Going into it, I was not expecting much from Seijo no Maryoku wa Bannou Desu. It seemed like an interesting show and I had nothing else to do at the time, so I thought I would give it a try.
The first episode did not feel really special, and the second, and then the third...and on and on. But for some odd reason, I found myself unable to stop watching. Even as I acknowledged how seemingly "bland" of a story it was in comparison to recent titles of the past decade, I was pulled. I found myself wondering what would happen next while going about my day.
And as I slowly became immersed in the small yet sophisticated world of The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent, I realized just how beautiful it really was and why I had been so allured by it. It reminded heavily me of Violet Evergarden and Soredemo Sekai wa Utsukushii, yet it also had it's own unique charm I couldn't quite wrap my fingers around.
Throughout the entire series, I found myself wondering what this anime was trying to be, especially after that awkward Isekai introduction. But after finishing the series and seeing the characters reach a beautiful conclusion to the very first chapter in their own stories, it hit me. Although this story shared many commonalities with traditional love stories and others more modern stories in the same genre, it still stood out, even after having seen so many of the same style repeated over and over again; and that was exactly why it was so enjoyable.
It felt almost Shakespearean, with how exaggerated yet subtle the story was told. It was a very traditional dynamic, the classic archetype of following a sort of princess in love on her own journey across the kingdom. Combined all together, the art, music, and world building truly brings one back to more simpler times. Times where love stories were just first created.
Seijo no Maryoku wa Bannou Desu is a simple story, one filled with love and hardships. But that doesn't stop it from being something beautiful. The final conclusion I came to after finishing this anime was that of an important reminder.
Stories and archetypes today were born from mythologies of the past. The simple folklore stories that carried a simple meaning themselves, Hansel and Gretel, Romeo and Juliet, Little Red Riding Hood, Alice In Wonderland, etc. It's easy to forget that there is meaning to the simple in life.
So many critics today are unimpressed by the lack of complexity in a story, and even the average reader as well. However it's important to not forget that what we once considered as masterpieces or classics, started out as simple stories like these.
Seijo no Maryoku wa Bannou Desu is a simple and short story that perfects all the basics, yet not doing anything drastically above and beyond to make itself "unique"—a gimmick. Seijo no Maryoku wa Bannou Desu is simple, and that's what makes it so beautiful and refreshing.