Garo: Honoo no Kokuin

In the name of the king, the Valiante Kingdom launched hunts to exterminate users of witchcraft. Seventeen years later, their pursuit is still growing in both size and brutality. Unbeknownst to the citizens, the targets of these witch hunts are the secret protectors of humanity. Known as the Makai Knights and Alchemists, they have a strong will to protect people from Horrors, demons who possess souls plagued by sadness and pain.

One such Makai Knight is 17-year-old Leon Luis who inherits the legendary armor of the Golden Knight Garo from his mother. Though he possesses great power, he struggles to overcome the hatred he bears from his mother's death at the hands of the kingdom. His father German, known as Zoro the Shadow Cutting Knight, is still training Leon when he is called to investigate the upsurge of Horrors in the kingdom's capital. Although German knows Leon's will is wavering, he decides to bring Leon along to continue his training.

As German and Leon head to the capital, the king's amiable son Alfonso San Valiante struggles to find a solution to the growing Horror threat. But before he can do so, he is double-crossed and banished from his own kingdom. To return home, Alfonso sets out to find the help and strength he needs to reclaim the throne. During his search, he comes across Leon, whose interactions with the prince will forever change both of their fates.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Luis, Leon Main

Namikawa, Daisuke Japanese

Luis, German Main

Horiuchi, Kenyuu Japanese

Guzman, Emma Main

Park, Romi Japanese

San Valiante, Alfonso Main

Nomura, Katsuhito Japanese

Lara Supporting

Aiba, Madoka Japanese

Zaruba Supporting

Kageyama, Hironobu Japanese

Banderas, Raphael Supporting

Tenjin, Hidetaka Japanese

Coronado, Ximena Supporting

Sudou, Yumi Japanese

Prostitute Supporting

Miyajima, Eri Japanese

Luis, Anna Supporting

Oozeki, Eri Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Maruyama, Masao Producer

Ootsuka, Manabu Producer

Hayashi, Yuuichirou Director, Episode Director, Storyboard, Animation Director, Key Animation

Reviews

Nov 10, 2021

_ecchiman_

Recommended

I usually don't write reviews about anime that are like this (i.e. old, and not seasonal), but I felt like I had to make an exception here due to my ambivalent feelings about this anime. My basic thoughts on this anime are: a little good art never killed nobody.

STORY: 7
Honestly, the story is good enough. The setting is idyllic and rustic, and gives off a medieval vibe throughout. The names seems to hint at the location being in Spain, which is a welcome change for an anime. The premise, although not entirely believable, is good enough and the sort of twisting of the witch ... hunts of the dark ages is interesting and captivating enough of a story foundation. However, a few points are knocked off (at least for me) due to the nature of some of the conflicts within the story. Most of them are rather contrived, and after time end up being trite. Most are solved when a MC dons the armor and slashes the villain one time, without much building. This is especially true in the first 10 episodes, which I found to be the worst episodes of the series, and of any series for a while back. However, despite this, the story overall is still very good, the following 14 episodes definitely save it some. If I had to describe it, its like a looping rollercoaster: kinda fun the first time, but the loops are all the same.

ART: 5
Probably the worst rating I've ever given art in an anime, but honestly I was going to give it a 4 if it wasnt for the second half. I was honestly expecting much more after finding out that the studio behind this anime was MAPPA, but I guess my hopes were short lived. The animation is rather chunky and not smooth, and the art itself in terms of lines and details, seems shoddy and rushed. Especially in the first half, I feel like my eyes actually suffered watching it. Anything that looked good was basically CGI, which even though I'm not one who hates on CGI, its just so jarring given how the rest of the anime is drawn. As for the art style, I'm gonna say it: it sucks. Its horrendous in my opinion. The Main characters look like half baked pokemon and the eyes are pretty unusual. I'd say unique if I was unbiased but honestly I don't think I've ever seen such bad art. And I know art is subjective but damn. Definitely not my taste. Anyways, putting the art style aside, I still found much of the first half to be shoddy, and even parts of the second half too. The second half is animated much better and definitely saves this rating from a flat out 4, and the animation does take a step up. However, the art style is the same, in other words, unenjoyable.

Sound: 6
Overall the sound is okay. Nothing crazy good, nothing crazy bad. Some of the VAs are mediocre, which bring my score down a bit. OP/ED were weird, slightly different from the norm, which isnt bad, but definitely isnt good either. Overall, 6 sounds about fair.

Character: 9
The redeeming quality of this anime is it's characters. Even though I bitched about the art style, I can still recognize decently good character when I see it. Most of it comes down to character development. the two main MCs go through a refreshingly large amount of character development, which is always great to see. they are multifaceted instead of flat, and work well together in the story. It even follows a slightly epic version of the character with a metaphorical death and return. I definitely enjoyed this portion of the anime.

Enjoyment: 5
Why is my enjoyment so low? Well, to me an anime is definitely a weaving of story and character and art, but its also largely the art and animation. We watch things with our eyes and what we see is the art and animation. Sure all the other factors play in, but the major factor, at least for me, in terms of enjoyment is the art. And so suffice to say, I can't rate my enjoyment any higher than the rating of the art. Its almost a baseline for enjoyment, the visual aspect of it. Like, the word anime is literally short for animation. Unfortunately for this anime, the art detracts from the whole experience, bringing my enjoyment to a 5

Overall: 7
I'm pretty ambivalent about this anime, it has some bright spots but also one of the major aspects of the anime bring it down for me. I think a happy average of 7 works out for this anime. Now, did I write this review just to bitch about the art? Yea kinda lol. I got nothing else to do right now. But honestly the art and the animation are huge aspects of stories, especially visual mediums like this. This is why a-list movie actors get paid so much and they don't even do their own stunts half the time: because visually, they are appealing on the big screen, whether that be looks or their acting chops. They know how to look good (and not just by beauty standards, by acting standards). Its the same way with anime: looking good and appealing is a baseline for an anime. If it doesnt look good how can one enjoy it? at the very least, the enjoyment could be higher if the art was better.

Mathematically, as I like to do, I'd give it a 4 for story + 5 for characters -2 for art gives a total of 7.

peace.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Aug 31, 2021

Sesshomaru

Mixed Feelings

The anime reminds me of the Bruce Springsteen song "Blinded by the Light" (1973) and I don't mean that in a positive way. However, as a spin-off from the live-action series, the anime is not convincing as it takes a different direction than the source material. At best, action fans will enjoy the short CG-enhanced combat spectacles and overlook the fact that the anime as a whole is simply much ado about nothing.

Story: Not bad, but too predictable & uninspired, doesn't hit the right tone for the target group (5/10)
The story opens with a scene that feels like a glimpse into the darkest chapter of ... European history. A woman has been found guilty of witchcraft and burned at the stake. The anime uses the theme of the medieval witch hunt. Surprisingly, it is portrayed in the right light, as a cruel, inhuman means to an end that only serves to eliminate anyone who presents themselves as an obstacle. In the Middle Ages, the so-called witches were mostly women who knew a little about the healing qualities of herbs. The church saw it as a threat and opposed it with the witch hunt. In the anime, the template is taken up in such a way that the royal advisor Mendōsa pursues his own goals and the witches and wizards are a thorn in his side. In essence, the story is greatly simplified, but still accurately depicted. The story is basically not the problem, but the realisation of the plot in the anime. Set against the backdrop of the Middle Ages, the theme of witch hunts, it is a gloomy story aimed at an older audience. However, the plot elements are kept simple, such as the easy distinction between good and evil, the one-dimensional and overpowering antagonist and the hero who simply doesn't dare in the beginning and is only set on the right path by a twist of fate towards the end. These are all rather plot elements for a shounen, but this anime is simply not intended for this target group because of its depiction of violence. The basic idea of the story had potential. Unfortunately, this was wasted due to the fundamental mistake that the producers had financial success in mind and tried to make the anime attractive for two target groups (shounen and seinen).

Cast: A bunch of clichéd characters that couldn't be more boring (4/10)
The characters are typical for a shounen, but as I said, it doesn't fit the story, and on top of that, the individual characters are unoriginal and the little development that few of them get is so trivial that it hurts.
Luis, Leon:
Leon is the 17-year-old son of the Makai knight German Luis and the Makai alchemist Anna. By birth he bears the title of the golden knight Garo, but due to the circumstances of his birth he is haunted by visions of his mother's death. Under the yoke of these visions, he grows into an expressionless and distrustful young man. He is naive and quick to anger. His greed for revenge and his burning anger over the past make social interaction and trust almost impossible for him. Personally, I wonder how it is possible for someone in this mental state to even put on the Makai armour?
Luis, German:
He is Leon's father and a Makai knight (Zetsuei Kishi Zoro). His character is given a dizzying complexity, consisting of an outward playboy with good manners, but which seem more like pompous antics. But when the situation calls for it, he displays virtues like empathy and courage. Nevertheless, he is not suitable as a father figure, as his antics not only make him a bad role model, but also offer his son neither guidance nor support. Please don't get me wrong, it is basically not bad to let the boy find his own way, but as a father he should at least give instructions. The distorted image of "shounen" versus "seinen" is particularly evident in this character. The outward behaviour is the typical shounen character of a womanizer, but the more hidden values and the way of upbringing would rather fit into a seinen-anime.
San Valiante, Alfonso:
He is the crown prince of the kingdom of Valiante, a noble and brave young man who will do anything to protect his kingdom and people. He can do no wrong, which is as one-dimensional as Leon's incompetence as a hero out of anger and a vague desire to become stronger. What really irks me is that the Alfonso-Leon combination had potential. But instead of making them opponents and growing from their rivalry, they become something like buddies. The described opponent scenario would also have been a shounen cliché, but at this point it would have actually contributed to the credibility of the two characters and also offered the opportunity to tactfully omit the superfluous father, who is only used for the repetitive comedy anyway.
Guzman, Emma:
Her character is the most clichéd, with the strongest shounen characteristics. On the other hand, she is the most interesting character of the ensemble, which is as amusing as it is sad. She is smart, brave, has the skills of a Makai alchemist and is also good at hand-to-hand combat, making her well prepared to pursue her goals as a lone wolf with cunning and feminine finesse. As an experienced woman, she allows herself to playfully tease Leon. Her character and motivation initially revolve around something mysterious that lies in her past. Unfortunately, the more of this is revealed, the more her shounen traits are highlighted. As if that wasn't enough, her character is also stripped of her inner strength, towards the end of the series. If this were a josei anime, this event could offer potential for a whole season, but here the scenario has been reduced to throwaway, really sad, isn't it?
Mendōsa:
He is a villain, he is evil and thinks he is superior to everyone else. That would not be wrong as a starting point, but unfortunately he remains one-dimensional, as is typical for a shounen. He is introduced into the story and everyone knows he is the bad guy. He looks sinister and speaks with clea malice. For those who wonder why his true nature is not revealed and the intrigue is not uncovered, there is a simple explanation. Typically for the target audience, there are only heroes or villains, in between only people who are friendly and open-minded but have no ambitions. Nobody asks questions, no soldier or palace guard to ponder whether something is wrong in the state of Denmark.
Octavia:
Her character also fits very well into the unbalanced overall picture of the characters. Although there are no critical voices, there is always an obsessive support for the villain. This is Octavia's role and you have to admit, she plays it with a dedication and an almost perfidious cunning that you find her most threatening.
One could continue with more examples of the characters, but what I wanted to explain is already apparent. Much more important is a fundamental aspect that makes it difficult to grasp the characters properly. The characters are embedded in a story that vacillates between episodic plot points and short arcs, and there is also a lack of explanation. The horrors are briefly explained, but not the belief system and world-building in its entirety. Sure, some of these archetypes may seem boring if you've known the story since the beginning in 2005. But since the structure is somewhat different, the world building would have been an important question to answer in order to engage the audience.

Visuals: Art the point that dazzles the most (6/10)
One can often read that the work of the art department is praised. My question on this is simply why? For the non-combat scenes, a normal D2 drawing style is used, which is not bad, but not spectacular either. For the fights, a lot of effort has been put into the CG. Especially the armour shines in CG mode. This may look great to some people and they may find the fights to be spectacular, but it doesn't really fit with the rest of the anime. Since the setting is medieval, the shiny armour looks out of place. Focusing only on the fights, the normal drawing style around it seems uninspired, which is a shame because the drawings aren't really bad. A large part of the budget went into the fight scenes, which in turn led to cuts in other basic artistic aspects. For example, sequences of movement that have nothing to do with the fights, or backgrounds where it has been well hidden that they are actually very simply constructed. This is especially evident when there is a fight with the flashy CG beforehand and then a drawn scene follows. As long as the objects are close enough, they also have drawn details, but as soon as there is potential for saving, this is used, for example by: Shadows, darkness and dim lighting. Also, many of the horrors often don't cut a good figure visually. Unfortunately, the 2D character designs with their subtle facial expressions do not match the 3D shiny and sharp CG models in garish colours and metallic sheen. Artistic reworking of the stilted CG would have been good to make the integration of the CG less questionable.

Sounds: The best element of the series, good BGM, great OPs and VA (8/10).
The BGM was composed by the music production studio MONACO, founded in October 2004 by composer Okabe, Keiichi. The music suits the anime well and enhances the moods of the scenarios. Overall, the soundtrack is dominated by tragic arrangements that bring darkness and fear very clearly to the fore and express the gloomy atmosphere through strong distortions and dissonances in the music. Examples of this are arrangements such as "Hai yoru kage", meaning creeping shadow, or "Inga aru tokoro horā araware", meaning "Where there is a shadow, there appears a horror ...". The arrangement "Majokari", which means witch hunt, has a fitting tragic melody realised by a full orchestra sound. In contrast, the character melody for "German" has a certain cheerful drive, which is evident in the interplay of guitar and oboe.
The two opening title songs of the anime are by JAM Project. The group was founded in 2000 by the Japanese singer and composer Mizuki, Ichirou. Mizuki-san has been composing countless anime and tokusatsu songs since the 1970s. This connection also explains the iconic retro design of the openings. The first track is called "Divine Flame" and is also a fittingly retro arrangement. The music is really catchy and puts you in a good mood. The name "JAM" here stands for "Japan Animation Song Makers" and all members are also known with solo careers in the anime music genre. Among the members are Kitadani Hiroshi, Okui Masami and of course Ichiro Mizuki as well as others. This background explains why the music is well received and it is not surprising that the second track "B.B." has a very similar style and also comes across well.
The first ED of the anime is the title "Chiastolite", sung by Sasaki, Sayaka. She has sung a few anime tracks before, but this synth/metal arrangement is not my cup of tea. Besides, the track doesn't really showcase Sasaki-san's voice.
The second ED track is called "Focus" and is sung by Morikubo, Shoutarou. I like the track better than the first ED, but the sometimes very inharmonious mixture doesn't really convince me. The vocals carry more, but the many confused music effects and tempo changes do not make listening a pleasure, at least for me.
And last but not least in the sound department, the dubbing actors. Many good Seiyū could be won for the anime, so the choice was not easy for me. Among the women, the voice of Park, Romi struck me as very pleasant. She voices the role of Emma and her performance expresses the characteristics well. Among the male characters, I would like to highlight two Seiyū. One is Tenjin, Hidetaka, who lends his voice to Raphael Banderas. The voice pitch is a little higher than one would have expected given Raphael's appearance, but the pronunciation is good and has an interesting intonation. The second voice I liked very much is that of Nomura, Katsuhito. He speaks Prince Alfonso, and although he is not as experienced as the other colleagues, I found his interpretation of the role very successful.

The dark fantasy story lacks substance. The series is a cliché and has nothing to make up for it. The characters suffer from stereotypical realisation, the narrative leaves the viewer in the dark about essential elements of world-building and also fails to settle on a target group. Furthermore, the art falls apart into two anime, a 2D frame and over-the-top 3D CG battles that just don't fit together visually. Despite the fact that the anime objectively receives an overall rating of (6/10) due to the good soundtrack, I don't recommend it as there are clearly better series out there.

As always, thanks for reading.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Oct 15, 2020

r3b3lian

Not Recommended

Spoilers Sorry.

Score: 4/10

The Mecha screams gave my ears cancer. And the lighting in fight scenes is worse than old DC movies. Such a good base for a story destroyed by weak characters and anime post-production.

1. The villain gets stripped of his ranks for breaking the Makai codes and becomes even more powerful #facepalm.

2. Queen gets framed by the court advisor. for real?

... It takes ages for protagonists to learn the ways of the Makai knights whereas the crippled assistance of the villain dawns the armour and is suddenly full-on Beyoneta.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. In short terrible aftertaste. The story had so much potential, it's sad how it was routed.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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	Poll: Garo: Honoo no Kokuin Episode 13 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Jan 9, 2015	65 replies	by macabongx »» Nov 8, 2023 4:02 PM
	Poll: Garo: Honoo no Kokuin Episode 17 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ) Stark700 - Feb 6, 2015	204 replies	by Inexplicable »» Oct 4, 2022 3:50 PM
	Poll: Garo: Honoo no Kokuin Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 ) Stark700 - Oct 3, 2014	169 replies	by Inexplicable »» Oct 3, 2022 3:40 PM
	2nd half is a lot better than first Barry_Allen_14 - Aug 16, 2021	2 replies	by Scythe97 »» Sep 30, 2022 3:52 AM
	Poll: Garo: Honoo no Kokuin Episode 18 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Feb 13, 2015	89 replies	by Creepyarea »» Sep 17, 2022 1:42 AM