Well, this year was my first year back at major anime watching in a long time. I started up again this spring, and I've got to say, it's either me-- or anime got super ecchi.
Everyone has their own standards as to what floats his/her boat, and I can openly say that this anime did pretty well.
Story- 7
UPDATE: I've finished the series. My expectations weren't off at all considering that I watched every episode, except for 13, while it was still airing. The ending was meh, but what could I have expected. But the same can go for a majority of the previous season's anime (Hagure no Yuusha Ecstetica, Dakara Boku Wa H Ga Denkai). Wait-- not only last season's, but it can apply for a lot of recent day animes. If I did not come back and watch anime, I would have been REALLY bothered by the ending. However, I did come back to watching anime this year-- and was disappointed by numerous endings. Luckily I got used to the bleh endings after watching a few bleh endings.
Our main protagonist, Kusanagi Godou is a campione-- a god slayer.A campione has his/her set of special abilities called authorities. The campione's abilities come from a god that one has slayed. I can openly say that this is very original. At the moment, I can't think of any anime/manga that mimics or comes close to the ideas in this anime/novel.
Not much background is given about life before the series, given that this is a 13 episode anime. Although it is a harem, it's not all about the ecchi related things. Everything did flow, but maybe everything flowed too fast. Godou does get stronger indeed, but how is the question. Besides the fact that he has 4 knights/women standing beside him, doesn't change the fact that he gets stronger in a flash. I know that he does get stronger through acquiring the knowledge of/about the gods, but that doesn't explain how he learns how to fight and uses Verethragna's authorities. Otherwise everything flowed very smoothly. Considering that it's 13 episodes long, I can't expect this anime to go out in a BANG. It might be left open for a second season, or it might be altered story-wise (like some anime-- Pandora Hearts to just give an example).
There was a lot missing from the anime that was in the novel, and if the studio would have chosen to put those parts in, I personally thought it would have been a lot better. Instead of a really rushed, mundane 11-13 episode anime-- it could have been so much more. Just an opinion, as is this review.
Art:10
They did great with the animation and artwork. They didn't cut corners in any of the 12 episodes so far. Everything was VERY detailed. I have personally gone to Italy, and I can say that they did a good job of portraying Italy. The scene where Godou first encounters Perseus was a place where I went, and they did a good job of putting it in. The train station from the 1st episode could have actually looked like that in real life, but with more people.
Sound:9
I'm not sure if it's just me, but I didn't hear that many catchy tracks. They did a good job here, too. The seiyuu did splendid jobs (spare me episode 12). ANYWAYS, there wasn't anything that bothered me at all. Everything sounded as it should have.
Character: 10->9
Update:
I do believe that the characters did have SOME time to develop/show more character. Erica was pretty much the same from beginning to end (considering that she was somewhat of a tsundere, opening up to Goudo when she found out he was a campione). I really thought that Ena could have had more screen time/character development. However, I guess this all can also be attributed to the fact that it was 13 episodes long.
I think I'll be able to remember these characters in a few years time. Godou isn't a weak lead in this harem. He's actually just right in the middle. Not too strong, and not too weak. Godou isn't oblivious (if I remember correctly), and he isn't over confident either. He's what I'd call a homeostatic lead. Not extreme in any way. Liliana and Erica are the 2 more memorable of the 4 in Godou's harem, primarily due to more screen time is what I think. Erica is probably the most horny yet elegant female lead. Yeah, an oxymoron right there... Liliana, although she somewhat follows the norm of a shy girl, doesn't follow the norm at the same time. She eventually opens up and openly shows her feelings for her king. Ena is very lax. Not something you find everyday in a harem. Her personality is a bit different. She's laid back, but at the same time she likes Godou. She was introduced rather spontaneously, so I guess that's why she seems different. Yuri is closest to the visual novel norm... the shy innocent girl. Not a bad thing FOR ME, but not a good thing either. Even though she was introduced early on, and was shown throughout the series, I had the most trouble remembering her. And then comes Athena. She's not an "official" member of Kusanagi's harem, but she is a part of it. Unique to her is the way she joined it. She started off as an antagonist and became an unclear character later on, although it can be assumed she is on Godou's side.
Overall, I think these are the most memorable characters of Summer 2012.
Enjoyment and Overall: 10
Update: Overall it stayed the same. I am used to seeing the cliffhanger/bad/so-so endings, so the 13th episode did not really subtract from anything.
I thought this to be one of the best, if not the best of Summer 2012, and *maybe* this year for me. Godou was unique in that he was close to normal. He and Issei are my favorite leads of this year, and possibly of all that I have watched. The 1st episode reeled me in. I've seen tons of anime with spirits, but I don't think I've seen any with mythical gods. The story is great so far for 12/13 episodes done. I'm almost positive that this is the best of Summer 2012.
When I've completed the series, I'll update the review and give it my final thoughts.
Done with the updates!
