I just want to start off by saying, I haven’t read the manga – I’m sure it’s better, it usually is. I don’t often write reviews like this; this is the first one I’ve felt the need to due to most of the existing ones being from manga fans who don’t like the adaption and the flurry of negative scores given by those who feel this opposes their religious views. I respect those opinions. This is for those of you who are anime watchers, especially for battle anime that know they probably won’t read the source.
So battle anime, this is one in the purest form. As in, quite literally the show is a series of battles. Think of it as the tournament arc of your favourite shonen where every battle is the epic final bout of the season that highlights the character growth and development of both parties as it progresses in delightfully chaotic action. I think there is a place in the market for this; it isn’t something I see often yet definitely feels familiar to the viewer; I wouldn’t want a whole ton of anime like this – but its relatively simple concept is an enjoyable set piece that action fans will enjoy.
The gist of the anime is, humanity fights for the right to live by selecting their strongest of the strong to fight in an arena with the strongest of the gods in the battle of Ragnarök. Pretty simple idea, but there’s a lot that’s done here that I really appreciate. The characters feel like they have depth, which is extremely hard to do when your entire anime takes place in an area in continuous battle after battle. During the fight, an extensive history of the person – be it god or man – is given to the audience, blending both historical fact with the author either extending the history with his own imagination or filling in the blanks. This is a feast for those who appreciate history, which is why this next point is so important. Many religions and cultures are represented here; this isn’t a solely Japanese history-based show, nor is it entirely based around Greek mythology. In a move that is reminiscent of Fate, this show gives you gods and heroes from all around the world; you may not recognize all of them, but you are without a doubt likely to recognize a few. This makes the ride extremely enjoyable overall, adding an extra layer of complexity to this rather simple battle premise.
The bad? Well, the thing I hate the most about this show is the OP – I could never actually make myself sit through the whole thing as it made me feel like I was getting a tumor. Maybe fans of metal will enjoy it but it made my entire existence want to end. On the bright side, the ED I found myself always sitting through as it was very pleasant to listen to. I don’t have that much to nitpick about it in all honesty, I really like the animation and art style that feel a little like JoJo; there is a bit of muddy animation in there but mixed with the visual style and what is going on, it just kind of works in a weird way. The pacing is probably something that could be improved, you wanted to see more fight and then you would get thrown into exposition then bit of fight, but it almost made it so that it all heightens the tension that you feel while watching – so overall even that aspect which annoyed me at first became something that kept me watching and engaged with the material.
TLDR?
It’s a good battle anime, it’s quite simple, doesn’t require too much brain power and achieves everything it sets out to. It has a very distinctive art style you will either love or hate. The boob jiggle physics are on the level of giga-brain. It rewards knowledge of history, while not alienating those who don’t know about it; creatively warping the past to create a new and worthwhile adventure. Just sit down, drink a beer and switch off for a few moments while these guys throw their punches. You really don’t have to think that hard.
