that could potentially compete with big name titles like Naruto, Bleach, etc.
So to quote Tokyo Ghoul and Berserk fans. Read the manga.
2. The Power System
Now here comes the positives should you stick around to this show till the end. World Trigger isn't your average shounen when it comes to fights. It's battles are not your run-of-the-mill "my POWAA is stronger than yours" or "I beat you because I care about my nakama more". Almost every battle that takes place is strategy based, the ones that aren't are usually resolved as quick as possible. It may not seem like that at first, in fact most people may be turned off by the subpar fights and slow pacing in the first few episodes just because of that. I would say the fights really start to pick up at episode 7, where one of the main characters really start to struggle and even then its just one fight and may not be able to convince most people to stick around. The fight that I would say sold me to this series would be in episode 13 to 15 where Jin Yuuichi, one of the main characters, gets to shine.
Here, I will now introduce Triggers, which if we're talking power systems, may just be one of the greatest power systems in anime of all time. Now that is a large claim to make, especially from a newbie reviewer but hear me out. It is in my humble opinion that out of all the shounen anime I have watched thus far, Triggers would rank spot number 3 for unique power systems in anime. The second would be alchemy from FMA and the first would be a tie between Stands from JoJo and Nen from HunterxHunter. Note: I have not watched HunterxHunter as of writing this but hearing how much people love the Nen system, I'm reserving it alongside JoJo just from expectation.
Now back to Triggers, it's largely a simple system. All living beings possess energy called Trion within them, basically the chakra of World Trigger. And just like physical attributes, Trion levels differ from person to person. Don't worry though as having high Trion doesn't necessarily mean you win all the time. Border, the main organization in the series develops Triggers, small pocket devices that when activated, harnesses Trion into weapons and abilities. When activated, Triggers replaces your physical body with a Trion body that magnifies your strength and reflexes. You also do not feel pain and when fatally injured, you'll simply revert back into your normal body. As you can guess, deaths in this series are rare. Even after 73 episodes, you can pretty much count them on a single hand.
Unlike in most shounen though, where you use your increasingly unpredictable powers in usually predictable power wrestling matches, Triggers are the exact opposite in that you are forced to use your usually predictable powers in unpredictable ways in a series of mind games to pull through. Triggers are technology, as such most of them that are created by Border are uniform. While Triggers are customizable and can give you a few but still limited weapons and abilities, they cannot be done on the fly. So what you choose better be suited to the conditions you're fighting in.
Trigger users are usually grouped in four classes; Attackers, Gunners, Shooters and Snipers and each of those classes possess their own options, strengths and weaknesses. Think of the classes in RPG games. In this case Attackers are warriors or rogues, Gunners and Snipers are Archers and Shooters are mages. To put it simply, Attackers uses blades and boast the most damage and least Trion consumption, Gunners are the exact opposite but with far better range, Shooters manipulates Trion in the form of moving projectiles and expend Trion just as much as Gunner and Snipers are well...snipers.
Now this may seem like your average rock-paper-scissors type power system but that only applies to the ones not willing to exploit the weaknesses each of these classes possess. Even the weapons and abilities each class possess have weaknesses. For example, the Scorpion in the Attacker class is an energy blade that can manifest anywhere from the body, can be shaped into anything the user wishes and is virtually weightless. However, it's also fragile and any attempts to block with it will break it. Then there's Kogetsu, a medium type blade that is heavier than the Scorpion but also more durable. So does this mean Kogetsu is better? Of course not. Scorpion has the advantage of being the most nimble and versatile. Heck, one border agent replaced her severed foot with a Scorpion copy. Another agent was able to channel Scorpion to travel underground and strike another from below. Meanwhile, Kogetsu is better for long drawn out duels, unlike the hit and run style of Scorpion users. It's all in how you use it.
Battles in World Trigger are rarely about power and the ones that do are extremely rare. Most of the time, a user's skill and experience will pull him/her through. In cases where skills are near equal, it becomes a set of mind games and strategies and this is what the battles in World Trigger do best.
3. Story
The story of World Trigger would probably be above average at best, at least for the first quarter. And for those who dropped it at the start of the series, may not like it at all. This is because World Trigger lacks a clear and concise goal in which the characters can pursue until like the 12th episode. And even then, the real purpose isn't really the most compelling in the world. Most of the time prior to episode 12,
the plot mainly progresses in favor of world building rather than character development. Not saying that's a bad thing but in the case of shounens like WT, a balanced approached would've been better. World Trigger's modus operandi is its battle scenes and while that can be just as good as having a compelling story, it is sometimes not enough to attract a majority of viewers.
4. Art
I've little to say of the art. The designs for the Border agents are incredibly unique for some and generic for others with only their team uniforms to differentiate them from others. The design for the main villains of the Aftoktrator arc are unique but not really game changing. The most unique that pops up in my mind is the old man and teleporter woman.
5. Sound
I rarely pay much attention to sound effects in anime. But as a regular watcher of shounen, the weapon SFX for the Triggers are unique enough to pop up in my mind should I hear it again. The soundtrack too are also well done and can perfectly capture the vibe that the characters are in, such as during close quarter combat or moments of strategizing and exposition. Although, it's main theme can get repetitive. The openings however, are one of the best parts for WT. My favorite being the second opening song. The first half starts of slow with its MCs, the second half perfectly captures the fighting style of almost every Border agent while also being fast enough to get your blood pumping.
6. Character
Anyone who has seen WT for the first few episodes can pretty much see one of the major flaws of this series in general. It's main character, Osamu Mikumo. To put it simply, he's useless. Born with average (maybe below average) Trion as well as lackluster fighting capabilities, in almost every encounter with an enemy he needed aid from his much stronger friend Kuga. And does he improve after 73 episodes? Barely. Just from me saying that, a lot of people are going to be turned off. But here's the thing. It's not his character to be badass. It's not his character to have over the top powers. He is the antithesis to shounen protagonists. He does not have a demon with unlimited power in his tummy or having the luck of meeting and inheriting a powerful person's power.
Osamu is a strategist and in World Trigger, that alone is already a valuable asset. But do note that he is not a battle tactician. What's the difference? In a war, Osamu is more suited to being in an office rather than the field. Let's look at his closest counterpart from another anime, Joseph Joestar. Joseph, just like Osamu, uses his brain over his brawn but that's where the similarities end. Whereas Joseph can think on the fly and incorporate mind boggling tricks to overcome his opponents, Osamu is absolutely horrendous at seizing the opportunity. Even when a weakness is presented, he himself cannot exploit it due to his own lack of ability, usually relying on Kuga to do it for him. But instead, he chooses to think what will happen an hour later rather than a few seconds. That's the true purpose of a strategist, a role he himself accepts and excels in especially during the Rank Wars Arc.
Overall, I can see why he is hated by many. I myself did not take a liking of Osamu until during the Rank Wars arc. As for the supporting characters, most of them are likeable for me to care with diverse enough personalities to tell them apart from one another. And when it comes to tactics, the supporting characters in WT are probably the best in shounen I've seen thus far.
7. Enjoyment
As stated at the start, I find myself enjoying this show more than I should have. While the cliffhangers and recaps can really take a toll on you, ignoring those two can give you a better enjoyment out of the spectacular battles especially during the Aftokrator and Rank Wars arc.
8. Overall
In conclusion, World Trigger the anime is bogged down with lazy production from Toei, dull character motivations and sometimes repetitive soundtrack but on the other side of that gate lies a battle shounen that if only became a little more popular could have risen a little higher among the shounen hierarchy. If you're the type that prefers fast paced plot progression and fights in the first few episodes, you won't get it in WT. But stick around further and it'll reward you with its "sometimes" spectacularly choreographed battles as well as its tactics oriented power system. When it comes to World Trigger and probably any good shounen, it's more about how to defeat the villain rather defeating the villain itself.
