“Whisper, Chant, Prayer, Awaken”


「ささやき、詠唱、祈り、目覚めよ」 (Sasayaki, Eishou, Inori, Mezame yo)

Familiar Formula, Beginner’s Approach:

A lot of people have been calling Grimgar the next Sword Art Online, but this is a premiere that sets the two apart. Admittedly, I’ve only seen snippets of SAO, but from what I do know about the most popular ‘trapped in a fantasy world’ anime, there are already a few differences. For one, Grimgar doesn’t feel like they’ve been sent to an MMO, but rather an alternate world, and the world they have been sent to (aptly named Grimgar) doesn’t have any far-future quirks that most of those other shows have. It may be a typical formula that some are likely to find overdone, but I like to take these sorts of shows as they come. Most recently, I thought Log Horizon started great but the second season failed to capture my interest, while Overlord played around with some villainous protagonists, relying more on dialogue than action.

All things considered, Grimgar appeals the most to me. As an MMO player throughout my high school years, I loved levelling, grinding, trying out different classes, and figuring out the world as I went. From memory, most of these sorts of anime give us the viewpoint of characters that are already at the level cap, have knowledge about their situation, or have signed up for what they’re getting in to. Here, the characters wake up one day to discover that they’ve been transported to another world. They’ve still got distant memories of their previous lives, and know words like “game” and “cellphones” even though they don’t understand what they actually mean. In that sense, this premiere felt like a proper introduction to the world of Grimgar, for both its characters and the audience.

Classic RPG – Classes and Goblins:

Another thing I liked was how this felt like a classic fantasy RPG, even if it doesn’t appear they’re trapped in an MMO. We don’t know the big picture (which I think is for the best), but so far instead of humans vs orcs, we can change that to humans vs goblins. There’s also the various classes to consider, as each of our main cast picks something different, allowing some variety. None of the main party are particularly interesting just yet, but that’s a worthy price to pay considering everything else that was well executed.

The main party in question includes our lazy-eyed lead and thief, Haruhiro (Hosoya Yoshimasa); group leader and priest, Manato (Shimazaki Nobunaga); Ranta (Yoshino Hiroyuki) the death knight with his eyes on the girls; Shihoru, (Terui Haruka), the body conscious mage; Yume (Komatsu Mikako) the outgoing hunter; and the warrior and cook of the group, Mogzo (Ochiai Fukushi). Individually, none of them really stand out – apart from their voices, as some are a little jarring at first – but they work well together… kind of. They each embody a certain archetype that somewhat lends to their class, and their interactions felt honest enough considering they’ve only known each other for thirteen or so days.

As we’re following them from the very beginning, perhaps that may allow us to grow attached to them as they adapt to their new environment and their abilities improve. For the time being, they’re all pretty dire at their roles. There wasn’t much action to go off of in this episode, but from what we did see they have a lot of work to do. But I like that, because that means we’ll be able to witness that development on-screen. I suspect there will be something rewarding in watching a group of noobs learn their way about the world rather that being presented with a well-versed character that’s already the best at what they do.

A Slow Start – Getting to Know the Gorgeous Grimgar:

I haven’t even spoken about how gorgeous this is. Damn, it’s stunning. The painterly backgrounds add a wonderful touch that helps transport you into this world. It feels fantastical, down to the busy market streets and the dimly lit shops. I almost wouldn’t mind waking up in this world after seeing how goddamn pretty it is. Not only that, but the character animation was strong in this episode (and I hear the person in charge is also working on Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu, which makes sense as that was also a gorgeous first episode). I appreciated the little details, like Haruhiro’s finger gripping his blade in succession, or when characters trip over or make awkward poses it feels like there’s actual weight to their bodies. It’s a difficult thing to make 2D character feel like they really exist, but they manage to pull it off here.

Another strength to this episode is how the exposition is handled. I wouldn’t have been all that surprised if we opened with a tiring monologue, followed by a brief explanation of the world and the events that have led up to this particular moment. It can work when it’s done well, but more often than not the LN-style info-dumping feels lazy and lacks impact. Thankfully, Grimgar starts with some fighting (even if they’re all terrible at fighting right now), before putting us in the exact same scenarios as its characters. We know nothing more than they do at any given point, and I love that. It gives a sense of discovery to the world, as it’s hinted there is something much larger going on beyond this single scenic town.

What we do come to know is valuable information through important conversations, like learning how money is spent (and earned), the importance of becoming a voluntary fighter when the actual soldiers are out doing the ‘real’ hard work, and that you need to be in a guild before you can do pretty much anything. It’s all simple stuff, but working from the ground up is the best way forward.

Overview – First Impressions:

All in all, there was a lot to like here. That being said, it’s perhaps too slow for some, and not different enough for others, but it hit a sweet spot for me. I would have liked less of the boob and ass shots, but I can at least accept that it’s framed through Haruhiro’s eyes. We often see panning shots as he ogles the various girls he encounters, while Ranta appears more blatant, not shy when voicing his thoughts on big boobs and flat chests. So while I wouldn’t say Grimgar is wildly original, it’s managed to capture my interest in this world and what our newbies are going to get up to. And it sure helps how easy it is on the eyes.

ED Sequence

ED: 「Knew Day」 by (K)NoW_NAME

Preview

End Card

69 Comments

  1. I’m glad we finally have a thrown into a fantasy world anime where no one is OP and the story is about learning how to service and increase your skills. It reminds me a lot of D&D.

    Nikki
    1. I’ve watched SAO, LH and Overlord..
      But this anime reminds me a lot more towards Lodoss-tou Senki (Record of Lodoss War, the 13-episode OVA).
      Those nice visuals lend a hand in giving this anime a fairy-tale like atmosphere, too.

      Techim
    2. Agreed. Boring, indistinct characters, bland setting … and nice art.

      Bland, inoffensive, pretty… but it has some potential. If it can lift itself up next episode with something worth watching for its own sake?

      Zora
    3. From personal experience, I can confidently say: Yeah, this is how a bunch of kids who didn’t read the rule book are like when first playing D&D. Awful hit rate and when they did hit, hardly do any damage. At least they didn’t get killed by a goblin like me.

      theirs
  2. First thing I thought – Log Horozon Ⅲ! Just need a guy with glasses.
    (I haven’t watched SAO yet…)

    But I have to agree that I noticed the attention to details as well, and
    the breathtaking artwork. This’ll be something when its BDs are released.

    I think the pacing fits the mood of the show – it hasn’t really hit home
    to them the life or death situation they’re really in. Yeah, they know it’s
    life or death, but I think they believe it’ll end and they’ll be returned to
    their previous lives, safe and sound (I base that on the playful sexual
    innuendo) . We’ll see if the mood get serious in the upcoming episodes,
    or if it’ll be a light-hearted fantasy adventure series…

    mac65
  3. I definitely find it refreshing to see everyone suck coming out of the gate, after who knows how many “chosen hero from Earth with amazing otherworldly powers” stories I’ve seen from the genre. I’m sure the party will improve, but I’m hoping to see a slower growth than most other series offer.

    Purple Bomber
  4. As someone who enjoyed SAO, LH, Overlord, and (I would also add to the mix) DanMachi this series seems like it will be a lot of fun to watch. Can’t wait to see what happens next.

    Karmafan
  5. Well, this was quite a thing!

    I’m hoping character growth and development will be the key focuses of this series, following our kids as they essentially “grow up” through their experiences in this world. It looks like most (if not all) of them have some notable character flaws that they will probably overcome as they go forward.

    Wanderer
    1. I get that feeling too from time to time but this show is a nice change in the genre. It has all the characters with barely any memory of their world except for some common terms (keeps up the suspense and mystery), and they’re not overpowered, all of them are trying to fit into their role and getting stronger gradually as a team. That’s what I want in these kind of stories. I got tired of those self-gratifying ones where the main character had a terrible life and so the fantasy/gaming world is his redemption(while giving him way too many buffs/tools); this show feels like something I could keep watching.

      Dualash
    2. To be fair there aren’t that many of them, we get more harem romcom fantasy high school/academy derivatives per season than the net total in the genre. This concept likely is noticed more because of SAO’s infamy and the recent airing of Log Horizon and Overlord.

      Anything that swings more towards .hack than SAO though has my complete attention. It’s hard to pull off the idea well (as Log Horizon’s second season shows), so if Grimgar can keep it up, then (at least for me) there will be precious little to complain about.

      Pancakes
  6. While I like what they did with the first episode, just a tiny warning as an LN reader: this series is slow and dramatic! Some will think it’s a little too much so, but there’s a lot of heart here. A lot.

    Aex
  7. Grimgar is gorgeous, that’s true – but unfortunately, tempo is incredibly slow and there wasn’t anything interesting in episode. All interactions between protagonists seem extremely forced, no one is even talking about main problem – amnesia, instead we have boobs and poor dinner conversations. Entire episode could easily be summarized in 1/4, if not less, of the amount of time given to it (and really should).
    Additionally, protagonists are far too weak, making the show close to unwatchable – there is a lot of middle ground between overpowered characters and not being able to kill one beginner monster by the party of six person for an entire week. And looking at next episode preview, we will have at least one more episode of them getting kicked around by goblins and making sad talks about bad food.
    All that while starvation is starting to look them into eyes, but no one seem to be bothered by it – no one is really trying to work on teamwork or getting personally better in fight, or to find any alternate means of obtaining money/food. Instead they still talk about boobs.

    Daerian
    1. This is somewhat fair and somewhat obtuse.

      They did train for a week, and they showed the little scene of the death knight guy training, so they are trying, but that said I agree that they need some success. Don’t drag out their utter patheticness beyond an episode or two (I’m not convinced they won’t kill one next week, I just think there’s going to be some examination of what it means to kill a semi-sentient being). I’m fine with the idea that they’re just bad at fighting (believe it or not, real people aren’t particularly good at life or death battles), but that doesn’t stop it from being boring if it’s dragged out too long.

      I get the implication that maybe the main guy isn’t as bad as he appears though, and the issue is mostly that he’s one of those ‘only put the minimum of effort in’ guys. His development will be accepting that he actually does have to fight. Could be wrong though.

      As for the amnesia thing, I think this is somewhat of a misunderstanding people have about amnesia. They have amnesia, yes, but they’re also only surrounded by other people with amnesia. They have no point of reference by which to be upset about what they’ve lost. So they basically are just going through the motions of life because, by having amnesia, that’s literally all they know how to do.

      KaleRylan
  8. I really really enjoyed this, and think I’ll really enjoy the show, AS LONG AS they actually have a bit of success next episode. I like the slow setting. I like how even the music is just sort of low-key and easy. This is classic fantasy and I appreciate that sometimes. However, while I like that they’re not OP, I don’t want to watch 3 episodes of them failing while having long conversations. Give them a little success and let us watch them grow as warriors and characters.

    KaleRylan
  9. I’m having love and hate relationship with this series. While I love the way the story portrayed that these guys are desperately struggling, one of a particular character’s trait almost ruinning the whole story for me.

    cryarc
      1. By comic relief do you mean the dark knight?

        I don’t think he’s supposed to be funny beyond a certain point. I believe he’s really supposed to be a prick. Playing into the ‘they didn’t get to pick their party members’ element of the whole thing.

        I mean, the FACT that he’s an unrepentant ass is supposed to somewhat amusing I think, but when his main character establishing moment of the first episode is making a nice, soft-spoken girl cry I don’t think we’re supposed to like him all that much. The fact that he felt bad about making her cry is presumably there to leave room for character development and establish he’s not a MONSTER.

        KaleRylan
  10. I believe that this is the more realistic take of what would happen when some people end up getting trapped inside RPG. They will be powerless noobs lacking in knowledge and tend to group together to minimize the danger of being alone. Which i find very refreshing, especially since most others with similar premise always feature chosen ones with power that no one else possess.

    Amiluhur
  11. The art was gorgeous. The story is interesting, even if the premise has been beaten to death recently, not just in anime and manga, but especially in LNs and web novels.

    Unlike most of the other takes on the “trapped in an alternate reality” trope, I like that these protagonists aren’t overpowered, don’t know anything, and can’t leverage any Earth knowledge, and are just struggling to make it to lunch. (Although maybe they don’t understand that bit about lunch yet.)

    I’m not too worried about the pacing, because I love this setting, this whole, “Oh crap, this is real, and we’re not prepared for anything” vibe.

    Well, except for Ranta. Sometimes he’s kind of funny in how he says really dumb things with a straight face, but he’s an ass for making the girls feel bad. Nobody needs that in a survival situation, and it’s a really good way to get fragged, especially when a front line guy harasses two back line ranged types.

    s_w
  12. Too slow for a first episode, in my opinion, but the preview looks promising. I just hope this won’t go the Log Horizon route and drag things out too long. Just to clarify, though, so I can calibrate my expectations: is this anime supposed to be slice-of-life or action?

    Beedle
  13. The BG art and painting is gorgeous, concept is fine, most everything else is decent.

    However…

    1. Many characters for now are unlikable, while no one seems interesting enough to carry the show.
    2. I don’t mind slow pacing, but awkward conversation pacing and non-natural dialogue felt really off. (I was wondering whether that priest speech in the battle should be treated as a comedy or not)
    3. Oh boy, the boobs physics. Felt really inappropriate in a show with slow pacing and hand painted BG like this.

    Basically the execution and some production decision are terrible. For a slow, more realistic oriented story, bad script and pacing will really kill whatever potential this show actually have. Especially if this will be drama heavy.

    I have no other option if the characters did not show any interesting side by the 2nd or 3rd eps.

    zeroyuki92
  14. I’d say this was a mixed episode – some good and some not so good. I did like the opening, and have no problem with “level 1” characters. Actually, kind of refreshing. As some have pointed out, this is a realistic portrayal if the story is about plucking ordinary people out of “RL” and throwing them into MMORPG world. Note – people, not the characters they play in some game (and this does not seem to be set up to be “inside a game” anyway). Even from an RPG standpoint, the ineptitude reminded me of starting off games with level 1 characters who miss a LOT, and are often one hit away from death. The first hit.

    Visually it’s nice with some artistic backgrounds as others have noted. Probably should give some credit as well for exposition handling. Certainly better than some other shows of its ilk. Have to say that I also liked the bit about the guilds and the week ‘o training because given the setup, I did wonder how “average guy/girl from RL” had any RPG like skills. One week seems a little short to me, but at least they addressed the issue so kudos for that.

    There were some negatives IMO though. Like I said, the opening was good, but I thought it went downhill from there. Agree with others that pacing bogged down a bit too much after that. Hopefully that will improve going forward. I thought a good chunk of the SOL character interaction/dialog was rather mediocre (or perhaps worse in a couple of instances). I also found it odd that for being warped into RPG Land, that’s one surprisingly laid back, “is what it is” group. Yes, Shihoru was anxious (fits with her character), but I would think the group as a whole would be a tad more concerned. Maybe that’s the amnesia part of it. Then again, severe amnesia can be quite disconcerting on its own. Perhaps not a huge issue, but something I think could have been better handled.

    Another weakness for me was the cast. Most were OK, but that’s about it. Again, only one episode so things may change. Still, Ranta’s shtick already annoys me (not good), and to be honest I’m really not a fan of the overly meek, “I’m sorry”… for everything types (Shihoru). The group as a whole felt a lot like boxes were being checked on some character list. Not the first time for anime, but not a plus either.

    Net sum for me is pretty good start and enough to keep with the 3 Episode Rule.

    daikama
    1. I thought the fact that they all had some fairly glaring flaws was an interesting point, assuming it means something. Shihoru is meek to the point of ‘does she have abuse in her past’ levels, the hunter girl is an airhead, the dark knight is a HUGE jerk, the main guy seems vapid and noncommittal, etc. Even Renji, the ‘badass’ one is clearly not normal. Grabbing a knife with your bare hand is strange.

      I almost got a GANTZ feeling, where this is a group that was chosen because they were all somewhat broken. (can’t remember if that was an actual point in GANTZ, but it’s certainly how it played out)

      As for their lack of concern, I mentioned it above but I’d say it’s the amnesia combined with the new world. They basically have no point of reference to be concerned with. They are aware they don’t know stuff, but they know it’s not the stuff they’re learning now, so even if Haruhiro (is that his name?) remembered his past life, it wouldn’t make him a better thief. There’s no link between their loss and what they’re doing now. It’s kind of a small version of LH. In LH, they had zero clues how to get home, so they spent the first half of the show mostly just concerned with life rather than any larger questions. This is that, but since it’s about noobs as opposed to someone like Shiroe, it’s even more pronounced.

      KaleRylan
      1. I get your point about the flaws, but whether they make these characters interesting or not is personal opinion. I’m NOT suggesting literally perfect characters are better, but you can have interesting “normal” characters or even “flawed” ones (a lot depends upon one’s threshold for “flawed) without exacerbated traits which feel like your checking of boxes for character stereotypes. You are probably right in that there will be some character growth along those lines. The meek girl finds her courage and self confidence, the jerk guy become less of a jerk, etc. That’s arguable SOP for this stuff, but if we are already forecasting what appears to be obvious, how much credit should be given then? If you find these characters interesting for whatever reason – that’s fine. JMO, but that’s what it is at this point (things may change). Didn’t find the cast all that interesting/likable, and one (potentially two) characters annoying.

        As for the amnesia, new world or not, I have to think that’s disconcerting. Where the hell am I and what happened!? WHY can’t I remember things. That’s not stuff you just brush off. If that happened to you, would you honestly be “Oh well, I’ll just roll with it” from the get go? Now adapt at one point or another, sure (though easier for some more than others), but at least initially I would expect some level of consternation beyond the one meek/anxious character. This has nothing to do with whether remembering or not would make you a better thief, warrior, etc., and/or what they are learning now. It’s about presenting a more realistic (IMO) initial character response to the situation.

        daikama
      2. As for the characters, that’s true that it’s simply opinion. I would say having TOO concrete an opinion on these characters in the first episode is a bit much. They are caricatures, but that’s fairly normal in one episode with some exceptions (that generally turned out to be phenomenal shows).

        We’ll see if it develops in the obvious manner (I’m aware there’s an LN or something, but I haven’t read it and don’t intend to) or if they go in weird directions. I’d like to see some of them NOT develop. Maybe the jerk is a jerk and he stays a jerk and that’s a problem that they all have to deal with.

        As for the amnesia, I just fundamentally disagree. I think even your attempt to imagine how you would feel about it is doing exactly what I’m talking about. You’re thinking about how it would feel to lose that with having your memories as your point of reference. If you can imagine a scenario where you’ve lost your memories and are in a situation where no one can call you on it (you’re not around your family, friends, etc) I think you would just sort of go through the motions.

        For one, you wouldn’t know what you’d lost in some sudden moment of realization, it would be a series of small realizations, like their moments with the cellphone and the game. They didn’t know they’d forgotten that stuff until the situation arose. I think that’s actually somewhat spot-on. As far as anyone really understands amnesia, which is an exceedingly random condition to begin with. I looked it up once out of curiosity and it doesn’t really follow any rules.

        KaleRylan
    1. I’ve never watched/read anything from the .hack series but it seems like that’s the best comparison to Grimgar, rather than the shows of this sub-genre that have aired these past few years.

      Samu
      1. Though to be fair, the .hack series has a few titles that have an amnesiac character.For example In .hack//sign its basically a mystery anime where you mainly follow and listen to a bunch of characters debating whether something in the game is capable of trapping a single person in game, and whether or not Tsukasa is a real person or simply a glitch in the game, as well as if Tsukasa is really a person trapped in the game: is there a way to free that person?

        Though this anime does have its own certain feel to it, since it does feel more like a fantasy series, but with some mmorpg talk. Kinda like Dungeon ni Deai wo Motomeru no wa Machigatteiru Darou ka.

        sithstormjedi
      2. Yeah, I feel like at this point, even more than the Dungeon show (these things really need better titles), the game-speak is just lazy writing as opposed to part of the setting. We’ll see, but it seems like a fantasy world and the game ideas are just short-hand for things the author couldn’t/didn’t explain in a more realistic manner. This feels like a fantasy world more than a game.

        KaleRylan
  15. I think this was a really strong start. Yeah we have a group that is basically a bunch of noobs, but they are all have some potential for character growth. Some don’t have as obvious flaws as others, but the ones that do should be fun to watch develop. I mean our mage has some real issues of self-confidence and perhaps some bullying in her past. Seems very self-conscious. Ranta’s issues are as clear as day, the guy can be a jerk and needs to grow quite a bit. Even the MC thief has some room to grow, often holding back on what he really wants to say.

    This could be fun to watch. A group starting as close to the bottom as you can. They are basically out of money and at this rate are going to starve. They have to pull it together to survive.

    The show just looks great which never hurts. I just want to see more of this world and what else is out there in it.

  16. I knew there was something familiar with Barbara and Ranta. Barbara is Mamiko Noto and Ranta is voiced by the same guy who voiced Taro from Shirobako. No wonder Ranta was annoying.

    Zhinvu
  17. It would’ve been interesting…if we didn’t get another passive Japanese Bitch Boy as the main focus. I’ll jump back into the show again at ep 10 to see if there’s any significant character growth, but I highly doubt that.

    Grandier
  18. The problem with peole trying to automatically compare Grimgar to SAO is that the whole “MMO anime” genre covers a broad range of stuff. On the Sci-Fi end of it, you have stuff like .hack and Sword Art Online. Set in a game ruled by computer code, with real bodies in the real world. At their core, they’re interested subjects along the lines of socializing over the internet, the impact of VR and AI, and the difference between real and virtual selves. At the Fantasy end of the genre, you have stuff like “Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?” which have some of the trappings of an MMO, like stats, level grinding, gear upgrading, and party forming, but are wholly their own fantasy worlds. No real bodies somewhere else, no computer code, just a good old fashioned fantasy story updated to appeal to videogame players. In between is stuff like Log Horizon or Overlord, which are essentially “spirited away to a fantasy world that mirrors an MMORPG”. No real bodies being worried about, laws of fantasy hold strong sway, computer code is non-existent, and they’re only partially subject to the rules of the MMO they mirrored.

    So far, Grimgar seems to be leaning towards being between DanMachi and stuff like LH and Overlord on that spectrum. Spirited away to a fantasy world that while like an RPG, mirrors no game known to the abductees. There’s not much difference between characters here, and characters just starting out in Danmachi, other than partial memories of the “real world”. So it’s only like SAO at the very superficial level of being an “MMO anime”. The two inhabit very different areas within that category, and baring later plot twists, anyone wanting a cyber-punk leaning setting like .hack or SAO would be disappointed.

    Krono
  19. I watched the first episode and looked for a translation of light novels after. After reading the first two books, I think Grimgar will be better than SAO, Log Horizon and Overlord.

    João Carlos
    1. When it comes down to it, in SAO, Log Horizon and Overlord, all three protagonists start with significant advantages (Kirito was a beta player that had a number of unique attributes, Shiroe was a max-level expert player with long-term dependable allies, and Ainz was a max-level player with a guild dungeon of overly loyal followers).

      In Grimgar, you just have these individuals thrown into the world without a single advantage, aside from vague notions of coming from another world.

      Lyst
      1. could be a fresh Kaze, but Level 1 Players, that are also weak (The others took the stronger players and left already) that could not even kill on Goblin.. Do we really want to watch their struggling?

        Worldwidedepp
      2. The Cleric is trying his best to boost their Moral, to focus their effort. if they are about to lose him, then its all over. The Cleric is an Leader Typ and “Moral officer”

        Worldwidedepp
      3. Well, the two first books are named “Level 1” and “Level 2”, the third one is “Level 3”, so I guess the last book is “Level 7”.

        So… yes, they are weak level 1 that lose to goblins.

        mmmmm…. I remember my first day playing EverQuest and I was killed by a giant rat.

        João Carlos
    1. Worldwidedepp
  20. The afterwords of Grimgar’s author reveals that:

    1)he passionately loves home console and online roleplaying games, and this love inspired him to become a fantasy light novel author. Grimgar’s setting was based on those RPG games he loved.

    2)he’s quite a reclusive person, and has problems socializing in public. He preferred online RPGs because “he had problems getting along with other people in person”.

    3)At one time, he was addicted to online RPGs: “…times for sleeping or eating, I used solely to think about games. I would dive into the blood-rushing, heart-pounding world of online RPGs every night and return to the mundane humdrum of the real world in the morning. I lived in the world of games and games kept me alive.”

    The full afterwords: https://grimgalthetranslation.wordpress.com/volume-1/afterword/

    zztop
  21. I found this first episode pretty enjoyable. The art is nice to look at, the world seems interesting enough and although the characters by themselves vary from boring to annoying (Yume, Manato and Mogzo were my favorites thanks to everyone else being worse), the show forcing them into one dysfynctional team opens up room for some interesting interaction. Hopefully more interesting than the boobs talk.

    I also decided to check out the source material since I liked what I saw here, and have to say the anime starts better. Both start pretty slow, but while the anime gets its charm from it, the original work started to feel it was dragging on. I think that’s thanks to anime showing some action earlier, and visual medium working better for some aspects of world building (the cut world building not being especially interesting or necessary at the start also affects this). Also, the anime cut large chunks of characters (mostly Ranta, Renji and a completely cut unimportant side character) being jackasses definitely helped.

    On the other hand, source material handled Ranta’s boobs talk slightly better; it happened in the city soon after they arrived instead of in the wilderness. Didn’t make it any better but the timing wasn’t as weird.

    Erimaki
  22. I like anime’s with good art and I liked this start. Somehow love the atmosphere around them and the character’s personalities’ differences. Need more episodes to judge :p Even though as a gamer this all seems too familiar lol reminds me of my days of glory as a highest hunter in some game and all the guilds fighting to beat my puny one xD not that i’m too old for RPG’s now, but being a gaming addict is a bad habit 😡

    With everyone talking about SaO, Log Horizen etc, I find myself at odds with the fact that I never watched those. I’ve been slow with some select few anime, so that’s that, maybe in the near future :p

    ty for ur review m

    Mi-Chan
  23. Well still not my ideal anime game genre (*sigh* and again with the trapped in a game world like log horizon where everyone doesn’t remember much about their IRL Life), and my impression on it? Well, I won’t say that this anime is bad or good but when I watched it, it was like watching a calm river with zero intensity on it (and that in every level) . So my impression is negative and I didn’t really feel like watching the next Ep. But otherwise let’s give it its chance, hope for more intensity on the next one.

    I noticed that there were a lot of anime with game involved in the story, dunno if it’s because of the popularity of MMO game or something but all of them felt the same for me. Can someone tell me if even once the author thought of doing an anime game COMPETITION(No DEATH GAME please!) coz that’s the one I didn’t see in any anime or scan. Do the author think that by adding Death on anime they will make it more interesting??? No! Even Shokugeki no Souma(the SCAN) which talk about nothing else than food is more interesting than any Shounen ive ever see till now.
    So let’s hope the authors are not too cash brain and strike more on doing something ORIGINAL because I have my quota of commercial anime fanservice here…

    Rhoman
  24. ep 02:

    Warning! ( and i am serious)

    This Anime is not for Kids, this is not your standard moe RPG Anime. This is not in the same class as Log Horizon or SAO

    Sorry, to Spoil here. But i feel i need to tell you this as an Veteran advice

    Worldwidedepp
  25. I need to remind u guys. This is not a game anime but a fantasy anime. This is worse than SAO Death Game where you’re instantly killed. Here, you die like in reality with awareness you are about to die.

    Rahul S

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