Helck is a fine enough story. There isn't really anything brilliant or ground breaking about the story. It's just good enough. The problem is that stories like these require presentation - direction, soundtrack, charisma. Because if they're executed well, then any story can be elevated to be entertaining. Helck lacks that. The studio hasn't exactly adapted helck in the way it could've. Or at least that's my guess after seeing the manga rating (8.2) and the anime rating (7.2).
That being said I did enjoy Helck enough to add season 2 to my watchlist (I'm assuming there will be one because season 1 will be meaningless without it).
The best part about helck is the dynamic between the characters - Helck and Vamirio - Seeing Vamirio slowly understand Helck and make decisions about what action to take and what not to. The storytelling also was smart enough till the 2nd part began. The humour was also very good and I wish there would've been more of it.
Mainly the problems with Helck lie in the 2nd part. There isn't really anything bad about it, it just lost my interest. There's a flashback arc that just drags for too long and stops the momentum for a few episodes. During the first part, I was actually looking forward to the flashback arc because of the interesting way the plot was set up. But when I got it, I was just let down. The answers were bland. They lacked any sort of originality or spark. The "villain" is just so boring. The only thing the anime establishes is that he's strong and creepy. Other than that there isn't any sort of motivation for me to get behind him. That makes it a lot harder for me to care about this battle.
I really don't know if it's because the manga itself is this way, or if it's because of studio Satelight.
I do hope season 2 redeems the second part of season 1. But my expectations are pretty low now. All I care about are these main characters, as most of them are very likeable. Other than that the story is somewhat of a letdown.
