Before I even start this pseudo-babble thing I wouldn't really call a review, I have to put out one disclaimer. The rating you will see at the bottom isn't really accurate. Most people would consider that as a fairly decent score – but, by my standards, this is so far one of the lowest scores I have ever given to a series. Note that it isn't horrible by any means, you can still get some enjoyment out of watching Owari no Seraph.
Also lots of spoilers. If you haven't watched the series yet, I recommend to watch it (or not) and check the review afterwards. I cannot promise you that it doesn't spoil absolutely everything. But don't come at me later complaining I spoiled almost the entire story, that's the point.
Oh boy, where to even begin. Let's say I wasn't already convinced by the ratings some people I follow have given to this series. Two or three stars isn't exactly, well, high. I started watching this mainly because I had little time to watch anything longer, and because the story piqued my interest.
To put this long and convoluted story short, this OVA has taken so much of my time I just have to write my thoughts out, because this is so far the most conflicting OVA I have seen, and in quite a long time. It's funny how I watched this because I had little time, and it resulted in me wasting the little time I've had brainstorming predictions for the next episode.
I'll try to segment this review in some bits that are easier to follow. Let's start with the art and overall appearance.
It surprised me alright. I just wish it was the good kind of a surprise.
My thoughts about the story were completely squashed once I got to the fourth episode. "Oh, wait, so they get their weapons just this late? I thought it'd be like the second episode or sometime earlier.." No, they absolutely have to bash it into your head that Yu was in an orphanage and he saw what was basically his family die, and that happens almost every episode. You can imagine how much that frustrated me, as the time for those segments could have been used for something far more useful. You know, introduction, rise, climax, conclusion/catastrophe? I know that Freytag's Pyramid is more of a literature term, but it could apply here as well. Even character development could have been improved with just these few moments from every episode. Subtlety would work wonders here.
By that I mean the pace is absolutely, at least in my opinion, botched. The real stuff starts happening so late in the OVA that I thought it was just gonna end in the middle of it all and continue in the sequel. Thankfully that didn't happen, but looking at it now, I believe I would have taken that rather than the fairly disappointing ending we got.
I understand it's meant to set up a sequel, but it leaves too many loose ends, very little gets tied up and I don't really see anything, well, changing too much after those twelve episodes. Everything looks the same to me. You'd expect actual payoff from such a big premise. It is possible, I have seen it in the past, and there was no baiting to be done for a sequel, either!
All I can really say that changed is my outlook on the vampires. I thought of them as a lesser evil in the first few episodes, but after that, they just turned way too negative to be really curious to me in any way. Just antagonists in a different shade of pale grey.
Would I recommend to watch Owari no Seraph? I cannot say. It is such a hard question for me to answer. But if you are interested with the premise, the concepts, characters..I'd say to watch it, form your own opinion. Don't believe everything I say about Seraph.
I hope this review has been at least somewhat readable, if you can even call it a review. But it is how Seraph made me feel. Conflicted. So conflicted that I cannot write a reasonable, comprehensive review of it all.
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