I would say this is something you need to sit down, relax, and give yourself plenty of time to watch. Negative: The start was a bit boring, but the story continuously becomes more engrossing as it progresses. So all in all, they were pretty good, not the best, but still good. Excluding Arslan and a few others the characters weren’t the most nuanced or multi-dimensional characters ever, but they were still a step above flat, one dimensional, archetypal characters. Okay: I liked the variety of characters who were all interesting in their own way. Yes, the show is about war and politics, but it spends most of its time on Arslan’s development and telling the stories of its characters. It’s all about the underdog and how his quest to gain power and regain his position. You see the main character grow into a more mature man and capable ruler. Positive: I loved the story! The scope was broad and the sense it gives off is that of an epic journey.
Negative (small): Sometimes the action didn’t make much sense, and a few fights seemed unrealistic (within the context of Arslan Senki’s universe). One of the little touches that stood out to me was the way in which fire was animated throughout the ova. Positive: The animation is not that great, and animation and budget are limited, but the art direction is brilliant! There were many beautiful shots and artistic sceneries. Shot! It won’t take you long, it’s only a six episode OVA. The designs and art are unique, and the story is interesting and captivating.Give this one a IN SHORT: If you like a nice old fashioned adventure- epic, with fantasy, a mystical art style, and a mostly character centered plot, then you will probably enjoy Arslan Senki. However, in my opinion the imagination, captivating story, and unique style far outweighed the negative aspects. The drawbacks were a few inconsistencies (because the episodes were made so far apart), the plot could have been tighter, and the animation wasn’t all that pretty sometimes. I am sure in other anime, they would have made him stay or even not pick up fights, but this anime is very authentic and that is one of few factors, which made me give this anime 10/10 and boost it on the top of my list.įor me this anime’s strongest points were its artistic sense, story, and likeable main characters.
I liked how Gieve/Guibu started picking on the people in the castle and left the party after that, because as a ministrel/bard he is just too much of a free spirit to be "caged" inside a castle for too long. I would have liked to see more than 6 episodes, but I think leaving the rest to the imagination of the watcher isn't half-bad either. No, it has deep political (how he got that elephant-riding troop to join him and other very clever moves), deep moral (his childhood and therefore his hatred for slavery and some other things, but don't want to spoil), funny (Gieve/Guibu always making me smirk with his highly intelligent and eloquent verbal punches towards anyone), and of course captivating, because this story is well-written. This isn't just a companion-rallying medieval fight-anime with some magic to it. The story, characters and the overall enjoyment were outstanding. Otherwise you could claim to be better than Galileo Galilei, because now we know more than he did. In the end you have to judge something by the standards of that time. The art and sound sure are not near up-to-date, but to be honest, I don't care. With a few side-stories going on, this anime never got me bored and always got me hooked for one more episode, The crown prince, Arslan, escapes with his loyal fighter, Darün/Daryoon (I watched G_P's release "Darün", but here he is listed as "Daryoon").įrom there Arslan allies a handful loyal companions around him and marches to castle Peshawar at the border to plan his strike on the capitol to retake and free his parents, the King and Queen. The troops get slaughtered, the king captured and their capitol is taken later on. The unbeaten army of Pars finds itself lured into a trap during a battle.