Night Wizard. A term given to those whose mission is to protect the world from impending darkness.
Renji Hiiragi is one such Night Wizard, who is constantly called on missions, even though all he wants
is to be able to go to school and graduate.
However, his latest order was to protect Elis Shiho, who is a new transfer student at his academy.
Being dragged into the Astronomy Club by Renji's childhood friend, Kureha Akabane on her first day at
school, Elis soon realises that she too, has the power to become a night wizard, after possessing one
of seven secret Jewels, the Jewel of Kindness.
Along with Renji and Kureha, Elis now begins her fight and her new life, as a Night Wizard
(Source: Anime News Network)
So I've just finished watching _Night Wizard_ 15 years after it aired, and what a little treat it was! I had never heard of this anime before, so when I saw the artwork while browsing titles I immediately thought it would be a magic academy-style battle harem from the early 2010s. Upon closer investigation, I noticed it was adapted from an RPG about a half decade earlier than I first assumed, and this piqued my interest. I actually had some expectations going in--since I have a soft spot for game adaptations from this era, and I'm pleased to say the anime mostly met these expectations. The main cast are heroes chosen to fight inter-dimensional battles against an evil presence: they are a shrine maiden, an android girl, and a sword-wielding typical guy in high school. The story begins when the female lead, Eris, is introduced to this trio. She awakens a power in the first episode; more specifically, an affinity for a mysterious "jewel" with some sort of vague spiritual power. The crew is then tasked with collecting 7 "jewels" from across the earth, space, and other dimensions. _Night Wizard_ has a quintessentially RPG feeling about it in other ways as well. There's battle logic that's straight from a DS game, stereotypical villains, and the power of friendship™, but if you've already dug this deep into game-anime land, then you probably want all that good stuff. The great news is that this anime does a fine job at executing that kind of atmosphere. The production gets a thumbs up. Tomoyuki Shitaya (of _Kiss X Sis_ fame) left his mark all over this anime in a great way. The heroines are designed well from clothing to face and hair. You might find those comfortable-looking wide cheeks and soft chins familiar with _Kiss X Sis_ or _Toradora_. The animation isn't perfect, but budgeted well and is generally impressive at its weight class. I can't remember a time where a close-up was botched by poor modeling or anything of that nature, and enough animation power was left in store for several convincing action scenes. Also, the background colors in some instances were particularly interesting and helped communicate shifts in tone or setting. I never felt this anime running out of gas. The first half delivers the promise of great RPG fun and adventuring, while the latter six episodes surprisingly step up the stakes and the drama. Things do go a bit fast, and some characters or logic don't get fully detailed explanations, but I am able to forgive most of this since 1) this pace remains consistent from start to finish and 2) this isn't the kind of anime that needs to rely on those things, especially when it accomplishes the things it _should_ do well. _Night Wizard_ is well worth a watch if you're at all interested in this genre and era of anime. It looks good and appropriately balances a generally laid back feel with enough stakes to make the plot interesting for 13 episodes. I won't hesitate to call this the best RPG/RPG-esque anime of its era and popularity level: totally besting its sibling series like Shining Tears, Prism Ark, and Izumo.