Based upon an original idea Granbelm is a magic and fantasy genre anime that gives us the opportunity to see what will happen if within the modern world to which we all live in, that there exist not just powerful magic users called mages but also a deadly competition that pits these young but powerful mages against each other in a deadly battle where the winner gains the power to wield immense magical power. What will happen if one day when this competition occurs that a seemingly normal high school girl stumbles across this hidden and dangerous world and becomes caught up in the struggle to gain the use of the world’s remaining magic that had been collected and to be presented as a prize for the victor of the said competition. On the surface, the Granbelm itself is similar to most magic-based animes in that it presents itself as a struggle between various magical girls as they fight to gain the power that they need to affect change. However in my eyes what sets Granbelm apart from those is the fact that while each girl may be powerful mages in their own right each has serious personal issues and problems that that they all wrestle with deep inside them and ones that they hope will be fulfilled once they become the victor in the fierce competition that would pit these young girls against each other in a bitter fight to the end using powerful mecha’s called Armanox that are the manifestation of the girls magic when they fight each other. The first episode of the series I felt was an interesting one in that while doing well in introducing the main characters of Mangetsu and Shingetsu it also did well to showcase one of the series notable trademarks which its fusion of mecha and magic combat and the types of battles that can result from it and ensured that its one series that I will watch till the end.
The overall story for the series takes place within modern-day Japan and follows the life of Mangetsu Kohinata a high school student that had until the start of the story been living a pretty standard life that revolved around school, friends, and family. A life that is full of drama and happiness for her and one that Mangetsu can be said to treasure dearly. But all that changed one fateful night when Mangetsu after arriving back at school late at night to retrieve a lost item suddenly found herself transported to an alternate world in which powerful magic users that wield large powerful mecha’s called Armanox battle each other in a deadly competition to gain the power to become the magus that while gaining immense magical power also gains the ability to make one wish that can forever change reality. After being saved from certain death by a mysterious girl who introduces herself as Shingetsu Ernesta Fukami and being made aware that in this world not only do mages and magic exist but so does competitions that pit each mage and their dearest and most cherished wishes against each other as they fight with all their might to ensure that their wishes that they have made their life’s mission is granted. To Mangetsu whose life until this point had been one of routine and peace the revelation that beyond her normal world was a harsh and dangerous world where girls her age would fight deadly duals to the last with all their skills as a mage and all the passions and determination to attain their wish no matter the cost was indeed a surprising revelation. But even when faced with this reality Mangetsu despite feeling fear also see’s this new world as an opportunity to allow her for the first time to not just walk a path that she had chosen but also in the process help change the lives of the mages that she meets, befriends and bonds with within Granbelm.
Mangetsu
Mangetsu Kohinata portrayed by new seiyuu Miyuri Shimabukuro of Yuuna and the Hot springs fame is one of the main characters of the series and is the main protagonist of the series. A high school student that had until the start of the series had been living a seemingly average life Mangetsu on initial impressions was seen to be a kind, friendly and caring person by nature that approached life with both a friendly attitude and a constant smile on her face that served to ensure that she had many friends within both her class and the school. An innocent, helpful but also open-minded person Mangetsu was someone that while knowing that she was easily taken advantage off was someone that tried hard to help others with their problems whether it was to make food for her schoolmates or to help a friend fight in a deadly battle. Indeed, this overly caring nature of hers can be said to be Mangetsu’s most prominent trait that serves as one of her most prominent motivators. While being able to live the carefree life of a schoolgirl and being able to help your friends and enjoy the praise being levelled at you can be said to be a desire that many people would desire it can be seen that this is something that Mangetsu only grudgingly accepts. While Mangetsu does not view her life as being one without fun or happiness she does accept that she herself has no power that can help others and thus in order to compensate for this and avoid struggles that would be futile she elected to do the best at things that she does best at an attitude that she held until she met a mysterious transfer student named Shingetsu and after encountering a brand new world that only she and her fellow mages can enter.
As the series goes on and after meeting both Shingetsu and being introduced to the world that lay apart from her own Mangetsu’s personality slowly began to change. While convinced early on that both Granbelm and the usage of magic within its realm was indeed real Mangetsu initially was shown to be somewhat indecisive about taking her first steps into the world that lay hidden within her own but this sense of indecisiveness soon began to wane as she bore witness to the kind of high stakes that its participants fight with within their fierce battles. As Mangetsu bore witness to this she began to realise that while this world may be one fraught with peril it was also one that can be used by her to affect change within her life for while she thought she was content with just being praised by others for being helpful the discovery of this world proved to her that this was not so for she also desired to be praised and recognised for her own talents and not just for her cooking abilities. After seeing this new world and the countless possibilities that lay within it as well as the types of dangers that she would face Mangetsu instead of stepping back in fear chose instead to step forward and attempt to change her life her way. While at first Mangetsu’s lack of both basic magic knowledge and combat ability made her somewhat of a liability in combat this gradually began to change due to both Mangetsu’s desire to learn more about magic and her desire to become a better mage so as to allow her to better aid her friends. While the progress of becoming an effective mage was a tough one on Mangetsu due to her lack of formal magical education that the other mages had Mangetsu’s determination to both prove herself as well as her desire to help others served to ensure that her progress was rapid. However while developing into an effective mage that slowly proved to be equal to the others in motivation if not in skill it can be seen that even as she becomes an effective mage through her hard work and desire that Mangetsu never forgot her core values of wanting to help others and in this it can be seen that as a mage she is able to do this much more effectively as she is able to both understand the kind of problems that her fellow mages feel but also come up with some surprising ways to solve them her way.
As a character, I felt that Mangetsu was a well-designed character that as the series went on was developed pretty well both as a combat mage and as a person. While her default self was understandably indecisive and wary of both the unknown and of taking a path that would take her out of her normal happy life I felt that this when used in combination with her core desire to make her mark on the world and prove to not just others but herself as well served to create a solid foundation that allowed her to change with her ending personality of someone that was not just a brave and powerful mage but also one that was loyal, considerate and perceptive to both the physical and mental pain that one can suffer being the best example of how much Mangetsu had changed as a person.
Shingetsu Ernesta Fukami
Shingetsu Ernesta Fukami portrayed by veteran seiyuu Atsumi Tanezaki of Owari No Seraph and Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl sempai fame is one of the main characters of the series and is one of the main allies of Mangetsu within the series serving as both her close friend and confidant. A teenage girl and a transfer student that had recently returned to Japan from Germany Shingetsu on initial appearances is seen to be a quiet, calm and intelligent person by nature that instead of trying to make as many friends and bonds as possible on her transfer seemingly prefers to instead keep her own council and remain apart from her peers. While a quiet person Shingetsu was also shown to be an intelligent and perceptive person by nature that true to her preference for isolation also demonstrated an unusual ability to hold her emotions in check rather than express them as girls her age typically do. However while a quiet person Shingetsu was also someone that wasn’t afraid of expressing her own opinions openly a directness that I felt suited her quite well. While preferring to remain in solitude Shingetsu, however, was not averse to establishing friendships and bonds and indeed it can be said that within the series this act of establishing friendships and bonds with Mangetsu and Kuon served to allow her to grow as a person. When interacting with her friends and with those that she trusts Shingetsu was shown to be someone that was friendly, kind, considerate and helpful and willing to do what she can to help her friends as shown when she helped Mangetsu not just orient herself in her new role as a mage but also teach her the many pieces of knowledge that she lacked.
As the series goes on and as the battle within Granbelm gets fiercer and more personal Shingetsu’s personality gradually begins to change. From the onset it can be seen via interactions with others that Shingetsu’s views on both the world and of magic in particular was a grim one for she believed that magic while providing its users with powerful abilities also served to create within the world a sense of hatred and jealousy that can come about between magic users a point that within the series is well proven in the form of the extreme hatred and jealousy that Anna Shingetsu’s one time friend shows her during their battles within Granbelm. This sense of regret that she feels towards Anna can be said to be the very foundation of Shingetsu’s motivation and overall goal within the series for while she understands that fighting against Anna would cause her to once again relive the memories of the past she knows full well that in order to avoid repeating the same mistake that she must achieve her wish no matter the pain she must endure. Due to this tragic turn of events, it can be said that from the onset Shingetsu while knowing what the concept of friendship was had as a result of her past with Anna had chosen to close off her heart and focus on forging a life that was focused on achieving her wish within Granbelm. While somewhat successful at this it can be said that this cut off from society also served to deny her the kind of skills that girls her age would normally have such as social, cooking and the ability to interact with girls her age comfortably. However this aspect of hers that can be said to be her chief character flaw changed when she met an innocent and seemingly rookie mage named Mangetsu who while lacking in both experience and knowledge in magic and combat still brought to the table an innate sense of curiosity, a sense of determination that seems to know no bounds and perhaps most importantly a strong desire to open Shingetsu’s heart to all the good things that can come from genuine friends and the bonds that are forged between people that have been chosen by fate to meet one another. While somewhat reluctant at first Shingetsu’s personality gradually began to soften as she interacted with Mangetsu and later on with both Kuon and Rin and gradually become not just friendlier but also more willing to offer her own opinions on matters both in and outside of battle.
Perhaps the most important development was Shingetsu’s gradual realization that friends cannot be friends until they can trust each other immeasurably. Overall the character of Shingetsu I felt was an interesting character that was both well designed and developed over the series with her development from a quiet girl who shunned all personal contact while focusing on her singular goal to one that while still focusing on her goal had also learned of just how much warmth genuine friendships and bonds can bring to one being especially well done. While Shingetsu served as an effective mentor and friend for Mangetsu it can be said that this is a role that goes both ways as Shingetsu through her interaction with Mangetsu also served to gain valuable life lessons as well.
Suishou Hakamada
Suishou Hakamada portrayed by veteran seiyuu singer Aoi Yuuki of Sword Art Online and Youjo Senki fame is one of the main support characters of the series and is one of Mangetsu and Shingetsu’s opponents within the series. A high school girl and initially a member of Anna’s house that served as one of her retainers Suishou on initial expressions is seen to be a quiet, carefree and seemingly loyal person that displayed a cheerful and confident attitude to life. While shown to be a powerful mage she was shown to be content with watching over her master and assisting her in her vendetta’s despite having obvious power that outranked hers. However, as the series went on and as the tide of the war turned against her master Suishou eventually showed her true colours as she betrayed and deserted her master in her moment of need. After her master's demise and Suishou’s ascension to the competition it can be seen that her initial personality was no more than a fake persona for the true persona of Suishou was that of a hunter. While largely retaining her confident nature Suishou’s true nature was shown to be someone that was cunning, malicious and deceitful and was someone that placed herself as a priority and indeed only saw others as pawns to her games.
While intelligent Suishou was also shown to be able to demonstrate higher-level thinking being able to think outside of the box and use this to hurt others both physically and emotionally the latter of which she showed considerable talent in. While an expert in the use of psychological manipulation Suishou was also shown to be a powerful combatant that was adept in both spell-based combat as well as in creative use of advanced military tactics that worked well in tandem with her manipulations of people’s ideas. The character of Suishou I felt was an excellent character that was both well designed and developed with her evolution from being a seemingly loyal retainer of Anna to a cunning and malicious hunter that showed great skill at not just combat but also in psychological manipulation being especially impressive.
Kuon
Kuon Tsuchimikado portrayed by new seiyuu Manaka Iwami is one of the main supporting characters of the series and is one of Mangetsu and Shingetsu’s allies within the series. The youngest daughter of a famed magical house within the series Kuon on initial appearances is seen to be a quiet, calm and composed young girl that prefers solitude an attitude that’s similar to Shingetsu. While quiet Kuon was also an intelligent, curious and fast thinking person that had the unusual ability to be able to think outside of the box a skill that’s rare within girls her age. When combined with both her logical nature and her ability to look at things, in the long run, this allowed her to seek out opportunities that will benefit both her and her allies equally without getting emotionally involved a trait that I felt suited her especially well. While far more friendly and diplomatic than Shingetsu Kuon was also intelligent enough to realise that today's allies can also be tomorrows enemies and as a result learned to hide her emotions. Yet even so as the series went on it can be seen that until the end Kuon’s interactions with her friends and allies Shingetsu and Mangetsu can be said to be something that she genuinely enjoyed and seemed to treasure and despite being rivals she had not elected to withdraw from their alliance and re target them as hostiles showing that in her life they were existences that were equal to her idolised elder sister. While seemingly mature for her age Kuon was shown to be someone that was surprisingly fragile emotionally and was easily rattled when exploited by skilled enemies such as her true opponent Suishou. However conversely Kuon was also shown to be able to fight extremely well when her focus is clear and her mind is engaged fully as shown in the high-level duals that marked the end of her arc.
The character of Kuon I felt was an interesting one that was both well designed and developed as the series went on. In a way, it can be seen that Kuon’s default personality was similar to Shingetsu’s in that like her Kuon’s nature at the start was that of a quiet, calm and composed girl that took great care in planning her moves in Granbelm while viewing things like bonds and friendships as secondary concerns. However unlike Shingetsu who at the start took deliberate steps to avoid making bonds and, in the process, ensuring that she had little social experience Kuon was the opposite due to the strong bond that she had enjoyed with her sister. Due to the upbringing that Kuon had experienced, it can be seen the bond that she enjoys with her sister was a potent one that she relied upon greatly for advice both in terms of Granbelm as well as in the life that she had outside of it. Indeed it can be said that her sister's fate was the very reason that prompted Kuon to enter Granbelm. This strong bond with her sister I felt was an interesting one as while serving as a potent source of motivation for her it also acted as a double-edged sword of sorts that could be exploited by those that were adept at manipulation as shown in her interactions with Suishou.
While Kuon’s interactions with Suishou that served as the centrepiece of her arc grew increasingly fierce within the series and served to introduce significant doubts in her mind to the level of trust that existed between her and her sister this also proved to be a perfect stage for Kuon’s other bonds that she had discovered to materialise and assist her in her struggle this bond being the bonds of friendship that she had established with Mangetsu and Shingetsu. While at first only viewing the two as allies of convenience that were to be discarded when the situation changed Kuon’s views on this gradually changed as she interacted with them more and got to know them more on a personal level. For Kuon whose only true bond until now was the one that she shared with her sister this was perhaps a more profound experience than she expected. Indeed it is this profound experience that served well to both protect her from Suishou but also allow her to finally realise her sister's true wishes and the steps that she took to ensure that her beloved sister was able to avoid the same mistakes that she had made in Granbelm.
AMV
In terms of animations I felt that the series character designs for the individual girls were well designed and served well to show that while each girl was of similar age and came from different backgrounds, they all had one unified goal within Granbelm which was to ensure that their treasured wish came to fruition. This within the series was shown both in the form of the outfits that each girl wore as well as in the location types that defined their homes that served as their sanctuary. In terms of mecha’s designs which served as one of the main draw points for this series, I felt that the Armanox which served as the mages main combat application within Granbelm were excellently designed both visually and also in the types of roles and attack types that each possessed. At the same time true to the fact that the dolls to which the Armanox essentially were I also felt that each doll reflected well on the temperament of each girl with its ability of being able to adapt to the mental state of each girl being of notable interest. While the doll’s ability to manifest weapons as envisioned by its wielder was impressive its ability to invoke magical spells was equally so an aspect that was aided greatly by both the large variety of magic elements that were used as well as the size and complexity of the spells that were invoked. Notable examples of such within the series were Anna’s mass mirage attack and Suishou’s own illusion-based attacks. In terms of combat animations and battles I felt that the battles within the series were both well designed and fluid and took great advantage of the combination of the unique mechas, magical elements, environmental settings and the feelings of the mages involved to create battles that were not just visually impressive but also tension-filled to the extreme due to the sheer unpredictability of the flow of the battles an aspect that only served to increase when spirits are used as well.
In terms of music, the series made use of one opening and ending theme which was Tsuki Wo Ou Mayonaka by veteran singer Eir Aoi and Negai that was performed by Uru. Both of these songs I felt while excellent ones invoked within me a different series of feelings with the former giving me a sense of anticipation at seeing the massed feelings and desires of the girls take flight as they fight with all their might to make their wishes come true in the brutal battles within Granbelm while the latter invoked a sense of peace and calm that reminded me of a war's end and the reforging of bonds between the girls as they looked to the future. These songs and the effects that they had I felt was aided greatly by the visuals that were shown during the opening and ending themes within the series. Voice acting-wise I felt that the series voice cast all did an excellent job at portraying their assigned characters whether they were main or support ones. In particular, I felt that Miyuri Shimabukuro, Atsumi Tanezaki, Aoi Yuuki, Manaka Iwami, Yoko Hikasa and Yurika Kubo all did an excellent job at portraying the characters of Mangetsu, Shingetsu, Suishou, Kuon, Anna and Nene respectively. In this I felt that Aoi Yuuki’s portrayal of Suishou and Atsumi Tanezaki’s portrayal of Shingetsu deserve special praise as their hard work truly made their characters shine within the series.
Overall conclusion
Overall Granbelm I felt was an excellent anime that in my opinion had among its strongest points being its unique premise that combined the traditional magical girl and mecha concepts in a surprising way, an excellent story that weaved an excellent tale of bonds, friendships, wishes and desires together, well designed and developed characters, well designed and executed battles that combined excellent mecha designs with visually impressive magical and melee attacks and excellent voice acting from a talented voice cast. The series overall story and premise I felt deserve special mention in this case as I felt that in both cases they did well in combining elements that are not normally seen much together and in the process creating a solid foundation that allowed the series overall story to base itself and tell us an excellent tale of how a cast of young schoolgirls despite living a seemingly ordinary life in a normal world would as the full moon draws annually ready themselves and put the hard training and their earnest desires to make their wishes come true in the fierce maelstrom that is Granbelm. While the clever combination of mecha and magical based combat serves as one of the series main draw points I felt that this was not the only one as the story also allowed us to see the kind of effects that the battles had on its participants both physically and mentally in the form of the bonds and friendships that are formed between its fighters and the effects that it has on their performance within Granbelm. This is best shown in the character development that this induces within the main characters of Mangetsu and Shingetsu as well as in the secondary characters of Kuon, Suishou, Anna and Nene.
In overall I felt that Granbelm was an excellent anime that through its skilful combination of an unique premise, excellent story, well designed and developed characters, well designed battles that took great advantage of a creative pairing between magic and mecha and excellent voice acting managed to create an excellent tale that showed just how powerful bonds of friendship can be and how it can aid in both changing the world as well as the lives of those that you hold dear in your hearts in the most dramatic of ways. In terms of final score, I would say that Granbelm easily deserves a final score of 10/10.
