Netflix has a reputation among anime fans that could be summarized as mixed. On one hand, they are infamous for licensing succesful anime franchises in order to make adaptations that, usually, not only don't make the original any justice but even feel like a mockery. There is the case of the Death Note film. On the other hand, they're more or less appreciated because with their licensing of anime they contribute to make it more watched and known across many sectors. Some of those anime fall under the Netflix Original brand which, despite what it might indicate, it doesn't mean Netflix produced it but merely licensed it for simultaneous worldwide distribution. Some titles have been excellently received like Violet Evergarden (made by Kyoto Animation) while others have had a more mixed reception like Yasuke (made by MAPPA). Sadly, Record of Ragnarok seems to fall in the latter category. It's a fairly entertaining anime with excellent characters, setting, story and themes but that is sadly brought down by the awful PowerPointer-esque animation. It's a sad wasted chance because it had the potential of being the next One Punch Man, but regrettably, it seems fated to be the next Berserk 2016.

Setting: RoR could essentially be described as a battle seinen. The Gods are tired of humanity and their sins so they decide to wipe them out in a council. But at the last second, a Valkyrie named Brunhilde using a special clause convinces them to instead organize a huge tournament pitting 13 champions that represent humanity against 13 champions that will fight for the Gods. Throughout the tournament, called the Ragnarok, Brunhilde and her Valkyrie sisters do the job of selecting humans to fight and then coach them as part of their inner plot of revenge against the Gods. The entire first season happens inside the arena and consists of the fights, commentary from spectators (both Gods and humans) and some backstage conversations as well as flashbacks. It's a pretty simple and straightforward premise but it still works.

Characters: Probably the biggest highlight. The characters from RoR are taken from both mythology and history. In this aspect, RoR reminds me a lot of Fate Stay/Night with each Servant being slowly revealed and inserted into the story. Every character has a lot of in-depth and characterization, which is helped by the extensive flashback segments during the fights that explain their backstories, motivations, dreams and why they act the way they do. These sequences, while they might seem like a hassle to some viewers, are fundamental in making us actually care for the fighters. This aspect was probably the best executed.

Sound and visuals: The music is overall quite good. Yasuharu Takanashi, famous for composing the OST of anime like Naruto or Fairy Tail, has done a good job at creating music that enhances the tone and increases the impact of certain scenes. However, so far I can't really recall a specific soundtrack that I could describe as memorable, unlike in other anime like Attack on Titan, Bleach or Death Note which are full of memorable songs. Visually, it's also fairly good. The anatomy of the fighters is very well designed and the visual effects are also fine, although I feel like the facial expressions are lacking at some times, especially compared to the manga. Overall, not bad but also could be better.

Animation: Alright, what's the most important aspect of an ANIMATED series? The ANIMATION. Excellent and memorable animation is what made the first season of One Punch Man so memorable. And Demon Slayer. And Attack on Titan. And so on.

One would think that for a seinen anime and, worse, a battle seinen, Graphinica would put a lot of emphasis on the animation. After all, the truly central aspect of a battle anime are the battles, aren't they? But sadly they didn't. The PowerPoint animation meme is sadly real. Some fights feel more like still shots than fluid ones. This isn't me being nitpicky and saying "It sucks because it's not ufotable/MAPPA/Madhouse-tier", but rather me saying "It sucks because it doesn't feel like a fight". For as much as people slam on "generic" battle shonen, at least Pierrot or Toei Animation know perfectly that the moment Goku or Naruto start fighting it's the moment the animation quality should increase.

Graphinica is not a particularily bad studio; they made the final OVAs of the beautifully animated Hellsing Ultimate and some movies like Hello World. I don't know the particular reasons Graphinica missed on this fundamental aspect (maybe it's the usual deadline issues, in which case maybe Netflix and Warner Bros. Japan have a lot to explain) but it definitely pushes the anime down. Many times I was watching the Powerpoint fights and thinking "What's the difference between this and reading the manga?". Considering Graphinica seems to especialize on 3DCG animation I would have honestly taken CGI-influenced fights or even a whole CGI anime (like God Eater) over...this constant slideshow. Yes, not all the anime is a slideshow but its presence in many fights that should be impactful drags down the entire experience. It's even funny how selective Graphinica seemed to be, because, for example, Aphrodite's breasts were perfectly animated. One could even say it feels like the studio was directly making fun of us.

In a nutshell, Record of Ragnarok is a flawed yet enjoyable anime. It has excellent story, characters, good music and visuals but sadly they all get nullified by the headscratchingly bad animation that just ruin all the other aspects. It has recently been announced a second season that will also feature Graphinica. Part of me hopes Graphinica steps up their game and actually gives us a well animated show, hopefully redeeming an anime with so much potential. But honestly, I'd rather just read the manga.