Fear, survival, instinct. Thrown into a foreign land with nothing but hazy memories and the knowledge
of their name, they can feel only these three emotions resonating deep within their souls. A group of
strangers is given no other choice than to accept the only paying job in this game-like world—the role
of a soldier in the Reserve Army—and eliminate anything that threatens the peace in their new world,
Grimgar.
When all of the stronger candidates join together, those left behind must create a party together to
survive: Manato, a charismatic leader and priest; Haruhiro, a nervous thief; Yume, a cheerful hunter;
Shihoru, a shy mage; Mogzo, a kind warrior; and Ranta, a rowdy dark knight. Despite its resemblance to
one, this is no game—there are no redos or respawns; it is kill or be killed.
It is now up to this ragtag group of unlikely fighters to survive together in a world where life and
death are separated only by a fine line.
Keep in mind this review is based off of the first 3 episodes I've watched Where to start? Was it good? No. Was it bad? Hasn't provided me enough material to overturn my judgement yet about it being good sooo.. I guess it was. Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash while it seemed like a good watch at the time, when I finally started the series it left me severely disappointed. While the concept of being stuck in a fantasy world seemed interesting, I haven't seen much of this"Fantasy" or "World" in that matter to make me not gouge my eyes out because of sheer boredom. The story line hasn't even begun developing, the characters themselves I find have little development, the action while it's enough to leave me satisfied makes me yearn for something more, and the adventure I was promised (if there was any) is barely there. I did find a redeeming quality to the anime in the form of its art and animation. The fight scenes were beautifully done making me excited for more of them, especially during the 1st episode, and the artwork's style literally made me pause the episode just to view its glory. Now Let me explain my thoughts: 1. The "Fantasy" - Of course I'm not blind to ignore the magic or the magical creatures (which apparently only consists of a single goblin (hallowed be thy name) or its friends) besides that there hasn't been any other fantasy elements to truly pique my intrigue towards this anime. I haven't seen any mystical, strange, or even outrageously stupid elements which I would like to see or even any different creatures or races in the world they're in. Likewise the different classes of the characters, outside of the occasional spell (which from what I've seen only consists of the same single spell) I would've liked to see any particular special skill (especially a magical or one with a single fantasy element) that's been granted to the characters due to their class. But as far as I know, all they know is basic physical skills that they constantly repeat and a single special class skill from the Dark Knight class that they touched upon but never elaborated. This lack of a fantasy element truly makes me doubt if the anime should be labeled "Fantasy" instead of just "Magical" (if even). 2. The "World"/Adventure/Action - I was deeply disappointed by the lack of adventure seen in this anime. I personally define "Adventure" as going out, exploring the world, and participating in many different events. In Grimgar, I haven't seen even the slightest inclination towards the characters even going on an adventure. Firstly they haven't even left the bloody town where they started in and venture out more than 10ft away besides them just going to the forest, where they get their butts handed to them by a single goblin (hallowed be thy name). Secondly, all I have seen them do is sit on their butts all day sitting around something and eating food. Which tells me nothing is going to happen for a very very very long time or in layman's terms, they ain't going to do shit. Mixed in with this lack of adventure is the lack of the "world" that they currently exist in. No special land forms, monuments, or even a distinct architecture type that tells me they now reside in a different world instead of their previous human world. Even the lack of new creatures, people, races, and new ideas haven't been touched upon in the anime which would've made me very excited to see. I would've loved for more exploration of the world of Grimgar that's currently full of possibilities due to it being "fantasy" world, but alas my dreams and desires have not been fulfilled. Although the action is beautifully animated, the action itself leaves a lot to be desired. The amount of action is few in number and some of it can even can be considered redundant. Why do I consider it redundant you say? Well the characters have shown me a sort of functional fixedness where they keep using their weapons the same way (technique-wise) expecting a different result. Yes, I know I'm being harsh because they're relatively new to this world and haven't completely grasped the concept of professional combat. But, they have been taught by mentors of their own respective classes which means they have a lot more skills in their repertoire. I would love to see these skills and techniques be used in their fights instead of just seeing a Runescape-like hack-and-slash with them just swinging their weapons like hillbillies (no offence). I would also love to see them fight something else besides the same single goblin (hallowed be thy name), by adding more variety of creatures to fight. **For those wondering why I keep saying "hallowed be thy name" whenever I mention the goblin. It's because I find the goblin to be essentially immortal. It was stabbed in many lethal areas and a multitude of times then somehow it still lives (insert Jackie Chan meme here) so essentially it must be some sort of immortal god where it can brush off all those strikes of death. 3. Story/Characters - The plot of Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash is very slow going with little development. Already 3 episodes in and I still have no idea what it's about besides the rough outline provided by the anime's summary. This overarching storyline of discovering their purpose of who they are and what their purpose is, is constantly overshadowed and left in the corner to rot. Instead of developing the storyline in the episodes, it feels more like a slice of life where we get a small insight into how the characters deal with their situation. The plot has so far remained stagnant with little effort to even try to develop it as evidenced in episode 2, where half the episode was a fight scene against the goblin (hallowed be thy name) and the other half was basically an animation of the characters dawdling around doing nothing while music is played in the background making you feel cheated in your time watching the episode. The only way I can see the plot even attempting to budge is if a huge massive Deux ex Machina just slammed into the series and made such an impact nothing or nobody can ignore it. If the storyline has to continue like this with little development and if they truly need Deux ex Machinas to move along the story this is going to turn out to be a very cheap-shot anime. Now onto the characters, while all they do is sit down and talk most of the day, I haven't really been able to build a connection with them because of how little I even know about them. Some of the characters don't even stray past the typical archetypes that typical anime's have which gives me little hope of the characters getting a full thorough development that would make me very happy to see. Yeah sure you can say information has been revealed about them to reveal their general character but beyond that I don't really personally know their characters of them as individuals. I can see in the story that there is a beginning towards developing the characters. But with their lack of memories, you can't truly understand how they act due to their past experiences and how they grew up. 4. Art/Animation - Just like I said in my introduction, amazing and breathtaking! Anymore of my abhorrence towards this anime would make me negatively judge it. Overall: This anime so far as been a disappointing experience for me as I continue to watch (begrudgingly) in hopes of a new direction the anime is going. I hope the anime becomes better than what I've depicted because I'm just not ready to throw in the towel on this anime after I selected it out of the multitude of others I could've chosen. But as long as I see this anime remain this way this review isn't going to change neither is my opinion. So I tell you, if your interest was piqued by this anime like mine, go ahead by all means go watch it but in my opinion it's going to be a very disappointing ride.
__One of my favorite series!__ I really love the Grimgar anime and even more the light novels, but i will try to only review the anime here. __Setting__ Well the setting is not the most original, a bunch of people trapped in a fantasy world that works like an mmorpg. There are already a bunch of shows/series that handle that setting well like Log Horizon, the .Hack// series and Kono Suba, but there also shows which don't handle it well like Sword Art Online. To come back to Grimgar, it may not be very innovative but it delivers a fantastic world, there are actual stories that explain why something is a ruin overrun by goblins or how the hierarchy of the goblins is and how that effects their equipment and their way of fighting. Details like that create a believable world. The show also doesn't tell you nor the characters if they are actually trapped in a mmorpg, well there are a lot of mmoish things like different classes: Hunter, Dread Knight, Thief, Priest and etc. There is also no type of Interface for the characters. __Story__ I won't give a summary of the story here, i will rather focus on what makes the story so appealing to me. When this show came out i noticed many people complaining about its pacing. The party of the protagonist doesn't make fast progress in this world, but instead of skipping that stuff for the viewer it spends its time to develope the different party members, giving them actual personalities and also introducing the world they now live in. This leads to a point where you actually care about the characters and gives you a somewhat realistic and thought provoking view on this scenario. So the slow pacing does this show really well, in my opinion. You shouldn't watch this show if you expect nonstop action, but this show has some amazing action. It gets brutal and gritty in fights and your attachment to the protagonist party makes those fights intense. And it doesn't stop there the monsters they fight aren't portrayed as only enemies but also living creatures that struggle for their lives in the fight for survival, which lets you feel bad for them sometimes. __Characters__ I keep it short here. The characters are well written with complex personalities and also develop during the story. Some characters may be not likeable but are still good designed characters. __Audio__ The soundtrack is really diverse, it contains Rock, Pop, Hip Hop and even has one beatbox track. And is overall well produced and fitting. The voice acting and the sound effects are on spot. __Visuals__ The backgrounds are beautiful, the design of the characters is good (but it differs from the LN, especially Merrys) as well as the monsters design. The animations seem really smooth and i couldn't find any flaws. This is one of A-1s good animations.
__The Light Novel Adaptation__
There's always that air about them, you can feel the expanse that is unfortunately left to the
books, yet there is definitive potential.
Grimgar is no different. That confidence that comes with a somewhat unremorseful adaptation of
almost exclusively pen and paper is present. With that also brings its associated shortcomings in
length and scale.
But, these productions don't live and die by the quantity of their stories alone.
__Uniformed Direction__
What elevates Grimgar is the tone put forth in this project.
The artists detail characters in their subtle actions such as feeding an animal or exposing their
feet during a rest. The voice actors _perform_ their roles, they pause, they emote, they bottle up
their sorrow until you hear it release as a sigh while they muster the strength to take another step
away from the present.
The sparingly used music allows these actions to be punctuated by just the silent howls of the wind,
providing weight to the contemplation and hardship you can hear in the casts' voices.
All of these elements of production compound upon each other to create a single vision.
~~~
~~~
__It's About People__
That is why Grimgar is, albeit not the greatest show, but certainly a competent short
story/character piece in it of its self. The focus is on the change of its protagonists in response
to their circumstances. Be it PTSD from the death of a friend or the resulting delayed appreciation
for their current partners in recognition of that loss.
__Nothing Is Perfect__
Grimgar has some useless and jarring fan service. The fights aren't handled with as much maturity
relative to the introspective dialogue. The setting is left massively unexplored, largely taking
place in just a few recurring areas _(though this does strengthen characters: e.g. seeing the change
in how they interacted earlier with these environments)_. You might just find it boring that people
talk about how they feel.
~~~
~~~
Ultimately, however, Grimgar is the sum of its parts and that passion displayed by all involved is
what keeps it from being just another glorified commercial.
____
>_"Well, I am different from the person I was yesterday. I know that much, and I guess I'll be a
different person tomorrow."_
~~~
~~~
When you wake up, what is the first thing you think of? Now I can't speak for everyone, but generally I would say for myself it is to eat or something regarding my own well being. There are two reasons for this, firstly we care first about ourselves before others and secondly because we desire to live. Hai to Gensou no Grimgar is an Anime exploring both these ideas, within a world that is not the same as ours - it is in fact a fantasy. Plot Now with this type of genre and structure we have to make something really clear, the story will have limited value in the way that we assess it. The reason I say this is because it's focus is not on story goals, the goals are really simple and that is simply survival and what that involves as imperfect characters. Yet for the sake of the review structure I have included this point to make clear why I am not going to discuss it in the same fashion as I would your more general works. Instead I will move onto the character part of the review. Character This story is encapsulated by what the characters experience. Everything is about what it means to survive in a world that they are brand new to but not completely unfamiliar to. The characters are very weak at first and is made clear from the beginning of the series. Who the main character is in the beginning of the show is vague at first, but the experiences of the characters lead us to understand the intricacies of each individual characters internal struggles. Each character is explored moderately and two are explored very in depth, there is one character that gets left in the dark unfortunately and is just a typical trope which is I would argue the only downside to the entirety of the show. There is one aspect I want to address and it seems to be a problem for a lot of people I speak to, people consider this an isekai genre show. When I watched this, I didn't get that experience at all. Instead what I got was a deep character driven story about survival. I don't remember one conversation regarding returning to another world, or anything about trying to find out why they are in this world now. Rather what I heard was conversations about what they were experiencing at that moment in time, they weren't focused much on the future or the past, because today held enough problems for them as it was. The characters didn't feel forced they were just real. Art Style and Animation This is actually a very important part of understanding the characters. And should not be a separate section but for the sake of semantics I will keep it. The animation in this show is so amazingly detailed, that each individual character shows their personality through detailed facial expression. I am not only speaking about the human characters also for the sake of the goblins and other fantasy creatures. The animation brought what the characters were dealing with internally and showing the struggle through their face and their shaking hands after killing a goblin, through the sadness of the realities of life. It showed the heaviness of death, but at the same time didn't ignore the beauty that the world itself was engulfed in. The scenery of the towns and atmospheric lighting is absolutely beautiful and gave an internal impact for each character's experience. The directing didn't ignore the size differences in characters, it attributed the fighting styles of each and made each form of fighting work in the way that they realistically should. The animation is nothing short of some of the best I have seen. Music I am a music fanatic so I am always the harshest when it comes to this. [Know Name] is a fantastic band, that I never heard of and they are the ones who are to praise for the outcome - not forgetting the support from NIKIIE and AIJ. The best way to describe the soundtrack is to really think about your own experience of life. The way you consider the basic things in life will drastically affect the way you consider the music in Hai to Gensou no Grimgar. Because in the end this anime is focused on the realities of life just within the context of a fantasy world. It is directly relatable to us as humans because they aren't any different to us. Each piece of music is appropriate to the characters experience of the world. Be it the early morning crisp of the day, or the vain effort of our everyday struggle with ourselves. The cloudiness of a sad day, yet remembering the knew day ahead. Never forgetting the seeds planted and the germination to come before the growth. To conclude, Hai to Gensou no Grimgar is an Anime about experience. It is about remembering the importance of not only thinking about yourself. It reaches out to us to remind us that we are not alone, even if we feel like that is the case. There is always someone out there waiting for you, to be with you and struggle alongside you. My final rating of this is 9/10 it is overall a fantastic show that lost some character development opportunities, but the rest of the show is impeccable. I recommend this to any fantasy lover and anyone looking for a slice of life with good action and character drama.
Hai to Gensou no Grimgar (Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash) is a fascinating morbid take on the issekai genre. The show strays from issekai, almost as if it is meant to poke fun at standards commonly associated with issekai shows. Grimar starts in the middle of a group of adventurers' journey, after they have already formed and speeds through their formation as a flashback so the viewer can concentrate on the important part of the story: the story itself. This was something I really appreciated, because it's very irritating to sit through the characters in the show learning how their world works and meeting other people in it and other world building. Grimgar's speeding through of this mundane part of issekai was greatly appreciated and this new strategy of characters having a decent amount of knowledge about their world before the story starts can be seen in shows today, most notably The Rising of the Shield Hero, which aspects of this show can clearly be seen in. Instead of delusions of grandeur and insanely overpowered main characters with amazing special abilities able to take on any villan they face, Grimgar has a group of adventurers fighting just to survive daily, initially struggling to kill the even the most basic mob, a goblin. The show deviates from other issekai shows further in this scene, in which the main character realizes that the goblin is also struggling for its life, desperate to survive and his group and the goblin's survival are in immediate conflict. As expected, their journey is not an easy one, morally or physically. As a group, they experience heavy loss and grief. ~!This is highlighted when their leader dies and another character, the thief, must take his place to lead his group. The grief the characters experience from this death is also unexpectedly realistic, with characters, especially the new leader, unable to come to terms with the death of their comrade, and the new leader conflicted about how he will be leading the group from now on, as he needs to grow into his new role as the group's leader and get his members to move on from their loss as well, while he is still struggling with it himself.!~ The characters are also incredibly real, with each character having their own faults and weaknesses due to their personalities which we get to see because the group members all get their own character development and are properly fleshed out, which is very rare to see in an issekai anime. The characters are all different, and this difference leads to a very unique relationship between the characters, with some having difficulty communicating with certain characters, occasionally leading to discord within the group that the characters struggle to resolve. However, when push comes to shove, the characters show their dependence on one another and camaraderie. Their reactions to one another after events occur in the story is also very realistic, with each character dealing with it in his or her own way. The show is a (possibly satirical) masterpiece, plot-wise and was unlike any other show in its genre when it was released, but shows similar have started to rise and have been met with praise (a pun on my example). I do not consider myself an artistic person, but the artwork for Grimgar was incredible. As I said, I am not a very artistic person, so I cannot quite describe it or identify why I feel this way, but the artwork for Grimgar is truly unlike anything I've ever seen before in any other show and the scenery simply looks magnificent. Sadly however, likely due to it being such an unconventional and unfamiliar use of the issekai genre, not many people know about it, and likely as a result, it never got a second season. Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash is an incredible show that not many people watched, a shame, because they missed out on something really great. Thanks for taking the time to read my review, I hope you enjoyed it! I really hope you consider watching Grimgar, because it's really just a great show that I can't recommend enough and it's one of my favorite anime because of how it subverts most common issekai tropes and still makes itself into a exemplary anime.
In an isekai, the Forgotten Background Party is a group of adventurers that have not been blessed with the presence of an overpowered main character and equally overpowered supporting members. These people are usually found in the background of a Fantasy World Tavern that the Main Isekai Party is visiting, frozen in place because they’re not worth animating. In a sea of isekais being churned out assembly-line style, Hai to Gensou no Grimgar attempts to differentiate itself by telling the story from the point of view of one such Forgotten Background Party. Without any overpowered characters, this ragtag team of adventurers struggles to even take down goblins — and the goblins aren’t exactly made from paper either, depicted to be nearly on par with the human adventurers in strength. Throw in some mysterious elements like memory loss, and you have one of the most innovative, nail biting isekai premises out there… …that is unfortunately completely wrecked by nonsensical execution. Somewhere out there, a team of people somehow managed to turn 12 episodes of an adventure into filler and nothingness. Episodes basically consist of a few depictions of the party struggling to get by, lamenting their circumstances, etc. Someone gives a pep line, and the party decides they will go and get it done. What comes next is a Powerpoint slideshow of the party getting their stuff done, topped off with Song to Promote for the Week. I have no problems with the songs - they're good. Except they don't fit the vibe of the show at all. All this filler lasts as long as is needed to hit the 12 episode count, which you could easily cull 6 episodes from just by stripping all of it away. This anime is just one narrator away from becoming a documentary. I suspect it will be the world's first animated documentary. _Battle-hardened goblins lurk and hide behind the walls, waiting for the right moment to strike. Once they do, there is little chance of survival. Only the very quick, and very lucky, escape._ Though half the show is filler anyway, which means a Nat Geo/Discovery Channel documentary wins in tension and plot development. The characters, being Forgotten Background Party members, unfortunately also inherited their Zero Personality traits. This is pretty much the final nail in the coffin for this anime. I must say though, those visuals are stunning and oozes _style_. They are seriously beautiful. Now, if only everything else here was any good.
I'll give it an 8/10. It took a bit to get into the show and it started kind of slow. The characters seem very generic at first but they grow on you. It feels very realistic for an isekai situation where you follow the B team rather than the A team, and you learn of the struggles of a normal generic party of adventurers. I enjoyed the nice plot development and character building the story did and look forward to continuing it in the LN's. I have to admit though, it did feel VERY slow at first. It doesn't start with anything novel or extraordinary. You follow a standard party as they begin their journey in a new world. Everyone doesn't have anything unique or noteworthy until the slow scenes help build their character and personalities. As I learned about their flaws and personalities, their inner demons and their inner fears, I learned to like them as characters rather than generic protagonists. By the end of the show, I can attest to the fact that each character feels like a unique individual with a genuine (albeit sometimes a little one-sided) personality. This isn't your standard isekai where the main character goes on a grand, life or world changing adventure. It's the story of how a group of second rate adventures grow as people when they wake up in another world with amnesia. It has high character development and nice animations so the quality is there, and I feel the fact that it does something different from the norm is nice in and of itself. Also, this is a surprisingly wholesome anime in my opinion, so I give them props for focusing on the character building rather than earning easy fanservice points. my personal rating: 10/10 character building (characters feel unique by the end of the show) 06/10 world building (might be shallow, but what we're shown it's 'enough') 08/10 animation quality (I personally enjoyed the watercolor style artwork) 07/10 plot/story quality (good, but not great) 06/10 pacing (felt VERY slow for the first like 3 episodes but it fits the overall flow of the show) ~rounded to an 4/5, or 7/10 I give it a 7/10 on uniqueness, it's a good watch and was well worth my time, nothing too memorable but I enjoyed it in the end :) I'll probably read up on the LN and post an update to this review if I get around to it afterwords to compare it to the source LN.
At the start of the story, this show already gave a refreshing vibes and a feeling that something is amiss. It also shown how the characters develop throughout the show. The fighting scenes is also well made, at least it won't bore you. The plot though is not very clear yet, it didn't explain why they're in this world named Grimgar? What is their purpose in this world? Is it just to fight monsters and keep living? And how did they came from this world? Why're they send here in Grimgar? It didn't explain anything at all. So i'm hoping that if ever the TOHO animation record plan to make a season 2, it would be great if they explain something about this world. But one thing i really love in this anime is about the character development, the author really made a great job in it. Some people might complain how annoying the characters are, but little by little you can see that they grow as the story goes on. The way they interact to each other, it affects them for their development. When they're not in battles, they fought each other. But when it comes to real battle, like killing monster. Their team work is really decent, they cover each and every weakness they have by relying on each other. All in all, i really like this show. It might be similar to any other adventure, fantasy type anime. But this one is really different in its own aspect, the author tackled a story about a life of a trainee adventurer, how they make a living out of the monster, what they felt when they kill the monster. And also i almost forgot as the story goes on too, you can see not just their personality development, but also how they become stronger and proficient in battles. They keep moving forward even though its hard for them, they keep struggling just to keep living. And as many battle they fought, their friendship also develop, though they always misunderstood one of their party members, but it didn't hinder them in teamwork. So i really hope that TOHO should plan another season for this show, so that I/We can understand more about the story of this show. Well i can also just read the LN if ever they don't plant to make a season 2 tho. So i will type it one more, THIS SHOW IS REALLY FANTASTIC! ( = ̄+∇ ̄=)v
#~~~Even with it's beautiful art, _Hai to Gensou no Grimgar_ is a disappointing addition to Isekai genre~~~# ~~~img(https://choraltempest.files.wordpress.com/2016/04/horriblesubs-hai-to-gensou-no-grimgar-09-720p-mkv_snapshot_05-56_2016-04-07_16-05-40.jpg) ~~~ _Hai to Gensou no Grimgar_ has some of the most beautiful watercolor background I've seen in an anime in recent memory. In fact, it was this art that kept me watching this show past the first few episodes. ~~~img(https://pm1.narvii.com/6223/c69757541f5b9b0175575f639467d0435ec3c8a4_hq.jpg)~~~ _Hai to Gensou no Grimgar_ is yet another isekai anime in an already over-saturated genre. However, it does have some unique points that make its premise interesting enough to not be dropped immediately. Grimgar plays with a lot of Isekai tropes, such as amnesia and adventure guilds. However, what makes Grimgar so intriguing is the realism with which it portrays these tropes. As the abandoned members of the people transported over to the new world, there are no geniuses among the main cast. This made for a very realistic portrayal of how an average person would fair in suddenly being transported to a world without modern technologies. We get to see the main cast go through their mundane chores, worry about money, and trying to learn how to fight. Indeed, we don't even get to see the cast kill a goblin until the second or third episode (and it takes all six of them surrounding one lone goblin to do so)~!, and even then, during the fourth episode, one of their party members dies.!~ ~~~youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsO2cOM5TeY)~~~ However, there were many parts to this show which also grated on my nerves. First, the pacing was so freaking slow. Like even slower than a baby crawling slow. I have not read the manga or light novel, so I do not know if this was a scripting issue or an issue with the original story, but whoever chose the pacing did not do a good job. I understand the slower pacing adds value to the realism and overall themes of the story that was being told, however, there is such thing as too much, and this definitely crossed the line. As mentioned a little tangentially earlier, if it were not for the art, I would have dropped this show around the second or third episode. Luckily, when I was at my wits' end around the fifth or sixth episode, the pace started picking up a little bit, and I was able to finish out the show. Overall, the final arc was good, but slogging through the beginning does put quite a damper on it. ~~~img(https://www.ecopetit.cat/wpic/mpic/179-1796387_grimgar-12-hai-to-gensou-no-grimgar-background.jpg)~~~ Second, while the songs used throughout the show were all quite good - or rather, I had nothing really negative to say about them - the overuse of montages superimposed over music in what was essentially integrated/embedded music videos was not. It was excessive and persistent and likely contributed to the show's pacing issues. The time spent on the songs would have been better used for some plot or character development. However, I believe someone mentioned the show being sponsored by some musical company, which seems a likely reason as any to have this many song breaks in the show (although I have yet to be able to confirm this as fact...it is likely true though as the same band, (K)NoW_NAME, recorded OP, EP, and OSTs). ~~~youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rIE7Qr4J0U)~~~ Thirdly, and this may be just a personal issue, but the character Ranta grated on my nerves so much. He continually ignored people's boundaries and insulted people, only to get all broody and insulted when people wouldn't coddle his feelings. Then, when Haruhiro tried to communicate with him, clearly trying to get a better understanding of him, he seemed to be insulted that Haruhiro could not read his mind and wouldn't open up to him after being shut down by him multiple times. He was brash and overconfident and refused to work as a team or open up. I know this is an archetype within anime, but it has to be one of my most hated ones. ~~~img(https://animeseikou.files.wordpress.com/2016/11/hai-to-gensou-no-grimgar-ranta_01.png?w=760)~~~ Overall, there were some points that I would rate neutrally, such as their magic system. It wasn't the best but wasn't the worst, and not much really stood out from it. There also isn't much lore available for the world the cast has been transported to,but since that wasn't the main focus of the story, I wasn't super pressed about it. So, with all of these points in consideration, __I would not recommend watching _Hai to Gensou Grimgar___. I rate is a 65/100, however, most of the score comes from the art and the redemption from the final arc. The pacing is simply too off for me to willingly subject someone else to it. While Grimgar had a great concept going for it, it ultimately failed in the execution of it, which is a disappointment and a shame.
~~~img550(https://i.imgur.com/q7Q2gfg.jpg)~~~ This review contains a vaguely-described spoiler. **In my imagination**, _Grimgar_ is a product of a classic fantasy anime creator who heard, via a loose second-hand description, that there were these new, popular fantasy meta-genres like “isekai” and “trapped in the MMO”. Without fully understanding it, he said, “I gotta make me one of those!” The result is something of a [Pokeymans Project](https://thepokeymansproject.tumblr.com/) interpretation of an isekai/mmo anime. Without a hint of irony and hardly any metatextuality, it becomes a _new modern_ twist on an insufferably postmodern genre, recasting it with a profound seriousness to the point of revealing its shortcomings. Modern-day people emerge from a stone temple into a strange land with little memory of who they previously were. The circumstances of their arrival are never elaborated, and they must eke out a brutal living as goblin hunters in this desperate fantasy world. ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/2wEB74V.jpg)~~~ The show depicts this rhythm of life with an unusual attention to its character dynamics and the verisimilitude of its world. Its riveting and sometimes panic-inducing action scenes are given time to breathe with numerous “[iyashikei](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iyashikei)” moments of naturalistic splendor. Alongside conflict and angst are bonding and beauty. Between the slaying of goblins, the hunters run household chores, budget, shop, hike, professionally network at the tavern, and wistfully moon-gaze before hitting the literal hay. However, every day is lived a hair’s breadth from death at the daggers of a goblin ambush or the desolation of poverty. There is no alternative for the mysterious arrivals. _Grimgar_ is the furthest thing from a wish-fulfilling otaku power trip. Tragedy can strike at any moment. One such tragedy in the series threatens to tear the gang apart; much of the story concerns the overcoming of loss and guilt from the earth-shaking event, requiring feats of compromise and leadership. The fledgling hunters struggle mightily with themselves and one another to meet the moment. These human dynamics are the core strength of the show and its main thrust. There are some meta-genre trappings in the otherwise poker-faced _Grimgar._ Though no one ever summons a computer interface, video-game-y elements like loot drops, mana points, guilds, quests and a progression of class-based “abilities” functionally exist in this world. The hows and whys aren’t questioned; that’s just the way things are. The protagonists must band together and make their CRPG-like roles, with their sometimes opposed ideologies, work together as a goblin-hunting unit. Some of these meta-genre elements, as they were always meant as short-hand metaphors, can be a little hard to swallow within the series' otherwise realistic sensibilities. ~~~img440(https://i.imgur.com/LCbaUCx.jpg)~~~ Likewise, _Grimgar_ also brings with it the inherently racist baggage of Tolkienesque fantasy. The goblins and kobolds are advanced enough for metalworking and agriculture, and can be seen telling jokes and drinking around campfires, yet are slain without question throughout the story despite their observed displays of humanity. Normally, “evil fantasy races” aren’t a problem in the genre, but the series’ commitment to visceral, immersive reality demands a world more complex and believable than those of mere myth. The ethical dissonance constantly tugged at me and suggested a far more sinister world than maybe what was intended. Perhaps this is the cost of a hyper-realistic take on a pulp genre. But unlike most contemporary anime of its ilk, it believes in everything that it does, and never plays the “it sucks but ironically” card. Despite its ill-calibrated worldbuilding, its attempt at an unironic modern-isekai anime is commendable and engaging. Once postmodernism runs its course, one must evolve by returning to a renewed form of modernism, and _Grimgar_ makes an early stab. _Addendum:_ ~!I once watched a presentation on "[cursed design problems](https://youtu.be/8uE6-vIi1rQ)" in which ideas present design goals that are fundamentally opposed and irreconcilable, and all one can do is mitigate the conflict, but in the process of braving a cursed design space, one can potentially create something unique. _Grimgar_ comes to mind in its use of genres geared toward larger-than-life heroism and escapist, simulated progression to tell a human story of struggle, setback and loss. It’s a “cursed” concept, but the result is also one of the more memorable isekai genre pieces.!~ [Comment on this review](https://anilist.co/activity/135483300)
__1. Introdução: __ Esta é minha primeira análise que faço nesse site, então decidi por começar com o anime de Grimgar porque eu revi ele recentemente e tenho memórias frescas sobre ele. Gostaria de lembrar também que a _Light Novel_ de Grimgar é uma das minhas obras favoritas, então fui um pouco rígido ao escrever essa análise. Mas não levo em consideração se a obra foi bem adaptada ou não para o anime, o que importa é se foi realmente bom de acordo com o que foi mostrado no show. __2. Análise: __O anime é do gênero "_isekai_", o que hoje em dia isso pode deixar o telespectador um pouco apreensivo sobre o anime por causa da enorme quantidade de obras consideravelmente ruins que existem nesse gênero, mas a o passar dos episódios as coisas foram mudando diante o que eu via. O anime se mostrava ser um "_isekai_" bem diferente dos outros, o que já era algo bom, mas isso não descarta as várias coisas já existentes nesse gênero que estão em _Grimgar_, como por exemplo a formação de "_partys_", guildas específicas, poderes para cada classe e por aí vai. Porém, ainda há algo mais na obra que o faz ser único, pode ser pela sua abordagem de sobrevivência, a não existência de um herói especifico que irá salvar aquele mundo, o clássico protagonista "apelão" que a o decorrer da história vai montando um harém e com sistemas baseados em jogos (como a famosa tela na visão do protagonista em que ele tem acesso a diversas coisas). O anime também possui uma boa dose de drama em alguns momentos, o que eu não acho muito normal para esse tipo de gênero. O grupo principal começa literalmente do zero, e com o decorrer dos episódios algumas dificuldades são superadas de pouco em pouco, isso engloba o que eles comem, onde dormem, suas dificuldades em combate e a harmonia de luta em grupo. Não só coisas envolvendo suas forças físicas vão aumentando, os modos de pensar e agir também vão sendo desenvolvidos fazendo com que eles vão amadurecendo a cada episódio. A obra ainda tem mecânicas que estão presentes em vários jogos do gênero "RPG", como as classes para cada personagem, a obtenção de habilidades por meio de treinamento em suas guildas e o aperfeiçoamento delas, mas que aqui essas coisas são abordadas de uma forma que gosto de chamar de "mais humanizadas", o que já é uma coisa bastante única da obra. É muito comum em animes desse gênero o grupo principal não ter muitas dificuldades, onde eles conseguem ter um rápido avanço em seu modo de vida e em suas habilidades, mas em _Grimgar_ isso também é mostrado de uma forma bem diferente. Os momentos de combate no anime são muito bem feitos, sempre dando um destaque para as dificuldades que os personagens tem no momento de enfrenta-los, sejam eles problemas físicos ou mentais. As criaturas que eles enfrentam são os típicos monstros que estão presentes em mundos de fantasia alternativos, como variações de goblins e kobalds. O anime foca em um grupo principal composto por seis integrantes, cada um tem sua própria personalidade bem destacável. Eles não são lá tão carismáticos, mas com o passar do tempo você vai se apegando um pouco a eles, uns mais que os outros. Faltou um toque a mais no desenvolvimento de cada um. Alguns tiveram um destaque um pouco mais elaborado, já outros ficaram bem rasos e até tiveram bons momentos para que fossem melhores construídos, mas isso não veio à tona. Alguns acontecimentos que possivelmente era pra ter um impacto maior em cada personagem não foi tão bem aproveitado, faltando também um toque a mais nos sentimentos de cada um. __3. Animação / Produção:__ A produção do anime ficou a cargo do estúdio "A - 1 Pictures", que é bem conhecido pelas suas adaptações duvidosas de Light Novel, mas a questão da adaptação eu deixarei para outro tópico. Eu diria que o anime tem um grau de animação mediano, tendo momentos acima da média quando se é necessário. Ele também é consistente em praticamente todos os 12 episódios, o que é algo positivo tendo em vista o porte não tão grande da obra. Uma coisa que gosto de destacar sobre o anime são os cenários, sua estética é única e transmite uma atmosfera de que realmente aquele é um mundo de fantasia. Toda a parte de arte do anime foi muito bem feita, o que faz o telespectador mais imerso naquele mundo. A produção também lidou bem com os designs dos personagens e monstros que estão presentes, sendo um traço bem simples, mas que não peca muito no quesito beleza e facilidade para os animadores desenharem. A trilha sonora foi muito bem composta, tendo várias músicas para momentos diferentes como momentos mais agitados e momentos tranquilos. __4. Conclusão:__ _Hai to Gensou no Grimgar_ se destoa bastante de obras do mesmo gênero por essas abordagens únicas envolvendo os personagens e como os elementos provenientes de jogos eletrônicos do gênero "RPG" são abordados no enredo. Então, eu posso afirmar que a frase no título dessa análise não está errada. O anime é bem único quando é comparado a imensidão de obras do mesmo gênero que existem atualmente. O anime deixou a desejar no quesito de desenvolvimento dos personagens, mesmo havendo bons momentos para que isso ocorresse. Como praticamente quase toda obra que gira em torno de "_partys_" em mundos alternativos, _Grimgar_ possui boas lutas contra as criaturas daquele mundo. O anime chega a ser bem mediano, mas se destaca por sua abordagem única de outros obras do gênero "_isekai_", o que faz ele ser um pouco a cima da média. __Extra:__ __5. Comparação da adaptação do anime para a _Light Novel_ original:__ Como já disse, eu não levo em consideração se a obra original foi bem adaptada ou não para colocar na minha nota, mas vou adicionar esse tópico apenas por uma questão de curiosidade talvez, ou capricho. Bom, como eu também já falei, a _Light Novel_ de _Hai to Gensou no Grimgar_ é uma das minhas obras favoritas. Atualmente eu estou lendo o volume 10. O anime adaptou o volume 1 até o finalzinho do volume 2, se não me engano só faltou um capítulo para completar o volume 2. Bem, o anime não adaptou de uma forma fiel a obra original, optando por uma abordagem mais original em diversos momentos, principalmente no volume 2. Muitas coisas foram alteradas, cortadas ou adicionadas. Algumas coisas eles acertaram em modificar, mas outras eles pecaram em vários quesitos. O volume 1 foi o melhor adaptado, tendo um total de oito episódios só para ele. Já o volume 2 só teve três episódios, o que prejudicou MUITO diversas coisas que o volume possui. Dos olhos de um bom leitor da obra original, eu digo que eles acertaram em algumas coisas (e acertaram até que muito bem), mas pecaram em muitas outras coisas, chegando a ser gritante.