Warning! Spoiler alert!
Story
After losing his family to vampires, revenge-driven Yuuichirou decides to become a soldier in an attempt to get back at the vampires. On the other side of the conflict lies Mikaela, Yuuichirou's long-lost friend, who actually survived the attack that killed Yuuichiro's family and is now a vampire himself, forced to work against his will in a desperate attempt to save Yuu. I have to say, I wasn't really intrigued by this premise, but with the proper development, it could work wonders. Unfortunately, the show's dark and gritty atmosphere and its propensity for violence and blood felt tiring and borderline depressing at times. I get it, a show about vampires is bound to feature blood and violence to a certain extent, but the show has such a bleak and hopeless aura to it that it was hard for me to get emotionally invested in the story.
Don't get me wrong, I don't mind dark and gritty stories, I just want those stories to feature clearly defined heroes and villains and to deliver positive outcomes. Seraph of the End starts in a very dark place and it takes its sweet time in reaching a moderately positive outcome at the end of its first season. The vampires are ruthless killing machines that take sadistic pleasure in killing their victims and, as with countless other dark fantasy stories, it's implied that the humans are hardly any better, what with the demonic weapons and the unethical experimentations.
There's nothing wrong with making dark and gritty stories, but you have to make viewers care about it. You have to ensure that the suffering the characters endure ultimately amounts to something, less they will stop caring enough to watch the show. I was dangerously close to dropping the show by how hopeless and angsty the setting was and it took me a long time, like 7 or 8 episodes, to develop an actual emotional investment on it. (5/8)
Characters
Seraph of the End kinda sucks at giving viewers characters to care about. Yuuichirou, our hero and the character we're supposed to sympathize with and get behind, is an angry, brooding jerk who only cares about getting revenge on the vampires. His squadmates, especially Shinoa, have an arrogant and cavalier attitude towards life and aren't above making snide remarks or using violence on one another for petty infractions.
The vampires are even worse, with with them being sadistic jerks that kill humans without remorse. Even Mikaela, the only sympathetic vampire, feels like an afterthought, considering his hopeless attempts to hold on to his humanity. Really, the only character I cared about in the first half of the season was Yoichi because he's the only genuinely nice character in the show. Sure, he wants vengeance for his sister's death but he still tries to be a good person and he goes on to show that human kindness can still prevail even in the cruel times of war. While I think Yuu's attempts to temper his thirst for vengeance with the need to protect those he cares about makes him something of a compelling character, the angry, revenge-seeking archetype kinda feels played out at this point, and I gravitated towards Yoichi because he wants to see the good in people in such harsh times.
To be fair, I did start caring about Yuu until episode 7 or 8, when he risks his life to save a little girl from the vampires. From that moment on, Seraph of the End was making it clear that Yuuichirou cared for something other than his vendetta, and since then, Yuu has become more heroic and human, especially when he starts making genuine bonds with his teammates. See, Seraph of the End? This is what you should have done in the beginning, show the humanity, compassion and heroism these characters are capable of. You have to make the viewers care about the characters, plain and simple. (6/10)
Art
Now, this is something I can genuinely appreciate. The visual quality on this show is outstanding. The movements look fluid, the fight sequences are amazing, the backgrounds look detailed and the character designs, both human and vampire, look distinctive enough from each other. (8/10)
Sound
As I said before, Felecia Angelle is the main reason I gave this show a chance and she does not disappoint. Even though Shinoa isn't really my cup of tea, Felecia does wonders with her material. She also has fine chemistry with co-star Micah Solusod, who actually makes Yuu feel like an actual character, thanks to his emotional voice. Justin Briner, who I mostly know as an actor specializing in heroic roles, perfectly conveys the pain and sadness of Mikaela. All in all, the cast rises above the material they're given and deliver outstanding performances. The soundtrack is good, but there wasn't anything for me take away from. (8/10)
Overall
Seraph of the End isn't a bad show. There were enough things about that kept me from watching it, but when it takes 7 or so episodes for a 12-episode anime to become good, then you know you have started off on the wrong foot. Hopefully, future Seraph of the End will double down on the good things and correct the flaws. You need a lot of patience to get to the part of the show, but when you reach that part, you won't be disappointed. (7/10)
