Reviews

As a whole, The Sacred Blacksmith is a mixed bag in its exploration of Cecily and Luke's ordeals surrounding the Demon Swords and the mysterious man causing troubles throughout the kingdom the two young heroes inhabit. The series essentially divides itself into arcs focused around various conflicts that Cecily and Luke encounter with a different situation pertaining to the two said scenarios. One of the show's biggest weaknesses proves to be the choice in which it follows its plot direction. The series has you believing at first that the plot would be focused around Cecily and Luke unraveling the schemes of the mysterious man until it tosses in the element of the Demon Swords. This brings about the arc involving Charlotte which while a touching one to look into, it doesn't do anything in advancing the other critical plot development involving the mysterious man.

Adding to these complications with the plot are some unexplored plot elements such as why some Demon Swords like Aria are able to take human form and preparations for the battle against the powerful demon being feared. Pacing also seemed fairly rushed towards the show's second half leading to unnatural developments with plotting and characters due to the lack of proper buildup on such elements such as the revelation of the mysterious man and improvements in Cecily's swordsmanship. In addition to these issues, I was getting quite turned off by the show's cheap attempt at getting humor off nods to Cecily's bust size. While fan service isn't rampant in Sacred Blacksmith, hearing the characters tease or mention Cecily's breasts did annoy me at points.

What does work for the series are the character relationships and developments witnessed throughout Sacred Blacksmith. The series does a decent job in fleshing out prominent characters in regards to their backgrounds and their personal beliefs. The series also establishes character relationships that mesh well enough to have you care for the bonds that said characters have for one another such as Charlotte and her posse from their struggles for acceptance by Charlotte's kingdom and the unique wielder-weapon bond between Cecily and Demon Sword Aria. Visuals also look decent on the eyes sporting clean details and vivid colors in regards to scenery, as well as good-looking character designs like the attractive human form of Aria and the various demons that are slayed throughout the series. Animation often consists of static shots during battle scenes, but has its moments of great animation during sword fights involving major characters and the sword forging spell used by Lisa and Luke.

The Sacred Blacksmith is far from being the best anime one will come across due to its shoddy direction in plotting and rushed pacing in the show's second half that hamper developments and elements within the series. However, the character bonds and the individual developments of said characters do help alleviate these major flaws to a degree. While not being the most original title one will come across, The Sacred Blacksmith is worthwhile enough for a quick watch if you take interest in it.