This time, I want to talk about one of my favourite anime of 2015 (I didn't see it on air but it can be in my top 5): Junketsu no Maria. Of all the anime that made that list, this has to be the one that caught me by surprise the most because I expected absolutely nothing from it. But boy, it turned out to be pretty good and exceeded my very low expectations by far.

First, I should mention that the anime takes place in medieval France, during the Hundred Years‘ War (for the historically ignorant, like me, the Hundred Years’ War was a conflict between the kingdoms of France and England that lasted 116 years. Hence the name). While making a work of fiction set in a historical context is nothing new, it is quite unusual for fiction of Japanese origin to come out of the usual World War II or feudal Japan. Moreover, fantasy series that follow the medieval trope are not usually set in a specific time or, in most cases, a world completely different from our own. On that note, it's interesting to see an anime that dares to step outside of the ‘normal’.

Speaking in terms of characters, most of them are well-crafted and very few of them feel ‘extra’. That is to say, all the characters have a purpose in the story and are not there as mere ‘ornaments’ or because they are funny or something similar. Of all the characters introduced, it is quite obvious that Maria is the most developed of all, being the protagonist and the one who gives the series its name. The way in which they evolve her character is through moral dilemmas that call her actions into question. Bernard, the antagonist, is, in my opinion, the most interesting character in the whole series, especially because of his particular idea of religion. On the other hand, it should not be ruled out that the character whose evolution was much more noticeable was not the protagonist, but Ezequiel, who starts out as something of an antagonistic character, but gradually becomes closer to Maria. And, speaking of Ezequiel, one thing Junketsu no Maria does very well is the interactions between the different characters. The conversations between Maria and the succubus and incubus are very funny and serve to lighten the moment, especially during the second half when the anime starts to take itself a bit more seriously.

One point of note is the inclusion of the somewhat racy scenes and the issue of the protagonist's virginity. Being like me, many people don't like unnecessary ecchi, especially in a series that doesn't really need it, but this isn't the case. While the series gives the impression that it's going to have a lot of fanservice and focus a lot on ecchi, the ecchi content ends up being more restrained. That is to say, there is ecchi and yes there are sexy scenes, but there aren't that many and, surprisingly, they are well executed. They don't rise to the level of being morbid and rather serve as moments of relaxation and comedy. There is also the fact that the protagonist's virginity plays a key role in the story. It is not just a gag, but serves an important function in later episodes.

One interesting thing about Junketsu no Maria is the themes it tries to cover. The most notorious is that Maria is a pacifist and wants to end the war. This would be ideal if it weren't for the questions that the protagonist is asked throughout the series: Wouldn't it be easier to end it all with a decisive war? In part, this is true. Eventually, the consequences of her actions become apparent, and what started out as a good-faith action ends up making things worse and the war continues, even more forcefully. The inclusion of such moral debates is interesting since, as I mentioned earlier, it helps the protagonist to grow and understand her situation better.

Another, perhaps more tricky, issue is how religion and the Catholic Church are presented in the anime. We are already very used to the church being presented as the ‘bad guy’ and Junketsu no Maria is no exception. Although, to be frank, it's not exactly the church that is portrayed as the bad guy, but God and religion itself. The world of Junketsu no Maria is a world in which God is an all-powerful being who merely performs the role of observer and tries to maintain order and balance between good and evil. Generally, the impression is given that he does not care much if there is war or destruction in the world, and it is here that he comes into conflict with the ideology of the protagonist and the events of the plot unfold. The decision to show such a pessimistic view of faith and religion in general (God does not answer prayers and prefers business as usual) might upset those religious people who are very sensitive. Let this serve as a warning to those who want to watch this anime.

Incidentally, the series also takes a fairly relative stance on religion, and this is quite noticeable in the main antagonist. Bernard is a man who does not come across as the good and caring monk we are used to, but neither is he a power-hungry man as such characters are often portrayed. In fact, Bernard is a character with a rather Machiavellian way of thinking about theology. He is capable of going against the beliefs of his religion to achieve his purposes. While this may sound rather bad, it is not that Bernard is intrinsically evil. His purposes are simply limited to stopping Maria by scheming along with other powerful characters. However, it is curious that his thinking is changed by his interactions with the protagonist. By the end of the series, Bernard proposes a more humanistic version of religion, which would be great if it hadn't ended the way it did...

... Which brings us to the ending. Since the series touches on such serious themes, the ending is somewhat unusual. To simplify things, I'll just say that it's very ‘Disney’. A happy ending is not exactly what I was expecting. I didn't want a pessimistic ending where everyone dies, but the way everything is resolved is very... idiotic? easy? The truth is that it ends up discarding many of the other themes it presents (such as Bernard's). Themes that it introduces and tries to develop, but simply leaves unfinished. I don't want to go too much into explaining the latter so as not to spoil anything, so I'll end by saying that the ending didn't convince me at all and could have been done in a better way.

In conclusion, I consider Junketsu no Maria to be a pretty good and, overall, well-made anime, which presents interesting themes, even if it doesn't fully develop them. The characters are well developed and the comedic situations are entertaining and carried off quite well, including the use of ecchi and sporadic fanservice. Would I recommend it? Well, despite its flaws (and its ending, of course), I think it's worthwhile simply for all the things it does get right. What you should consider before watching it is how sensitive you are to the negative portrayal of religion. Maybe it doesn't bother me, but I understand that many do and I consider it a valid factor for not watching a series.