There are three fantasies that I have had for as long as I can remember. Number one is the ability to master a system of magic that allows me to create objects out of nothing. Number two is being sent back in time so that I can use knowledge from this era to my advantage, speeding up the development of that world in the process. And the third is to save a broken girl, destroyed by poverty and horrifying circumstances, who is at the lowest point in her life, yet who retains a heart of gold; in this scenario, I would be the prince who purchases her from the slavers and saves her heart from darkness, so that she would love me in return.
Can you guess the three major plot points that form the basis of this anime's story? Yep, you guessed it. This anime feels as if it were specifically targeted at me, as if someone out there had peeked into my mind and said to themselves: I'll make an anime for this person!
I was brought into anime, I must admit embarrassingly, by Sword Art Online. The reason is that it hit one and a half of my core fantasies. I've been searching for anime that could fill that purpose ever since. Never, however, have I found an anime that personifies them as well as this one.
I can't say anything about how other people will like this anime. As a show without particulars, it is handled well enough to earn its score on this site. But to me, this show is something I've been looking for--and trying to create--for a decade. I've written two whole separate novels whose purpose was to fulfill exactly what this anime delivers. A modern man goes back in time with the power to create objects from nothing using creative assembly of the magic system and, in the process, saves a poor slave girl from a life of horrible destitution. Through doing this, he brings new technology to the people of the world and in the process earns a place in that society. This is exactly the perfect story for me.
Finally, I must mention the biggest thematic draw for me as I consider this story intellectually. It already caught me by the throat with its emotional aspects, but there is one intellectual thing that really seals the deal for me. I must mention that I am an avid fan of Ayn Rand. I know most people won't understand what that means.
The main character is utterly, completely, and totally selfish. Everything he does is to serve the single purpose he desires to achieve. Through an application of his mission, he shows that the best way to achieve his goals is to be kind, caring and loving to those who can help him. On the other hand, he shows absolutely no mercy to those who work against him. I believe that this kind of character, a veritable Howard Roark, is the pinnacle of what I consider to be good characterization. While no real human being could act like him on all emotional and physical levels, he personifies the goal that individual humans should strive for; that is, complete and total honesty with the self in a manner that, instead of denigrating his relationships with the world, improves them instead. The main character is a demonstration of beneficial selfishness.
I've made my point. I love this anime specifically because it feels as if it were created to target me. At this point, having watched three quarters of the show, I don't care how badly they screw it up. It's a ten in my book, even if the ending somehow tanks. This is my fantasy; one that is so specific to my tastes that I can't imagine it came from anyone other than myself reincarnated into the life of a Japanese light novel author.
