Abdiel7
Joined Nov 2023
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Abdiel7's rating
'Crimson"
(Yes, there was another word before that but I'd like to forget that part)
I was rather anticipating the binge of this series, a 48 min opening, a 24 episode season and "SILVERLINK" who have cooked up quite the resume of fantasy anime.
Unfortunately this is the first time I have absolutely hated a 48 min opening, it was probably the worst I have ever seen. To give you a gist they decided to waste your time on some of the most unbelievably insulting writing imaginable. Who thought of this garbage? An example of Fantasy that ignores any sort of realism or structure so it just fails to captivate it's audience. It's childish. Stuffed with very eerie contrivances. What they were saying, what they were doing, I couldn't believe any of it. A forced mess to try and create some sort of impactful introduction but it lacks any wisdom and understanding. It's in essence an exhibition of mediocrity. I was ready to quit by the end of it but they gave a big hint that the source of that pathetic excuse of writing could die in the next episode so I soldiered on. I could fondly recall this inane sequence of the MC's backstory which just made me burst out laughing. I will applaud that they are no stranger to death in this show which is refreshing.
You can map my experience of this show onto an isosceles triangle with the 2 base angles being white signifying the beginning and the ending and the middle vertex angle being red, "crimson" red. We start from nothing, ascending into an eventful, and clever climax with very sharp and enjoyable moments but with a clear descent into a lacklustre ending.
We are introduced to an acceptable cast of characters I didn't hate many. I watched the show in the Dub and I was impressed, especially during the middle part. It had killer voice-acting and dialogue that left me almost in tears laughing. However the crown goes to Crimson, that character was pretty much the only reason I enjoyed these 24 episodes. Crimson just oozes with charisma, his motivations and actions are coherent and written with wisdom. You can really understand him and empathize with his decisions and the dialogue is ever lively with his presence. Whilst he's on the screen the show almost feels like a banger however his brilliance is unfortunately dwarfed and adulterated by the sheer stupidity of the MC "Ragna" who is utterly insufferable and embodies the worst of the unfavourable shonen archetypes, as well as being a massive simp to boot. His motivations are very much mindless his understanding non-existent he is a tool for the plot and apologist when need be, and you really can't connect with this character. They explore a unique way to give the MC an appropriate power early on, however It's just too abrupt for me, it's not got enough drawbacks and it just feels like a cheat-code. The power-up in question, is comparing a crack in the mud from your back-yard to The Grand Canyon. Comparing your local park's anthill to Mount Everest. Another thing is I hate the idea of people becoming strong all on their own. It's complete nonsense, no one becomes strong on their own some of the greatest people you know all had strong mentors at certain stages and teams willing to expend copious amount of effort to support them. It's quite exciting the clear juxtaposition of the excellence of Crimson with the irrational, impulsive, ignorance of Ragna, the problem is these flaws of Ragna's character shouldn't really exist to this degree and are rewarded rather than punished. What's more infuriating is that the nature of this Power-Up should eliminate most of Ragna's character flaws either immediately or slowly. While there's glimpses of that early-on ,this development is eventually replaced by "Shonen Main Character A" to my pure dismay, with a cabinet of plot-armor injected into his subsequent actions.
Another peculiar choice is the setting of the show, it seems it take elements of different time periods of history and throw them all together. There's no tact here and from what i recall none of it is explained. I won't say it ruins the immersion but the military strategy and soundness is in absolute tatters sometimes you're left wondering why certain weapons are used when there are clearly better options blatantly available. Then they just end up scrapping all that in favour of a single weapon intimately linked with the MC.
The animation had very good drawing but really lacked a true potency in motion that other shows of this genre usually hold them up. Something like Fate UBW with a story and plot almost as bad as this one I couldn't help but give a high score because the soundtrack and animation were the greatest I had ever seen at the time, it's impossible not to get goosebumps whilst watching that but this did not generate spectacle that was that memorable.
The Dragons were utterly terrible both in conception and in action. They are divided in classes but the sense of unity and family is just a farcical formality, those at the top share nothing in common with those at the bottom. They are suppose to give the collective impression of a great superior race but It could never be realized whilst they the stench of commonplace "bad-guys" and "jobbers". The only interesting "dragons" are those at the top and my quotation is intentional and they were butchered for the plot, with motivations that are simply headscratchers. These dragons have certain ridiculous limitations which are the limitations of other fantasy race/classes you've grown to love and they barely even keep the consistency of these limitations. The monster choreography is mediocre at best, it's littered with monsters just staring at characters and waiting to die. If you want to see real monsters go and binge the Chinese masterpiece "A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality" you'll never respect this average level of choreography again. They call dragons the strongest beasts at the start but you'll be hard pressed to not see most as chaff by the end. They show promise at some points but they aren't allowed to shine as the plot armour on MC is strong. They're obsessed with the need for massive beasts with the strength several hundred times greater than the strongest of men not to mention potent magic abilities, to be one-shot by beings 1/1000th of their weight. There's also hardly any coherent and interesting teamwork outside of boss class monsters. It's usually either u get one-shot or the monsters get one-shot ,sometimes they sponge but it never felt like proper cut-off-the limbs sponging, it was hollow..
There's an art to depicting the act of "Dragon-Slaying", and these guys are novices. There's no nuance, there's no specific anatomical points where the dragons are weak, the different types, natures and species of dragons are barely explored. I can't help but feel we were robbed of the beauty of such wise exposition due to the main character and worst of all certain 5 foot sub 100 pound(45kg) girls sometimes not even older than 10 years cutting through them like fodder. These sub-elite class dragons are literally drone bots incapable of higher thinking which is in such opposition to how they are usually depicted. There should have been effective team-fighting sequences for these dragons but The problem with letting these individuals solo-kill dragons is that it's wholly ludicrous and dilutes how impressive a feat slaying dragons is supposed to be. There's no weight to it, the grandiose idea of this Leviathan; this tremendous mythical creature is eventually brought to naught the longer you watch this show. The disrespect spreads to the dragon-slayers themselves being total nonentities outside of the "chosen ones". Where is this association of Dragon-Slayers? Where is the Ranking system? Where is the union, the political influence? The hierarchy of dragon-slayers?, the fame of strong parties of them non-existent, there's just nothing of substance here. This is a problem because it doesn't any make civilization even possible, nevertheless one that has advanced to the level shown in the show. Where are those society can trust in to be safe? Due to the writing they were just poorly conceived plot devices because the only people capable of these feats are the ones close to MC at the right place and at the right time. It just doesn't feel like the world exists outside of when it's on screen perhaps more is explored in later seasons or chapters of the source. I must say at this point, I'm thoroughly disgusted seeing another group of strong warriors subordinate themselves to another shoulder-height, XX, giga-thanos, barely half their weight, half their age or lower, standing at a whopping 2/3rds of their height and 1/10th their muscle mass. This drivel is overdone in fantasy anime, I'm just taken a back, outright bewildered whenever I behold the empty farce of such a scenario.
The last 4 episodes are a complete snooze-fest I had predicted it's ending by that point and in likewise fashion it turned out to be such a revolting conclusion, They of course, tried to make it all more believable by killing off more characters but when millions have perished without much thought to it, nothing even hits any more. Here we have mighty villains who have sworn pacts with strong wills who then basically set the heroes up to win in the best scenario. It ends up being truly incoherent and in complete antithesis of their goals, it's a shame because this kind of "tie-the-knot" , "let-the heroes-win" lazy writing is very much boring for seasoned anime watchers. The is final fight is consequently reduced to an anti-climactic mess.
Final Ratings
Animation 8 Sound 7 Plot 5 Characters 6 Enjoyment 7
= 33 - 6.6/10 - 7/10 - I can only recommended to fantasy enthusiasts like myself.
For the 7 letters of Crimson I shall award a 7.
Hope this Helps.
I was rather anticipating the binge of this series, a 48 min opening, a 24 episode season and "SILVERLINK" who have cooked up quite the resume of fantasy anime.
Unfortunately this is the first time I have absolutely hated a 48 min opening, it was probably the worst I have ever seen. To give you a gist they decided to waste your time on some of the most unbelievably insulting writing imaginable. Who thought of this garbage? An example of Fantasy that ignores any sort of realism or structure so it just fails to captivate it's audience. It's childish. Stuffed with very eerie contrivances. What they were saying, what they were doing, I couldn't believe any of it. A forced mess to try and create some sort of impactful introduction but it lacks any wisdom and understanding. It's in essence an exhibition of mediocrity. I was ready to quit by the end of it but they gave a big hint that the source of that pathetic excuse of writing could die in the next episode so I soldiered on. I could fondly recall this inane sequence of the MC's backstory which just made me burst out laughing. I will applaud that they are no stranger to death in this show which is refreshing.
You can map my experience of this show onto an isosceles triangle with the 2 base angles being white signifying the beginning and the ending and the middle vertex angle being red, "crimson" red. We start from nothing, ascending into an eventful, and clever climax with very sharp and enjoyable moments but with a clear descent into a lacklustre ending.
We are introduced to an acceptable cast of characters I didn't hate many. I watched the show in the Dub and I was impressed, especially during the middle part. It had killer voice-acting and dialogue that left me almost in tears laughing. However the crown goes to Crimson, that character was pretty much the only reason I enjoyed these 24 episodes. Crimson just oozes with charisma, his motivations and actions are coherent and written with wisdom. You can really understand him and empathize with his decisions and the dialogue is ever lively with his presence. Whilst he's on the screen the show almost feels like a banger however his brilliance is unfortunately dwarfed and adulterated by the sheer stupidity of the MC "Ragna" who is utterly insufferable and embodies the worst of the unfavourable shonen archetypes, as well as being a massive simp to boot. His motivations are very much mindless his understanding non-existent he is a tool for the plot and apologist when need be, and you really can't connect with this character. They explore a unique way to give the MC an appropriate power early on, however It's just too abrupt for me, it's not got enough drawbacks and it just feels like a cheat-code. The power-up in question, is comparing a crack in the mud from your back-yard to The Grand Canyon. Comparing your local park's anthill to Mount Everest. Another thing is I hate the idea of people becoming strong all on their own. It's complete nonsense, no one becomes strong on their own some of the greatest people you know all had strong mentors at certain stages and teams willing to expend copious amount of effort to support them. It's quite exciting the clear juxtaposition of the excellence of Crimson with the irrational, impulsive, ignorance of Ragna, the problem is these flaws of Ragna's character shouldn't really exist to this degree and are rewarded rather than punished. What's more infuriating is that the nature of this Power-Up should eliminate most of Ragna's character flaws either immediately or slowly. While there's glimpses of that early-on ,this development is eventually replaced by "Shonen Main Character A" to my pure dismay, with a cabinet of plot-armor injected into his subsequent actions.
Another peculiar choice is the setting of the show, it seems it take elements of different time periods of history and throw them all together. There's no tact here and from what i recall none of it is explained. I won't say it ruins the immersion but the military strategy and soundness is in absolute tatters sometimes you're left wondering why certain weapons are used when there are clearly better options blatantly available. Then they just end up scrapping all that in favour of a single weapon intimately linked with the MC.
The animation had very good drawing but really lacked a true potency in motion that other shows of this genre usually hold them up. Something like Fate UBW with a story and plot almost as bad as this one I couldn't help but give a high score because the soundtrack and animation were the greatest I had ever seen at the time, it's impossible not to get goosebumps whilst watching that but this did not generate spectacle that was that memorable.
The Dragons were utterly terrible both in conception and in action. They are divided in classes but the sense of unity and family is just a farcical formality, those at the top share nothing in common with those at the bottom. They are suppose to give the collective impression of a great superior race but It could never be realized whilst they the stench of commonplace "bad-guys" and "jobbers". The only interesting "dragons" are those at the top and my quotation is intentional and they were butchered for the plot, with motivations that are simply headscratchers. These dragons have certain ridiculous limitations which are the limitations of other fantasy race/classes you've grown to love and they barely even keep the consistency of these limitations. The monster choreography is mediocre at best, it's littered with monsters just staring at characters and waiting to die. If you want to see real monsters go and binge the Chinese masterpiece "A Record of a Mortal's Journey to Immortality" you'll never respect this average level of choreography again. They call dragons the strongest beasts at the start but you'll be hard pressed to not see most as chaff by the end. They show promise at some points but they aren't allowed to shine as the plot armour on MC is strong. They're obsessed with the need for massive beasts with the strength several hundred times greater than the strongest of men not to mention potent magic abilities, to be one-shot by beings 1/1000th of their weight. There's also hardly any coherent and interesting teamwork outside of boss class monsters. It's usually either u get one-shot or the monsters get one-shot ,sometimes they sponge but it never felt like proper cut-off-the limbs sponging, it was hollow..
There's an art to depicting the act of "Dragon-Slaying", and these guys are novices. There's no nuance, there's no specific anatomical points where the dragons are weak, the different types, natures and species of dragons are barely explored. I can't help but feel we were robbed of the beauty of such wise exposition due to the main character and worst of all certain 5 foot sub 100 pound(45kg) girls sometimes not even older than 10 years cutting through them like fodder. These sub-elite class dragons are literally drone bots incapable of higher thinking which is in such opposition to how they are usually depicted. There should have been effective team-fighting sequences for these dragons but The problem with letting these individuals solo-kill dragons is that it's wholly ludicrous and dilutes how impressive a feat slaying dragons is supposed to be. There's no weight to it, the grandiose idea of this Leviathan; this tremendous mythical creature is eventually brought to naught the longer you watch this show. The disrespect spreads to the dragon-slayers themselves being total nonentities outside of the "chosen ones". Where is this association of Dragon-Slayers? Where is the Ranking system? Where is the union, the political influence? The hierarchy of dragon-slayers?, the fame of strong parties of them non-existent, there's just nothing of substance here. This is a problem because it doesn't any make civilization even possible, nevertheless one that has advanced to the level shown in the show. Where are those society can trust in to be safe? Due to the writing they were just poorly conceived plot devices because the only people capable of these feats are the ones close to MC at the right place and at the right time. It just doesn't feel like the world exists outside of when it's on screen perhaps more is explored in later seasons or chapters of the source. I must say at this point, I'm thoroughly disgusted seeing another group of strong warriors subordinate themselves to another shoulder-height, XX, giga-thanos, barely half their weight, half their age or lower, standing at a whopping 2/3rds of their height and 1/10th their muscle mass. This drivel is overdone in fantasy anime, I'm just taken a back, outright bewildered whenever I behold the empty farce of such a scenario.
The last 4 episodes are a complete snooze-fest I had predicted it's ending by that point and in likewise fashion it turned out to be such a revolting conclusion, They of course, tried to make it all more believable by killing off more characters but when millions have perished without much thought to it, nothing even hits any more. Here we have mighty villains who have sworn pacts with strong wills who then basically set the heroes up to win in the best scenario. It ends up being truly incoherent and in complete antithesis of their goals, it's a shame because this kind of "tie-the-knot" , "let-the heroes-win" lazy writing is very much boring for seasoned anime watchers. The is final fight is consequently reduced to an anti-climactic mess.
Final Ratings
Animation 8 Sound 7 Plot 5 Characters 6 Enjoyment 7
= 33 - 6.6/10 - 7/10 - I can only recommended to fantasy enthusiasts like myself.
For the 7 letters of Crimson I shall award a 7.
Hope this Helps.
Demon Lord 2099
or
The Lord Of Immortals Blooming in The Abyss F. E. 2099
There was a short blooming of this show, before it fell into the Abyss.
It takes a very eccentric mind, to try and make the marriage between futuristic sci-fi elements and medieval Fantasy. It takes an even more wisdom to consummate intimately it into a truly compelling piece with a disciplined narrative.
Unfortunately we have only the former with this one...
Ah the esteemed high-school building, where the story of all great Fantasy go to die. Do you remember the school in Eminence in the shadow? Yeah I do! It was the worst part. How about in Mushoku Tensei? Yeah that too! It tanked the second season cour 1. This setting is terrible for these shows because it's the exact place we wanted to escape from when we started watching this show. It's especially not needed when we're dealing with adults.
Ah the esteemed high-school building, where the story of all great Isekais go to die. Do you remember the school in Eminence in the shadow? Yeah I do! It was the worst part. How about in Mushoku Tensei? Yeah that too! It tanked the second season cour 1. This setting is terrible for these shows because it's the exact place we wanted to escape from when we started watching this show.
You see this MC? We hoped for our salvation with another Anos, another Alucard, another Ainz. We should have gotten the hint when his name didn't start with A but with the pussy letter V. The experience is supposed to be centred around him, his goals, his journey, his desires. But in typical fashion the writer lacks courage, lacks the ability to empathize with the mind of a true King of the Abyss. His own development seems like a regression, his impact on the story; a means to an end for others. It's apparent he's been banned from ever being allowed to be cool or to have 'aura' as the youngings say it today. Such a shame, he doesn't show any wickedness any callous, reckless, cruel, selfish or even ruthless behaviour. Why then is he a 'Demon Lord', they waste this premise criminally.
The side characters, boring, disappointing and at their worst a total nuisance. Are they female? They won't die, Are they a man? They're already dead whether spiritually, or physically. If they're a female they're being "controlled" or they're allowed to be an irritant, If they're a man conversely, an evil tyrant or fool. Have you ever cringed at dialogue? Stupid question right? You are truly in for a generational 'try not to cringe challenge here'. One of these annoying characters will downright banish any attempt to take this show seriously. I'm not actually sure why this female is here, it frankly seems like they were trying to kill the spark in every prospective blossoming of ambiance this show had left. Too many women, not enough grit and darkness. Making light of everything, the tension just disappears. Time and time again they end up saving the female antagonist rather than perishing them to perdition. All that does is nullify the kind of powerful emotion these fighting scenes are suppose to cultivate.
The plot was perhaps the most displeasing. The entire first Arc should have been stretched into the 12-13 episodes. It robbed the main duo of their shine, and cheapened the general overarching conflict of the series. A potent, resourceful but familiar villain beaten by the pen, not the MC. It was also, again as is common with shows of this nature, just too easy. One of the most powerful and respected beings, stripped of his power in a new age. Only for it to be resolved in the most lackadaisical and anti-climactic manner. A chance to be humbled to edify the narrative, to see the world in a new light. Turned into comical debasement to no greater effect. It may be a personal thing, but I dislike these struggles, journeys and suffering being degraded for humor or for a seemingly witty present day reference. The methods employed here will surprise you, but it's not a delightful slice of cake but rather an old tin-can of beans. The second arc? An utter waste of time, shouldn't have existed. It takes us further away from the initial objectives, the mission of the reincarnation is almost forgotten.
Finale? Poor.. This one you feel nothing, an episode that encapsulates the efforts of this show. What's strange is that I haven't heard this show mentioned once in any discourse despite such rapturous applause and wide critical acclaim. My statement made after almost a year after it's conclusion, for all the avenues ventured none of it manages to stick because it wasn't taken very seriously.
The greatest finales of this kind of genre I give to Season 2 cour 1(E12) of Tensura and Season 1 Episode 20(Advent of the Demon) of Eminence in the Shadow. These finales just multiply the positive emotion shown throughout the season, conclude matters in a way that is satisfying, gratifying and gives you hope for more. They put clearly on a display the compounding events and the resultant 'crespuscolo' is the icing on the cake.
Back to this show.. As for the general production quite nice actually, I can't point you any spectacular moments but there's not much left to want, except a lack of what this kind of work could have been used to service better. The ED was outstanding for me, the OP not so much. I'd say there's nothing to complain about here.
Final Rankings
Animation 8 Soundtrack 8 Plot 4 Character 4 Enjoyment 3
27/50 - 5.4/10 - 5/10 - Looks great on the outside, but it's a mud cake..
I took a 3 week-break between episode 7 and episode 12 to pure disappointment at the shift in core narrative, utterly unacceptable as a binging experience. Any interest in the show was gone.
This show might dazzle you initially but it's not worth it.
Hope this helps.
There was a short blooming of this show, before it fell into the Abyss.
It takes a very eccentric mind, to try and make the marriage between futuristic sci-fi elements and medieval Fantasy. It takes an even more wisdom to consummate intimately it into a truly compelling piece with a disciplined narrative.
Unfortunately we have only the former with this one...
Ah the esteemed high-school building, where the story of all great Fantasy go to die. Do you remember the school in Eminence in the shadow? Yeah I do! It was the worst part. How about in Mushoku Tensei? Yeah that too! It tanked the second season cour 1. This setting is terrible for these shows because it's the exact place we wanted to escape from when we started watching this show. It's especially not needed when we're dealing with adults.
Ah the esteemed high-school building, where the story of all great Isekais go to die. Do you remember the school in Eminence in the shadow? Yeah I do! It was the worst part. How about in Mushoku Tensei? Yeah that too! It tanked the second season cour 1. This setting is terrible for these shows because it's the exact place we wanted to escape from when we started watching this show.
You see this MC? We hoped for our salvation with another Anos, another Alucard, another Ainz. We should have gotten the hint when his name didn't start with A but with the pussy letter V. The experience is supposed to be centred around him, his goals, his journey, his desires. But in typical fashion the writer lacks courage, lacks the ability to empathize with the mind of a true King of the Abyss. His own development seems like a regression, his impact on the story; a means to an end for others. It's apparent he's been banned from ever being allowed to be cool or to have 'aura' as the youngings say it today. Such a shame, he doesn't show any wickedness any callous, reckless, cruel, selfish or even ruthless behaviour. Why then is he a 'Demon Lord', they waste this premise criminally.
The side characters, boring, disappointing and at their worst a total nuisance. Are they female? They won't die, Are they a man? They're already dead whether spiritually, or physically. If they're a female they're being "controlled" or they're allowed to be an irritant, If they're a man conversely, an evil tyrant or fool. Have you ever cringed at dialogue? Stupid question right? You are truly in for a generational 'try not to cringe challenge here'. One of these annoying characters will downright banish any attempt to take this show seriously. I'm not actually sure why this female is here, it frankly seems like they were trying to kill the spark in every prospective blossoming of ambiance this show had left. Too many women, not enough grit and darkness. Making light of everything, the tension just disappears. Time and time again they end up saving the female antagonist rather than perishing them to perdition. All that does is nullify the kind of powerful emotion these fighting scenes are suppose to cultivate.
The plot was perhaps the most displeasing. The entire first Arc should have been stretched into the 12-13 episodes. It robbed the main duo of their shine, and cheapened the general overarching conflict of the series. A potent, resourceful but familiar villain beaten by the pen, not the MC. It was also, again as is common with shows of this nature, just too easy. One of the most powerful and respected beings, stripped of his power in a new age. Only for it to be resolved in the most lackadaisical and anti-climactic manner. A chance to be humbled to edify the narrative, to see the world in a new light. Turned into comical debasement to no greater effect. It may be a personal thing, but I dislike these struggles, journeys and suffering being degraded for humor or for a seemingly witty present day reference. The methods employed here will surprise you, but it's not a delightful slice of cake but rather an old tin-can of beans. The second arc? An utter waste of time, shouldn't have existed. It takes us further away from the initial objectives, the mission of the reincarnation is almost forgotten.
Finale? Poor.. This one you feel nothing, an episode that encapsulates the efforts of this show. What's strange is that I haven't heard this show mentioned once in any discourse despite such rapturous applause and wide critical acclaim. My statement made after almost a year after it's conclusion, for all the avenues ventured none of it manages to stick because it wasn't taken very seriously.
The greatest finales of this kind of genre I give to Season 2 cour 1(E12) of Tensura and Season 1 Episode 20(Advent of the Demon) of Eminence in the Shadow. These finales just multiply the positive emotion shown throughout the season, conclude matters in a way that is satisfying, gratifying and gives you hope for more. They put clearly on a display the compounding events and the resultant 'crespuscolo' is the icing on the cake.
Back to this show.. As for the general production quite nice actually, I can't point you any spectacular moments but there's not much left to want, except a lack of what this kind of work could have been used to service better. The ED was outstanding for me, the OP not so much. I'd say there's nothing to complain about here.
Final Rankings
Animation 8 Soundtrack 8 Plot 4 Character 4 Enjoyment 3
27/50 - 5.4/10 - 5/10 - Looks great on the outside, but it's a mud cake..
I took a 3 week-break between episode 7 and episode 12 to pure disappointment at the shift in core narrative, utterly unacceptable as a binging experience. Any interest in the show was gone.
This show might dazzle you initially but it's not worth it.
Hope this helps.
To all alchemy enthusiasts, forget about it, this alchemy has no laws to it they're just making it up as they go along.
Second of all I am sick.
I shall describe my condition:
I'm sick of being catfished: Here he's an alchemist, but then becomes primarily an adventurer, then suddenly the hero.. I'm sick of putting a character at the peak of unregulated, uncontrollable, post-pubertal hormonal surge putting him in-front of the flashing red targets of those hormones. No of not just one target, not 2 not 3... Can you guess how many? All at his mercy, his beck and call and then having nothing happen. Because he's a good boy!
I'm sick of fake, misplaced, misunderstood, morality, 'Paragon's of Virtue'. There's no story and the plot refuses to punish him meaningfully for any decision he makes.
I'm sick of dipping our toes into controversy, not going through with it and leaving at the first junction.
I'm sick of writers manufacturing vulnerable states then having none of the enemies take advantage of those states.
I'm sick of establishing hierarchies and cultural orders then smashing them for "modern sensibilities" ruining immersion.
I'm sick of being spoon-fed exposition instead of actually doing it.
I'm sick of harem overload with several characters serving no real purpose other than to be a pretty face.
I'm sick of stuffing entire volumes of LN's into 12 episodes.
I'm sick of introducing main characters as the pillars of the plot then turning them into jobbers.
I'm sick of main characters apologizing for nothing, like it's some sort of virtue.
I'm sick of reducing the various levels of interpersonal relationships between the opposite sexes to this grotesque word "Partner" which denotes this charade of equality where there never was any.
I'm sick of narrating events to us when you can just show it to us in dialogue.
I think you get the gist.
I shall now objectively review this.
Animation
I'm sure this isn't everyone's first rodeo, our expectations are low and in this case, for good reason. I mean I was straight-faced through most of it but then the last 2 episodes arrived and I felt almost delirious, I thought I was hallucinating or something I mean some of those animated moments were mysteriously trippy, and really lacking any fluidity.
That final fight was just, Wow!
Like finishing your school project on the last day after you started it then left it for while. The only thing memorable is how low effort and pathetic it is.
Sound
Just amateur, soundtrack was incredibly one note and in some areas in total dissonance. Rather poor showing here from the direction to the composer it's lackadaisical. OP and ED, girls singing in high pitched voices ever heard of it before?
Story
Not Found, There's a single character who undergoes any meaningful change.
Plot
Confusing, sped up, cut through randomly, a puzzle of weightless events and tasks that contribute nothing to any sort of build-up. There's no tension, no profound discoveries. Exposition which is repeated over and over again for negligible compounded effect. It's all too easy for the MC. Let's just add healing powers, let's just add conjuring stuff out of nothing, Let's just add interdimensional sleeves, and space manipulation/expansion. There's just no limitations on him at all, there's no hole he can't just immediately generate a fix for. It doesn't play like a comedy so it's rather farcical. No social barriers, No influence barrier, and it's just collect girls to put on the wall as a trophy, which is utterly pointless. Introduce 3 other main characters but the oh so familiar: 'girls good, man bad' theology makes for an exciting bonanza. These are main characters built up to be side characters.
What a difference those first few episodes were, focusing on alchemy with various non-female characters somewhat nuanced, fresh dialogue, fleeting humour, touching subversive topics like slavery maturely, subsequently 2 girls in and we are plunged into the valley of the shadow of death. The evil which we must fear, the harem. It loses absolutely all of it as we dive into the swamp of cookie-cutter, mundane mediocrity us Isekai fanatics have become accustomed to.
Characters Initially seemed promising. The more I delved in, the worse it got, till I had to physically stop myself watching the later episodes, in absolute boredom and disgust. From the playing out of the dialogue roughly the same over and over again. Convictions recited constantly. It's so forgettable and after the fact it verifiably contributed to nothing.
To how much of a pathetic spineless simp the MC is there's no end, it really does get out of hand. There has to be balance or somekind of drawback, setback or disadvantage, unfortunately the writers don't understand how, they can't translate life experience into their work. There's just too many women it just ruins everything from the plot to the story to the narrative, It all gets dumbed down and subverted. The state of this guy, his own party won't even let him recruit a man. It's just draining to hear these harpies talk over and over again and none of them are banging him. I don't know how it's possible to talk like this as a reincarnated soul. He's a complete push over, the show breaks the fourth wall at a certain point talking about how pitiful he is. It's supposed to get better, but it doesn't because he has to be "respectful" to his female slaves!
This discourse between the main cast, it's a slow burn, it only gets worse. Don't get me started on the poor humor, for example, they have a rather obtuse obsession with toilets as a gag. It's utterly revolting, and just takes you out of any sort of engagement when watching this show a total immersion-breaker, didn't laugh once. Why are we talking about toilets in a fantasy world?
Final Rankings
Animation- 5 Soundtrack - 4 Plot/Story - 4 Characters - 5 Enjoyment - 5
23/50 - 4.6/10 - 5/10 - Garbage
It's a shame because it started off in a way that was quite endearing, but it was all a facade.
I don't recommend you watch it, I have no idea what the source fares like, but on a whole it seems the whole "Greatest Alchemist" thing is an attempt to differentiate it from other Isekai simultaneously riding on the coattails of FMAB. It's surface level attempt at alchemy foundation later pivoting to our modern fantasy classic of adventuring, pocket-girl collector, but you don't have any intimacy because you're a great guy. Themes mixed together hurriedly and achieving nothing.
There's no itch here scratched for anyone who's particularly interested in certain themes, so I can't recommend it in that way either.
I watched this dubbed in English.
A hard pass.
Hope this helps.
Reviewer's Rating: 5.
Second of all I am sick.
I shall describe my condition:
I'm sick of being catfished: Here he's an alchemist, but then becomes primarily an adventurer, then suddenly the hero.. I'm sick of putting a character at the peak of unregulated, uncontrollable, post-pubertal hormonal surge putting him in-front of the flashing red targets of those hormones. No of not just one target, not 2 not 3... Can you guess how many? All at his mercy, his beck and call and then having nothing happen. Because he's a good boy!
I'm sick of fake, misplaced, misunderstood, morality, 'Paragon's of Virtue'. There's no story and the plot refuses to punish him meaningfully for any decision he makes.
I'm sick of dipping our toes into controversy, not going through with it and leaving at the first junction.
I'm sick of writers manufacturing vulnerable states then having none of the enemies take advantage of those states.
I'm sick of establishing hierarchies and cultural orders then smashing them for "modern sensibilities" ruining immersion.
I'm sick of being spoon-fed exposition instead of actually doing it.
I'm sick of harem overload with several characters serving no real purpose other than to be a pretty face.
I'm sick of stuffing entire volumes of LN's into 12 episodes.
I'm sick of introducing main characters as the pillars of the plot then turning them into jobbers.
I'm sick of main characters apologizing for nothing, like it's some sort of virtue.
I'm sick of reducing the various levels of interpersonal relationships between the opposite sexes to this grotesque word "Partner" which denotes this charade of equality where there never was any.
I'm sick of narrating events to us when you can just show it to us in dialogue.
I think you get the gist.
I shall now objectively review this.
Animation
I'm sure this isn't everyone's first rodeo, our expectations are low and in this case, for good reason. I mean I was straight-faced through most of it but then the last 2 episodes arrived and I felt almost delirious, I thought I was hallucinating or something I mean some of those animated moments were mysteriously trippy, and really lacking any fluidity.
That final fight was just, Wow!
Like finishing your school project on the last day after you started it then left it for while. The only thing memorable is how low effort and pathetic it is.
Sound
Just amateur, soundtrack was incredibly one note and in some areas in total dissonance. Rather poor showing here from the direction to the composer it's lackadaisical. OP and ED, girls singing in high pitched voices ever heard of it before?
Story
Not Found, There's a single character who undergoes any meaningful change.
Plot
Confusing, sped up, cut through randomly, a puzzle of weightless events and tasks that contribute nothing to any sort of build-up. There's no tension, no profound discoveries. Exposition which is repeated over and over again for negligible compounded effect. It's all too easy for the MC. Let's just add healing powers, let's just add conjuring stuff out of nothing, Let's just add interdimensional sleeves, and space manipulation/expansion. There's just no limitations on him at all, there's no hole he can't just immediately generate a fix for. It doesn't play like a comedy so it's rather farcical. No social barriers, No influence barrier, and it's just collect girls to put on the wall as a trophy, which is utterly pointless. Introduce 3 other main characters but the oh so familiar: 'girls good, man bad' theology makes for an exciting bonanza. These are main characters built up to be side characters.
What a difference those first few episodes were, focusing on alchemy with various non-female characters somewhat nuanced, fresh dialogue, fleeting humour, touching subversive topics like slavery maturely, subsequently 2 girls in and we are plunged into the valley of the shadow of death. The evil which we must fear, the harem. It loses absolutely all of it as we dive into the swamp of cookie-cutter, mundane mediocrity us Isekai fanatics have become accustomed to.
Characters Initially seemed promising. The more I delved in, the worse it got, till I had to physically stop myself watching the later episodes, in absolute boredom and disgust. From the playing out of the dialogue roughly the same over and over again. Convictions recited constantly. It's so forgettable and after the fact it verifiably contributed to nothing.
To how much of a pathetic spineless simp the MC is there's no end, it really does get out of hand. There has to be balance or somekind of drawback, setback or disadvantage, unfortunately the writers don't understand how, they can't translate life experience into their work. There's just too many women it just ruins everything from the plot to the story to the narrative, It all gets dumbed down and subverted. The state of this guy, his own party won't even let him recruit a man. It's just draining to hear these harpies talk over and over again and none of them are banging him. I don't know how it's possible to talk like this as a reincarnated soul. He's a complete push over, the show breaks the fourth wall at a certain point talking about how pitiful he is. It's supposed to get better, but it doesn't because he has to be "respectful" to his female slaves!
This discourse between the main cast, it's a slow burn, it only gets worse. Don't get me started on the poor humor, for example, they have a rather obtuse obsession with toilets as a gag. It's utterly revolting, and just takes you out of any sort of engagement when watching this show a total immersion-breaker, didn't laugh once. Why are we talking about toilets in a fantasy world?
Final Rankings
Animation- 5 Soundtrack - 4 Plot/Story - 4 Characters - 5 Enjoyment - 5
23/50 - 4.6/10 - 5/10 - Garbage
It's a shame because it started off in a way that was quite endearing, but it was all a facade.
I don't recommend you watch it, I have no idea what the source fares like, but on a whole it seems the whole "Greatest Alchemist" thing is an attempt to differentiate it from other Isekai simultaneously riding on the coattails of FMAB. It's surface level attempt at alchemy foundation later pivoting to our modern fantasy classic of adventuring, pocket-girl collector, but you don't have any intimacy because you're a great guy. Themes mixed together hurriedly and achieving nothing.
There's no itch here scratched for anyone who's particularly interested in certain themes, so I can't recommend it in that way either.
I watched this dubbed in English.
A hard pass.
Hope this helps.
Reviewer's Rating: 5.
Insights
Abdiel7's rating