How long do you think you could survive in your new world where monsters exists and the only way for you to earn your living would be to hunt them down?
Grimgar reminds us of the terrors that exist with adventures through its simple story.
Story (7/10):
Grimgar follows the story of a group of people who find themselves in a fantasy world with no memories from where they came from or how they go there. This group struggles to survive and make a living for themselves as voluntary soldiers (or roughly similar to adventurers).
This is the whole plot of Grimgar. If you take it as is, it really sounds to simple to be good. But, how you tell a story, simple or not, makes all the difference. The approach it took with telling the story made it slightly different than other shows in its caliber. Grimgar's take on the fantasy-adventure genre was quite serious and down to how real it could possibly get. You only get once chance in life. There are no checkpoints. There are no re-dos. And you are not Natsuki Subaru.
With a lot of other shows exaggerating the durability of their characters, it's refreshing to see how the story gives emphasis to the frailness of life despite the fact it is an issekai anime. Real world concepts and rules being applied to the world of Grimgar made it so much more relatable and personal. The characters don't have plot convenience and plot armor backing them up. Their world relies on chance and wits. Their thrill and fear, you can feel and sympathize. The story telling and character development worked so well together that it made its cliche story, good.
Art (5/10):
The emphasis and detail was consumed by the characters. Character development was really important with how the story progressed. Character expressions were smooth and very expressive. If the character art was all I that I would rate, it would get a 9/10. But, taking into account the background art... well...
The background was lackluster. There was so little detail given to it that it got to the point where it was distracting and clearly on a lower level with the characters' animation. There were certain parts in the story where the background clearly mattered but the art did not match its importance.
Sound (8/10):
The music was good. The background music was also notable. There were however, certain scenes where it wouldn't hurt to add some background music.
Character (9/10):
Character development was on par with its story. These two elements complemented each other and would be the greatest strength this anime had. I admired how every character in the main group was unique and how they were each given enough time to develop.
Their motif was not spoon fed to the viewers. And in the end, I wasn't still sure as to what a couple of characters were trying to do but the show left it open for interpretation. I kinda just wished that they didn't do that.
Enjoyment (7/10):
Overall (8/10):
The show didn't end on a high note but it was satisfying. I was a little bothered with the pacing but, I also didn't feel that it deserved to be dragged on any longer or to get another season. What it gave me right now was enough but not enough for me to fawn over it. For a personal preference, I would've wanted more of the protagonist's love interest to bloom.
This show is a more serious take on the issekai genre and I would recommend anyone interested in such to watch it. Gore and violence are kept to a minimum and over bearing characters are nowhere to be found (sort of).
