First Impressions / Tales of Zestiria the X

OP2 Sequence

OP2: 「White Light」by Superfly

「災厄のはじまり」 (Saiyaku no Hajimari)
“The Beginning of the Calamity”

And now for something different: Tales of Berseria. I completely forgot that we were going to get a 2 episode tie-in with this Zestiria anime, so I was a little taken aback when we opened up in a completely different location with brand new characters. Once I had refreshed my memory I was able to get back into the swing of things and appreciate this short adaptation/advertisement of the latest addition to the Tales series for what it was. It is a little jarring and a sudden jump, and recycling the old Tales of Zestiria game opening for this episode felt like padding (though it did get my hyped up for the rest of the series), but overall I thought this was a solid episode. It’s worth in the long run, however, will be decided by how relevant these two episodes end up being.

All I know is the Berseria game shares the same universe to Zestiria and takes place 400 years earlier – so while we’re not going to see these characters crossing over on-screen. I’d like if we at least got some tie-in to the anime’s story. If not, this is just a shameless advertisement that will feel awkward in hindsight and something I’d advise skipping to new viewers. What has me concerned is that there didn’t seem to be any crossover in the terminology or mythos. This episode had Daemons, Malakim, and Exorcists – none of which have appeared in Zestiria yet, to the best of my knowledge. And since we’re not going to get a full adaptation of this story – but rather just an introduction to new viewers and potential buyers of the game – I’m skeptical whether this will work in the anime’s favour. But there’s one more episode of this new content before we can make that call; for now, let’s see what we have here…

We’ve switched to the story of Velvet Crowe (Satou Rina), a prisoner who gets a little help from Seres (Arai Satomi), a mysterious Malak, and Rokurou Rangetsu (Kishio Daisuke), a human-turned-daemon; together, these three spend the episode threatening each other, cutting down evil monsters, and finding a way out of this prison so they can fulfil their personal quests. If I had to pick, I think Velvet would have to be the standout of the bunch – I almost wish she was the protagonist of the series; she’s got a sharp tongue and a passion for killing, which is very different from Sorey. Seres’s design is cool, but she didn’t show much personality, and Rokurou didn’t stick around long enough to leave an impression. In saying that, I suspect if we got a full adaptation of this story I’d praise the cast a lot more, as I’ve heard the characters in Berseria are one of the strongest points of the game, at least compared to Zestiria.

Overall, I’d say this was a solid introduction to this new scenario, though there wasn’t too much to sink your teeth into yet. I do hope this links to the current story in some way; if not, and if it could have been as its own two episode OVA series, then that’s how it should have been released. At the very least, Velvet Crowe is a memorable lead, and I’m genuinely curious to see how she will react when she meets the man she hates so much. The glimmers of her past seemed brutal, so if that translates in their reunion (if we even get to that point), that will allow ufotable to prove why they’re one of the best in the business.

 

ED2 Sequence

ED2: 「calling」 by fhána

Preview

38 Comments

  2. The terminology used is meant to be the apocryphal precursors to Zestiria’s:

    Daemon = Hellion
    Malakim = Seraphim
    Exorcist = Shepard

    Seeing as 400 years is a bit of stretch for an entire civilisation to be forgotten and relegated into myth I imagine they are trying to show the origins of the ruins and of the established myths in Zestiria, and Besiria will conclude with some civilisation shattering event to allow for Zestiria’s interpretation of the past.

    I’ve played Tales of Zestiria but am unfamiliar with Beseria, most of the above is my own extrapolation.

    Ash
    Reply

    2. The different names could be explained with that they are from an other country, so they have other names for them.

      example (wikipedia):

      A seraph (/ˈsɛr.əf/, “the burning one”; pl. seraphs or seraphim /ˈsɛr.ə.fɪm/, in the King James Version also seraphims (plural); Hebrew: שָׂרָף śārāf, plural שְׂרָפִים śərāfîm; Latin: seraphim and seraphin (plural), also seraphus (-i, m.);[1] Greek: σεραφείμ serapheím) is a type of celestial or heavenly being in Christianity and Judaism.

      So perhaps we have here the same

      But yeah, they new names could be right

      Worldwidedepp
      Reply

      1. example Malak:

        In Judaism an angel (Hebrew: מַלְאָךְ‎‎ malakh, plural malakhim) is a messenger of God, an angelic envoy or an angel in general who appears throughout the Hebrew Bible, Rabbinic literature, and traditional Jewish liturgy. Angels in Judaism are categorized in different hierarchies.

        So they done their Homework

        So Malakim and Seraphim are both the same meaning, Angels. Just in different “cultures” or Language

        Worldwidedepp
        Reply

    3. I don’t think there would be much of a civilization to overthrow given that Berseria and Zestiria happen in different parts of their world. Zestiria takes place exclusively in the continent of Glenwood, which is in the middle of their world. Berseria, on the other hand, takes place in the area outside of the Glenwood continent, aka the “Wasteland.”

      a745
      Reply

  3. i just took a look at the normal intro sequence again. black haired girl (who’s design i totally dig by the way) is almost definitely fighting sorey. her black magic divebombing into his blue magic

    nyanlol
    Reply

  4. To me the man on the boat doesn’t look like the person that Velvet holds a grudge against. Maybe a case of linking to the wrong screenshot?

    Oh, so that video at the end was the game opening?
    It makes the girl with red hair (forgot her name) look more important than the impressions gained from the anime so far. She can tranform as well (possibly another Shepard?) and is standing und right next to Sorey.

    boingman
    Reply

      1. Speculating here….The blonde we see on the boat is the boy Velvet thought was killed…..that’s my thinking anyways…It makes sense to add that’twist’ in the show….

        Kurik
        Reply

      4. Y’know, I actually had the same idea in that Artorius took over the boy’s body and made it his. Though whether that’s true or not depends on what’s revealed in episode 6, and of course, the game as well.

        Nishizawa Mihashi
        Reply

  7. Tales Of Zestiria The X?
    More like ‘Tales of Zestiria The X…cuse me where the hell did Sorey and Mikleo go?’
    I wouldn’t have been so taken aback if this had come first, to be very frank…but I understand that it’d be a bit weird to start the show off with a prequel that clearly could stand alone as its own series from the looks of it…people wouldn’t warm up to the real MCs as properly…
    Oh well, I’ll take it for what it is for now.

    This new OP is just glorious

    Kabble
    Reply

  13. Hey Samu the guy Velvet hates is Artorius, the dude with a ponytail of sorts stabbing the kid with his sword and the red moon in the background. The guy whose pic you linked is Oscar…

    Silentcrab
    Reply

    1. Yeah, that seems to be the case. I only came to that conclusion because of how the entire episode built up this villain and them implied she was going to confront Artorius in person.

      Samu
      Reply

  14. Well, I’m so glad that everything in Zestiria is the same in Berseria, just said differently. 400 years is enough time to have occurred that names can easily change. Sure, these two episodes are an advertisement for Velvet’s Berseria but everything in it makes sense. Though I’m betting that Berseria is going to reveal something that necessitates a need for a third game in the series.

    Also:
    Show Spoiler ▼

    Dorian S.
    Reply

  15. White Light!!
    they used the same shots from the game too.

    i’ve played Berseria’s demo and the skits on that game play differently.
    but for the preview they sticked with the traditional version from previous games.

    Gray.
    Reply

    1. You mean to say that the new OP sequence is an edit of Zestiria’s OP? That’s awesome, no wonder the editing and shots used were superb. BTW, was White Light Zestiria’s OP song as well? For I believe it to be very reflective of the grand, sweeping, epic narrative of the Tales series as a whole.

      Nishizawa Mihashi
      Reply

  16. Really thought I was watching the wrong anime, but it was interesting enough to watch till the ending. Considering this is still related to Zestiria and Velvet actually does show up in the opening, I guess it’s safe to say it is still related to the main story. Right?

    Otherwise, using two episodes as an advertisement for a game is getting a wee bit too creative on the marketing side. Funny enough, I can’t say I’m disappointed. I agree, Velvet would make an interesting protagonist. Come on Sorey, step up as an MC.

    theirs
    Reply

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