First Impressions / Owari no Seraph / Series Introduction

“The World of Blood Legacy”


「血脈のセカイ」 (Kechimyaku no Sekai)

‘Show, Don’t Tell’ Done Right:

I’m already familiar with the very beginning of Owari no Seraph’s story, so I went into this episode already understanding the foundations of the plot, and how things were going to play out. But for those going into this blind, I think it might be possible that you didn’t quite catch everything that was going on Why? Well, all the exposition from the manga was removed. The first chapter of Owari no Seraph presents some typical explanations to the audience at the beginning of the story, but this first episode dealt with it differently. Instead of information being force-fed to us, we saw the events unfold before our eyes; scenes followed one another the other, with no hint of an endgame until the last few minutes. It was a risky move to remove the exposition dump that set-up this first episode, but a fantastic one, as so many anime suffer from explaining the story to its audience. Owari no Seraph is letting us figure out this world bit by bit, not sitting us down and telling us what to expect before we even begin.

What we saw this episode were the troubles of Hyakuya Yuuichirou (Irino Miyu), a survivor of an apocalypse that caused the death of everyone over the age of thirteen. Yuuichirou, along with his close friends, Hyakuya Mikaela (Ono Kensho) and Hyakuya Akane, are orphans who were taken underground by an army of vampires, now being used for blood harvesting for the vampires’ needs. What was interesting was how differently Yuuichirou and Mikaela reacted and dealt with the vampires – Yuuchirou is clearly one who acts before he thinks, driven by his anger, lashing out even when it could mean danger to his life. Mikaela is much more careful around his enemies, doing his best to play up to them – they way he sees it, the closer he gets to them, the easier it is to get what he needs (like a map) to get everyone from the orphanage out of that underground prison. But what follows is an unforgiving bloodbath, children dying left and right for daring to defy their rulers. The whole sequence with the campy Vampire, Ferid Bathory (Sakurai Takahiro), was a painful yet superb kick in the gut – sleek animation and character death is a good combination, especially when it feel genuinely dangerous.

Living in a Painting:

A lot of this first episode had slow dialogue scenes, showing the little moments between the orphan survivors in this new underground world they are forced to inhabit. And what a world it is. I thought the painterly backgrounds were a refreshing change from the excess of 3D backdrops we see in anime nowadays. They were striking in design and composition, yet perfectly bleak and unsettling through the use of dark colours and gloomy lighting. The architecture here is also very interesting; I found myself wondering what it would be like to get lost in the alleys of this terrible blood-farm. But the engrossing scenery continued above ground (whether it be during or after the apocalypse). I know that just because these backgrounds are so different from what you see in most anime nowadays, they will attract a mix of praise and criticism, which comes down to personal taste in the end. Personally, I loved them – it felt like the characters were living in a series of paintings, moving from one framed artwork to another.

Eight Years in One Episode:

From the destruction of the world, to the underground living, to joining the Imperial Army, this episode spans across eight whole years, which is a lot. Was it rushed? At times, yes, but believe or not, this first episode actually improved on the pace of a rapid first chapter, adding in extra scenes that helped show (not tell!) what was happening, providing an easier transition through the years. It wasn’t done perfectly, mind you, but this whole episode was essentially Yuuichirou’s origin story. You could say the real ‘plot’ begins next week.

Overview – What’s Next?:

And… we’re going to school! I’ve heard mixed reactions on the shift in setting, though I’ve not read enough of the source material from this point on to form my own opinion. The preview certainly looked like a different series from this first episode, but I’m hopeful of the future of this series. This episode delivered everything I wanted it to, making a great first chapter an even better first episode. There were definitely some Shingeki no Kyojin vibes here, mixed with a style similar to Ao no Exorcist. A good combination, if you ask me. Is the next big shonen anime adaptation? Time will tell…. Let’s see where the Imperial Army storyline takes us next week.

Full-length images: 17, 23, 43.

 

Preview

55 Comments

  1. That was rock solid premiere. The scriptwriting was tight and barely wastes any second doing anything meaningless. Nothing was excessive. And they actually managaed to make me care about any of the characters in less than 20 minutes. The backgrounds were beautiful and seamless, and the subtle BGM managed to convey the dark and creepy setting without blaring on my ears. Overall it was one hell of a premiere.

    There’s nothing tricky or groundbreaking here, just shounen done well.

    Amiluhur
    Reply

      1. That’s exactly what the LN and manga did though. Right after the escape they did a time skip to show how he’s grown. It’s an awesome read, the jump annoyed me at 1st too but it made sense over time.

        Zero
        Reply

  2. I don’t know what to think about this. On one hand the premise is somewhat interesting and I do want to find out more about this world. But MC just seems so………..typical. He’s just another Eren. And his development so far has been literally the same. Person who is close to him gets killed in the first episode causing them to vow vengeance against the monsters. Lame. Heck they even went through TWO time skips in one episode. Pacing be damned. I like the art but the characters really don’t mesh well with it. During the escape the kids looked like they were walking into a painting lol.

    I can see this as being nothing more than a typical shounen. Also the subtle but noticeable yaoi vibes aren’t helping either 😛

    A decent love interest might be good enough to make it a little more entertaining.

    Also just a quick question but is this anime going by traditional vampire lore or does it have it’s own rules on how they work? Wouldn’t bother me either way I’d just like to know what to expect in that regard.

    I’m certain Ferid isn’t dead since I can see him being an antagonist that drives the MC and getting shot in the head shouldn’t effect a vampire.

    leatherhead333
    Reply

    1. Oh man~ Having followed this series before the Anime started, I have to say I’m really happy to see it full color now (those green color is so lovely).

      I think you should stick around. Yuu (his name is too long) IS another Eren. He is your typical annoying emo kid who heads straight into combat wanting to kill all the vampires. However, he actually gets developed into a better character later. By later, I mean as late as Eren’s development so you’ll have to stick around pretty~~~ long to see him finally stop acting like that (well, he gets a little bit less annoying soon, but still quite annoying).

      The pace is the same as the manga, so…there really isn’t much they can do. Also, I think you might enjoy the company of the purple hair girl in the preview. Trust me, you’ll like her (sooner or later, at least I do). The yaoi vibes gets worse later on lol. Yuu’s interaction with any guy comes off as yaoi…so I guess you’ll have to face it no matter what.

      About your question, Show Spoiler ▼

      Spoilered it just in case. Give it some time and you might like it. There are many cliches in the series, but you might just come to love it.

      Cheerfulk
      Reply

      1. Cheerfulk is right. Yuu is another Eren, but this Eren will develop into a calmer, friendlier and more sensible character. And more important: it won’t take an eternity for that.

        The yaoi overtones will be there, but other viewers might like that there’s also a good deal of ship tease with female characters too. Starting next episode, I think.

        Mistic
        Reply

    2. I loved it for the very reason that it looked like they were walking into a painting, lol. As for the yaoi vibes, they are going to be prominent throughout the series, that’s just the way it is. Yuu and Mika went through a lot together, so it makes sense that they’d have a close relationship. It would actually be refreshing to have a shonen series with m/m romance, if you ask me. But I suppose Yamada-kun will (kind of) fit that bill when it comes out.

      Samu
      Reply

    3. >] “I don’t know what to think about this. On one hand the premise is somewhat interesting and I do want to find out more about this world. But MC just seems so………..typical. He’s just another Eren. And his development so far has been literally the same. Person who is close to him gets killed in the first episode causing them to vow vengeance against the monsters. Lame. Heck they even went through TWO time skips in one episode. Pacing be damned. I like the art but the characters really don’t mesh well with it. During the escape the kids looked like they were walking into a painting lol.”

      Everyone has their own tastes of course, but personally, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with Yuu being a “typical” MC.

      Some people seem to place too much importance on originality with respect to characters and story telling, often times at the expense of execution, which stands as one of the fundamental pillars of story telling and its connecting with people, IMO.

      >] “I can see this as being nothing more than a typical shounen. Also the subtle but noticeable yaoi vibes aren’t helping either 😛”

      Even taken as a joke, it kinda feels like you’re undermining the impression that Yuu and Mika’s friendship and trust in one another with phrases like “yaoi vibes” and what not. Would you have preferred them to be colder and more distant with each other?

      >] “A decent love interest might be good enough to make it a little more entertaining.”

      Show Spoiler ▼

      .

      >] “Also just a quick question but is this anime going by traditional vampire lore or does it have it’s own rules on how they work? Wouldn’t bother me either way I’d just like to know what to expect in that regard.”

      Show Spoiler ▼

      Ryan Ashfyre
      Reply

    1. Uh, you must have low standards if you think from one episode, and this episode of all episodes, this is AOTY quality.

      Here’s a hint as someone who has read all 31 chapters of this monthly serialization (the latest was released today): It’s not. It’s good, but far from great.

      Mogu
      Reply

      1. Why don’t you knock it off with them negative waves? Can’t I enjoy a well made Shonen, like I enjoy a well made single malt? Well made things are rare these days, I’ll enjoy it until it doesn’t. It as simple as that.

        Echo
        Reply

    2. Yeah, true. The manga is filled with every damn Shounen cliche you could possibly come across, but I have to admit that the manga is well made. Not great by any stretch of the word, still good nonetheless. Besides, it’s fun poking at the cliches.

      Swarz
      Reply

    3. Something can be filled with cliches and still be enjoyable to watch, it just depends how well done they are. If every episode looks like this one, and keeps up the suspense well, I think we could be in for something very good here.

      Samu
      Reply

  5. Seraph’s author, Kagami Takaya*, will be directly working with the animation team on this adaptation. He will personally supervise all the scripts for all the episodes, and even draft story episodes for parts the manga hasn’t caught up to yet.

    Scriptwriter Seko Hiroshi will personally write ALL episode scripts himself; no other scriptwriters will be involved. So at least there will be consistency in writing.

    PS. Seraph is split-season; Season 2 comes this Fall.

    *Takaya also write the LNs of Legend of the Legendary Heroes, and The Dark Rabbit has 7 Lives.

    zztop
    Reply

    1. “Seraph’s author, Kagami Takaya*, will be directly working with the animation team on this adaptation. ”

      Oh! That’s awesome to know, ty for all the info!

      Show Spoiler ▼

      I thought its off to a great start. I also like the painting-like backgrounds and the atmospheric art. The death scene was so much worse animated, especially with the younger kids. I noticed that the anime really spent time warming us up to the individual kids, especially Akane. The action is really shocking and I’ll definitely be watching the second episode. I’m looking forward towards Samu’s commentary! 🙂

      Chloesong
      Reply

  6. This has certainly piqued my interest, even with the noticeable SnK influences; the setting alone along with the accompanying art style has me wanting to see more (the scene of the city in the snow especially). Not sure what to make of the vampires yet, but by the looks of things they are more Nosferatu than Edward so that’s very good.

    Of course it remains to be seen how the actual story will unfold from here, but if the show can keep up something similar then this will turn into a pretty damn good series.

    Pancakes
    Reply

  8. That guy was a Bathory? No wonder he was nuts.
    This was a pretty good premiere, I thought. They did a good job at setting up vampires as hateful, and I admit I wasn’t expecting all of Yuu’s friends to get killed in episode 1. Though I wouldn’t be surprised if Mika shows up again as some sort of cybernetic soldier that Yuu has to fight. It’d definitely fit with the tone they’ve set up so far.

    Luggage10
    Reply

  11. A good pilot episode. This might be the better post-apocalyptic fix people want this season (technically, it’s the only one) and the first episode has set a nice contrast of tone of what I believe is to come. The whole family thing with Yuu and Mika and the orphans reeked to me of false peace, and having only vague memories of the manga I’ve read so long ago, I kept thinking things weren’t going to turn out well.

    Yet it suits them. For all of Mika’s resourcefulness and Yuu’s audacity, they are kids and the naivete showed painfully and tragically (also, the scene with white tiles and blood for stark contrast to increase the impact of their deaths? Nice touch).

    I can’t believe they killed Akane, though. I liked her already, and perhaps the anime succeeded in drawing one of its target audience into connecting with the characters then killing them off to maximise the impact.

    As per almost every other show, I have reservations about Owari. The subsequent chapters feel like typical shounen fare. Not a bad thing, but that also means it doesn’t stand out that much. I wouldn’t bother comparing too much with SnK personally, but with an outstanding first episode here’s to hoping the quality remains more or less consistent, even if it dips a little in terms of storytelling and animation.

    Owaranai
    Reply

  12. I really hated this episode. I don’t like seeing children torn to pieces.

    They set up a bad plot premise with “lets kill everyone in the world with some random virus so we don’t have to deal with what the adults would do”. They then develop a whole bunch of characters but then proceed to brutally kill all them to give the MC his raison d’etre. They then do a time skip so we don’t have to deal with them being kids.

    This reads bad all over so I’m not sure why people are liking this show. Further, the way this show is set up is designed to be female BL-bait so as to produce a bunch of female fandom for the show. There’s nothing to like here.

    ergZay
    Reply

    1. and this “only Humans younger then 13 Years old survive”. I dunno, perhaps this is to much Lolicon and hit the borders of Pedophile of mine

      The idea that suddenly all Males of the World die, and only Womans survive to be Livestock and Slaves… they both are not that far apart.. Light and Darkness..

      The only children survive and are slaves, is still hurting inside me, and preventing from watching even episode 1 for my 3 Episode testing

      WorldwideDepp
      Reply

    1. Boy, with a name more suited for a girl (at least in western countries), voiced by a female Seyuu in the scene were he’s 8, male Seyuu when he’s 12. That’s how I got it, at least.

      Voyager
      Reply

  15. Those death flags like skyscrapers about half-way in. Definitely some major Attack on Titan vibes from this, in several ways, except that this show’s “Armin” didn’t make it.

    The pace was a bit fast and I was like “What?” when like 40 seconds in we see everyone dying and everything exploding. Michael Bay would’ve been proud. I’m a bit sad this’ll only get 12 eps though…

    MgMaster
    Reply

  18. One thing is bothering me and I hope it gets explained later, but if they kill off all the adults, who will be left to reproduce and what would the vampires do when all the humans die off?

    sealouse
    Reply

    1. Nature do not have a “Age” to take effect. someones are early bloomer and someone late… there are cases where children give birth to children…

      the problem here, who will rise them?

      WorldwideDepp
      Reply

  24. Mika is so cute! And I like Yuu, he might remind me a lot of Eren but for some reason he strikes me as a bit more likeable. Also, animation was pretty good (except the running away part where the walking was a bit weird but it was only a few seconds).

    Haven’t read the manga (I don’t want to spoil myself) but I don’t believe Mika is dead. He had lots of on-screen time and the fact we didn’t saw his corpse is fishy. Maybe he’s going to be brainwashed, then turned into a cyborg (he lost an arm after all) and then he will fight against Yuu.

    It was a pleasant surprise, will keep watching this, at least for a couple more episodes.

    haitechan
    Reply

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