Grimgar, Ashes and Illusions

I'm not going to lie, it took me a bit to get past the second chapter. It looked like it was going to be ecchi. One of those ecchi-comedy that is vulgar as it is bland. The fourth episode hooked me and the sixth one made me fall in love with this. It ends up being a Slice of life anime. A lovely one. I would have liked it to continue, but the ending was nice. One knows that they will stay together. Where they come from? No matter. They found in the group the strength to start a new life.

If you are like me and just finished Sword Art Online (SAO) and loved the first season you are probably looking for other Dungeon and Dragon / RPG shows. This one has a slower plot that is more suitable for adults since it focuses more on the mental and emotional struggle of being in a RPG and having to kill goblins to survive. There is a sense of maturing that occurs as the main character becomes the leader of the group, I will say I like SAO and Log Horizon more but I still enjoyed this show

The show's commitment to realism-focusing on the struggle to afford bread and arrows rather than gaining overpowered abilities-becomes its greatest strength. The character development is earned, the combat is weighty and dangerous, and the gorgeous, watercolor-inspired art style creates a uniquely melancholic atmosphere. By the time the credits roll on the final episode, you realize you've experienced something genuinely special and thoughtful. It's a slow burn that finishes as a roaring, emotional fire. Everyone should give this one a try and push through its slow start.

And that's where the real frustration sets in. It's a genuine tragedy that this 2016 gem doesn't have a season 2. You finish the series satisfied but craving more, only to discover the story stops here. It's a uniquely painful feeling to see such a well-crafted world and character-driven narrative be left incomplete, while countless other isekais with paper-thin plots and generic protagonists get greenlit for multiple seasons. It's enough to make any fan sad and frustrated.

I really enjoyed the change of pace from other anime. If you don't feel like watching the characters scrounge for food or money, or observing every new item or skill, this may not be for you.

The characters have extremely mixed but distinct personalities, something more reminiscent of reality then many other tv shows. I feel anime as a whole tries to push single or double character traits/personalities even on main characters, and the variety of traits displayed by each character is uncommon among anime. This a quality I find to be rare in anime, and I'm glad to see one with personality development, and even change as the story progresses.

The artwork is wonderful and again, rather unique; it's picturesque and tinted like watercolors, but the 3D animation isn't the greatest, (shown in large group movement/fight scenes).

This series continuation of themes explored in Sword Art Online and Log Horizon.

Taking a mix of the two...pretend like there wasn't the big reveal at the beginning of SOA as to why they were trapped in the game and pretend like there wasn't the awkward shrug off every character in Log Horizon, that was like 'oh fiddle-sticks I got stuck in a video game,' and you have Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash. Not entirely sure how they got into this creative world, but here they are.

The art in the series is a 9 out of 10. The characters are clearly in their own character journey and while at their modest start-up stage in the first 12 episodes, they are entertaining and full of quirks particular to each character.

I am excited for the continuation of the series.