Shingeki no Bahamut: Genesis (MINIMAL SPOILERS, NO ENDING SPOILERS. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED) https://youtube/watch?v=PMQIGEesMV8 Story: Lone bounty hunter Favaro Leone lives a life of adventure; capturing dangerous criminals and spending the reward money all in the same day, but a lie gone wrong gets him, along with childhood friend Kaiser Lidfard, dragged into a conflict of angels, demons, man, and a nigh-immortal abomination which if freed spells the end of existence itself. I really can’t talk too much about the story or plot without spoiling things, simply because so much occurs in this series. That’s not to say it’s cluttered, far from it; SnB:G does a phenomenal job of telling a story full of twists and turns that anyone, even a sleep-deprived me can follow without getting lost. Characters: Favaro is one of the main reasons I can so highly praise this anime, simply because his character is so remarkably unique amongst anime “protagonists”. He’s introduced as a selfish asshole who at one point considers knifing someone in the back to get out of having to keep a promise, yet by the end of the series finds himself in literally the most dangerous place in the SnB:G universe, somewhere he went of his own free will. What makes this remarkable, you ask? Not once does he have some magical revelation of his heroic side; he simply takes things as they come, and changes because HE chooses to, not because other characters, the plot, or “destiny” says so. In fact, he has my favorite quote from the series in response to that particular cliché: To hell with fate! ... We can change fate, as much as we want, whenever we want! Screw this destruction is our only fate crap! The opening neatly sums his character up, though it wasn’t subbed until episode 7… Kaiser is the butt monkey of the series; a former knight turned bounty hunter who’s father was murdered for something he couldn’t prevent, and who is always after Favaro because he believes he is responsible. His character is the moral pillar of the series; while one can certainly argue that his obsession with revenge is hardly heroic (he’s a former knight, honor supersedes logic), he is 100% dedicated to whatever cause he puts his mind to, even at the potential cost of his own life. His perpetual bad luck isn’t all that much of a net negative, however; one such round of bumbling bags the cast a new main character, one who is a fairly major post-three-episode-rule spoiler so I shall not discuss them here. Regardless, it is his determination and loyalty to his goals that gives Favaro enough of an interest to keep on trudging, despite the latter’s aforementioned desire to jump ship. Lastly, but equally important, the third of our main crew: i.imgur/gZ5LMLg.png Amira, more specifically her motivations and goals are what drive the plot, especially as it pulls our protagonists into the titular dimension-spanning conflict. She’s icy at first, but as she warms up to people, she becomes friendly and cheerful, almost childlike in her boundless energy. Favaro treats her as little more than an annoyance at first, but, along with the aforementioned Kaiser, her goals and motivation interest Favaro enough to stick around, despite multiple chances to bail. The reveal of her backstory and true nature are among the best of their kind, and something I dare not elaborate on, for it must be experienced firsthand. Presentation: IT’S: i.imgur/AaHax4z.jpg UTTERLY: i.imgur/xCzGU0o.png GOURGEOUS: i.imgur/unDvBTE.jpg This is one of the best looking anime ever made, by a LONG shot. Studio MAPPA are known for picking “artsy” projects, but with Cygames and Mobage slinging MAPPA permission to do whatever they pleased with the series, and an UNLIMITED BUDGET (yes, UNLIMITED), MAPPA promptly went nuts and pumped out a visual masterpiece, with only a few hiccups of note, namely my favorite: i.imgur/ev9btCS.png *snort, giggle* Would I watch a second season? Absolutely no question, yes. FINAL SCORE: 10/10 Shingeki no Bahamut: Genesis is a masterpiece; a tribute to swashbucklers, westerns, fantasy, and the mythos of a dozen nations, with truly unique characters, GORGEOUS visuals, incredible atmosphere, and clever and creative twists and turns that add up to a damn good anime, and easily the best anime of 2014.
Posted on: Tue, 06 Jan 2015 23:57:57 +0000
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