First Impressions / La storia della Arcana Famiglia

「Confessioni di una Maschera」
“Confession of a Mask”

If you watch La storia della Arcana Famiglia with the mindset that this is an otome game adaptation, this series is actually quite par for the course and is pretty enjoyable too, so I’ve decided to continue covering this instead of Zanibas who is blogging Oda Nobuna no Yabou now.

It appeared to me that a lot of people were disappointed in this show because of how it has walked away from its main purpose (which could be seen in the premise). I’m a bit surprised at all the negativity I’ve seen in the discussions concerning this anime. While it is about duels, it’s not your typical action show. This is an anime adaptation of an otome game; it’s meant to be slow paced because there should be side stories and character development will take more focus than the actual plot – I already expected all these ‘issues’ because I’ve seen quite a lot of reverse harem titles. None of them dived head first into the plot; they were all slowly progressing, with the character development getting the main attention. Also, this isn’t confirmed regarding La storia della Arcana Famiglia, but I suspect that this anime will be longer than one cour. I’ve never seen a reverse harem show being shorter than 26 episodes. Most of them had sequels or multiple cours. I’m assuming that this anime will give us proper back stories and introductions to all characters before moving on to the actual duels. This is why I find this anime so enjoyable – it’s doing what an otome show usually does!

Today’s episode covered Libertá’s childhood which isn’t a happy one. He was raised in an orphanage where human experiments were conducted on children. I assume Dante named him when he rescued the young and dangerous Libertá – it’s a fitting name for a child who has been set free from his past (this includes sealing away memories and powers). I wonder why Dante was there though, was he a part of the Famiglia around that time? Did they send him on that mission?

Libertá is so far, one of my favorite characters in this show (I like hyperactive characters), so I was very happy to see an entire episode dedicated to him. I was very surprised to see an anime character I like having the same hobby as I have – I collect carnival masks too, although, my reason behind the collecting isn’t as deep as Libertá’s…

It turns out that Libertá’s Arcana gives him the power of words or thoughts – allowing him to set things in action by speaking. I suspected he might have such a power when I saw him struggle away from Pace’s strong and firm grip during the announcement meeting in the first episode, so I can’t say I’m surprised, however, I agree with Dante; Libertá definitely needs to grow stronger before he wields his power properly. He is way too immature and careless, although, I think he might be hiding some maturity behind that childish face.

Besides Libertá’s background and powers, we’ve got a fair share of some romantic moments between Libérta and Felicitá. While this anime is a reverse harem where usually all males have a chance to get the main heroine, it seems like this one is focusing on Libertá and Nova more than any other male in the family. This doesn’t necessarily mean that the others aren’t romantic matches for Felicitá, but I think any other match might be less “romantic” in terms of lovey-dovey romance. There are still many more characters who haven’t been introduced properly yet, so I might have to take that back.

Aside from the main episode, I think this week’s omake was the best one so far. I found myself laughing at Dante’s silliness, and the slightly disappointed Felicitá was just too adorable! Having that said, it looks like there’ll be a lot of Nova next week – looking forward to that.

Full-length shots: 1, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 21, 29, 31, 34, 35, 36

 

Preview

Omake

40 Comments

  1. The first episode gave viewers a false expectation of what direction the show would take. Not only did it veer off on another course, but it sank itself with the second and third acts for the standard 3 episode test.

    The negativity is well deserved.

    Dimagus
    Reply

    2. If you take into account that this is reverse harem / otome anime first and mafia anime the second, it didn’t. I’m pretty sure most watchers already know that the show’s genre is shoujo / reverse harem, anddd it just happened to have more action in the first episode (well, not really).

      P.S: thanks for covering this, stereoman!

      Teddy Bear
      Reply

  3. The 1st ep give me hope of some nice actions, since this is Mafia-style. Well, hope there will be decent actions soon. Also, me too, the Omake is funny this time. XDD

    zleihsh
    Reply

  4. awww so happy this didn’t get dropped in the end
    i’m a big fan of this anime so i would’ve been really disappointed to see this being dropped
    I agree that is not the best action anime since well duh it’s from an otome game but i think people exaggerate when they say they were tricked after seeing they first episode
    lesson learned :play the game before jumping to conclusions, since this is the adaptation of it ,of course it will follow its course
    Anyway today episode was really touching focusing on Liberta and all although i have the feeling this developed way too fast but i guess J.C. wants to cover everyone on just 12 episode plus the arcanna duello so i guess is acceptable .Liberta past was indeed sad,not to mention Felicita wasn’t to supportive and it was a big shock to see Nova being to hero in the end which make me disappointed that they ended the episode just like that ,(seeing that Liberta is my face character as well,and he doesn’t seem to get too much screen-time next episode )but i’m quite contented in how the story develops so far.

    lavie
    Reply

  5. I’m relieved it’s still being blogged. But this episode really is a major boost from the past few episodes. Now I’m glad I didn’t decide to drop it just yet. This episode was the best episode they had yet.

    But now I just decided to review the otome game’s routes for every character cause I wanted to see something. And yes they’re covering different routes in different episodes. Now it makes sense to me. Liberta is my favorite character since I did say I love characters like Liberta in episode 1. It was nice to finally find out more about him. And also seeing some Liberta X Felicita moments too.

    I actually never wanted this episode to end, and it felt longer than the other ones too. But one question still remains for me. If Liberta’s Arcana is the Power of the Word, if he commands someone to die will they die? Or does the Arcana have some type of limit to it?

    Next Episode is Nova’s episode. Not really a big fan of Nova. He’s like the polar opposite to Liberta. Too serious all the time for 15, while Liberta is so hyperactive for 18 XD. But nonetheless I can’t wait to see his story again. This anime is starting to look up for me. And all this goodness I’m saying from one episode.

    Kinda makes me feel hypocritical to just shift sides that easily from one episode but fuck it. I don’t think there’ll be anymore complaining from me now that I read the games’ routes (Seeing how that everything I read so far has been in the anime)

    Swordhack4
    Reply

  7. An episode dedicated to Liberta? Might watch since I loved Liberta’s character. I dropped this show after the second episode. Is this episode really worth the watch?

    rochichan
    Reply

  9. Glad i did stick around and didn’t drop this show, i have seen many shows with slow starts and ones that use episodes to flesh out characters even if it isn’t going to directly impact the plot (people tend to call all episodes of this type “filler” but i disagree … if it’s done well it helps flesh out the setting and the characters even if it doesn’t move the plot forward .. hence some stories are labeled “character-driven” instead of “plot-driven”).

    Enough with ranting, i really liked Liberta’s back-story and also the way it all came back to him bit by bit, and i agree with Dante, such power can easily go wrong if misused or handled carelessly .. although wiping out Liberta’s memories and locking his power (well diminishing it as it seems to still work but on a limited scale) was a little unethical .. all in all it was a very enjoyable episode and to those complainers .. there are many shonen series out there that has that whole “tournament setup” and has nothing but mindless hot-blooded action .. if it’s mindless action you want go watch them.

    HunterWulf
    Reply

    1. I can’t speak for everyone who commented negatively, but I just wanted to say that I knew that this show was going to be an otome-game adaptation, not a shounen show. I never really expected or cared for any action, as I made clear in my comment in the previous episode’s post. Honestly, I don’t even watch shows just for action, as I actually gravitate toward character-driven stories (it’s part of my inquisitive nature to understand why people do this or that). The main issue I had with the show was with Felicita, who I saw as a weak-minded protagonist for someone who wants to carve her own path. I also read early chapters of the manga, where I think that Felicita comes off as a stronger character.

      But, I personally do not consider this show “garbage” (never said such a thing), and I apologize if my blunt critical comment from the previous episode’s post came across as too negative and just added more fuel to the fire. I’m glad that others are enjoying this show and that this show is still being blogged for those who enjoy it. So, please don’t generalize all of us who did not enjoy as merely those who just want “mindless hot-blooded shounen action”. Sorry, just wanted to get this off my chest. 🙂

      Isabel
      Reply

  10. Yes I think people did forget the genre of this anime series and the “negativity” from those people just spread like wild fire in the last post. It really is up to the viewers’ preference to watch Arcana Famiglia. I’ve been waiting for some character development before I can enjoy the upcoming story plot the way it’s suppose to be experienced. And Felicitá did pop the question of why do they have the Arcana powers. I hope the answer will come sooner than later.

    random viewer
    Reply

  11. So glad that the comments here this time is much better since it seems the people who comment here this time are mostly people who are expecting an otome show; the intended audience for the show.

    Anyways… I’m just so shocked at Dante’s head. He looks pretty cool with hair (not that he looks bad without hair or anything)!

    Silver
    Reply

  12. I’m glad that I didn’t drop the series after the first two episodes. This episode should have been the 2nd episode; it definitely demanded my full attention. I felt closer to Liberta to the point where I felt his frustration. Fantastic episode; can’t wait to see more!

    LC
    Reply

  13. Knowing this:
    Show Spoiler ▼

    Makes really puzzling why would they choose them as the focus of the anime, for all I have heard the meat of the plot is in Jolly’s and Luca’s routes.

    But at least this chapter was better than the second but I liked the previous one more probably because the osananajimi trio is way more fun and interesting than Liberta and Nova.

    teelaelmes
    Reply

    1. I’ve been wondering that as well, why they’ve been giving so much focus to Liberta and Nova. I like Liberta, but Luca was my initial guess to who would be end-game before the show started. He seems to be the “main route” from the game, which makes it more curious. I’m sure they’ll have more character-central episodes for each of them, as all otome adaptations do, but it’s pretty clear right now that Liberta is at the front of the line to being the end-game route, but who knows, this might change (and I hope it does, purely for the fact that I love when harems go with the pairing you weren’t expecting).

      I totally agree with you about the trio being more interesting to watch. I think this goes back again to giving Nova too much screentime. Liberta is one thing because he’s a very likable character and fun to watch with just enough personality to make him stand out, but there’s no real… sparkle with Nova. Nothing that makes him that different, granted we don’t know much about him yet. He simply seems like a poor choice to put so much focus on. I’m more interested in Jolly’s enigmatic nature and past than I am Nova’s.

      Who knows, it’s episode four, the characters are great, and things are looking up, so it’s all uphill from here if they keep working things the right way!

      A huge thank you to Stereoman for picking this up too!! Your list of reverse harems is really impressive. I’m looking forward to your coverage!

      staticphrase
      Reply

  14. Yaaaaay 🙂 Thanks for not dropping it!! oh gosh I read the spoiler >.<'' on your teelaelmes (not really your fault, but my curiousity is T^T.)

    I like anime's where each charecter has a story, so I'm liking this lods. I just hope to know more about charecters asap! (Luca ofcourse!) thanks again!

    ColonelMiim
    Reply

      1. well apparently:
        Show Spoiler ▼

        teelaelmes
        Reply

  18. I wonder if it’s because Felicitá is the player character in the original otome game(was she even voiced in the game?). She really doesn’t seem to have much of a personality of herself. She doesn’t even have much dialogues either. They usually consist of exclamation like “uh”, “eh”, “um”, “ah” and stuff like “but”, “I think so”, “I’m fine”, etc…… I really want to like her character more but I’m starting to get annoyed by her constantly going “eh”……

    Novas
    Reply

    1. It’s hard to say but well in the game felicita didn’t really have lines… most of her “lines” were the choices, but she kicked some ass in the game while in the anime they are not even keeping that… so it’s normal that she seems more characterless than what she should.

      teelaelmes
      Reply

  19. After reading these comments, I owe a formal apology to everyone who is sticking with this show, I never knew there was such a significant group of support. This shows just how far I have to go as a blogger here :(.

    Upon reflection, I guess I was caught up in the moment that I was part of the group of people who were expecting something different. Granted, the first episode wasn’t bad and I thought things would be okay, but after seeing the enormous outburst of negativity for episode one, my opinion shifted.

    Although most of my critique is now obsolete, I still stand by the notion that the second episode was a real turn off in terms of delivery (with comparison to the third). That, combined with also watching the first episode of Oda Nobuna, caused my tone to go more critical. I assumed my audience was united with me, and hell, I thought the people who liked this show still were far and little. Goes to show how presumptious I am.

    Welp, my inexperience showed, and how I now feel like an idiot for being too harsh.

    I’m glad Stereo is covering this, for this show definitely deserves a different treatment than I ever could. Thanks Stereo for sticking up to my drop, and thanks Stilts onii-chan for being humane and kinder about my mistake.

    Again, sorry >_<.

    Zanibas
    Reply

    1. I speak for myself when I say there’s no need for apology. Blogging is like a discussion of what you as a blogger want to discuss about. And everyone holds their own opinions about whatever topic is on the blog. That’s why I keep coming back to Random Curiosity because there’s so much depth to each of the posts and I like how it’s shared. So since you aren’t blogging this anime anymore, I still would be delighted to see a comment or two from you here if you want. No worries and keep up the good work of blogging. It’s acknowledged, trust me.

      random viewer
      Reply

    2. As a big fan of Arcana Famiglia even before the Anime was announced , when I heard randomc was blogging this, I hoped the blogger would have insight of the show beforehand and could lead the audience in the right direction. I was very disapointed when the show was claimed with the expectation of being like/next Hitman Reborn in the review leading others to think that too.. Through the first episode was misleading, I wished that everyone would keep in mind this IS a otome adapation after all and look at Arcana Famiglia in its own light. I personally think that you did put great effort blogging this show ( lots of small details during the first episode and research!) but I feel a original series or a series with a clear premies would be better since I personally do feel ( T.T just my gut feeling) that you weren’t ready/used to this genre. Sadden from your episode 3 conclusion,I am relieved for your apology because I really just want people to see this show as it is.

      I really look forward to Stereo’s posts for Arcana Famiglia and that this show will be continued to be blogged.

      Pink
      Reply

  22. I’m surprised at the negative output, too, because just from the opening sequence the number of guys is a pretty clear indicator of a reverse harem. xD
    Anyways, I’m really glad that Stereoman will still be covering this series because reading these posts after watching each episode is something I like to do, since they usually point out things I missed in my post-episode brain haze. n___n
    I’m glad next episode will focus on Nova, because so far I’ve played his route in the game I do like his backstory.
    But damn that mask is creepy.
    I think this omake is one of the best, though the one where Nova sings is my favorite so far though I liked the game version more (because Felicita walks in after, applauding him, and he lets loose the most undignified scream ever).

    shiroi
    Reply

  24. Looks like a somewhat important scene was cut in this anime,it happened between episode 2 and episode 3.. It explained how Felicita can improve her Arcana power and the reason why the stories so far is about helping people.

    Show Spoiler ▼

    Melina
    Reply

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