Japanese Role Playing Games can be hard to transfer to the animated medium. They usually consist of a lot of side quests and character dynamic/bonding moments that really help you connect with the characters and immerse yourself in the world. Most adaptations skip that, instead opting for the big action scenes and set pieces to get you to go out and buy the game. Acting as a highlight reel of sorts for the story. I really appreciate that LIDENFILMS recognised the significance of character interactions to the Atelier Ryza story and focused on the friendship between Ryza and her childhood friends. By the end of it, I really felt like I had gone on a journey with these kids and grew up a bit myself. You know the feeling when you do a side quest in a game and it sheds light on a character, making you more attached to them? Most of the episodes of this show are like that. So that should give you a little insight into the pacing and type of story here.
The anime is a slow burn, not a lot of action. But what it lacks in sakuga, it makes up for in emotional development between the characters. If you’re someone who needs a lot happening in a story to enjoy it, you’re not going to have fun with this one. Ryza is very much a slice of life fantasy show about small island kids trying to find their way in a world that’s much bigger than they could have ever imagined.
Like the game, there is a big emphasis on crafting and synthesizing in the anime. Over the course of the show, Ryza develops as an alchemist and it never feels overly convenient or contrived. There are trials and tribulations along the way. She stumbles, falls and thanks to her friends, is able to get up stronger than ever. The alchemy scenes are very well done and have a nice magical vibe to them. If you’ve played the games, they are very much true to the spirit of the game and seeing Ryza craft something never fails to satisfy.
I’ve talked about Ryza a lot since she’s the protagonist, but the other characters are great in this as well. No one is insignificant. They all play really important roles and Ryza would be lost without every single person in the cast. They all have satisfactory growth arcs where they get individual moments of brilliance, and I like how they all compliment each other’s strengths and weaknesses. If you like good characters, this show’s got them in spades. The writing is not the best, in terms of overarching narratives, or villains, it’s much more self contained and more about adolescent development than taking down a big bad. But, again, it is a slice of life style story and a very well done one at that.
There’s a lot more to the Ryza anime and games than just thighs, and while it’s ok if that’s your initial entry into the series I think you’ll find a lot more here. This show is a no brainer for any JRPG fan or just slice of life enthusiast. I think it didn’t land that well with many people because well, JRPGS are still relatively niche outside of Japan. There’s a lot of dialogue, takes a while to get going etc etc., and the Ryza anime has a lot of that in it. It is a very fun watch, though.
Atelier Ryza gets 7 out of 10.
