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Jyu-Oh-Sei starts out so strong- It's got some fantastic worldbuilding which supports an engaging premise, complete with a unique alien planet full of horrors, and an abiding mystery that casts its shadow on every unpredictable scene. However, by the second half of this short anime, everything goes off the rails- Romance plots are abandoned, storylines are turned on their head for the sake of cheap 'twists', and it ends on a deeply unsatisfying note, leaving broken promises and unanswered questions in its wake like corpses on a battlefield. This is a show which entirely squanders the potential it had, and seemingly does so for no ... reason at all, which is the major problem here. Beginning with the story, which is where most of the issues lie, it starts strong and finishes weak and confused. Starting with the good, a pair of twins who are the victims of some political plot being abandoned on a planet full of carnivorous plants populated by the worst of mankind's criminals makes for one hell of a setup. The criminals each have their own groups and rules and traditions, and the flora of the world are unique, varied, and often titanic, resulting in a world that feels fascinating and multifaceted, verdant and awash with life, even if it is dangerous life. Within this context we follow the struggle of one of the twins, Thor Klein, who grows up and struggles according to his morals and personal strengths to become the best man he can be and ultimately rise to the top of the planet's order of power. Then, all of this begins to be undone in the second half of the show. First, time is wasted on what feels like an immoral and scummy romance plot subversion that feels like an out-of-character betrayal, then the mystery is revealed, and it feels like they had no idea what they were doing this whole time. The motivations and actions of those behind the mystery seem bipolar and schizophrenic, and as though the writers were just saying things that sound cool without logically justifying them in order to give them weight or even just to make them believable in the first place. Then, fatigue sets in as we are beset by twist after twist, each more inane and unbelievable than the last, from last-minute shapeshifting, to a fundamental misunderstanding of how asteroids work, and even a years-long deep-cover federal agent brownface operation. Just total nonsense by the end. I rarely say this, but in this instance it honestly would have been better if this show ended before it resolved its mystery. Moving on, I have much less to say about this show's other aspects, like the art.

The art, which is this anime's strongest aspect, is much more consistently good, with a unique style that emphasizes the uncertain atmosphere and otherworldly nature of the planet upon which much of the story takes place, called Chimaera. Beyond the art style, however, which is distinctly imaginative, the animation is where it really shines, capturing the weight and fluidity of pitched fight scenes as well as the writhing, nigh-incomprehensible movement of the monstrous, undulating, carnivorous plants which define the planet's natural world.

The sound is good, with a competent grasp of the sounds of life, accompanied by a soundtrack that is multilayered and unique, providing a compelling atmosphere that makes at least the first half of the show feel dangerous yet adventurous all the same.

The characters are fine, meeting all the basic standards of quality for the time, though their motivations seem to become completely unmoored by the second half, ignoring their prevailing motivations and moral considerations. As such, it's really hard to say anyone's a favorite here, since they all end up being a letdown in one way or another by the second half. Overall, Jyu-Oh-Sei is an anime with an interesting idea that failed to use its momentum to cross the finish line, resulting in a series of spectacular disappointments that are so thorough that it's honestly impressive. As a result, I find this one difficult to recommend, even if it did start out quite strong. If you must, just watch up to episode 6 and pretend they never finished the show. It'd honestly be better that way.

Tearmoon Empire is a fascinating tale of political intrigue, the life of nobility, and one precocious young woman's second chance at life. It presents an engaging mix of weighty political considerations, their moral implications, and the charming, lighthearted life of young aristocrats, presented as they come through the eyes of a spoiled princess with the weight of the world on her shoulders. Beginning with the story, which is this anime's strongest aspect, it is safe to say I was duly impressed. Not only does it amount to an honest and genuine consideration of monarchism as a political system, and could honestly be considered as a ... kind of modern-day treatise on enlightened despotism, it also manages to handle both the heavy subject of good governance in the face of bloody revolution and the delightful slice of life aspect of its story. Just as First Imperial Princess Mia Luna Tearmoon is given a second chance at life by some mysterious metaphysical means after meeting her terrible fate at the guillotine, and strives to save her country and her life with it, she also navigates love, friendship, and the various simple joys that give her and the world she lives in a measure of color and vibrancy. In short, the story is perfectly balanced in this way, and is a pleasure from start to finish, even if the ending is just a little rushed.

The art is good, though there are some notable shortcomings that must be addressed. Starting with the good, the art direction itself is very beautiful, capturing the elegance and grace of a 17th or 18th century concept of the world, from grand and well-constructed architecture, to the dress of the various characters, right down to the simple yet heartwarming life of the rural folk. Tearmoon Empire has a vision for its world that isn't merely generic, instead capturing the essence of European cultural philosophy in terms of design and aesthetic and even behavior, captured in poise and demeanor throughout. However, it isn't perfect. The execution of this design philosophy in terms of technical merit is somewhat generic, reflecting the prevailing style of the time of its production, with clean yet somewhat flat character illustration, generally stilted animation, and canned chibi moments. However, the worst aspect of the art is its occasional use of CG, which is truly awful. It's baffling that this was produced in 2023, since the CG looks 20 years more primitive at least. It is jarring and ugly, but only used sparingly throughout, which is a mercy. This art, which has a great style but bog standard execution, weighs down this show's overall score.

The sound is a perfect fit, with a grand, varied, and emotional soundtrack, ranging from the angry drums of revolution to the gentle swells of an orchestral score that frames a sunlit garden. The voice work is also lively and varied, fitting their respective characters well, with a realistic and believable air.

The characters are also strong, feeling like a good fit for the story they're in, with just enough unique characteristics between them that allow them to rise above their base archetypes and become something more unique and interesting. Of them, Mia Luna Tearmoon and Abel Remno are my favorites, Mia for her compelling central conflict and endearing eccentricities, and Abel for his character development between timelines and, of course, the role he comes to play in Mia's story in a way that even she can't predict. Overall, Tearmoon Empire is a unique anime about monarchy, statecraft, love, and friendship, and even if the otherwise beautiful world has some issues with its technical execution, these things are easy to ignore in the wider context of such a unique and delightful story- Tearmoon Empire is easy for me to recommend.

Sekko Boys is a bizarre, fast-paced comedy about an idol group made up of famous statues, including Saint Geroge, Mars, Hermes, and Medici, specifically Giuliano de Medici, and their hapless greenhorn manager who's a young woman fresh out of art school and totally new to the business of managing an idol group and adapting to the chaotic hijinks that ensue. It's a weird show, with a lot going for it in the comedy department, but it feels as though it more often than not relies too much on the absurdity of its premise, and is notably marred by a script that is severely dated by ... dead memes. Beginning with the story, there's not that much to it. It's just the oddities and challenges that would come from managing a musical group composed of sentient statuary. Honestly, it's impressive how they came up with enough content on that premise alone to make a whole anime out of it, even if it is shorter than most. As for the writing that defines the story, most of the time it is indeed quite funny, feeling casual and characteristic, reflecting the distinct personalities of each member of the Sekko Boys. However, this otherwise genuinely funny script is held back by some really dated memes that are painfully cringe. I'm not sure if this is the case in the original script, or if some 'localizer' hack got their hands on it and decided to mangle it for their own amusement, but these totally break any and all engagement with a given episode, and are so painfully unfunny that it completely ruins the rest of a given episode's already limited runtime. This is best captured by such lines as "Ain't nobody got time for that!" and "#newdriver #tokyohighway". I am doing you a mercy by leaving it at this, as there are unfortunately numerous other examples. Truly, this aspect drags down the anime so much that it's honestly a shame, since the rest of it is pretty good.

The art, as a result of the writing's shortcomings, is probably the strongest aspect of the show. It has an interesting, clean art style and creative direction that juxtaposes these majestic and contemplative European statues with the flashy, glamorous life of a mid-level Japanese idol group, complete with scheduling conflicts, variety shows, and talent managers.

The sound is good, meeting the basic standards of quality, with fun, high energy voice work and one recurring J-Pop song by the Sekko Boys that also serves as the ending song for each episode.

Of the cast, my favorites are the stubborn womanizer Mars and the good-natured yet socially awkward Saint George. Overall, Sekko Boys is a funny, absurd title, that could have gone a lot further if it wasn't held back by numerous instances of deeply cringe referential meme humor.

Landlock is a short, well-animated OVA with a strong identity and a passion for the world it wants to portray, even if the story itself isn't necessarily groundbreaking. Beginning with the story, Landlock's meets the basic standards of quality for the time, presenting the viewer with a classic yet somewhat predictable tale that hits all the classic tropes of your typical techno-fantasy 90s OVA. You've got an ancient prophecy, mysterious powers, a militaristic empire subduing countries all over the place, and of course people using guns, swords, planes, tanks, and magic all in the same setting. There's not much more to say about the story ... other than it does what it was meant to do, and that is to give all the badass visuals a reason to exist.

Moving on to the art, which is the strongest aspect of this anime, it's got that classic 90s charm, with a vibrantly colorful palate, a gritty yet detailed illustration style, and an art direction that fills the world with a visual intrigue and overall uniqueness that is so characteristic of titles from the era. The strongest aspect has to be this anime's firm grasp on movement and scale, as fight scenes feel weighty and consequential, while larger-than-life scenes have an appropriate sense of grandiosity, complete with points of reference for the sheer scale of things. One notable example is when the ship called the Longinus moves in and hovers over a town, and we're given a sense of scale by showing just how many orders of magnitude larger it is when compared to the buildings and people below, and the shadow it casts over the landscape. We're even given a view of how it looks from the ground, from the point of view of the people in the town itself. This sense of space and scale rears its head again and again, and is one of the defining aspects that makes this anime so notable, apart from the ocean of similar titles released during this era.

The sound is good, meeting the basic standards of quality for the time, with a fun soundtrack and emotive voice work, and even an interestingly comprehensive approach to the sounds of life, ranging from the ethereal sounds of magic to the calming patter of rain.

As for the characters, they feel competent and independently interesting for the most part, feeling as though they have some sense of agency within the bounds of what is an otherwise predictable story. Of them, the main character Ruda just felt like a kind of whiny crybaby, so I didn't like him, but even so, he wasn't totally unbearable. My favorites are definitely Bork and Agahari. I like Bork because he feels like more of a genuine person than Ruda does at any given point in the story, with well-written dialogue, a sense of charisma, and a heroic selflessness that doesn't crumple to despair in the sense of adversity, striking a good balance between comedy and badassery. Meanwhile, I like Agahari because she feels interesting and competent- outside of her admirable character growth, it is genuinely interesting to watch her fight, since she seems to have a unique, somewhat unpredictable style when compared to other characters in the show, and even more, she's not some invincible mary sue either, so her character also strikes a good balance in the end. Overall, Landlock is a cool, satisfying watch, and while the intricacies of its compelling world aren't really explained all that much, it's still one hell of a time watching it come to life in the context of a metaphysical battle between good and evil, defined by high octane action and an art direction that really knows what it's doing.

When I say that Fantastic Children is a slow burn, I really mean it. You take that into account right now if you're thinking about sitting down to give this anime a watch. It's not even as much of a slow burn as it is a downright smolder. So, let's start there, with the story- this anime's strongest and weakest aspect. I consider myself a pretty patient person. I'm willing to give an anime quite a bit of time to do what it needs to do, because sometimes it just needs to cook for a while to stick the landing, and all the waiting can ... be worth it if executed well. However, Fantastic Children takes a whopping 13 episodes to really get going- that's half the show! over 5 hours of buildup until things really start getting interesting, and even that's a generous estimation. An argument could be made that episode 14, 15, or even 16 is when things actually start to come together for the show. In any case, it's one hell of a trek to get to the meat of this show. Still, that'd be forgivable if it managed to wow me, but despite its themes and complexity, it still didn't quite feel like it was really worth the wait in the end. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad show, and the second half really is pretty great, but it's not amazing in the kind of way that would make such a huge lead-up worth it. It almost feels as though they were handed a 26-episode run and had to inflate their story and pad for time to fit what they were given. Some of this falls at the feet of one of the protagonists, Thoma, who feels like he should somehow be important, but doesn't really feel that way until the very end, and even that feels contrived. Him and his whole storyline almost feel like filler, like his positioning as a major protagonist from the very beginning is some kind of misdirection. This is all still the case even as they throw you right into the middle of the action from episode 1, which is still not enough to mitigate its rather ponderous plot progression. Anyway, getting right to the thematic substance of the show, it does have a conceptually interesting, multifaceted mystery that it explores, even if it does so perhaps a little too slowly. It touches on wild, wide-ranging themes from life, death, and extraterrestrials, to familial trauma, reincarnation, and the place of science in civilization, and it is satisfying to see these themes really dwelt on and considered by the characters. Then, when it does hit its crescendo, where all of these things come together, the result is a real spectacle, a reckoning that is swift and grand and touches on all the disparate threads that had been slowly unraveling to that exact moment.

As for the art, it is an interesting, somewhat simple style that feels like an oddly fitting choice. While at first glance it might seem more suited to a children's show or SoL, it quickly reveals itself more than capable of handling uncertainty, rage, and terror. The strongest aspect of the art is the way it handles color, being so restrained and measured in its application, until it comes time to put the full spectrum on display for some fiery moment, or beautiful panning shot.

The sound is pretty good, with voice work that is emotional and compelling, though many of the children don't really sound like children per-se. The soundtrack is also solid, with a good mix of strings and piano for a contemplative, emotional soundscape, though it doesn't have much variety.

The characters are very strong, with each individual in this rather sizable cast feeling propelled by their own goals and motivations, their lives and journeys intersecting almost by happenstance. It's hard to choose, but of them my favorites are Helga and Detective Cooks. Helga starts out a quiet and mysterious girl, who for the longest time has only a tenuous connection to the story at large, but rapidly becomes more important, and without getting into spoilers, it is the way in which she handles this sudden importance that makes her so interesting, as it feels mature, thoughtful, and a good reflection on the kind of morals the story is trying to convey about accepting change and developing with it over time. Meanwhile, Detective Cooks starts out very important, but rapidly becomes less so as he figures out more aspects of the mystery and finds himself totally swept up in it. I feel like his strength comes from his questions being many of the same questions the viewer has, and also for his genuinely human buddy cop kind of situation with the woman Alice who was sent to monitor his work and ends up coming along for the ride. Overall, Fantastic Children is a show with a complex, genuinely fascinating story that explores a ton of interesting concepts, but falls just short of doing those concepts justice. It's still a good time in the second half, but one can't help but feel like the price to get there is still just a little too high for what it ends up being.

Cosplay Complex is a weird, horny little love letter to cosplay as a hobby, though it never really explores it more holistically as a craft or art form, and while it can be pretty funny at times, a ton of the jokes fall flat, and some of the production quality is left seriously wanting. Beginning with the story, it's a zany, fast-paced tale about a school's cosplay club and its ultimate goal of competing in the cosplay world series, competing in smaller championships and contests and training to be better at what they do along the way. Of course, hijinks ensue. While this is a ... solid core for a nice little comedy about an important aspect of otaku culture, it doesn't really capitalize on it all that well. While some bits are genuinely funny, a lot of it just feels as though they're trying to get you to laugh, even coming off as a little desperate. As a result, this anime is just comedy, or attempts at comedy, draped over a barebones skeleton of a story. The worst part of this supposed comedy routine is the show's inordinate focus on the Italian lesbian pedophile exchange student character Jenny Matel, who feels very insisted upon, as though they thought her one joke was going to be a real tentpole for the whole OVA. Even given all this, the story and writing wasn't all bad, and managed to be quite funny when things did indeed land, especially in terms of comedic timing.

Next, the art is probably this anime's strongest aspect, which makes sense for an anime that has to depict colorful and complicated costumes, which it does well throughout, borne out by solid character designs and a well-comprehended sense of cosplay style and proportion. Being from 2002, you really get this sense of the transitional period that anime was going through at the time, in both a stylistic and conceptual sense. It feels like a mixing point between the 90s and 2000s, with the bright, colorful aesthetic of the 90s and the crisp, stylized aesthetic of the 2000s. This makes the anime an interesting piece on these merits alone.

The sound is the weakest aspect of this anime, dragged down mostly by the quality, or lack thereof, found in the voice work. While the OST and sounds of life meet the basic standards of quality for the time, much of the voice work is amateurish, and even mechanically low-quality. For reference, all I could find to watch was the dub, which was horrible, so what I say here might not apply to the original Japanese voice work. Anyway, outside of our main cast, who provide fairly unremarkable, sometimes hammy voice work throughout, the voice work for everybody else is atrocious. It sounds as though the voice actors never read the script before recording, with weird, uncertain tone and cadence, and even sometimes sounding as though they're recording on bad equipment or something, with prominent echoes, crackles, interference, or some other technical difficulty present throughout. Honestly not sure why they released such a bad dub in the first place. Who in the studio went over the recordings and gave them a thumbs up? Wild.

Anyway, as for the characters, there's not very much to say about them, as they all more or less meet the basic standards of quality for the time, filling various basic archetypes. Of them, Chako and Reika were my favorites, given that they both felt like they enjoyed the most character writing and development, which are pretty relative terms here. However, what really gave them an edge over the rest of the cast is their choice of cosplay throughout the show, with the most interesting stuff from a lot of properties I recognize from anime and video games. Fascinatingly, this OVA actually has supplementary material for those that need it, where it spends about 5 minutes or so going through a bunch of the cosplay seen over the course of the anime, which was honestly a cool little addition that shows some care was put into its production. Overall, Cosplay Complex is an odd OVA that seeks to tackle one of otaku culture's most distinctive and visual elements, however, it falls short of doing a particularly great job. Still, it managed to be funny enough and reference enough interesting cosplay ideas and designs that I'd wager to say it's not a total waste of time, though that feels like a determination that'll be a real case-by-case basis depending on the viewer.

What a letdown. Only rarely have I seen an anime bungle an otherwise strong premise quite so thoroughly that it leaves me wondering, "How the hell did this get a second season?" Truly, beyond an admittedly engaging two-episode opener, the rest of the show is bland, confused, self-important, and, worst of all, ugly. What makes all these sins even worse is the fact that they failed to learn any lessons from their first season, and seem to not only repeat them in the second, but even expand their repertoire of cut corners and nonsensical plot points. I suppose that's where I'll begin, with this anime's ... "strongest" (a term I use loosely here) aspect- the story. At first, the premise seems creative and interesting, with a distinct world where humans have lost the use of natural fire, and have to turn to hunting monsters in the forest to use their energy-infused blood as a replacement. However, instead of exploring this world, spending time with the fascinating implications of this outlandish limitation, it makes the strange decision to rush about with wild pacing, only giving its world precious moments to breathe and express itself in between long, drawn-out chunks of boring expositionary dialogue, and moments of action that are so sloppy and narratively rushed that it feels as though the show is too impatient to get them over with to execute them with any serious weight. It spends literal hours of its runtime fawning over itself about all the conflicts and prophecies and mysterious questions the writers crammed into this show that the viewer is never really given a reason to actually care about any of them. Ultimately, the story of The Fire Hunter is a failure of show don't tell, and really fails to do either correctly, since that principle can often be subverted in a way that is interesting with the kind of skill that this anime simply doesn't have on offer. It quickly becomes far too tied up in the pursuit of its own bizarre and underwhelming story, and it becomes immediately clear just how smart and cool the writers thought they were. That sense bleeds through every moment of this anime, because it's evident they never stopped to consider things more deeply, or do any kind of serious quality control.

Speaking of which, this is also true for the art, which is perhaps this anime's gravest sin. At first, when they're putting in the most effort, it's clear that it's a pretty stylized art direction, and that can be pretty good- indeed, it seemed like it was. The monsters in the forest had a threatening, otherworldly character to them, the architecture seemed unique and realistic, and the characters themselves felt forlorn and grounded in a pale and kind of tired way. However, this anime quickly drops that pretense past episode two, and all of its ugliness is laid brutally bare. The people become lazily drawn, the monsters become ill-defined squiggly blobs inspired by regular animals, and, worst of all, the entire show completely gives up on any sense of depth or perspective. For example, when something like a hunting dog is running towards the viewer, instead of the scene having a sense of movement or depth of field, it looks like the dog's proportions are freaking out on a stationary two-dimensional plane. Instead of his snout appearing closer and his hind legs further away, his snout appears bent and squashed, while his hind legs seem to jut out the side of his torso. This kind of shot happens over and over again, with people, creatures, and even objects, and they all look like total garbage. The Fire Hunter simply does not understand perspective in the slightest. Another crime in regards to motion is how many cheap shortcuts this show makes to save on its animation budget, be it the use of a slow-panning background shot overlaid with comic book style cutaway boxes to handle dialogue, the downright repulsive CG that shows up at the worst moments, or even the random inclusions of colorful, hyper-detailed, stationary art shots that are jarring in the extreme as they embody a totally different aesthetic than the rest of the show. Furthermore, even if it did have a grasp of basic animation principles, it wouldn't change the fact that this art style is simply just ugly. It leaves behind any pretenses of an ethereal, storybook kind of vibe at episode two, and goes ahead looking like a poorly-scrawled gas station postcard. In short, it is rough, bleak, and amateurish. In a word: ugly.

There is much less to say about this anime's other aspects, which themselves feel like relative afterthoughts. The sound is alright, meeting the basic standards of quality in all respects, though the soundtrack is actually pretty good, even if the same songs are reused over and over again- It certainly can't be said they didn't get their money's worth out of it.

The characters, again, meet the basic standards of quality, and are generally unremarkable beyond their fulfillment of their roles within the story, which feels distinctly on-rails and as though it's completely beyond their control- this is for the best because their motivations are either mind-numbingly simplistic or so nebulous and non-directed that they're not worth trying to understand in the first place. Overall, The Fire Hunter is an anime that goes nowhere and does nothing, having squandered the glimmers of quality it had at its outset. The writers should have really pursued a more discerning round of editing during production. Perhaps, if they had, they could have realized that what they were writing was a genuine waste of time.

There's just not that much to say about Soutai Sekai. It's a vanishingly brief title that conceptually harbors some interesting potential, but it fails to really capitalize on much of it, and it's unclear if it even would live up to that potential if it were given the chance. Beginning with the story, which is this anime's strongest aspect, it does a good job of setting the scene quickly and getting right into the narrative and its various concepts. However, many of these themes are simply too big for such a short little production, with things like inter-dimensional travel and cyborg telekinesis playing a central ... role. As such, while it does a good job getting right to the meat of things, it ultimately fails to give its concepts time to breathe, and ends up feeling somewhat confused and uninteresting by the end.

However, this sense of dullness is due in most part to the art, as this anime is pretty much entirely CG, and it is glaringly bad throughout. While things like combat choreography is crisp and fast-paced, everything else feels downright robotic. The whole production, outside of combat, just feels very packaged and artificial. Perhaps it is because the fights are largely between two robots that the combat is the only area in which this doesn't feel out of place. In any case, everything here feels flat and dull, even with decent fight scenes and a competent sense of color. The CG really is just that terrible, and makes for a very dry and uninteresting watch.

The sound is unremarkable, as it meets the basic standards of quality for the time, however the J-Pop group they brought on to do the music can kind of feel out of place, especially in the fantastical other-dimension version of Japan, as it steals any sense of grounded reality or stakes, exchanging it instead for an almost goofy concert vibe.

The characters are absolutely boilerplate, and do not rise above their archetypes or even fulfill them particularly well. All in all, they're hardly worth talking about, though it is worth noting that the people behind this anime felt the need to make the two main characters cousins, which definitely changes the vibe of their romance throughout this show's brief runtime.

Overall, Soutai Sekai, despite having some glimmers of quality in regards to its basic concepts and fight choreography, ends up being held back by a crowded story and stiff, unsightly CG throughout. As such, it's not really a title that's worth anyone's time.

Sailor Victory is a goofy little hour-long romp that combines iconic tropes with a colorful and energetic art style to make a bubbly OVA that today serves as a microcosm of anime's most dominant themes in 1995- giant mechs and sailor uniforms. Beginning with the story, there really isn't much of one beyond its simple setup- in a city that's plagued by people in giant robots committing crime, the incompetent police force fails to do enough of anything to combat the problem, leaving a group of girls in their own giant robots to carry out vigilante justice. It's more than enough to justify the flashy ... action onscreen, and even manages to sneak in a couple of clever scenes here and there.

The strongest point of this anime by a mile is the art, which boasts a bright and fun color palate, and a kinetic and flashy sense of movement, wrapped up in that hand-drawn style that defined the 90s. This is the real reason to give this anime a watch- at the end of the day, it's good old dumb fun. The character designs are distinct and memorable, the fights are fast-paced, and the art style as a whole is stylized and colorful.

The sound is good, meeting the basic standards of quality for the time, though the intro and outro songs are pretty catchy.

The characters are kind of one-note tropes, but that's all they really have to be in a two episode OVA. Of them, Kyomi and Mika are my favorites, each for their character designs, the designs of their respective mechs (The red one and the blue one, respectively), and how much them and their personalities add to the general comedy of the show. Overall, Sailor Victory is a simple little romp that you are meant to sit back and enjoy, rather uncritically, which makes this review kind of paradoxical in the first place. Who cares if it feels a little rushed since it's only two episodes, or that the story doesn't really go anywhere, or that the conflicts are all kind of shallow since there's no time to develop them- it's a magical girl giant robot fight anime. Grab a snack and enjoy!

Seirei no Moribito's defining characteristic is its total immersion. It possesses a rare quality and depth that reveals the amount of love that was put into it, manifesting in a world which feels extremely rich and believable. I cannot overstate how many small details there are, and how they come together to craft a world in which it is effortless to get lost in. This anime spends time on the tiniest aspects of its world that most anime would simply gloss over, and that is what makes it such a beautiful and effective story, a potent journey that the viewer finds themselves effortlessly swept up ... in. I'll begin here with this anime's strongest aspect, the story, which houses some of the best worldbuilding I've ever seen at the time of this writing, which is a monumental achievement all its own, and must be directly addressed before talking about anything else. There is a richness and dedication here that makes it feel like the worldbuilding took place first, only for a story to later be placed in its boundless setting. It feels like a tour de force of cultural anthropology. Everything from the kingdoms to the geography to the economy to the cultures to the history to the religion and food and architecture and traditions and clothing and everything else is crafted with such lavish detail that it genuinely feels like the places told in this story are actually real, existing somewhere out there in existence. In order to properly capture what I'm talking about, here are just a few standout examples- In one instance, they spend the entire episode covering the detailed currency system of the Shin-Yogo Empire, and a popular street gambling game, including all of its rules and how it could be gamed. In another instance, they show a festival celebrated by all in the Shin-Yogo Empire, including a tradition of bonfire making and a fighting tournament, but celebrated at different times by the aristocracy and the common folk. The nobility of the Shin-Yogo Empire celebrate the festival in the spring, since it commemorates a mythic event that happened in the spring, but since the common people are so busy with agricultural work during the spring, they celebrate it in the summer instead. Even all of the myths and customs feel fascinating and realistic, like how they believe a commoner would be struck blind if he made eye contact with a highborn, or how a warrior must never witness a sword being forged, how how they hang these bird bone wind chimes in their doorway to ward off evil spirits when they brush against it. This is to say nothing of the totally unique flora, fauna, and weather patterns that define the visual reality of this show in a way that is consistent and relevant throughout. They really did think of everything, right down to the ethnic differences between the people of Shin-Yogo, Rota, and Kanbal, their unique weapons, combat styles, and even the stitching on the clothes they're wearing. In this respect, Seirei no Moribito is a masterpiece. In other respects, the story is still very solid- a complex and vast mystery that reaches back into centuries past and interacts with politics, mythology, and religion, all the while facilitating the exploration of such a rich and incredible world as our main characters journey from place to place. The journey itself is a well-executed hero's journey for the most part, and while it is gripping in its own right, it does waste its time with some pretty basic moral themes that feel a little played-out, especially in regards to the killing of one's enemies. Still, it's a very minor sticking point, and after all, the real main event here is the worldbuilding, as I said earlier. As such, when considering its moral themes and dedicated worldbuilding, it reminds me quite a bit of Avatar: The Last Airbender in a lot of ways.

This comparison also, interestingly enough, extends to its art, which I will talk about here. Seirei no Moribito is a gorgeous anime, with a quiet beauty that fosters a thick atmosphere which simultaneously feels magical and distinctly grounded. This atmospheric quality squares very well with the fact that it aired on Adult Swim in the late 2000s, and I'm personally shocked that it's not more widely recognized as one of the greats of that era. Its color palate and detailed backgrounds also remind me once again of Avatar, but with notably higher production values throughout. Another way it reminds me of Avatar is how sparingly blood is used, which sometimes feels a little awkward, but that is again a minor factor in the grand scheme of things. That worldbuilding mentioned earlier is given life by a highly adaptable art style, which can capture the lowliest comforts of peasant life, all the way up to the soaring grandiosity of the imperial court. Regardless of what it's portraying, it always manages to feel firmly grounded and believable, save for the spirit world of Nayug, which feels appropriately mystical and otherworldly. However, the absolute strongest aspect of the art is how it handles combat. In a way, an argument could even be made for calling this title a martial arts anime given how it handles the skillful application of violence. Combat in this anime truly is an art form, and it lovingly details and develops many styles, from different schools of unarmed combat, to swordwork, and of course, the art of the spear. Each strike and maneuver has an appropriate sense of gravity, weight, and impact, while also being so finely choreographed and calculated that a pitched struggle between two skilled warriors almost feels like some kind of complicated dance. Combat here is beautiful in a solemn, heartfelt way, handled in such a fashion that is rare and admirable. In short, there is an enormous amount of respect paid to this aspect alone, and is easily one of the most striking things about this anime, making it stand out from the moment we see two people come into conflict.

The sound is quite good, with a strong, orchestral soundtrack that deftly matches the emotion of a given scene, and with sounds of life that are detailed and immersive. This goes so far as to cover the gruesome noise of a grievous wound, all the way down to how footsteps sound different on stone versus dirt, for example. The sounds of life are an underappreciated aspect in anime in general, and I think they are especially important in this anime.

The characters are a perfect fit for the story, as though the cast is large, each person with their own complex motivations and personal interests, they are all individually coherent, and come together in the context of the larger story in a way which makes definitive sense. I'd describe the characters and their positions and interactions within the story as Shakespearean, to make a point of comparison. Of them, my favorites are Balsa, the main heroine, and Shuga, a dedicated star reader of the imperial court. Balsa stands out as a unique protagonist, as she is a capable warrior in her late 20s who is uniquely gifted in the ways of war, but is by no means a mary sue. She grows and learns and struggles, and she makes mistakes along the way, all of which make her interesting and human. This is especially true as her backstory is revealed over time. Meanwhile, Shuga is an interesting character as a young up-and-comer in the imperial court, a gifted star reader who is ingratiated in court politics, but also dedicated to the pursuit of truth. Seeing him gradually unravel the grand mystery, and eventually risk life and limb to do so, makes him a fascinating and admirable character. Overall, Serei no Moribito is a truly great anime, and is surely underappreciated given just how much dedication and skill is paid to its world and the story that takes place within it. It is an atmospheric, immersive, and extremely memorable title, and I absolutely recommend it.