Campione! / Final Impressions / First Impressions

「神殺しの物語」 (Kami Koroshi no Monogatari)
“Tale of the God Slayer”

I’ve had a bit of a love-hate relationship with Campione! over its run, but this finale to the series certainly stands as one of the episodes I feel better about. The plot with the two Athena turned out far better than I thought it would’ve and cleanly brought together a number of plot points that the anime had been introducing. The “dark” Athena is revealed to be the avatar of Metis in corporeal form, stemming from the idea that each rogue god has multiple mythological figures tied to them. What’s giving Metis her physical form is the Gorgonion, the divine instrument central to Campione!’s first proper arc, and Metis’s current rampage is the realization of the Prophecy of the Starless Night that had been referred to a number of times across the duration of the show. I probably won’t be the first to admit that a number of these points had completely slipped from my memory until they were brought up here again, but it was nice to unexpectedly see the story come together in this manner. It’s not perfect, no; the explanation of why and how Metis started rampaging gets somewhat lost amidst the chaos of the episode, but with a single episode to wrap things up, I honestly thought they had done a decent job tying these hanging plot threads together while answering most of the important questions.

But the plot feels somewhat secondary to what the episode was really trying to be, a celebration of everything Campione! was, from the battles to the kissing and yes, the show’s favorite Unlimited Golden Swords of Babylon Works. It’s immediately obvious, as it typically is with endings, that the studio splurged on the animation here. The battle between Metis and the gang is a brilliant spectacle, especially since we finally see Godou go mano-a-mano with a god and spam his authorities in an impressively destructive display that see Mount Fuji being taken out as collateral. (And as we learn, it seems like he really can’t do much without the support of his harem) Of course, it wouldn’t be a celebration without Campione!’s now (in)famous kisses, as Godou makes out with each haremette in turns before finishing off with loli goddess Athena, who at this point I should probably count as part of Godou’s harem as well. As always this is accompanied by the golden swords, and while not as eye-popping as some of the stuff we’ve seen before (remember the sword storms and tornados?) it’s still one heck of a spectacle that tops itself off with a badass golden scythe coming from Athena’s kiss.

It’s an entertaining spectacle the final episode serves up, and at the same time it delivers on the things Campione! has done well and right, highlighting and celebrating the aspects which Campione! has succeeded at. I don’t think there could’ve been a more suitable ending for the series.

Final Impressions

Looking back on my Campione! posts, I have to admit that I was a tad too harsh on the series over its run. Perhaps it stemmed from me having a different set of expectations after watching the first episode, what with the show’s novel use of mythological figures and factoids as well as those the larger-than-life clashes with gods. Campione! was stuffed with ideas, some brilliant and some not, but still, fantastic ideas that I’ve not seen played elsewhere. The story had a lot of potential to it, and while I personally might not have enjoyed the direction it took itself in, the series still had its moments.

Because for all that’s been said and done by the show, the one thing you can always count on is that it knew how to deliver its simpler moments well, especially where it concerned fanservice and the onscreen action. The fights, when not hampered by exposition to validate Godou’s info-powered swords, was Campione! at its best, typically displaying an impressive mix of fight choreography and showcasing devastatingly destructive power spams. (Godou’s tendency to completely destroy the nearest significant landmark in his fights was a hilarious touch.) And while I’m impartial to fanservice, what the show achieved with the emphasis on its numerous, impressively animated makeout sessions is something only it can attest to, an aspect that has become characteristic of the series. If there’s one thing people are going to take away from finishing this series, odds are this will be it. And really, from time to time, Campione! can provide a decently entertaining watch just for these light moments alone, such as with the incredibly hilarious Liliana romcom episode.

I’m not going to go deep into the flaws here, as I believe I’ve talked excessively on the subject in my previous posts already, especially with the episodes leading up to this finale, and I’m sure most of you aren’t interested in a rehash. Ultimately, Campione!’s undoing was twofold for me: the first was its formulaic approach to storytelling in spite of the rich lore and world it had, choosing a beaten road travelled by many a light-novel fantasy before and churning out a story that feels, for lack of a better word, generic amidst the many teenage fantasy stories we see in anime these days. There’s little that’s uniquely Campione!’s, from characters to developments to the art, the only exceptions being its characteristic brand of fanservice with the kissing, as well as the great musical score which grew plenty on me across the duration of the series, highlighting the epic moments in the show to some truly haunting and chilling effect. (In a good way!) The second was its identity crisis, where its exposition-heavy plot failed to mesh with its action-harem inclinations.

In the end, Campione! won’t be a show people will jump at to recommend. Even when judged against its action-harem peers, its execution is nothing to bring home about, with other shows such as Infinite Stratos being far more consistently entertaining in their unabashed execution. But if you’re an action and harem-genre aficionado who’s looking for something new, you probably will find plenty to love here with the unique take on fanservice and a mildly intriguing storyline that constantly serves up the fights.

Full-length images: 09, 22, 23, 35.

33 Comments

  2. The one thing that sets this apart from other harem action anime like Infinite Stratos is that the main character actually has the gall to make out with the girls.

    With IS, we get nothing…NOTHING….except a back massage and some changing room antics.

    Horus
    Reply

  4. Too bad they drag the Athena kiss and joining the harem for so long. I called it quite a while ago. They left a semi cliff hanger showing all the others campiones. What a tease, Godou got his harem ready and willing to take over the world and the series ends. Have to agree the generic approach to the story did miss the point. The group finally has their working geared and is over oh well it was a happy ending after all.

    Yes!@
    Reply

  5. Wild Ishihara Kaori spotted playing the villain Metis! Not sure if I fancy her playing such a role though.

    If there is one thing, or two, that Campione did right, it is certainly the FRIGGING KISSING SCENES (surprise!) and dat harem which is ironically similar to Infinite Stratos which also had 2 of the same seiyuus >_>

    The adaptation, as pointed out by others prior..is unfortunately the victim of being overly rushed, which is such a shame considering the LN clearly does have enough material for another run (or at least I think so), they definitely could’ve paced the episodes much better. In the end this feels like an adaption for the sake of promoting the LN and milking whatever they can out of it.

    The series as a whole clearly had way more potential (as mentioned) but alas it fell short, which is kinda pity. I hereby nominate Campione as best kissing anime for 2012!

    LightnDark
    Reply

  7. Great run, I enjoy the show, not memorable but definitely a good catch. I dun like the OP and EP though. Still, mixing the different myths tgt make my knowledge go wild…

    Tingster013
    Reply

  11. Well, it could be worse. Main character actually kissing his harem, and arguably going much further with Erica makes it distinctive already. Mythology 101 crammed into the public during the kiss (which is also crammed at the same time into Goudou via mouth)ain’t bad either.
    Girls actually accepting the harem situation (though still vying for position within) make the series even more outstanding. Erica particularly strikes me as one so confident of Goudou’s favor, that she “allows” others to be “mistresses”.
    There were 2 comparable shows airing on the same weekday, namely Hagure Yuusha and Dakara boku H – and I must say that I liked the Campione most of the three. While Hagure Yushaa’s MC was much more badass, he was also bordering on boring invincible hero (T). Dakara boku H’s MC was too perverted and not exactly heroic – OTOH he was been surprisingly able to focus his feelings on Lisara despite his ecchiness, so he gets a point for decisiveness and not straying away. Last but not least, the mythology aspect of the Campione was nice touch for me who had majored in history and was reading a lot on the topic.

    ewok40k
    Reply

  12. The show is awesome. Not as awesome as it could be, but awesome nevertheless. How can you NOT like a show where a haremette claims that knowledge is transferred FASTER when french kissing compared to regular kissing? Its awesome lol

    dimasok
    Reply

  13. Damn them for killing off Maru! 😉

    Had actually to force myself to finish this last episode.
    The kiss scenes were certainly something which made the series memorable, though the idea itself as means of information transfer felt too ridiculous for me to enjoy it. I had to constantly roll my eyes. And the fight scenes felt too much like Fate UBW and Index ripoffs to me.
    The only positive that I got out of it was Hikasa Youkou as Erica, since I prefer her in sword girl/strong girls roles, the opposite being Miu in Yuusha.

    boingman
    Reply

  14. First off – light novel comparison. If memory serve this episode does not exist in the novel – or the translated novel so far.
    That said, even though the story was OK, and I feel that the anime is rushed compared to the novel at times, that was a great ending that wraps things up nicely, trying to use as many powers as possible, and having a kiss with each of the girls with no reservation. Yes, story-quality wise it’s not that great, but as a wrap up it’s good, I must say.
    And could always use a kiss from the god 😉

    Unfortunately due to the cheesiness of this anime I bet many would not rate it highly.
    I definitely loved the story though – but I may be biased because the light novel is really detailed, even with the kisses 😉 (except the episode which he gave protection to Erica – that was exactly what was depicted in the novel)

    I am predicting there will be no next season for this anime due to my analysis above. There’s still a chunk of story left meanwhile.
    What do you guys think?

    acolyte
    Reply

    2. This already went anime original from last episode when Erica and Ena didn’t have a rematch, with Erica using the full power of the Protection, and Metis absorbing Ama no Murakumo.
      The divine sword was suppose to be the final boss in this arc, with Godou using the [Boar] to defeat it and somehow making it his second Authority.

      Instead, we got this new goddess which is made somewhat related to the prophecy earlier but isn’t suppose to be since that prophecy isn’t brought up again, Godou using the [Sword] again when he isn’t able to reuse his incarnations again until after a full day, and using the [Boar] at the same time with the [Sword] without suffering massive pains in his brain.
      I suppose they wanted to make the last episode flashy but they threw out all the rules and in-world logic out of it just to make it happen. And to include more kissing from everyone. Oh well.

      Sales-wise, it sold poorly, though some shows still get sequels despite that. But content-wise, I don’t think they can fix it without reintroducing Ama no Murakumo again. That plays an important role for the next two volumes. Also, this one adapted 5 volumes out of 13 volumes out so far but that didn’t stop Haganai from getting a second season.
      So anything can really happen.
      This show was okay to watch from the point of anime only viewers but novel readers are somewhat split. I still enjoyed it despite this ending. And it will most definitely be remembered for the makeout sessions. So yeah.

      belatkuro
      Reply

    3. I’m inclined to think so due to the poor sales (think it was below the manabi line), but yea, like belatkuro said, the anime industry works in strange ways. A second season might be unlikely, but I won’t immediately count it out.

      Asobi
      Reply

    1. Thanks for pointing that out 🙂

      And yea, do you think so? I can only speak for the final impressions, where I typically write with the mentality that it’s partly for people who’ve yet to seen the show, and try to give a broader overview.

      Asobi
      Reply

  17. Having watched the final episode of Lagrange before this, I got a huge laugh at Ishihara Kaori as a psychotic loli goddess. Especially after her antics as airheaded but determined Madoka. I love hearing seiyuu playing multiple types of roles, especially in the same season. 🙂

    It’s been said already, so I’ll just agree that this was the best of the harem shows this season for me. A protagonist that makes out with each member of his harem, plus one? A harem that, despite differences, can work together and at least tolerate each other when the time is right? Approve!

    I’d love to see more despite the cheese.

    TMH
    Reply

  21. Must admit I started out with really high hopes for the series as well – a lead male who looked like he could be strong and handle the girls so to speak. The rest of it though descended into the usual anime/manga trappings of harem and some decidedly awkward make out sessions to heal/part information to Godou and a singularly overpowered attack as the Unlimited Golden Swords of Babylon Works is instead of new ways to outsmart and outfight the Gods. In the end it was OK, but not one I’ll be rushing back to or watching a second series of.

    Guess we can’t have as good plots as Fate/Zero and SAO in every anime which is a damn shame.

    (didn’t realise this was based on a manga so guess my criticisms go towards that)

    Coxi
    Reply

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