The year is 320. Under the rule of the belligerent King Andragoras III, the Kingdom of Pars is at war with the neighboring empire, Lusitania. Though different from his father in many aspects, Arslan, the young prince, sets out to prove his valor on the battlefield for the very first time. However, when the king is betrayed by one of his most trusted officials, the Parsian army is decimated and the capital city of Ecbatana is sieged. With the army in shambles and the Lusitanians out for his head, Arslan is forced to go on the run. With a respected general by his side, Daryun, Arslan soon sets off on a journey in search of allies that will help him take back his home.
However, the enemies that the prince faces are far from limited to just those occupying his kingdom. Armies of other kingdoms stand ready to conquer Ecbatana. Moreover, the mastermind behind Lusitania's victory, an enigmatic man hiding behind a silver mask, poses a dangerous threat to Arslan and his company as he possesses a secret that could jeopardize Arslan's right to succession.
With the odds stacked against him, Arslan must find the strength and courage to overcome these obstacles, and allies who will help him fight in the journey that will help prepare him for the day he becomes king.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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ZephSilver
**this review will contain minor spoilers** Yoshiki Tanaka, you may not recognize his name but you've undoubtedly heard of his highly acclaimed behemoth Legend of the Galactic Heroes; a seminal war epic that influenced many series in its wake, with a legacy that still ripples through the world of anime and manga to this very day. When I heard that another one of his creations were going to get the anime treatment with Arslan Senki, my interest was immediately piqued. I was expecting another grand series with rich themes of political warfare, larger-than-life moments littered throughout and a far-reaching cast of developed personalities to carry itthrough. I was expecting a show that handled its content with a sense of gravitas, leaving no room for shortcuts. I was expecting something with a discipline, where proper writing and coordinated planning wasn't just an afterthought. And as if to solidify the deal even further, I found out that the character design work and manga adaptation of Tanaka's work was done by Arakawa Hiromu of Fullmetal Alchemist fame. The person behind one of the greatest war epics of all time partnered up with the person responsible for what's arguably one of, if not, the best shounen of all time. With such promising creators taking the helm, what could possibly go wrong?... Well, as it turns out, everything can.
Arslan Senki was an anime that attempted all of the qualities expected from a Yoshiki Tanaka work but done so with none of the nuance or tact. It's juvenile in presentation but takes things seriously, it relies on implausible scenarios but pretends to be strategic, and it reeks of abused literacy devices in substitution for proper storytelling. Arslan Senki was simply a war epic that wanted to wear big boy pants while still not knowing how to tie its own shoelaces.
The primary focus of Arslan Senki was a common tale that has been told many times over. A timid prince turned gallant leader slowly building his support and will to reclaim the throne that was stripped away from him. For all intents and purposes, the story itself was a coming-of-age just seen through the eyes of a more privileged individual. This isn't exactly a bad thing as long as the writing is solid. After being betrayed by factions within his own kingdom, Arslan, the crown prince of Pars, found himself fending for his life with everything around him being thrown into turmoil. This 1st season follows Arslan as he finds himself befriending new allies and growing out of his naivety with each new obstacle he's forced to encounter.
The story itself was fine but the way it was handled was anything but. Writers often use characters within a story as plot devices to either move or manipulate the narrative to their liking. In order to make such an underhanded, yet necessary ploy less noticeable, the writers would evenly distribute the abilities or relevance among several characters, as a means to avoid turning any given individual into a Mary Sue/Gary Stu. So you can have a character who excels at X but not Y and vice versa. And while the set abilities and roles of the characters involved in Arslan were indeed separated, they only manage to avoid being Mary Sues/Gary Stus to only become HAX beyond probability instead.
Narsus was a HAX tactician to the point where no matter how unfathomable or detrimental the circumstances, he would asspull a strategy just in the nick of time to save everyone's asses. Daryun was a HAX warrior that made mincemeat out of hundreds of men with no visible signs of fatigue or any human tenancies to speak of. Gieve was simply HAX at life, as he seemingly found a way out of death flag territory time after time again with little in the way of proper explanation as to why. Falangies, for no God-given reason, turned into Trinity and walked through a barrage of arrows like she was auditioning for The Matrix. And finally, there was Arslan himself, a character that's so much of a goody-two-shoes, that if he was tossed into the Game of Thrones universe, he would have been dead in 5 minutes tops. There's being nice and then there's being unrealistically lenient, Arslan was the latter. He might as well be a Care Bear.
The implausibility of the characters wasn't the only problem that made itself apparent, the scenarios were equally as mentally challenging in that regard. To just name one example, we had a horse jump 20 feet into the air and landed a perfect mount onto a rampaging elephant to rescue someone at mid-gallop. And remember, this occurrence took place in a world that tried to be as realistic as possible. Something that felt inherently contradictory when the audience is shown actions akin to a Looney Tunes cartoon.
The show required a high suspension of disbelief to buy into it. It placed the characters up against impossible odds only for the outcome to always be the same. There's no struggle to become better. There's no uphill battle to the top. There's no fight that posed a challenge, despite the handicap they're constantly placed in. All that we ended up with was a HAX team of misfits that plowed through obstacles like they're the Justice League. When the outcome always manage to be the same, why bother to get invested? Trying my best to avoid comparisons here but this is why Legend of the Galactic Heroes is constantly held in such high regards. The outcome wasn't determined, both sides took causalities, suffered losses and had no jarring plot armor to speak of. It was relentless, it had tension, and it wasn't a one-sided victory. Arslan Senki never demonstrated any of these attributes and just ended up being too idealistic for its own good.
Another left-field issue that reared its ugly head was the random inclusion of magic midway through the series, which was up to that point, a "realistic" depiction of war. The show spent most of its duration trying to build a war drama where everything was grounded in reality but out of nowhere tossed in a new genre that was previously nonexistent. It single-handedly sabotaged its own foundation. This isn't like other medieval titles similar to Berserk, where there were foretelling signs of supernatural occurrences scattered throughout its runtime. No, Arslan never gave any indication whatsoever that magic would have worked its way into the narrative. The supernatural elements of Arslan just hits you like a Mack truck and if unprepared, can break any semblance of immersion that was established beforehand (that is, if you even had any immersion, to begin with).
The art and animation for the show were appalling, not only by modern standards but in general. There are titles in the mid-80s that show better fluidity and attention to detail than this. It doesn't even rise to mediocre status. Not even the inclusion of Arakawa Hiromu's character designs could save the numerous times the animators had inconsistent models. This was derp central folks! Picasso face pandemonium! Every time a character was presented at a different angle, the act of looking disturbingly off-putting was guaranteed. This was made even worse by the deplorable usage of CGI. It was breathtakingly bad, seeing hoards of CGI fodder soldiers, animals and other objects just plastered across landscapes with no effort to conceal them. I'm talking PS1 level graphics here. The kind of mismanagement expected from the early 2000s when CGI integration was still being played around with. It was truly a messy patch job, apathetically slapped together in a way that's too obvious to give it a pass.
If this anime had any saving graces, it would be in the music department. The show had grand sound to it that really helped in placing you in the middle of the action (even if the "action" was hoards of CGI dummies). The Iron Age vibe was captured quite well. The opening and ending themes were all pretty decent as well, and while not as important, even the cut-scene tapestries was a nice tough. None much of an auditory standout in its respective season but still serviceable nonetheless. And really, that's the bottom line with Arslan Senki as a whole, it's just serviceable but never becomes anything more.
All in all, Arslan Senki proved to be a challenging watch. It wasn't eye-candy, it wasn't smart and it was far from enthralling. What little it attempted to accomplish has been done better elsewhere to a much more successful degree — hell, almost everyone staffed to create this thing has a better version of this lying around. It barely managed to scrape by and when you take into consideration the creative minds behind the project, it's quite disheartening.
Enjoyment: 6/10
The show had a somewhat decent start but after a few episodes, what seemed like a sturdy foundation turned out to be a house of cards. I wanted to like this show but it kept on giving me reasons not to.
Overall: 4.5/10
Arslan Senki was an overlooked title that has little to no hype behind it... and you know what? I hope it stays that way. Unrealistic to anyone paying attention to it and insulting to the eyes of anyone who watches it, Senki was an anime that had the backing of proven creators to become something great but spewed out a mishmash of bad ideas instead. It may have had good intentions but good intentions aren't enough to make a good anime.
Stark700
When thinking about Arslan Senki, I tend to think of this show as a mixture of fantasy adventure, war drama, and a story that really emphasizes the journey of a young prince. Arslan Senki (The Heroic Legend of Arslan) is a show that chronicles more than just the making of a hero. It delivers a tale of adventure that should be remembered like a legend. For its themes and storytelling, I can safely say that this show is one hell of a ride. Based loosely on the novels and adapting the plot of the manga written by Yoshiki Tanaka, Arslan Senki is essentially a war story.In a role that requires more than larger than life dimensions, it is epic in an old-fashioned sense. And how does it achieve that? By its sheer ability to show its rich story.
The setting takes place in an alternative version of the Middle East. And from the beginning, we learn of a warring conflict that erupts between two factions – Pars and Lusitania. At a young age, we meet Arslan and he witnesses the reality of war; bloodshed, chaos, and death by the Lusitanian forces. The premise also establishes that Daryun, a former high ranking military officer gets acquainted with Arslan. The story then goes on to show the adventures of Arslan, Daryun, and others as they struggle to regain Pars. As with the way the premise sets up, there’s a whole load of potential with its direction. In particular, there’s character growth that really becomes evident for Arslan. In addition, we see character relationships that expands beyond just military acquaintances such as the relationship between Arslan and Daryun.
In the beginning though, we must first learn to understand who Arslan is. Thankfully, the pilot episode does just that as we see a young Arslan from the Kingdom of Pars deal with an escaped young kid. Turns out, the kid is a prisoner that escaped and is from the nation of Lusitania. The most important part however is his reasoning for hating slavery. In essence, the show prints an image into the audience’s mind that conflicting ideologies can break out conflicts that leads to bloodshed, war, and death. It’s also clearly evident that Pars and Lusitania have different views on social equality. In particular, religion and slavery become prominent aspects of inspiration for characters’ motivations. I also have to give some praise for the show’s ability to show its reality of war. It isn’t shy to deliver violence when it comes to content. And by doing so, we can see how far some nations can go to get their message across.
While essentially showing that Arslan is a naïve young man, he is also known as the prince of Arslan. By holding such title, the people of Pars seems to hold a respect for him. In particular, we meet others that join him and Daryun along the way helps him in his quest to restore Pars. The journey they take involves obstacles while Arslan himself learns about different views of various countries and factions. For Arslan himself, the young man becomes more confident and even seems to be able to influence some others. His relationship with the people traveling with him demonstrates his loyalty and selflessness. In particular, Arslan and Daryun has a dynamic relationship as the two are nearly inseparable. There’s a mutual feeling of respect the two holds for one another and Arslan treats him like a friend rather than a soldier. In his group, Arslan has a diverse range of characters. There’s Narsus who plays the role of a tactical genius as well as Elam who serves him while developing a respect for Arslan himself. Joining them is Farangis, a priestess archer with a cold yet courageous attitude. We also meet Gieve, a traveling musician and curious adventurer with an infatuation towards Farangis. All these characters come from different backgrounds but forms a group to fulfill Arslan’s ambitions. Throughout their journey, we learn more about each of them individually while characterizing their roles to define their finest moments. In retrospect, they also bring out the best of Arslan’s character as he leads them with a solid ambition.
One thing that stands out about the writing of the story is that each episode adds more and more to the bigger plot. While there is some pacing issues at times, it never derides from the premise. We see the journey that Arslan undertakes towards Pars while also witnessing the political and wartime affairs that they face. The obstacles Arslan encounters are met with various results almost each time but we always learn something new about their world. While the show isn’t always able to capture the interest of the audience, it does present it in a way that is clever in terms of story development. Along the way, we also meet Silver Mask, a character that serves as the antithesis of Arslan. He is cruel, bloodthirsty, and prideful with an intent to capture the throne of Pars himself. As leader of the Luistania army, there’s a sharp contrast between him and Arslan’s personality. Almost each time he is shown on screen, there’s ruthlessness that is enforced as Silver Mask stops at nothing to achieve his goal. What does this tell about such an antagonist? It means that Arslan has a huge obstacle that he must overcome in order to prove himself as a worthy prince.
The world fiction of Arslan Senki is fantastic. Although labeled as a fantasy adventure, there’s little actual fantasy elements that is adapted with the story. It exists though. There are a few instances when magic is presented but the war story elements of the series is what stands out the most. The Kingdom of Arslan is also well structured with impressive architectural design to give off its resourceful feeling. Similarly, Luisitania is a place of prosperity that can easily be seen with their welfare. Later on in the show, we are also introduced to the kingdom of Sindra with interesting aspects of its own alongside its cast of prominent characters.
For everything that Arslan Senki does right, there are also some parts that can be forgettable. In particular, the comedy sometimes feels a bit oddly timed. While it’s mostly tolerable, there’s a bit of repetitiveness going on. Some of the supporting characters are also easily forgettable with what they have to offer. Not to mention, a few of them are stereotypical with their ideologies; in particular the antagonists. The romance aspect of the show is also quite stale as Gieve tries to hopelessly win the heart of Faraganis while being rejected every time. Later on, Narsus attracts the attention of a young girl that becomes a bit of an annoyance for him and the audience. Finally, the plot of Arslan Senki may not be for everyone. While I personally enjoy the direction of the story, patience may be tested for some viewers as the pacing isn’t entirely stellar. In addition, Arslan is a character that people may or may not like depending on personal preferences. If you don’t believe me, just ask Silver Mask himself.
Unquestionably, there’s a familiarity with the character designs. Anyone who has seen Full Metal Alchemist would know this from first glance as Arslan looks like Edward Elric in terms of physical resemblance. After all, the character designs are based on the Hiromu Arakawa’s version of the manga for its adaptation. In essence, the character designs are fitting for someone like Arslan. He is young with his signature silver hair, compassionate personality, and resilient youth. On the other hand, there’s Daryun who stands out as a warrior with his iron clad-like armor and signature spear. In fact, almost everyone in Arslan’s group stands out in some way whether it’s Narsus’ shoulder-length hair or Faraganis’ fierce nature. While I’m not a big fan of all the character designs, I do believe that Studio Lerche captured the intention of the manga when it comes to artwork. Additionally, we have cruel weapons the historical ages, war elephants, and other instruments of war with a decent degree of realism. Violence is no stranger to this show so expect some uncensored violence and blood to be spilled. However, what I give praise for is that Arslan Senki never goes overboard with its violent nature. It’s just enough. And finally, the action is blockbuster hit that is hard to ignore and qualifies with classic moments.
Arslan Senki is also known for its breathtaking soundtrack. The war-like drama orchestra combined with the riveting nature of the show brings out each episode to life. The OP and ED theme songs are also memorable for its ability to tell a story just by its scenario of important scenes. However, the real strength comes from the voice actors and actresses. Each character demonstrates a personality that we can find fitting for their role. Whether it’s Daryun’s undying loyalty or Silver Mask ’s ruthlessness, it’s very believable. Speaking of which, I had some doubts at first with Yuki Kaji playing the role of a main antagonist. However upon seeing Silver Mask’s voice and role on screen, it’s actually quite fitting.
Why should you watch Arslan Senki? In the end, it’s up to perspective. If you’re interested in a war story with interesting storytelling, strong characterization, and the journey of a prince, then you’re in for a treat. Each episode expands on the story that keeps the audience wanting for more. Each episode shows us more about the characters that we want to know. And each episode captures the reality of war really is like in their world. Despite some concern with the comedy and pacing of the story, there is a lot of fun watching the show in the end. It’s not just about fighting to win a war but also making a difference for the young prince known to the world as Arslan.
Rikuson1
Arslan Senki (TV) アルスラーン戦記 Review Story (7/10) Good More Specifically (7.5/10) The story for Arslan Senki isn't anything amazing but it's not bad what so ever. My expectations for the story weren't really high especially have reading some of Kingdom (sorry low blow yeah I really should even mention Kingdom this is about Arslan Senki...) Anyway like said before the story is good but I did feel the pacing for episodes 17-23 could have been a bit better because I did indeed loose quite a lot of interesting in the semi-slice of life in a army they had going on during those episodes. Which is why Ipersonally can't give this an 8 so a 7.5 will do.
Art and Animation (8/10) Very Good
The art is very good and the animation (at least for episode 24 that is was amazing) everything else as far as animation was either just good or sub par. It definitely wasn't really consistent when it came to animation and art style it would go from looking good to looking mediocre quite a few art style derps here and there but not on a Toei level. With that being said if the anime actually looked like what those still pictures looked like at the end of the first outro man it would have been amazing. The CG didn't bother me as is wasn't used too much.
Sound (10/10) Masterpiece/Outstanding
Nothing wrong in the sound department as the Openings and Endings are amazing well chosen for such a series, the voice actors were outstanding (JP VA) and the sound effects on weapons clashing sound real authentic.
Characters (8/10) Very Good
The characters in Arslan Senki are very good also. With 25 episodes they did a good job fleshing out the cast and making everyone in the protagonist's group feel relevant and that's what you are suppose to do. Obviously Daryun stole the anime the dude is a best and he reminds me so much of Zhao Yun even their names kind of sound alike.. come to think of it Arslan reminds me of Liu Bei and Narsus of Zhuge Liang... hmmm maybe that's why I like them so much because I'm a giant ROTK fan.. anyway if those characters are inspired by those people it doesn't bother be because I loved them all.
Enjoyment (8/10) Very Good
My enjoyment for this season of Arslan Senki was a roller coaster if I do say so myself. I'm not going to lie I wasn't excited every Sunday to quickly watch this anime because like I said around episodes 17-23 my interest was at an all time low to the point were I had to put it on semi-hold and let episodes pile up, because it just felt like when I watched 1 episode a week (as far as episodes 17-23 are concern) it kind of felt like i wasted my time. But episode 24 was amazing! BUT 17-23 at least to me was the least enjoyable...
Overall (8/10) Very Good
More Specifically (8.30/10)
There are multiple reasons why I chose to watch Arslan Senki when I first heard about an anime adaptation of this series was coming.
1) It's a war series and I apparently like those
2) The manga was drawn but the artist and mangaka of FMA so that stood out
3) The picture and character first shown when announced looked cool to me (yes that counts for something)
And just going off of those 3 things alone I wasn't disappointed by Arslan Senki I'm glad I chose this series and the end of this Season definitely left it inconclusive and a lot of openings for a second season. Hopefully it gets one because it deserves one.
m-i-c-h-a-e-l
The Heroic Legend of Arslan is an adventurous tale of how a young prince is driven out of his own kingdom, and how he must become a man worthy of leading his people to reclaim his kingdom. The whole series is about war and its stratagem. This show exceeded my expectations in several areas, which is why I felt compelled to write a review. Story: I want to start with the plot since it is what impressed me the most here. It is very rare to come across a historical and non-supernatural war anime that is this good. Each battle scene is carefully planned out. This isone of those series like NGNL or Log Horizon, where strategy is the most interesting thing about the story. But on top of that, there is plenty of revenge, betrayal, and other plot twists that keep the story’s edge sharp.
Another thing that impressed me about the plot was how well each episode was planned. There was never a single episode where I felt like I was wasting my time. I’ll admit Arslan Senki has a rather slow story, like most war series. However, this is simply because it takes time to unravel every piece of the plot. The audience is offered several viewpoints from different angles so that no part of the story is overlooked. Even during the parts that are slow, each episode contributes to the plot and/or character development.
Characters:
The characters are an important aspect to Arslan Senki. The character development of Arslan himself is very pertinent to the story. Prince Arslan is your typical heroic, young male MC: kind, gullible, easy to trick or manipulate, believes all people are good, hesitant to kill another human.
The other main characters in Arslan’s fugitive travel party protect, advise, and counsel the Prince on his journey to find more loyal followers. They also teach him how to be a ruler worthy of leading his kingdom, while keeping his ideals intact. Arslan’s relationships with his 5 loyal friends also develop throughout the series.
Art & Animation:
The most notable point in this anime’s art style is the detail of colorful Persian patterns. I often find my eyes fixated on the pattern of a character’s clothing, a carpet, a wall tapestry, or other patterned things in the background. The color pallet of the artwork for this series fits well to the ancient Persian setting.
Okay, as for the animation, there’s one blinding CGI spoof in episode 1. Please don’t judge the whole series. After that one mistake, the CGI is not disruptive anywhere else. Swordplay scenes are well done.
Sound & Music:
OP 1 and ED 1 are both superbly done. I didn’t care as much for the second set of OP/ED.
The soundtrack is a very good fit to the setting and time period. The sound effects for each weapon are all accurate. And the voice acting fits well to the characters and setting too.
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Arslan Senki has a few flaws here and there, so it really wasn’t perfect. But it is still far above average. I consistently enjoyed watching the show each week throughout the season. If you are interested in watching a good war anime, I definitely recommend this one. Each episode of Arslan Senki was well worth watching the whole way through.
nep-nep
Prestigious parents often bear a burden of expectations for their children. Much to the doteful disappointment of the audience however, “The Heroic Legend of Arslan” turns out to be something of a black sheep. Lovechild of original creators Yoshiki Tanaka (LOGH) and Hiromu Arakawa (FMA: B), Arslan shines a bright glow of mediocrity under the shadow of its peers. Arslan bases itself on the manga, which in turn bases itself on the original novel, which at last takes inspiration from a loosely compiled set of Persian tales. If you weren’t already familiar with the term “suspension of disbelief”, then you’ll be quite capable by theend of the 25th episode. The story begins climatically as the “undefeated” king of Pars is defeated by the Lusistinian [European infidel] army after Pars is betrayed. Our titular main character, Arslan, is then thrust into seeking the crown because apparently, inexperience and innocence are signs of excellent leaders. Along the journey, Arslan attracts several companions who force the plot forward, exploiting an array of stupidly overpowered abilities.
If this summary sounds somewhat familiar, it’s because you’ve already watched Akatsuki no Yona. As it turns out, “the King returns” is hardly an original plothook. Arslan fails to differentiate itself from this association. Case in point, Arakawa goes as far as to replace Daryun’s sword from the novel with a spear, in a direct parallel to Yona boyfriend #1. The most disappointing thing about Arslan’s story however is not predictable plot structure, but rather the entire journey we take up to the final episode (queue 2nd season). When Arslan encounters problems, solutions are always in stock. Any meaningful consequences the story has to offer are whimsically avoided. The utter lack of tension stems from the fact that characters are never seriously threatened. This is fairly attributable to the abysmal performance of enemy soldiers, who switch on their autistic mode when faced with the slightest manifestation of “enemy planning”. Such mighty power seemingly retains divine superiority above all things, no matter how terrible the planning actually sounds. Antagonists rarely attempt to think of counter tactics, or even provide a contingency plan. There is little semblance of planning beyond the word “charge”, as depicted by the Silver Mask who just cannot resist the opportunity to place himself in the most dangerous position possible, imitating the likes of Bronze LoL players. And even though they constantly outnumber Arslan’s forces, there is never an attempt to use superior numbers to any tactical advantage whatsoever. In simpler terms, they demonstrate a consistently remarkable incompetency.
But if tactical engagements become so predictable, then what does Arslan have left to surprise us? Magic, apparently. If you had any more than a sniffle of expectation for rationality left, then you’re oft for a nasty awakening. Slightly more halfway through episode 12, xx_sketchy_pedo_assassin11_xx phases through the ground like a clipping ragdoll, staring menacingly at Daryun’s behind before attacking [torpedoing] him. Just… why? Like many characters, magic exists solely because the writers were too lazy to provide coherent explanations for events in the story, shortcutting the pacing of plot progression. This has the added effect of cheapening out the audience’s expectations. When it is revealed that the only reason Pars even lost in the first episode was because of “magic”, Arslan’s entire premise falls apart. Given how ridiculous most of the non-magical events in the anime already are, there doesn’t seem to be much difference.
The prime instigator for the intellectually-triggering planning is Narsus, Arslan’s near-omnipotent advisor. The party constantly relies on Narsus to deal with nearly every possible situation. Need tactical genius? He draws out half-baked bat-shit strategies and maneuvers like they were Yu-Gi-Oh cards. Political know-how? He may have only had court experience for a few years, but he acts the part of a cunning court wife. Family man? Somehow, this guy finds the time halfway through the series to pick up some random hobo broad. Definitely one of the less-human characters.
Daryun serves as Narsus’s “Dynasty Warrior”-esque counterpart, rescuing Arslan himself countless times. He goes beyond the physically impossible, as in episode 12 where he blitzes through time and space, bullet-timing several eurocucks in order to save the prince [princess] from xx_sketchy_pedo_assassin11_xx. I took a few moments to laugh at how ridiculous this shit looked when I saw it, but then I realized that they no longer had any intention of making Daryun even vaguely human. Yona at the very least justifies boyfriend #1 by pitting his efforts against attractive dragon boys. The only time Darius even appears to struggle is during his fight against the giant, where Darius appeared to be on the verge of defeat. Or at least, until we learn that he was faking effort all along so he could one-shot his opponent. Again.
Gieve and Falangies serve little purpose beyond filling in as niche solutions to problems, what with Gieve… being there, and Geese inflicting Stormtrooper-level aiming at will (not that they would have hit anything anyway). Gieve constantly attempts to woo her in an effort at comedy relief, but their relationship doesn’t get any deeper than the surface. Beyond that, I fail to understand why they even exist in the show.
It’s precisely because of the swiss-knife efficiency of his party that Arslan himself undergoes minimal growth all throughout the series. The constant coddling reduces him to the role of “figurehead king”. His first foray into battle actually seems to inspire PTSD in him, as he deals with the horror of slaying a man- Or so you’d think. A few episodes later, he’s back to happily sniping down cavalry. Likewise, he gives minimal thought to his companion’s continuous slaughter of men, instead opting to save his compassion to slaves. In fact, Arslan bases the majority of his motivation for kingship on the abolishment of slavery. In the same manner as post American civil-war, he eventually learns that simply removing slavery does not always make a happy slave- Or so you’d think. Towards the end, he proceeds to announce his intention to eradicate slavery without bothering to plan for an afterwards… But that’s okay since his companions are so terribly OP he never truly needs to learn from his mistakes. This ignorance appears to be something of superior monarchal quality however, since it is the only reasoning his companions provide when asked why they serve Arslan. A truly remarkable display of loyalty.
Of special note is Etoile, a fanatical tsundere crusader who’s given a chance to rise above the communal pit of shame. Her kidnaping-adventure with a young Arslan is what first inspires him to reassess Pars’s slavery, later serving as justification for seeking the crown. Their third meeting performs likewise, spurring excellently reasonable motivation in our timid prince. He finally begins to somewhat confidently takes the role of decision-maker; a quality lacking throughout the rest of the series. It seems that out of all the characters in Arslan, Etoile is the only one that doesn’t pamper or take advantage of him. There is an attempt at backstory in the second half, but sadly, it is rushed over quickly and reduced to nonimportance.
Although sound design is not a common aspect of discussion, the usage of JoJo-like sound effects in combat is very overt. Scenes depicting heavy impacts are accompanied by a blearing amount of bass. What works in JoJo should, nevertheless, stay in JoJo. It sounds terribly misused in an anime that struggles to convey justification, instead suggesting that it merely exists to sound “cool”.
Despite sharing Brotherhood’s character design, Arslan’s general art and animation is a far flung fantasy of a comparison. The opening battle introduces us to a use of CGI that is heavily parodied by modern cinema. An ineffectually zooming camera cuts across a blob-like engagement between two factions of generic, faceless soldiers for an inordinate period of time. This use of clay-soldiers seemingly holds true for any fight that involves large groups. Suffice to say, it is quite ugly. 2D horse animations are frequently terrible, closely mirroring the infamous “quality” horse animation in Spice and Wolf. For a series that sees fit to utilize horses in every single battle, you’d think that they’d have at least put some effort into this regard.
Battle choreography is similarly held in lesser regard. Characters often show little understanding of any martial technique that isn’t a left or right slash when using swords. In fact, Gieve in episode eleven parries the same exact L/R pattern THREE times in a row, a brilliant example of what it might be like to fight Kirito’s mook reincarnation. There are of course, two exceptions to this. In the first OP, animator Satoshi Kimura (probably him) makes excellent use of 3D backgrounds in the Daryun vs Silver Mask duel to incorporate a rotating 360 degree shot around the fight, an innovative technique that not nearly enough animators take advantage of. The penultimate episode’s fight (once again featuring Darius and Edgelord) similarly excels. After whiffing his thrust, Daryun gores into a pillar, lodging his blade deeply into the structure. But instead of trying to free his blade, he gouges across the fucking thing into a follow-up horizontal swing. This no-fucks personality painted by animation certainly doesn’t come across when all we see is character mindlessly one-shotting mass produced soldiers for several episodes.
In the end, perhaps you could say that this particular heroic legend just wasn’t the kind for me. You could go on to suggest that warfare was never a crucial element to the story, and that perhaps, the emphasis of Arslan should be based on its portrayal of woefully ignorant royalty identifying problems within his Kingdom’s internal practices, and going on both a physical and figurative journey to his maturity. But no matter how deficiently optimistic you choose to put it, Arslan never intended itself to be something great. Instead, Arslan basks quite happily in the rays of averageness, and we contentedly conclude that there really shouldn’t have been much to expect anyway.
Chuunibyou_Rika
I was afraid that when I began Arslan Senki, I would find myself comparing it to it's mangaka's other work "Fullmetal Alchemist", but as soon as I saw the first episode, I knew that that would not be an issue. The main things I adored about Arslan Senki were the plot, characters, and music. I have a love for medieval style anime (the genre of medieval in general as a matter of fact), and I enjoy fight scenes. Arslan Senki gave me so much of that. Prince Arslan went through a time of maturation and development that you could progressively see throughout the entire series andyou were rooting for him along the way. I hope there is a season 2 and I will continue reading the manga. I hope the video game comes here to the States. If you haven't seen Arslan Senki, I highly recommend you do.
crimson-oath
As someone who is a big fan of fantasy, Arslan Senki was right up my alley and it did not disappoint me. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it as much as I did, to be honest. The first episode was kind of 'meh' for me, but I stuck with it, and by the second episode I was like a ravenous beast; I needed more, more, more. I caught up on the show that day and watched weekly after that. What I enjoyed most was the moral compass this series is guided by, or rather, Arslan is. He's a just, fair young man with a very goodhead on his shoulders. His growth from a rather wimpy kid who only knows what he's been taught to someone who sees the world without judgement in the sense that if he disagrees with it, it isn't automatically seen as "the wrong thing", he just doesn't agree.
You can't help but root for Arslan as he starts his journey with Daryun, Narcissus and the others to reclaim Pars after it has fallen to Lucetania, because you want to know what kind of leader Arslan has it in him to be.
Each character has the remarkable capacity for growth, and they do. Arslan's company grows to the point where if you were to place the old them and the new them beside each other, the differences would be stark. I love that, and in a series like this, surrounded by war and politics and religion, it's definitely necessary.
The art was phenomenal as well! Honestly, I think that's one of my favourite things, aside from the characters. The way everything was animated was simply gorgeous.
The music, also, was grand. It helps sweep you up into the moment. With each swell of the music, you're left sitting on the edge of your seat. What's going to happen? What's going on? Honestly the composer should receive some kind of reward for this. They capture the show beautifully in their music.
Honestly now that I'm finished, I want to go back and watch it all again. I adore this anime and I can't wait for the second season. 2016 can't come fast enough!
BanjoTheBear
(This has been adapted from my blog/reddit thread. Spoilers ahead!) This introduction is difficult for me because I have no experience with war. Sure, I have historical knowledge, but I have never taken part in violence of that magnitude. I do not seek out confrontations, instead I seek out calm. I prefer friends over fights as it were. That is just who I am. I therefore must rely on the words of others here, rather than my own. There are a lot of famous phrases about war. “War. What is it good for? Absolutely nothing.” A famous lyric sung by Edwin Starr. “War. War never changes.” Aniconic statement of the Fallout video game franchise. “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.” Irony of monumental proportions, written by George Orwell and taken from his classic 1984. Each medium – from music to games to literature – thinks the same simple thought: war is always bad.
At least, that is how the vast majority of people think nowadays. Go back far enough, and you will discover that war was often the norm. Arslan Senki sits in this latter camp, portraying war, succession, and politics in anime form. Whether or not the show delivers a solid performance, though, is still up for debate.
STORY
Arslan Senki sets itself up as a prolonged adventure. A lot goes on, and a lot has yet to happen. Still, the anime covers a lot of ground in its first season, from big themes to involved battles. Again, there is a lot of plot left to get through, and while the show could be in a better spot the anime is not outright horrible either.
The narrative clearly states the end numerous times. “And thus, the boy would become king” and the title of the show The Heroic Legend of Arslan – where legend implies an immense level of fame achieved through exploits and success – spell out a complete win for Arslan. Thus, what matters is not where the plot ends up but how the plot gets there. What makes up the majority of the plot is the demonstration of war. Swinging swords, strategizing against the enemy, and the before-and-after effects. That last point is important because the downtime is where the show puts the most attention on its larger ideas.
These themes are heavy. War. Slavery. Religion. Arslan Senki targets ideas that are wide in scope and are therefore a bigger challenge to explore properly. The first two more or less see adequate development, especially war and its misgivings. War brings more than just death; war brings betrayal, camaraderie, fear, suffering, and understanding, all of which the narrative shows time and again. From the sacking of Ecbatana to the victory at Saint Emmanuel, the byproducts of war are interlaced throughout the experience. Slavery likewise plays a prominent role. Slaves’ mistreatment, Ecbatana’s fall, Narsus’s background, Arslan’s relationship to his people, and Kashan’s persuasion are each examples of the ways in which slavery is explored, remaining relevant for much of the season. For both of these themes on war and slavery, the anime also manages to include the grotesque sides. Displaying the severed head of a traitor and the killing of captives proved that the show was not afraid to venture into the more unsightly aspects of these themes.
Sadly, the anime missteps with its religious theme. In the beginning, Yaldabaoth and the idea of conflicting ideologies has a major role in how the plot proceeds. The overzealous nation of Lusitania demolishes the powerhouse that is Pars because of their devotion to their god. Following the opening arc, however, religion is pushed to the wayside. The concept of religion is brought up later on with Hermes who denounces religion as nothing more than a farce, but a huge chunk of the plot ignores religion and its influence on not just the events but also its other themes on war and slavery. Of course, Falangies and Estelle are characters whose very traits revolve around religion, but they are not prominent enough within the narrative to add weight to this important idea.
Arslan Senki has an even bigger glaring problem in its narrative that is best described as a plot contrivance. Specifically, the enemy’s dark sorcery is the home for too much convenience. Besides Falanngies’s apparent ability to communicate with the Djinn, the anime almost entirely focuses on the believable aspects of war. Horses, castles, and spears make up the vast majority of the content. The tiny sliver that does not encompass the realm of the real is the evil magic that Hermes has at his disposal. This ally of his can materialize from the portals he makes, he can traverse quickly over land, and he can even bring others through the darkness.
Simply incorporating this into the show automatically introduces potential issues. One, the bad guys can be saved whenever the show chooses – this happens near the end of this season. Two, the bad guys can appear whenever the show chooses – this happens during the splitting-up in the mountains as the troupe heads for Peshawar. Third and lastly, the bad guys can kill Arslan whenever the show chooses – this never happens but that is exactly the issue. For instance, in the final fight between Arslan and Estelle, the darkness not appearing to eliminate the young prince, despite him being alone and despite him fighting for his life, makes little logical sense given the anime’s overall context. Granted, this dark sorcery is used quite sparingly. But this is still an unfair crutch that removes natural progression of the plot and instead favors a tool that artificially pushes the narrative where Arslan Senki needs it to go.
Another minor grievance is the anime’s unwillingness to remove key players. It is fair to assume that Arslan, Daryun, and Narsus would continually live following each encounter. Arslan is the main protagonist and both Daryun and Narsus are vital to the crown prince’s success. However Falangies, Gieve, Elam, Jaswant, and Alfreed, characters who are by and large not that important to earning Arslan’s glory, are barely affected. The same can also be said of the enemy. Other than Kharlan (who died early) and Hermes (who is the main antagonist), Bodin, Xandes, and Guiscard are figures that still have a presence despite not doing much or meaning much to the narrative. Given Arslan Senki’s penchant for war, not having any of these heroes or villains eliminated reduces the believability the show strives for. Again, to be fair, this is the first season of the series, meaning it is entirely possible that some of the aforementioned characters will perish in due time. But when the only truly harrowing moment is when Elam is wounded protecting Arslan, and even then the wound is not as life threatening as it could be, the narrative once again comes off as unfairly guided rather than naturally progressing.
Similarly and seemingly unnatural is, at first glance, the Sindhura arc. However that entire ordeal centers on three concepts. One, bolstering the credentials of Arslan. Joining ranks with another country and staying loyal to this country demonstrated his abilities as a trustworthy leader, giving him the necessary clout to establish his decrees. Two, recruiting Jaswant into his party. While much happens during this arc, one of the most important aspects is having Jaswant join Arslan’s gang as further proof of his trustworthiness and his ability to unite disparate people. Three, the conflict is representative of Arslan’s battle against Hermes. The clashing brothers, the power struggle, and the throne succession questions, combined with the capabilities of those rulers and their relationship to their father, mirror Arslan’s own difficulties abroad. This in turn gives Arslan the chance to understand that birthright is not all that is needed to become king.
Yet this arc introduces an inherent problem: displacement of focus. While these qualities of this portion of the narrative are intentional and purposeful, this long stretch of episodes takes away from the main point of contention, namely Pars, Ecbatana, and Hermes. For a time, Arslan Senki becomes less about Arslan and his fight to win the throne and more about this aside that, ultimately, means very little to the grander goals at play.
The anime has other positives. The season ends on a total victory for Arslan, achieving a full-circle framing for the narrative that brings about a sense of closure to his initial defeat. The anime also has other negatives. The anime fails to give competent world-building. Other rival countries, terrain traversed, and societal life are barely investigated. Altogether, the anime does not entirely miss the mark with its narrative but there is definitely room for improvement.
ANIMATION
Where Arslan Senki falters hardest is in its art and its animation.
To clarify, the anime’s character designs are partially exempt from most of the issues. Most notable are their “crispness”, the defined outlines and vibrant colors of the characters heavily contrasting with the backgrounds they find themselves on. The paleness of Falangies and Arslan, the intricate outfits of Alfreed and Daryun, and the striking eyes of Jaswant and Gieve make them almost pop out of the screen, their looks alone defining them. However their designs are more than just visually pleasing, holding symbolic purpose as well. Arslan’s white hair symbolizes his innocence as a child and purity as a leader. Furthermore, his androgynous depiction is a clever way to highlight that Arslan is a ruler representing everyone. Daryun dons black armor, black representing strength and power, both of which the knight carries in spades. And Narsus’s comparatively lackluster appearance actually reflects his deceptive nature; he does not stick out like everyone else, making perfect sense for the genius strategist. This type of analysis can be applied to each character, proving the strength of each of their designs.
The same kind of strength cannot be attributed to the rest of the anime’s artistic and animation direction. There are three big problems with the art. First, the main setting. The mountains, the plains, and the forests inherently provide dull stages for the actors to use. Indeed, watching a bunch of rocks or seeing the group traverse through dense foliage is not the most impressive sight. Arslan Senki attempts to switch things up with the occasional fortress or encampment, but the majority of the show finds itself on the boring side of life. This problem stems from the second: the frequent battles. Due to the war theme, these mountain passes, open fields, and trees are needed because that is where war normally takes place. So while the places are not too enticing, their inclusion is forced. The battles, in turn, introduce the third problem: the CG. By far the worst aspect of the art is the CG. Its blocky textures are a negative, but it is the reused sequences – soldiers with the exact same faces standing right next to one another or the same set of animations used, just with reskinned people – that truly hamper the anime. The reasoning for using as much CG as the show did was to combat (coincidentally) the battles. Their size and frequency ultimately meant that resources were spread thin, this lacking CG art and animation having to be relied on more so than wanted.
Consequently, actual animation follows suit. Much of Arslan Senki has animation of a level that is not what one would consider favorable. It is not just the calmer times, where the characters talk with one another without too much hair or body movement. The battles likewise see a downgrade. The camera often pans high to give a lot without showing too much action. The camera zooms in a lot, too, swords, bows, and halberds used but without finesse or choreography. Combined, the anime never really shows extensive fighting, resulting in less overall animation. The actual animation peaks during the first fight between Daryun and Hermes. The rest of the show, however, tends to keep most objects and people from moving too much. Again, the anime is not devoid of animation, but given the focus on war and battles – alongside the questionable CG work – the amount provided is sorely less than appropriate.
CHARACTERS
Arslan Senki is a classic case in anime when it comes to a singular main character and the many side characters that support him or her. In question form, how much is “enough” for the supporting cast?
Realistically, nobody else matters besides Arslan. This is a story about the young boy, so do the side characters really matter that much? Daryun, Narsus, Falangies, Elam, Alfreed, Gieve, and Jaswant constantly surround the young prince, but this is not their story. As such, many of these characters have very little known about them. Falangies in particular gets the brunt end of the stick; she has zero noteworthy scenes, and outside of her temple disciple background and her ability to hold her liquor, nothing else worthwhile is known about her. She effectively sits on the sidelines making a comment or two during this initial tale. So it begs the same question as before, does having so little about specific characters negatively impact the show’s execution when all that matters is Arslan?
A difficult question to answer because that line in the sand is not definitive. For example, Jaswant is arguably the best of the side characters: the audience learns of his background, the audience witnesses his intriguing and parallel relationship to Arslan, and the audience eventually understands the Sindhuran’s own convictions. Daryun, on the other hand, is the “Black Knight” of unparalleled strength with an equal amount of devotion to Arslan. But the viewer does not learn anything else about him. His background is never shown, he seemingly has no flaws, and his relationships except to those of Arslan and Narsus are rarely expounded on. All of these problems, yet he was next to Arslan since the very beginning of their journey. Most of the supporting cast are somewhere between Jaswant and Daryun in terms of strength. Alfreed gets multiple venues of motivation, Gieve more or less tags along, and so on. Again, expecting extensive development for the entire cast is a fruitless endeavor. But to focus on each of them so minimally as Arslan Senki did?
Of course, similar to Jaswant, there are other exceptions. Hermes stands as a wonderful antagonist, even if the narrative unfairly uses him as it sees fit. As Arslan’s foil in more ways than one, Hermes is a man whose rage knows no bounds. Driven by revenge, the former king’s son does not want the throne so much as he wants his cousin’s and his uncle’s head, doing whatever it takes – such as murdering his own people or betraying those he has joined – to achieve his ends. He is scarily powerful, maniacal, and technically in the right. His family was killed and his home was taken for yet-to-be-fully-revealed reasons, so his actions are not entirely unfounded. Still, this burning desire to kill those who have wronged him drives everyone away. This contrasts heavily with Arslan, whose behavior naturally draws people to him. However this fiery rage also symbolizes Hermes’s eventual downfall. His one weakness are flames, caused by the trauma of his family’s original slaughter. This fact alone makes Hermes a well-rounded character simply because he is not infallible just as Arslan is. For now, it remains to be seen if Hermes can be saved or if his inner fire will consume him, but as it stands Lord Silver Mask is not just a worthy opponent for the crown prince but also one of the strongest characters of the cast.
Estelle (disguising herself as Etoile) is also worth mentioning. Initially the audience is introduced to a boy whose belief in his ideals pushes him where he needs to go. When Arslan and the boy grow up, the two meet again, only to part ways still butting heads. For a time, it appears that the boy no longer has a spot among the cast until the show reveals that he is not a he but a she. Estelle infiltrates Arslan’s keep to inspire him unintentionally (once again), she inadvertently causes the fall of the Keep of Saint Emmanuel, and she, oh so slightly, begins to expand her narrow-mindedness. Arslan has a unique relationship with the girl; while mutual feelings of romance have yet to bloom (a guess, since a king needs a queen and the narrative is screaming for it to happen), the pair hold different approaches to the same ideas of life. Similar to Hermes and the rest of the cast, she has yet to fully develop as a character. But as is the norm with the first season’s characters, she is poised for greatness later on down the road.
To be fair towards everyone that is not Hermes or Estelle, some leniency is warranted. This is only the first season of the anime. A second season is on the horizon and will, presumably, be a two-cour show as well. Meaning these separate problems – Falangies forgotten about or Daryun hardly experiencing hardship – will most likely be addressed later on. So for now, it is not that absurd to assume that the characters will get the attention they deserve in due time. That is, the first season essentially gave us the characters and their respective characterizations (however slight they might be) in preparation for their eventual growth in the coming season.
Assuming much of the side cast can be overlooked, at the minimum it is then fair to expect Arslan to carry more weight than considered normal. Therefore, and keeping in mind the split seasons, the final question, how does Arslan fair as a character at this point? He started as a wimp. Naïve of the world beyond the capital’s walls, his first taste of war is utter defeat. He sees his friends die, his subjects perish, and his father taken in the span of an evening. Obviously unable to do much of anything by his lonesome, he enlists Daryun who directs him to Narsus, and there the true adventure begins. Along the way, Arslan gains more followers, usually of different creeds. A former slave, a bard, and a nomad are but a sampling of the people that pledge themselves to Arslan.
Their variety is precisely what gives Arslan his edge. He is not incredibly strong like Daryun. He cannot wield a bow like Falangies. He cannot cook meals like Elam. But what Arslan can do is lead. A leader is not someone who can annihilate his foes or has immeasurable riches. A leader is someone who gains the utmost trust of those he leads. Arslan does this through his kind heart, his empathetic nature, and his reliance on others. That last part is important because that is exactly what Daryun, Narsus, and the rest do. They might not change but they support, and in turn morph, Arslan into the kind of king he will need to become. Arslan is far from that conclusion, but in the short span of time he has fought to earn his rightful spot on the throne he, like Hermes and Estelle before him, is more than ready for what lies ahead.
In the end, those previous questions will always remain heated points of contention. But for Arslan Senki, Hermes, Estelle, and Arslan do more than enough (this season) to overlook the lack of support for the supporting characters.
SOUND
The first opening theme mixes rock and acoustics, providing a sound that simultaneously does and does not fit the atmosphere of the anime. The combination is weird but the strangeness gives the piece some much needed “oomph”. The fast lyrics, alongside the adrenaline-filling instruments and back-and-forth vocals, also give the piece a certain allure that works to get the audience in the mindset needed for the show. The second OP takes a similar approach, but less determined and more emotional in its presentation. Unfortunately, only the repetition in the middle and end is memorable, the rest of the piece a cacophony of sound and lyrics as opposed to a coherent piece of music.
It is not until the first ending theme is heard that the true formidability of the music is heard. The incredible vocalist, the mood-setting instruments, and the beat of the track propel the piece away from “just another ED” to “an ED worth remembering”. Even the simple “ah” as the song concludes demonstrates the power contained within. The only problem with the first ED is that it gave way to the second which is, understandably, a step down. True to Kalafina form, the track is both mysterious and grand in scope, a nice fit for the direction of the anime. The women both share and trade the spotlight, turning the piece into a swirling harmony of singing that is soothing on the ears (also true of most Kalafina pieces). While not as strong as its previous ED, the second one does what it can to fill the first’s shoes and at the minimum finds a decent spot among the legendary tale of Arslan.
The remainder of the soundtrack is often of orchestral origins. Resounding drums, deep violins, and sharp trumpets are heard, perfect for that feeling of war. Given the Western and European setting, many of the pieces also incorporate vibes of a similar nature. Stringy guitars and simple flutes place the audience in the correct location and time period without coming off as overbearing. Other tracks are mysterious, violins and harps cloaking the viewer in a veil of the unknown, such as when Hermes visits Andragoras. Other tracks are lighter, such as when Arslan has his new troops trained, soft pipes uplifting the mood. And although the OST does not contain any noteworthy pieces, they do their job nicely enough throughout the season.
Finally, voice acting in Arslan Senki sees about average performances overall. Wataru Hatano as Jaswant uses a surprisingly deep voice that works quite well. Yuusuke Kobayashi as Arslan is relatively new to the field, his childish voice a bit too kiddy for the king-to-be. And Shirou Saitou as Bodin is supposed to sound furious but instead sounds like he needs to clear his throat.
ENJOYMENT
Part of the reason why I was not liking this one as much as I probably should have is the characters. Falangies is beautiful but so little was given about her she was not that enticing. Gieve teasing Falangies was amusing, but not that funny because that is all his person became. Narsus is intelligent but he is a rather dull person to see on-screen. Arslan likewise fails to leave a lasting impression. He is nice and gentle, but he does not really do anything throughout the season other than yell out names and continually learn from those around him. “Presence” is the right word; nobody in the cast had a presence that affected me. No one is cute or funny or cool. They are all just…there. And to be fair, that kind of realness not only makes sense for the anime but also means a lot to other people. However I would have liked to have seen a teeny tiny bit more eccentricity, considering how flavorful everyone seemed. Hermes might count, but listening to him throw a hissy fit each time he made an appearance got old quickly.
There was one shining ray of hope that pierced my heart, though, and that was when Estelle revealed her true identity. Seeing her slightly smaller height-wise compared to Arslan, her boyish attitude compared to Arslan’s girlish one, and the encounters they had in the past, immediately caught my attention, setting my romance-gears in motion. I always wondered if Arslan would find a lover, let alone who it might be. Falangies? She is an adult and he is a child. Alfreed? She has fallen for Narsus (Elam has a shot I believe). Tahamine? The time period makes such incestuous relationships not too farfetched but that would be out of left-field. Therefore Estelle is the one for Arslan. All I wanted from the moment they talked in the castle and in the prison cell was for the anime to continue to explore their complex relationship. Of course I knew (and know) that the anime was not (and is not) going to head full-force in that direction – this is an anime about war and Arslan’s journey to become king, not some romantic-comedy. But the romantic in me yearns for more. As such, I remain hopeful for the upcoming continuation.
Regardless of the characters and the potential romance, the other entertainment factor of Arslan is the fights. There is approximately a battle every other episode, be it a duel or a large-scale conflict. The show does its best to diversify each one: one skirmish uses fog to mask a trap, another still lures a battalion onto a thin sheet of ice to send them to a watery grave, and another involves stampeding elephants. Despite the show constantly changing tactics, I never once found myself emotionally invested in the anime. Perhaps it was because I “knew” that the show never had the guts to kill off any of the main cast, but I was never cheering for Daryun nor was I clapping as Narsus’s plan worked flawlessly per usual. The fights were not boring per se, but as I was with the characters I was not invested in whatever the show happened to dish out.
Arslan Senki is the start of a journey, a start that got off on the semi-right foot. The characters are primed and ready to go and the music at times is easy on the ears. But the poor art and animation direction, combined with the less-than-stellar narrative, bring everything down further than the show would like. Hopefully the next iteration does not follow war’s path and instead changes for the better.
SUMMARY
Story: Fine, heavy themes of war and slavery, theme on religion forgotten, unwarranted plot contrivances, intriguing parallel narrative in the Sindhuran arc, and mixed structural decisions
Animation: Bad, very nice character designs, poor artistic direction, and below average actual animation
Characters: Good, while many of the supporting characters have yet to actually do much of anything they – alongside Hermes, Estelle, and Arslan – have promising starts
Sound: Fine, good first OP, bad second OP, fantastic first ED, good second ED, okay OST, okay VA performances
Enjoyment: Fine, an uninteresting cast, uninvesting battles, and a dash of potential romance provide a competently entertaining beginning to this tale
Final Score: 5/10
ThatAnimeSnobRE
When this anime was announced, many expected the best show of the millennia. The reason was the story being written by the author of Legend of the Galactic Heroes and the artwork being done by the mangaka of Full Metal Alchemist. Both titles are exceptional and are even in my top 10. Unfortunately, Arslan is not even top 1000 material. Compared to its predecessors: - It lacks the semi-realistic character designs of LOGH - Its cast lacks the charisma and individual importance of FMA characters - It looks bland compared to the ethereal artstyle of the 90s version of Arslan Another way to view it is like the 2Star Wars trilogies. The 70s trilogy was a space opera masked as a fairy tale, thus keeping expectations low and succeeding in the longrun. The 00s trilogy on the other hand was a fairy tale desperately pretending to be a space opera and self-imploded in the longrun by promising way too much. It’s the same thing with Arslan; it’s not as good as it wants you to think it is. It’s a silly fighting shonen that tries to present itself as a serious historical epic and fails miserably at it.
The general premise and overall plot are fine; it’s always cool to see a prince trying to gather an army and protect his kingdom from various enemy factions. It reminded me of a simpler Romance of the Three Kingdoms. The problem lies in how it was written in a very dry way since it was inspired by the famous contemporaries of that time (Conan the Barbarian, Erlic of Meliborne, Guin Saga) and as such it is a hard sale when it comes to a more modern audience. The storyboard planners didn’t adjust an anachronistic plot so it won’t be boring to Zoomers watch it.
As a result Arslan the protagonist comes off as the most boring character. Everybody around him is ten times more capable and interesting than he is. I understand that the show is the coming of age of a naïve prince, slowly becoming a capable king thanks to his interaction with all sorts of mentors. It still doesn’t make him an interesting lead. He’s completely worthless and passive to the most part, and even looks like a girl. Why does he even have so many loyal subjects? Ok, fine, he is the lawful heir to the throne, but in those chaotic times the moment you were showing weakness you were executed and the throne was taken by the strongest man available. The story is not plausible from the get-go because of that simple fact. In a more realistic scenario Arslan would be a puppet at the hands of his subjects, if not a decorative head on some pike.
Compare that lead to LOGH and FMA. You can never complain about the protagonists in those shows. They were capable, charismatic, and the story doesn’t begin with them being greenhorns. We saw how they improved in flashbacks and whatever happens in present time is the peak of their power. That’s what makes them compelling. To make an analogy, it’s as if you are watching Romance of the Three Kingdoms from the perspective of the Han emperor, a completely worthless ruler that was being manipulated by everyone. He sucks compared to every general and advisor around him, and that’s exactly what Arslan is in his own story.
Speaking of everybody else besides him, they are a fine bunch of cool guys and gals, each one usually specializing in some sort of skill. It’s ok as long as you see them as no more than rule of cool, but falls flat if you bring in a bit more realism. They are closer to the Avengers than masters of ancient warfare. It’s not like Romance of the Three Kingdoms had that much realism either; it’s just that it can be very immersion breaking when you are supposed to be watching historical events that happened in ancient Persia and everybody is breathing fire. I didn’t have this problem with LOGH, since that was taking place in the far future and most head scratching moments had to do with technology and physics that could be excused simply as futuristic science. In FMA it was a setting where everyone could use magic. Arslan has no such excuse. People fly and breathe fire in what is supposed to be our world.
Do you know what else LOGH and FMA didn’t have that Arslan does and can be very immersion breaking? CGI crowds! I can tolerate plastic looking cars or spaceships but not hundreds of Lego toys pretending to be fighting each other. It made everything fake looking and cheap; I didn’t care about anyone dying because of it.
I can go on bitching about a dozen other things, but you get the gist by now; it’s not a good show. It’s poorly animated, the protagonist is terrible, the plot is childish, and as a whole it was promoting itself as legendary when it’s just a throwaway mediocrity. Once again modern sucks and retro wins.
femto999
So I'm back to anime and I decided to start by reviewing Arslan Senki. An anime that I was really hyped for basically because of the name ''Arakawa Hiromu''. For the few people that might don't know she is the creator of one of the most successful manga of all time called ''Fullmetal Alchemist''. But she doesn't stop there as sh is also the creator of the really interesting school life ''silver spoon'' which is a title that makes you want to drop everything and attend an agricultural school. So generally speaking Arakawa has a really respected name in animanga community and seeing her newtitle called ''Arslan Senki'' getting an anime adaptation I believe lots of us were more than excited to see the results which were... utterly disappointing. And here are the reasons.
''Arslan Senki'' started of with a humble first episode and as it was going on everything showed that it was going to be the hidden gem of the spring season (that wasn't so hard though the spring season was horrible). And indeed the first three episodes were more than enough for building the hype. The fights were really good and the story was developing slowly but with a steady and interesting pace and it also set some good questions about religion and war. And few episodes before reaching the middle this series looked like a realistic anime that could be a masterpiece. But only until the middle. Because after that Arslan Senki became entirely ridiculous. Suddenly we had supernatural entities and people who could jump from their horses to the backs of elephants (!). And ok I may exaggerating a little bit too much so let's just say that Arslan is not a realistic anime. That still doesn't excuse the stupid characters that fell to the childish war techniques that the supposed master tactician called Narsus was setting. Neither the fact that after a while we were seeing exactly the same thing!!! Arslan and his gang arrive to a place with peaceful purposes but the king of this country is evil and tries to set a trap to Arslan's army without of course any luck.
Artistically also the anime had a lot of problems. The animation was horrible. Even initially you could say that it was mediocre but at least not so dreadful as it was in the latter episodes. The poor CGI graphics made thing even worse. The soundtracks were good there were some memorable and interesting works. The openings were performed by Uverworld and NICO touches the walls (personal favorite Japanese band) and while good if you have heard other songs from those two bands you will admit that were not their bests. The voice acting didn't have any exceptional performances because the characters didn't have anything interest to make anyone stand out.
Which brings me finally to the characters. Arslan was plain boring as the protagonist. I really hoped for an extremely good development but in the end this development didn't come. Daryun was too perfect for me and Narsus was also boring as hell. In fact the only character that I actually liked was Gieve's character but near the end he disappears leaving us with all the uninteresting characters. The character design was also disappointing. It seemed like Arakawa was trying not to copy FMA's artwork but she ended up copying FMA's artwork after all. Silver Mask while initially an interesting villain as the story progressed he became a cliche villain that you can find in another twenty anime or so.
Ok I know that I shouldn't blame so much Arakawa because she doesn't have any connection with the anime apart from the source material. So in order to be fair I maybe should read the manga because the anime had a really open ending without any resolution. Now if you should watch the anime my answer is no. While it starts really promising the creators don't know what they want destroying this was a story that could be really good. You will not believe that the creator of the manga is also the creator of our all time favorite FMA
NatsuDLuffy
Let me just start off with saying this. I just finished this series and I feel pretty happy. Not sad, not angry, or frustrated. Just happy. I think its important to note this because when it really comes down to it, anime, no any art form is supposed to inspire feelings. These feelings are what make our lives more enjoyable and become important pieces of ourselves. This anime made me smile. So if you take anything away from this review, first take away that it is worth watching and will make you feel the spirit of adventure and kindness. I would say the story isexcellent. It is thought provoking, has few plot holes and leaves the viewer with a sense of mystery after each episode. This story really hits the ground running. After looking back from the first few episodes, a lot has happened. It isn't because I forgot but merely because there is so much going on that by the end, the events that happened at the beginning have tied together with the end. One another note, the story isn't complex (different than being eventful). There aren't many side stories going on and each iteration of the plot ends up meeting back to the main story. So in summation, the story is bulky but not confusing, which could be a nice break if any of you have just finished a confusing or saddening series. This anime heavily emphasizes the disputes of crusaders. The main enemy group, is a kingdom of religious warriors (this is not a spoiler). Much like in the Crusades by the Catholic Church in real life, these people are always trying to force their rules and views on their opposition. It really makes you think about what is truly right. On a side note, I have been raised Catholic so I really felt some neat feelings while watching this anime. Anyone with a religious belief, or even without one but with a belief in something, can understand the idea that "your way is the only way." It is hard to think around it. But this anime really shows you how horrible it looks when you try to force your ideals on others. Overall, great story. Nice and simple, but filling and somewhat mysterious.
The art is great. So many characters make such an imprint in your mind that you wish this series had more episodes just to see more art. it isn't what makes this series work, but it definitely doesn't hold the rest of the anime back. Some of the LARGE scale fights look a bit dinky at times but that is only because I assume it is tiresome for the writer to make never ending soldier images. The single combat is done very well, which is a big plus.
The sound actually didn't really catch my attention but the fact that I was feeling emotions from the scenes that mattered is a good indicator that the sound made a difference. I wish I had more to note on the music but it was what is was; not that bad but didn't leave a mark like others have done.
The characters and their development was what really made this anime. Not only will you fall in love with the art of many of the people, you will grow to feel for many of them. Each has their own subtle role to fill but you aren't really told what they are. Sure, you have the main character acting as a kingly figure, but everyone else is kind of on their own. Each character also changes over the course of meeting the main character, Arslan. What I find especially astounding is how well even some of the enemies tie together (I won't spoil anything but it is done pretty well). From the very beginning, the main character is exposed to all sorts of evils and treachery. He kills people but hates it, he cares for people but learns to do his duty. As the characters progress, you will question if what they do is right, and will wonder what is going on for each of them. Truly an intriguing set of characters.
Overall, I enjoyed this series with vigor and admiration. It is done well and although I grade it an 8, that is merely a baseline. It may suit people better than others but if you watch it you will surely leave it feeling happy and enabled to do good in the world.
Kirie-san
I like anime with action and mystery, but it is my first time seeing an anime about war and knights, so I didn't expect too much for Arslan Senki. But it was absolutely great ! Story : 9 / 10 The story is really interesting. It shows the war in its very aspects, such as barbarity, the motivation of both sides : Pars and Lusitania. Neither of them are clean, since Pars use slavery and Lusitanians kill those who don't believe in their god. The young prince Arslan will have to restore its kingdom, but it won't be easy. The different battles are epic, sometimes violent,but they were well-done according to me. Moreover, the anime is not just about war, we have some magic into it (although it wasn't well-developped), mystery, and also funny moments. Plus, the relationship between the characters is pleasant. We know why they are here.
Characters : 9/10
This anime has great characters ! At first, I thought that Arslan would be annoying, since he was always protected by Daryun, but he's a good character. He's kind and he gradually becomes mature. He realizes the atrocity of the war, but he also tries to understand the motivations of his ennemies. Moreover, he isn't weak. Then, we have Daryun, one of the most powerful warrior in Arslan's side who can be overprotective, Narsus the excellent strategist (all of his ideas were impressive), Elam the cute and loyal servant, Gieve the funny and highly skilled poet, and Farangis the beautiful archer (at first I was afraid that she would be only there for the fan service but fortunately it was not the case). I enjoyed their personality, their strength, their skills, and they made me laugh a lot. At the opposite, we have Silver Mask as the main antagonist, who is eager to become the king of Pars. He's strong and scary, and one of the best ennemies I've ever seen in an anime. And as the story progresses, different protagonists make their appearances, in both sides. Alfreed was annoying at first but she was also funny and useful during battles, just as Kishward, Jaswant... And the conflict between Rajendra and Gadevi during the Sindhura arc was really interesting, without forgetting Etoile who comes back during the second half of the show, and also in the end.
Art : 9/10
I really like the chara-design, it is similar to those of the manga, illustrated by Hiromu Arakawa, and the moves of the characters during the battles were really fluid (I agree that sometimes there were some problems, but they were minors, and I was so enthralled by the show that it didn't matter for me.
The backgrounds were absolutely amazing. Colors were beautiful, and they also took care to do oriental style backgrounds, especially when the protagonists are in Sindhura.
Sound : 9/10
The ost perfectly stick with the different events, especially during the battles, and emotional moments such as in the last episode (spoilers : when Etoile is coming to say a prayer for the fallen soldiers of Lusitania). I also enjoyed the openings and endings. Both of the openings are dynamic, and I really like the ending "One Light" by Kalafina.
In the end, I really enjoyed this anime. It became one of my favorites. I didn't expect that. The two last episodes were amazing, epic and beautiful. But it has an open end, some mysteries still remain, so I hope for a second season.
Lvl10
Arslan Senki captivated me from the moment I began watching. From its music to its diverse and loveable cast of characters, this anime has so much to offer to its viewer that it merits two play-throughs to get the full benefit. There’s already a pretty good synopsis written above so I’ll spare you that and jump right into the review. Art: 8 While the vast majority of the art is fantastic the CGI is rather noticeable and jarring at times. Though, I do completely understand the reasons for utilizing this technique. They needed to animate massive armies numbering in the tens of thousands. To do so byhand or traditional methods would be tedious and a waste of time/resources. Everything else was spectacular – from the set pieces to the characters themselves. You can easily ascertain the tone of a particular scene by the art alone. When telling a story art, sound, and characters all have to work together to illustrate the plot, and this anime succeeded in that regard.
Sound: 10
Let me just say that the soundtrack is PHENOMINAL. It’s so damn good that I play it on repeat while I’m gaming. It’s different from most soundtracks that you’ll hear in other anime, and fits the tone and setting extremely well. As far as audio/sound effects are concerned – they are expertly done. Something as simple as the swing of a sword sounds full and believable. When a powerful character enters the scene your ears are greeted by heroic (or menacing) fanfare and a specialized soundboard. When the iconic characters, such as Daryun, swing their weapons about its something akin to a hurricane. When they make contact you can almost feel the impact. Everything about these characters sounds powerful and epic.
Characters: 10
It’s been a long time since I’ve fallen in love with a cast of characters. Arslan Senki presents us with what I like to call a “Hero Themepark.” Basically this is a show that centers around a set of heroes who are, aside from a few bumps and bruises, seemingly invincible. Though this concept applies to the villains as well. So what happens when these epic, near-invincible characters collide? Some of the highest octane, nail-biting action you’ve ever seen in an anime. When a character is defeated or dies it feels like a god has been slain, and it changes your perception of the victor entirely. “He/she is far more powerful than I thought.” You’ll see these heroes take out entire waves of enemies all by themselves. Daryun’s name alone strikes fear into the hearts of enemies.
Overall: 9
The series is a MUST WATCH, and is severely undervalued. You can find it on Hulu or Gogoanime. The story, characters, and music are all on point and work together to bring one of the best series of 2015. If only season 2 wasn’t 8 episodes long…wtf man.
D4rkn3s5
If you have ever played Suikoden or the old school Final Fantasy games you're gonna love this.An anime set in medieval Persia(Pars) follows the story of Arslan,the boy who shall become the king.The art is similar to Full metal alchemist ,which gives some bonus points.The sound was very nice,I liked all the weapons clashing,horseback riding and the battles having great sound which made it even more enjoyable.Also the openings/ending songs were one of the best of the season.I hope we get more character development of some characters in the next season. Story 7/10 Art 8/10 Sound 8/10 Character 7/10 Enjoyment 9/10 Overall an 8/10 If you're into historical stuff,this the anime foryou.Cheers ^_^v
DenseMC
Spoilers and a lot of them. Read with caution. How do you tell a good story? What defines a bad story? Who is the audience and what is the message of your story? These are questions an author must face when writing his story – the author must answer all of these questions beforehand in order to tell his story in an understandable way. I believe that every story, no matter what medium or genre it is in, needs a core message – a message that the audience can understand – that is, undoubtedly, what tells a good story from a bad one. We’re all familiar withdifferent stories; we’ve read, seen and heard countless of stories; stories that spark interest and evoke certain feelings and emotions.
It is commonly known that suspension of disbelief is something of very important nature in your story as it sets an accent and makes the audience immersed in your story. Suspension of disbelief plays a core role in your story and it truly connects the audience with the story you are trying to tell – the audience is able to follow the hero on his journey, without questioning the plausibility of events taking place.
One of the most popular structures used in storytelling is the three-act-structure. This divides the story in three acts. The first act is the expository act, where it introduces the necessary characters, establishes the protagonist, plot points and conflicts. A story needs a conflict. If there is no conflict, there is no meaningful story that conveys any sort of message to the audience. The second act is usually when the protagonist faces an issue and has to resolve it, only to make the situation worse. They usually make the situation worse by not having the required skillset in order to face the antagonist of the story. The third act is where the story ultimately comes to an end with a resolution, answering all questions and hopefully leaving the audience with a somewhat comprehendible message.
However, just by following the three-act-structure, won’t make your story good. In fact, it won’t. What you also have to account for is the way you’re telling the story. What are the stakes? What is the urgency? There has to also be some clever setups where they clearly pay off later on. These are all the things that distinguish a good story from a bad one.
How exactly is this related to Arslan Senki?
To be frank, Arslan Senki does attempt in telling a story – a story that we’ve already seen, read and heard in other mediums – though, it does it in its own unique fashion. I’m fairly certain that anyone who isn’t new to television, movies, books, anime and manga has at the very least heard of a similar story told in Arslan Senki. Arslan Senki tells us – the audience – a story about a young prince that is about to face the hardships of war. It does so by properly establishing Arslan as the protagonist and that he is whose journey we are going to follow. He is a kind and sweet prince, and searches for validation and love from his parents. His parents are the rulers of the kingdom Pars – a kingdom ruled by the tyrant Andragoras the third. Andragoras is famous for his relentless war tactics and is said to never have a lost a war. That is until another neighbor kingdom – Luisitania who are primarily known for their religiosity – declare a war with Pars and Andragoras. Thus begins the war in which our prince Arslan has to fight for the honor of his kingdom and deem himself a worthy prince and the future ruler of Pars. Unfortunately for Pars, the outcome of the war was already decided before the war ever began. The king of Pars was betrayed by one of his most loyal men and Pars ultimately lost the battle against Luisitania. Arslan’s duty now is to reclaim his kingdom.
I was excited by this premise only to be disappointed by the lackluster and generic execution of core elements in storytelling and world building. I’m actually a huge fan of these types of stories, namely Prince of Persia and other works of fiction alike. Other similar works have stakes, betrayal, strategies, realism and many other key factors which make them good. Arslan Senki did have some of these factors but none of them were particularly executed well. One thing these stories have in common is that they all introduce a sense of urgency. For example, in Prince of Persia – this sense of urgency is that the prince has to rescue the princess. This is a great way to drive your story in a natural way – the audience – knows what the end goal is, and know that it has to be done as soon as possible. The audience knows that there are stakes, being princess’ life among other things. You get to see how the protagonist struggles before he reaches that point.
Arslan Senki falls short almost immediately after Pars has lost the battle against Luisitania. Arslan knows that they’ve lost the war, he saw it with his own eyes. He saw many of his men die during the war. He was almost killed by a traitor himself. He’s left with nothing; a lost war and anyone in his midst can be a traitor. This is exactly what was interesting. Arslan then got rescued by Daryun, one of the most powerful warriors in the kingdom of Pars.
This is the turning point of Arslan Senki and how the story collapsed. After Daryun rescued Arslan, we are introduced many anew and interesting characters. Though, it is to say that many of these characters are questionable. I was raising my eyebrows most of the time because, figuratively speaking, any of these new characters like Gieve, Falangies and Narsus could be traitors. What have they done to earn trust and respect from Arslan or Daryun? They haven’t done anything except sworn on their name that they will be loyal. Unfortunately, this was not the case as the aforementioned characters and others are loyal to the point of unhealthiness. This obviously includes Daryun as well. I do understand that eras of kings and queens had some of the most loyal people but there was a fair amount of treason and betrayal.
That is not entirely the reason why Arslan Senki was bad. The problem wasn’t their loyalty, the problem was in the character themselves. They came off mostly as one-dimensional. Something that has been discussed and debated in storytelling is how certain stories come off. Let me elaborate – is weak characters and a strong plot or weak plot and strong characters better? This is an interesting question as talented writers and classics have strong characters and a strong plot and that’s generally what you should aim for. However, Arslan Senki has weak plot and weak characters which is exactly what makes, at least in my eyes, a mediocre work of fiction. But I digress. Characters were one-dimensional to the point of being unrealistic. Each character was good at everything, whether it be strategies, fights, or even talking. This is exactly what made characters feel one-dimensional and almost gave them the feeling of being demigods in a sense. It is never shown how any of these characters are ever in a life or death situation, it is never shown to us or even explained in the slightest bit as to why all of the characters possess the skills they do. Not to mention the leniency of the protagonist.
Let’s examine Narsus - the genius tactician who is able to win any fight without any effort at all. He seamlessly has flawless strategies and always seems to find a way to win any battle. He is the epitome of atrocious writing, mainly because when you introduce such a character to your story, almost all tension is gone. And to a certain degree, this is exactly what happens throughout the show. No matter what happens, or what you’re shown, it always succumbs to Narsus’ great tactics and flawless strategies. Essentially it means that you as a viewer not need to care about any of the battles or the war itself.
Likewise, we have Daryun who is able to defeat hundreds of men without getting a scratch on his armor. Daryun - just like Narsus - will never lose a fight. And even when Daryun is about to lose, he always seems to find his way through in the last second. My main concern for this isn’t how powerful Daryun is portrayed to be, it’s just the fact that he never gets hurt and even when he does, it’s never too serious or something you should worry about. What was said about Narsus can be said about Daryun.
We also have Gieve. I’d be lying to myself if I said Gieve is a bad character, he was the most enjoyable out of the bunch. Gieve is interesting because he’s barely given any backstory and sort of remains as a mysterious figure. His jokes and the way he interacts with Falangies is hilarious for most part. His entire character introduction was hilarious as we got to know that Gieve’s only intentions in life is to get money and to get girls who can reward him. Gieve is said to be, by himself of course, someone who can excellently challenge various weapon masteries, is a musical artist of sorts and enjoys poetry. This is for most part true and he is similar to Narsus and Daryun. We’re also shown his excellent bowman skills early on. The underlying problem of Gieve is that he’s lucky. He always seems to find a way to avoid problematic situations. It is also never explained why he decides to help Arslan in the first place. At first, he seems reluctant and is only accompanying Arslan because Falangies is there, however, as the “plot” progresses, Gieve starts helping Arslan and their team more and more. This is questionable because of the way Gieve was introduced. It sort of conflicts with his initial character introduction, whereas he was introduced as someone who could care less about people to someone who is ready to help Arslan and even give his life. This mistake was realized and Gieve was then removed from Arslan’s team. Arslan banished Gieve because Gieve was fighting characters that we really don’t care about. This choice is rather questionable but is somewhat explained. You see, it was Narsuss’ plan all along. He was planning to send Gieve to find something rather interesting, which we – the audience – don’t know about just yet.
Falangies…. Where do I even begin? Falangies is one of the, if not the, most atrocious character in the series. She doesn’t really have a reason to help Arslan in the first place and when she’s introduced, that’s exactly what she even says. She said that she was a maiden of whatever place and was sent off to help Arslan in achieving whatever he wants to achieve. She said that it was someone’s wish that she’d help Arslan and that's why she’s there. Evidently, she has the same problems as Narsus, Daryun and Gieve; she is good at everything. She always shows up at the right time, at the right moment, just then and there to help Arslan. Falangies also has massive pair of [redacted] which means that she’s just there for fan-service.
If there was someone who could singlehandedly ruin and remove all the enjoyment from Arslan Senki, it’d be Arslan himself. Quite ironic, isn’t it? As for the other characters that are good at everything, Arslan isn’t. In fact Arslan can’t even do half of what his demigod friends can and this is his issue. He’s useless. Instead of giving more fuel to the fire and developing Arslan in a natural way, Arslan barely changes throughout the story except for maybe the two last episodes. Other characters in the series, do not change or develop in any way either. How can these characters not grow when they’re exposed to war, death, and treachery among other things on a daily basis? How or why do all the other characters like Daryun, Narsus and Falangies believe in Arslan? This is a question that has been answered numerous times in Arslan Senki, albeit very vague. They all seem to share the same misconception of Arslan having the power of changing the world because he’s progressive. He has a progressive agenda. He thinks it’s bad to own slaves. He doesn’t believe in royalty, aristocracy, instead he believes in democracy to some degree. The concept of democracy isn’t new and it wasn’t created yesterday. It is shown that Arslan truly believes in “all people are equal” though he contradicts himself by wanting to become the king of Pars and rule that kingdom. He thinks it’s bad to own slaves but never expresses why it’s bad to own slaves. He just wants to free them. Why? Well, because all people are equal… This sort of circular logic is not exclusive to Arslan’s character only.
Considering that the story is set around 320 AD, I am most certain that no great leader would be that progressive. Slaves were used in manual labor but aside from that fact, they could be employed at highly skilled jobs. Some slaves were even highly educated, if they were of a certain origin. Slaves in the Roman Empire were, however, not free by any means. And that was the norm back then. By introducing slaves to a story that predates most history and then have the protagonist say “slaves should be illegal” is implausible. It’s as if Arslan came from a parallel universe or another world, just to free the slaves. This makes the narrative seem contrived. A contrived narrative in this context would mean that particular elements of said story are forced, which they undoubtedly are.
What I mean to say is that Arslan is a fundamentally flawed character. Combined with the lack of development this character receives and how lenient he is, just goes to show terrible writing. His leniency and naivety are the only character traits he possesses. Naivety is one thing and we’ve all been naïve at a certain point in our life. However, not everyone is lenient. Given Arslan’s setting and how he has to deal with terrible events – that could potentially break the human psyche – he seems to be kind and forgiving. At times, Arslan even questions other characters if he is too kind. He’s very tolerant and this comes back to the progressive thinking that he has. Now, ask yourself this: would you forgive someone for betraying you time after time and say “no matter what, I can’t bring myself to hate that person, I just can’t” aloud? The answer to that question obviously needs context and you’d need to know who the person in question is. The person in the question is someone you know is from the opposing side. You know very well that at any time, your life will be in danger because of this person. You know that it can cost you, your life. Personally, I would not forgive that person no matter what and I’d have his head right then and there. The reason I bring this up is because this is exactly how Arslan communicates and interacts with other characters. He always forgives them, no matter what they have done or how they have hurt his friends, killed his men and so on. This comes off, not only as implausible given the setting of the show but also highly unrealistic. It is difficult to suspend your disbelief whilst watching Arslan forgive a traitor for the nine billionth time in the show.
As mentioned previously, suspension of disbelief is key to writing a good and entertaining story. Arslan Senki fails at this as well. Not only are all the characters demigods, lenient, kind and forgiving; the events that take place also seem highly unrealistic. The entire war between Luisitania and Pars was explained in a sentence or two in the beginning. The explanation is as follows “According to Luistania’s religion, they should have the best land and one of the biggest kingdoms in the world” or something along those lines at least. It is also explained that Luisitania’s religiosity is just a cover for their true nature; Luisitania being a cult of sick people who can justify any act in the name of God. This honestly felt like some meta-commentary on religion in our age, though this part of Luistania isn’t completely unrealistic. The reasoning behind the war, however, is unrealistic. What makes it unrealistic is that it’s never explained or developed in any way, shape or form. There is no sign of politics, alignments or anything remotely clever going on. There is a war going on, there is a prince and that’s all you have to know, as the viewer.
Apart from that, it is safe to say that Arslan Senki will have a lot of moments when you’ll question what you’re seeing on the screen. These occurrences are most prominent in battles but are not limited to them. Characters are able to talk with each other despite being miles away from each other. Characters are able to talk exposition mid-fight while their enemies just firmly wait for them to finish their dialogue. Characters are at times able to defy the laws of physics. A show that is all about war failed at portraying war in a realistic fashion, which it surely tries to do. Some notable examples of this is when a horse can gallop on an elephant with the character on the horse being able to fit 3-4 sentences of exposition while all of this is happening. Another example of this is when Daryun has a fight with a giant. This giant is like 3 times taller than Daryun and Daryun himself is very tall. Despite all odds, Daryun manages to win against this giant in the most anticlimactic way possible without getting severe injuries or being damaged at all.A mental note for anyone who will watch this show is to set your expectations as low as you can, stop thinking and just watch as Arslan Senki completely violates you. That is the only way to enjoy Arslan Senki – or, at least the way I’ve found to be the most effective.
Sadly there are no stakes and no sense of urgency in this show; something which is a must in my opinion, it is a story about a prince after all. While this is a story about a prince who is at war, at least it’s not the same regurgitated “prince saves princess”-esq story. The entirety of the story has no stakes whatsoever. You never feel that any of the characters are in danger. You never feel any tension. You never feel anything. Nothing is urgent in this show either, it seems that prince has all the time in the world to reclaim his kingdom and in the meanwhile he can just travel from place to place and ask if anyone would like to help him.
Arslan Senki will have a lot of pseudo-strategies that are vaguely described to us. We’re unfortunately unfamiliar with most of the situations happening as they are unfortunately not explained to us. We have to sit through and listen to a dialogue discussing pseudo-strategies with the final conclusion being that Narsuss is a true genius because he already planned for it. One thing you’ll encounter in this series that makes no sense at all, is the way they talk about soldier numbers in their respective army. You’ll hear a lot of characters say “oh they have an army of 50000 men”, “this army has 100000 men” and so forth. Obviously, that’s a lot of soldiers willing to give up their lives for a war that has almost no reason to take place in the first place. Regardless, I believe this to be stupid. Numbers don’t say anything, at least not when there is no actual strategy in how these army resources will be utilized. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think I’ve seen a single character hold a map in Arslan Senki and create some sort of tactic for where their troops are going, who they are going to attack and what the end goal is. What’s also baffling is that in some scenes, catapults and similar heavy artillery seem to be teleported right when it’s needed without even being shown in the first place. If someone can just create a catapult out of thin air, why doesn’t everyone do this?
There was an attempt at a three-act-structure in the first season. The first five or so episodes served more of an introduction to the world and its characters, though not all characters were introduced and not everything about their world is super clear from the get go. The world of Arslan Senki still remains for mostly a mystery; we only know about Pars, Luisitania and one more kingdom. We’re unfortunately not shown a map of their entire world with the respective countries. No one ever uses a map in Arslan Senki, because who would need a map when you have Narsus?
The second act is where the antagonist is properly introduced and the prince and his followers have to deal with the antagonist. They fail, only to learn nothing and continue with their lives as usual. The second act is usually also the longest of the acts and this was the case in Arslan Senki. However, this act also introduced some problems in the story. They thought it’d be good if they introduced a side-character from another kingdom and have the prince resolve his conflict and help him win his war. This entire subplot could be removed and nothing would change. This whole subplot or side-story was complete filler and amounted to absolutely nothing in the end. Everyone continued on with their lives as usual. Arslan even got betrayed but leniency is key, my friends and worry shalt thee not.
The third act was the most baffling in my opinion, because the tonal shift of Arslan himself was piss-poor. He transitioned from being completely useless to someone who’s ready to go to war and show Luisitania who he really is. He never shows any tendencies for change in character, he remains the good old Arslan. This transition in other works is one of the most important aspects of the story and of the character. To see such an awful transition of a character felt truly random. Not to mention the potential love interest and Arslan’s princess or whatever. They could have included at least one scene where Arslan had an inner monologue preparing himself for the war that’s about to come. Instead he gave a generic speech about what’s to come for his soldiers and called it a day.
As for the message of this story, well put simply – there was none. Nothing comprehendible or meaningful. One far-fetch messaged that one might have gotten from watching this show is that you have to entrust other people and come off as a freeloader which Arslan does. He has done absolutely nothing other than being stupid, useless and lenient, however others seem to praise him. He doesn’t have any sort of charisma or character that would deserve the respect he gets from Daryun, Narsus or anyone else from this show. So people, be freeloaders and be ungrateful to your people like Arslan, and maybe, you too, will become a prince someday!
Something that was boggling my mind for almost the whole show was the magic. Arslan Senki has chivalry, armies, monarchies and magic. Magic in this show was god awful. It seems like they completely forgot about it after they introduced it in an episode. Nothing is explained about the magic in their world and it can be anything. Teleportation, summoning, moving at fast speeds, defying laws of physics and so on. Magic in this show can be viewed as the antagonist’s plot armor for when he gets in trouble when fighting Daryun or anyone from Pars; he can just use magic and instantly win or get saved.
The animation of this show was good for most part. 1v1 or Daryun vs x amount of soldiers were animated fairly decent. However, you could see that many characters were off-model a lot of the times. The battles did not last very long. Some of the fights felt choppy. There was a lot of CG used to animate a large army. I’ll give credit where credit is due, animation was definitely one of the stronger parts of this series. I feel like that’s what kept me interested enough to continue with this show. Animation could have been done better, the fights could have lasted longer and there are tons of other things that could be improved, like the narrative in general, but you can’t expect everything.
Music was alright, nothing that was particularly memorable or that got stuck with me.
In conclusion, there are only so many ways I can call Arslan Senki a mediocre work of fiction about a prince who wants to reclaim his kingdom. I really did have high expectations with this show but the lack of proper execution and its astounding mediocrity made the show boring, generic and lackluster. What really didn’t help the show in my opinion was that there was no urgency despite there being a war between two kingdoms. The characters were demigods who were able to do anything and everything without you having to worry too much. There were no clever setups that paid off later on, no cleverly written characters, and no tension; to be frank, there was nothing about Arslan Senki truly made it special. Arslan Senki surely does offer and have some interesting concepts at play, but they remain just that. It never manages to portray the political struggle, warfare or anything remotely close in that which I would expect from a show that is about war. They also do absolutely nothing about the slavery which is a huge problem according to Arslan himself. This show was mediocre and that’s all I can say.
bedamijo
I'll be honest, I was somewhat reluctant to watch this show. I had just finished the amazing show known as Akatsuki no Yona (Yona of the Blushing Dawn) and was not particularly interested in watching another, probably not as amazing, show of similar genre and plot. In the end, I'm glad I watched it though. It's certainly not the most perfect of shows, but it definitely had it's high points. So, ladies and gentlemen, here is my opinion of the show Arslan Senki, aka The Heroic Legend of Arslan. Story: 8 The plot of this show was surprisingly satisfying. Yeah, it hadmany similarities to Akatsuki no Yona, but so did Zankyou no Terror (Terror in Resonance) to Death Note, and I still enjoyed that show despite the fact. While at first it may seem like any other story that we've seen thousands of times before, what sets it apart is where they take that plot. Other than the bare base of it, the show ended up being very different from AnY, which is why I was glad I didn't skip over it. The use of strategy blended with epic action provided an excellent presentation of the art of war. It was different enough to keep it interesting, but also familiar enough so that it almost felt nostalgic, like a storybook one would read as a child. And while I was a little bored in the beginning, as the series progressed I could feel myself becoming more and more invested and interested, to the point where I just couldn’t wait for the next episode to come out.
The only reason I didn’t give the story a 9 was because at times the battles seemed too perfect. I mean, when you have an expert strategist so all of your plans go perfectly and a warrior who might as well have been a Greek god, what more could a prince want? Throw in a couple other amazing fighters to the gang, and you’ve got the most convenient team of all time. Now sometimes this set up can work; just look at No Game, No Life. But unfortunately, Arslan Senki doesn’t pull this off as gracefully as No Game. While I was certainly enjoying the show, tension just wasn’t part of that enjoyment.
Art: 5
I’m going to give you one name to encompass my feeling of the character designs in this show: Arakawa Hiromu. Don’t recognize the name? Perhaps you’ll recognize her as the creator of Fullmetal Alchemist then? Yes, the creator of Fullmetal Alchemist designed the characters for this show, so of course they’re fabulous and gorgeous. They’re colorful and interesting to look at and simply wonderful. Of course I’d expect nothing less from Arakawa-sensei. The only negative thing I can think of is that Arslan looks kinda girly, but hey, little details.
So you may be asking yourself why I gave Art a 5 when here I am singing the praises of the design. Well, I’ll tell you. The animation. It. Was. BAAAAAD. Okay, BAAAAAD may be an exaggeration, but it was definitely not good. The movements were stiff and jumpy and unnatural, and watching those horses move physically hurt me. Now, I won’t fault them too much for horses because they are one of the trickiest animals in existence to animate, and finding a well animated horse in an anime is a rather rare sight. What I will fault them for is the CG. The horrible, horrible CG. In my eyes, CG should mostly be used on non-living things: cars, magic and effects, and other inanimate objects. Sadly, that’s not what animation studios use it for. They use it for things like monsters and large crowds of people, living things in other words. And looking at what they’ve given me, I’ve decided for myself that living things simply move too complexly and noticeably for CG to animate and still make it look natural within the rest of the series. Arslan Senki essentially did everything I DON’T want studios to do when they use CG. Not only did they use it on large crowds of complexly moving, fighting warriors, they had the gall to give us up-close shots of horrendous CG warrior faces as they awkwardly jerked around. Not even the beauty of Arakawa Hiromu’s creations could fix the terror that was the animation. Everything about it just screamed “low-budget” which is a real shame indeed.
Sound: 7
I’m a little conflicted over the opening and ending tracks. The songs themselves were great; I mean, you can never go wrong with NICO Touches the Walls (Hologram - OP 2 of FMA: Brotherhood) or Kalafina (Magia - ED of Madoka Magica), but I wonder just how well these songs really fit with the show. I mean, I guess they work, but sometimes I couldn’t help but feel like the creators just said to themselves, “Hey! These bands are popular! If we use their music, we’re sure to get views!” The only song I really felt went well with the series was the first ending, Lapis Lazuli by Aoi Eir, and then halfway through the series it was… well… replaced. As for the OST, it was pretty standard, though I will admit that it fit the show much more naturally than the OP and ED. It’s got your classic “we’re off to war!” epic battle music with lots of horns and brass, but nothing that really stands out from the ordinary. Then again, do you really want the OST to stand out all that much? It did its job, and it did it fairly well, so I’m not going to fault it for that.
As far as voice acting goes, Arslan Senki is pretty average in that regard as well. The voices fit the characters well, but they seem kind of… how to put it… flat. There just wasn’t a whole lot of variety to how the actors said their lines. One character would always sound like he’s shouting while another always sounds sassy while another always sounds apathetic while another always sounds growly. This made the characters themselves seem kinda two-dimensional, which is hardly a good thing. Then again, this isn’t exactly uncommon in the majority of anime out there. Does that make it forgivable? Maybe for some, but for me? Not really.
Characters: 7
As I said about 5 sentences ago, the voice acting puts a damper on the characters themselves. They seem kind of flat whenever they talk, like their manner of speech is their most defining feature. However, this is partially made up for by the writing. Throughout the course of the show, some of the major characters get their share of development, and you begin to care for them after a certain point. There’re two major problems here, though. One: only some of the characters get developed. The others are just kind of… there. There’s nothing wrong with them as a character, but we just haven’t been given a reason to really care about them yet. We get a bit of that in the sequel, Fuujin Ranbu, but this isn’t a review of the sequel, now is it? The second problem is the delay. You don’t really begin to become interested in the characters until a few episodes in, which makes the beginning a little slow. I think you’re supposed to like Arslan from the beginning, but even with him it takes a while to see what he’s really made of. As far as characters go as a whole, they’re enjoyable enough, but it’s a slow burn before you get to the real meat.
Enjoyment: 7
I’m the kind of watcher that can forgive a lot of sins so long as the plot and characters are good, because that is where my main enjoyment comes from. Arslan Senki was a show I was really quite interested in, but even with my forgiving nature there was too much blatantly wrong with it to fully immerse myself in the experience. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it; however, if it wasn’t for the underwhelming character portrayals and horrific CG, I might have enjoyed this show much, much more.
Overall: 7
You can tell that this show has a very solid foundation (if you didn’t know, the show is based off a very successful novel series) and a whole lot of potential. What’s a shame is that it just didn’t have the resources necessary to fully realize this potential. What we did get, however, wasn’t terrible; I’m sure the common anime watcher will have little problem deriving enjoyment from this show. Is it a masterpiece? Unfortunately, no. Is it still good? You bet.
(A note on my ranking scale: My average anime score is 7. This is because I rate on quality and enjoyment, not in comparison to other works. A 5 would be something I was completely indifferent to, and since I somewhat enjoy most shows I watch, my average is 7)
Rajaganja
Arslan has a great premise with a medieval setting thats hard not to like but its like a bowl of boring pasta without the chilli sauce. . . ye get me. . . The Heroic legend of Arslan or Arslan senki was first a fantasy novel series by Yoshiki Tanaka and was later adapted to manga a second time with illustrations by Hiromu Arakawa. So thats what got adapted to anime in 2015. Its a story about a naive kid prince who is fated to be a ruler. His comrades appreciate what his ideals are but also know that things wont be so easy, loyalties growstronger as the prince slowly walks down a righteous path to true royalty and becomes a true king of the people. . . Well i think thats whats up...
After looking at the 2015 spring anime chart i thought daymn arslan has some competition, will it be one of the good ones?
What i like. I like the kids development. . . He starts off annoying me but as the end of the series drew near i thought he was becoming someone i could watch another season of. The supporting characters are needed with these kind of mains and they do pretty good. Narsus's strategy, Daryun's strength all to important when i guess, raising this kid into a ruler.
I thinks this is the lightest this show will be. . . what i mean is that a darker under story is all to evident in the first season and it staying as light hearted as the first season, is unlikely and thank god for that, we need a darker undertone so that the gravity of his ordeals aren't forgotten the next day.
I like the villain. . . he has his own ordeals and some of mystery. I see him becoming good at the end, realising his path was broken from the start.
I didnt like arslan at the beginning but was happy i stuck with him because he does grow on you. His character is kind of bland in the beginning and slowly he gets more interesting as he grows up with these awesome support characters.
My biggest problem was the lack of oomphf of this series i get that its political at times and they do that in a way where im not sleeping through dialogue, so nice one i guess but comparing this to other 2015 spring anime the edge was not there.
Do i recommend Arslan Senki? Ye i do, its a mellow ride that i enjoyed. Might be because im a fan of war stories, strategy and a ruler thats for the people or it could of been because i was playing total war and wanted a story similar to what i was doing, either way i rated this quality viewing. . .
valiantchase
My first impression of this anime is that it reminds me of the novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which consists of the plot surrounding warfare and resurgence. The graphics is pretty lackluster, but that is easily eclipsed by the intriguing story. The plot itself is pretty direct and there are not much twist, which can be a good thing as it keeps the viewer on track and the easiness to grab the message the creator is trying to convey. The winning point for this anime is definitely its characters. Character development is pretty decent , and most of them are like-able even withantagonists. Daryunn and Narsus are amazingly done and written. One represents the mind and the other the sword of the MC, Arslan, guiding him through the hardships if warfare and to succeed as a ruler of a kingdom
All in all, this is a enjoyable anime if one is interested in military affairs, as it greatly stresses on war strategies and the values of being a great ruler.
ggultra2764
Heroic Legend of Arslan is a fantasy-adventure anime focused on the efforts of young prince of Pars, Arslan, and several of his supporters trying to reclaim their kingdom after it is taken over by the strongly religious neighboring nation of Lusitania. While gathering allies to help support his cause, Arslan and his allies come to learn more of the prince's origins and that someone among Lusitania's ranks is seeking to claim rights over the throne to Pars. While Arslan proclaims itself to be a fantasy-adventure title, there are actually little elements of fantasy to be found within the series beyond a few minor enemy threats. Instead,the series is mostly focused on exploring the hostilities between Pars and Lusitania with the repercussions of slavery, religious fanaticism and ruling under an absolute monarchy being explored throughout the series as Arslan tries making sense of the problems occurring within both kingdoms while traveling with his allies. These repercussions are what drive the conflict of the series as Pars' absolute rule and enslavement of those they conquered later lead to Lusitania usurping their rule, while turning out no differently from the corruption brought about through Pars' rule thanks to their religious fanaticism and those in power exploiting it for their personal gain. These elements are nicely explored as they help to shape Arslan's beliefs on how he would like to change things with the hostilities between Pars and Lusitania, and create genuine conflict out of Arslan and his allies trying to reclaim rule over Pars.
In regards to the developments of Arslan and his comrades, our titular hero gets prominent focus and development for the majority of the series as he becomes exposed to the hardships and corruption found with influential political and military leaders he encounters throughout his quest, as these experiences help to shape his beliefs on what sort of rule he would want to enforce while under the guidance of his allies. A few of the major enemy threats in the series also get fleshed out in regards to their background and motives, like the mysterious Silver Mask, the Lusitanian soldier Etoile and members of the Shindra kingdom encountered later in the series. However character development is mostly nonexistent with the members of Arslan's group as they only get enough fleshing out to provide basic details on their backgrounds and the personality types they will regularly exhibit throughout the series, existing solely as advisers or protectors to Arslan without having any defined characteristics that make them stick out as characters.
The lack of characterization with Arslan's allies were not the only issue I took up with this series. The middle of its run does drag a bit during the episodes where Arslan and his group are within Shindra where they face resistance from Pars or Shindra forces, with the group able to conveniently overcome each threat. The way in which the conflicts get overcome at this point reek of laziness as it seemed like the show's writers were trying to pass off each conflict as something that the group's tactician, Narsus, anticipated and planned out yet many instances of this are not explored or hinted to throughout the middle of Arslan's run. In addition, the series lacks a proper conclusion as Silver Mask and those among Lusitania's ranks are still at large to oppose Arslan and his allies at a later time beyond the TV anime's run.
Overall, I suppose my thoughts of Arslan are a bit mixed. While I did enjoy seeing the gradual developments of Arslan's character and the exploration of hostilities between Pars and Lusitania, the lack of fleshing out on Arslan's allies, the dragged out middle part of the show and the lack of a proper finale do hurt the show's quality to a good degree. Still, it is a decent fantasy-adventure title that you don't find much of out of anime nowadays and is still worth a look if you crave titles of the genre.
