Jormungand

Brought up in a conflict-ridden environment, child soldier Jonathan "Jonah" Mar hates weapons and those who deal them. But when Koko Hekmatyar, an international arms dealer, takes on Jonah as one of her bodyguards, he has little choice but to take up arms. Along with Koko's other bodyguards, composed mostly of former special-ops soldiers, Jonah is now tasked with protecting Koko and her overly idealistic goal of world peace from the countless dangers that come from her line of work.

Jormungand follows Koko, Jonah, and the rest of crew as they travel the world selling weapons under the international shipping company HCLI. As Koko's work is illegal under international law, she is forced to constantly sidestep both local and international authorities while doing business with armies, private militaries, and militias. With the CIA always hot on her trail, and assassins around every corner, Jonah and the crew must guard Koko and her dream of world peace with their lives or die trying.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Hekmatyar, Koko Main

Itou, Shizuka Japanese

Valmer, Sofia Main

Ohara, Sayaka Japanese

Mar, Jonathan Main

Tamura, Mutsumi Japanese

Brick, Lehm Main

Ishizuka, Unshou Japanese

Chiquita Supporting

Touma, Yumi Japanese

Schokolade Supporting

Koshimizu, Ami Japanese

Hekmatyar, Kasper Supporting

Matsukaze, Masaya Japanese

Lutz Supporting

Hatano, Wataru Japanese

Nelson, William Supporting

Nomura, Kenji Japanese

Chinatsu Supporting

Kanda, Akemi Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Iwasa, Gaku Producer

Ogura, Mitsutoshi Producer

Yoshikawa, Tsunaki Producer

Reviews

Jun 27, 2012

Stark700

Recommended

“Your new recruit is a child soldier? And he's got iron, shit.”

There is much to talk about guns, wars, arm dealers, and child soldiers these days. For those who are into the fast action type, the type of series involving a kickass music, or a type of series involving a main protagonist being loco, or blood being splattered all over the screen, then this series is definitely something to keep an eye on.

According to Norse Mythology, Jörmungandr (or more often known as Jormungand) is known as the Midgard Serpent or the World Serpent. And like a serpent, the main character is cunning as expected of ... an arms dealer. For without intelligence and leadership, the crew would not be what they've become of today.

Jormungand is based off the manga of the same name starring Koko Hekmatyar, a young arms dealer who sells weapons under HCLI, a weapons corporation. She is badass, she is independent, she is cunning, she is fun, and she is of course loco. With her is the child soldier, sidekick, bodyguard, and brother all the same time named Jonah (Jonathan Mar). He is of the West Asian origin and after being orphaned swears to get vengeance. Yet the same time, with his acquittance of Koko and the crew, his sentiment seems to have cooled down and even has a warmer side to him that some of us may see as cute or peculiar.

[ - Story - ]
To be honest, this is the type of show that can make any fan of action genre glued to the screen with its blood packed spilling, rapid violence, and gun dominance at first glance. The first episodes kicks off already with some full throttle road war and those bullets fly across all over the screen. It wastes little time in conveying the hazardous occupation and brutality of being an arms dealer. At the same time, it also finds ways to make the series relaxing through some heartwarming moments and comedic scenes.

The story is set in the modern eras so if you're looking for mecha action, futuristic weaponry, or of the historical theme, then you're looking at the wrong place. Fear not though as the story is easy to understand and not one of those mindfucks that leaves the viewers going “HUH?” Speaking of stories, Jormungand has a smooth pace focusing on the crew's teamwork and abilities to accomplish tasks. Each arc focuses on professionalism and it's up to Koko and her crew to work together in the end to deliver the result. Although somewhat one-sided and predictable, the story is still smooth and to the adult-oriented audience, can be appealing.

[ - Characters - ]
One of the aspect that engineers this series is the colorful cast of characters. Koko Hekmatyar assumes the role of the female protagonist who is amusing, entertaining, and dramatic to watch. Despite the real dangers of her occupation, she makes fun out of most it and can literally be seen as a troll at occasions. Her character brightens up the gloom and doom of the crew and gives her job a new light that some future arm dealers may find appealing or maybe strange. On the other hand, there is Jonah, the child recruit soldier. Like the opposite side of a coin, he has a more stoic mind and says things that can sometimes be interpreted blunt, sarcastic, or too brutally honest. Yet he is an interesting character if we look at him more carefully for his ability to balance out the seriousness and fun mood of the story and her crew.

Speaking of the crew, there are some of other prominent characters to look at. One of them is the one eyed ripped girl, Valmet. Her priceless expressions throughout the episodes towards Koko are those of a puppy like crush and silly to watch. Yet behind that eye lies a dark past, one which changed her life forever and made her the person that she is today. There are some others worth to mention namely Lehm that resumes the second in command of the crew, Kasper Hekmatyar (Koko's elder brother), and Chinatsu from one of the earlier episodes. While all of them have contrasting personalities, it is easy to see that they share the theme of having a dark past whether playing the role of the good or bad player.

It is because of these themes and histories, the crew and the characters of this series are quite unique in its aspects.

[ - Animation/Art - ]
Like Steins; Gate, Jormungand is handled by White Fox. They are a relatively new anime studio who are more into the traditional background. At first glance, that's nothing worth to talk about. Yet, if we look carefully, we can clearly see that the studio creates the realism of the the story and into its characters. The weapons, the military backgrounds, the settings, the outfits, the visuals. It retains its ability to create the atmosphere. Koko's mischievous expressions on her loco face shows it all through the lashes and those slippery grins like a serpentine. That can also be said to the same for her bodyguard, sidekick, and friend, Jonah.

The series also tries to bring out humor through some of the more comic scenes with the black ringed eyes in the form of priceless expressions. While not too appealing, it brings out the comedy side of the series and shows that while the job of being an arm dealer is dangerous, it can also be fun and to make most of it.

[ - Sound - ]
I'll say this once and once only. The music and soundtrack of this series is pure epic. The music director behind the scene (Taku Iwasaki) puts the e into epic for its beats and techno trance like music that will make you wish you're part of the series. (unless you fear of getting shot that is)

The OP song, “Borderland” sung by Mami Kawada is also quite catchy. Known for her work from the popular Shana franchise and the Toaru Majutsu no Index series, she brings her latest work to life through this song. All in all for nothing else of a reason to watch this show, the soundtrack of the series is one of them

[ - Enjoyment - ]
Like I said before, this series is packed with nonstop action in rapid sequences. There's not much romance to expect out of this show but who cares when we have Koko and her alpha crew? There's also some little fan-service here and there with the ripped Valmet, the mass volumes of blood spilled on an episode basis, and of course, those kickass music that can get you start watching the show in a heartbeat. The action does occasionally get repetitive and the gore seems to be almost forced on. But if we look carefully, the series also has the more emotionally side to it (especially involving Valmet) in some of the later battles. To combine action and emotion, that is enjoyment.

Despite all the praise, this series does have flaws. After all, without flaws, this show would be in MAL's top 100 by now. Yet, it's not. That's because it does have flaws.

One of the major problems I'd say would be the forced action that is a bit driven too much and lack of more character development. For example, I'd love to see some more history background besides Valmet, Koko, and Jonah. Maybe that guy with the sniper that has the eye of a hawk, or maybe Schokolade, the blonde informant that has a peculiar and joyful personality. Additionally, the character designs of the show are a bit blend and seems somewhat dirty. After watching Koko and her crew grin on a daily basis, in the OP, on missions, etc, it gets repetitive. But even with these flaws, this series is enjoyable, at least in the action and seinen department. But even if you don't meet the age demographic, this show can be watched for some guilty pleasure involving Koko's alpha crew and their exchanges. It's fun, it's bloody, it's entertainment, and it's in your face. All in all, this series is great to watch in the middle of the week especially after a busy week of school or work even with all the violence.

Just remember though in real life that violence is not the answer to everything, well except in Jormungand.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Mar 20, 2015

literaturenerd

Mixed Feelings

Overview:

The following is my review and analysis of Jormungand 1 and 2. The following contains SPOILERS!!!


Black Lagoon abandoned the cliche of heroic nice guy protagonists and gave viewers a team of highly morally dubious protagonists who get in epic gun fights and pull jobs for the Mafia. What if you took it one step further and made an anime where you the viewer are flat out asked to root for the bad guy? This is that anime! The main character is a completely ruthless arms dealer that is like a combination of Nick Cage's character in Lord of War with The Major from ... Hellsing. She is a perpetually grinning, maniacal sociopath who wishes to ultimately rule the world and will destroy anyone and everyone between her and her goal. However, I HIGHLY suspect that Jormungand doesn't actually want the viewer to root for her. Actually I am almost certain that Jormugand is a satire in which the main character Koko Hekmatyar represents the United States and its foreign policy from a Japanese perspective. If you don't believe me, read the next paragraph. The show gives a LOT of evidence to support this!

Firstly, Hekmatyar was born in international waters and doesn't belong to any nation, but her father is an American and CEO of one of America's largest companies. This giant American company violates every international law and is secretly the world's largest arms dealer. This is a reference to the fact that the United States is the world's largest weapons exporter. Secondly, the name Hekmatyar for our main character was taken from real life terrorist Galbuddin Hekmatyar, who was heavily backed by the United States to fight against the Soviets in Afghanistan...despite the fact that he was a brutal war criminal who was far worse than the Soviets . He later betrayed the US and became a leading member of Al-Qaeda, which he still is to this day. Thirdly, the sidekick of our MC Koko Hekmatyar is an Arab child soldier named Jonah Al-Mar. Neither Mar or Al-Mar are actual Arab names. Al-Mar is the name of a knife company that makes the combat knives for the United States Army. 4th, the bodyguard and leader of Hekmatyar's elite special forces is a Finnish mercenary. The US special forces were founded by a Finnish mercenary named Lauri Allan Törni (Larry Thorn)...who was an ex-SS war criminal. The US let him out of jail early in order to teach American soldiers how to fight as ruthless and badass as the Waffen SS. 5th, in the first episode, Hekmatyar kills a bunch of Russians in order to become the sole arms dealer to what she calls a "cluster of backwater countries in Eastern Europe". This is a reference to how after defeating Russia in the Cold War, the US expanded NATO to control all of Eastern Europe and is now in fact the sole weapons dealer to all the countries of Eastern Europe except Belarus and Ukraine(yet). 6th, Hekmatyar's plan to take over the world involves a series of weapons satellites that will shoot down all planes in the world that are not under her control. This will give her absolute air power advantage and global domination. This is a reference to SDI, a US military project in the 1980s to build weapons satellites that would shoot down any incoming missiles and allow the US to nuke any opponent without having to worry about counter-attack. This would have given the US total control of the world, although the project was actually propaganda to scare the Soviets and was never technologically feasible, at least not in the 1980s. Lastly, Hekmatyar tells Al-Mar that her plan will shoot down all passenger planes currently flying, but 600,000 to 700,000 people is a small price to pay for the end of war under her total global domination. The number of casualties she estimated is in fact the exact same number of Japanese civilians killed by the US air force in WW2, which Japan feels America very coldly excused by saying it was necessary to end the war (and in Japan's view rule the world). These are just a few of the many examples. If you were paying attention and know something about history and politics, this is hard not to notice. Of course...it could just all be coincidence and this is just a shitty anime.

This series has LOTS of gun and weapons porn with all the tanks, helicopters, and gun models presented quite accurately. I wish I could say the same about the character models. Why the hell do the Arabs have white hair and red eyes? I know the Ishvalen's were supposed to represent Arabs, but this is our planet and not some alternate dimension! Just make them look like Arabs! Also, Hekmatyar is supposed to be an ethnic Pashtun (largest ethnic group in Afghanistan), but doesn't look remotely Pashtun! If you can make your M16s and your Hi-24 helicopters look accurate, why not your Arabs and Pashtuns? WTF?!

The series gives us a highly unconventional protagonist, LOTS of action, lots of accurate weapon models for military geeks, and unless it was the world's largest coincidence, a lot of brutal satire. Obviously I can't know the writer's intentions, so the satire element is speculative and whether or not the author's intention takes away from potential value as a satire is an entirely different lengthy discussion. This at first looks like a pretty mediocre anime, but if you look at it the right way, it makes for a pretty interesting show overall.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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May 21, 2014

Flawfinder

Not Recommended

Of all the crap anime I’ve seen over the past year or so, Jormungand is the one that never seems to leave my mind in regards to how bad it was, despite it ending more than six months ago. Every time I think of it, I go back to my MAL, decided I ranked it too high, and lower my score by one point whilst ignoring the fact that everyone else seems to think the anime was cool. For the love of me, I still don’t get what people see in this show. Saying you like Jormungand is like saying you think the original One ... anime is the best thing to ever come out of Key. Newsflash people, “nobody likes the One anime”. Being one of three or four people who feels that way doesn’t help I’ll admit, but I don’t think I’ve ever been as opposed to most people in regards to anime opinions, nor have I had as hard a time finding something to praise, as I have with this crap.

How badly do I think of Jormungand you may ask? Well both seasons are currently ranked a “1″ on my MAL right now and unfortunately there’s no way it can go any lower despite my best efforts to make it so, and I don’t think there are any scores low enough for the show anyways. Or to put it in more concise terms, I would rather marathon everything by KyoAni and Shaft (good or bad) then have to sit through this shit show ever again!

I am seriously confused in regards to what to recommend about this show in any way. Normally I don’t mind recommending stuff like Eureka Seven or Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 despite the fact that I don’t like them just because others may see differently. Hell, I’ll even recommend Robotics;Notes or Psychic School Wars if people want it so badly. But Jormungand is just plain useless without a single thing to recommend. What good thing am I supposed to say about this show?

Well I guess there’s the music. It’s composed by Taku Iwasaki, who composed the soundtrack for Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure and Gurren Lagann as well as the currently airing Gatchaman Crowds, although I can’t remember the BGM for that one. Can’t remember what it was like for this anime either, but I remember it being okay aside from that “her name is Koko” crap. Needless to say, it’s not his best work. And I guess if you want me to be really nice, it’s cool to see Jormungand tackle a topic that isn’t done by most anime. But just because something isn’t in high school doesn’t mean it’s good, and it definitely doesn’t help when Jormungand feels like it was created by hacks who’ve never seen an action movie or read an action story in their life.

First off, the arms dealing is vastly under researched and not realistic in the least. Episode 2 literally had Koko and her group going to an army camp and dealing the weapons out like they were street vendors or something. One of the big advantages that Jormungand has in tackling the arms dealing topic is that because it’s not done very often, the average person wouldn’t know that what Jormungand is showing you is a load of crap. I’ve actually seen some people try and excuse this by telling me “it’s a fictional story”, but I don’t buy that. Now and Then, Here and There is a fictional story, but the guy who wrote it made sure that he accurately captured the torment and suffering that child soldiers go through in war, even if it got way too exploitative and manipulative for me to enjoy in the end. I also wouldn’t call Black Lagoon realistic, as it skews more to the action movie agenda, but the weapons were all carefully researched (I’m not sure about this, but from what I’ve read, there are several gun facts stated in the show that are inaccurate) and any arms dealing that takes place in that show is done in semi-realistic professional manner rather than whatever goofy antics Koko cooks up that we’re supposed to find endearing.

And that leads me to my next problem with Jormungand. So the arms dealing isn’t realistic. An anime can still be fun despite that right? Well, maybe if the show didn’t try to push it so hard and yet treat it like a total joke I could. The combination of anime cliches (sleepwalking, bad cooking, oh look at me I’m so wacky) with the grittiness of the gun market is absolutely abysmal. First off, the premise of the show is that a kid who hates arms dealers somehow ends up working for one, and a teenage girl at that. And he never really questions his choices or anything like that. That is a goddamn stupid premise you’ve got right there, but it might have been tolerable if the show didn’t treat it like an absolute joke or if there was some solid writing and good characters, of which there are none. All of the characters are completely forgettable one-note jokes who are only important when the plot calls for, and then lose importance right afterwards with no real development whatsoever. It’s basically the equivalent of what would happen if Angel Beats actually gave focus to TK or Shiina or any of those other joke characters: completely pointless and a waste of episodes whilst not progressing the story. Did you know that when that Red character got his own arc and died, I didn’t know who the fuck he was? Hell, I know fans who didn’t know who he was at first. That’s a sign of good writing.

Seriously, I can’t remember a single antagonist in this series besides that one rival to Valmet. And I only remember her (and Valmet herself) because Valmet wore an eyepatch and was the only other female in the group, which is not a good sign. As for Jonah and Koko, all I have to say is laaaaammmmmeeee. I’ve written before that Jonah never actually underwent any real growth along with why I felt that way, and the more I think about it, the more I realize that Koko didn’t either. Nothing changed between the two and they weren’t even all that interesting to begin with due to Jonah’s repressed emotions and Koko’s bad combination of grittiness and anime comedy. Whatever praise you could shower on them is mostly memetic aka the same source of praise given to L-Elf. As I also stated in that post, the writing is absolute pointless garbage with an ending so bad I actually wished for the Gundam 00 guys to save me. It was literally one of the worst open-ended things I have ever seen, period. The ending to Kare Kano was better than that.

Also since I want to pick on a low-hanging fruit that even the fans acknowledge, what the fuck is up with the action scenes in this show? The first episode alone had a car chase scenario where the vehicles looked like they were going at 35 MPH and it just got worse from there. Hell the animation for the entire show is unacceptable when compared to Flowers of Evil or even anime around 2001. The bodies are awkwardly drawn and the CG is laughable in every aspect of the word. There are literally fight scenes where the characters run up to each other and fire guns from ten feet away, and yet they don’t hit each other. Explosions that occur are phoned in and have less of a threat than the green screen stuff in Mortal Kombat Annihilation. The plot armor is so inconsistently bad that it breaks all tension from the fights and what should be cool scenes end up boring me more than anything Bee Train could muster. Give me a reason to care about these action scenes Jormungand. Introduce some tension. Make them cool to look at. Don’t introduce more plotholes than the new Spider-man movie (episodes 3 and 4 were just painful).

Jormungand was never a fun anime to watch, not even ironically. It’s one of the biggest wastes of time I’ve ever seen and I have no qualms with saying that Sword Art Online, Guilty Crown, Clannad, and Psycho-Pass are much better watches. Or if you want a good action anime, watch Darker than Black or Black Lagoon. Even the original Hellsing was far better put together than whatever crap Jormungand could come up with. Hell watch almost any anime aside from this turd, because there’s nothing to recommend. The premise sucks. The action sucks. The characters suck. The pacing sucks. The writing sucks. The comedy sucks. The animation definitely sucks. If was to do a Tribute from a Hater on this thing, I’d only be able to praise the fact that its topic is unique. But that’s like praising a businessman in the transportation industry for suggesting we should invent teleporters, yet not having a single clue how to implement them.

Reviewer’s Rating: 1

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