Youjo Senki

Tanya Degurechaff is a young soldier infamous for predatorial-like ruthlessness and an uncanny, tactical aptitude, earning her the nickname of the "Devil of the Rhine." Underneath her innocuous appearance, however, lies the soul of a man who challenged Being X, the self-proclaimed God, to a battle of wits—which resulted in him being reincarnated as a little girl into a world of magical warfare. Hellbent on defiance, Tanya resolves to ascend the ranks of her country's military as it slowly plunges into world war, with only Being X proving to be the strongest obstacle in recreating the peaceful life she once knew. But her perceptive actions and combat initiative have an unintended side effect: propelling the mighty Empire into becoming one of the most powerful nations in mankind's history.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Degurechaff, Tanya Main

Yuuki, Aoi Japanese

Serebryakova, Viktoriya Ivanovna Supporting

Hayami, Saori Japanese

von Zettour, Hans Supporting

Ootsuka, Houchuu Japanese

von Lergen, Erich Supporting

Miki, Shinichiro Japanese

Sioux, Mary Supporting

Tomatsu, Haruka Japanese

von Rudersdorf, Kurt Supporting

Genda, Tesshou Japanese

Weiss, Matheus Johann Supporting

Hamano, Daiki Japanese

Existence X Supporting

Tezuka, Hideaki Japanese

von Schugel, Adelheid Supporting

Tobita, Nobuo Japanese

Sioux, Anson Supporting

Horiuchi, Kenyuu Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Tanaka, Shou Producer

Kikushima, Kazufumi Producer

Isogai, Noritomo Producer

Reviews

Apr 26, 2017

Lyree

Recommended

How would a modern day salaryman from Japan, an especially ruthless and career-focused one too, manage to survive as a little orphan girl in a war ridden world where magic exists and a being that calls himself God tries his best to make things harder for said girl?
The synopsis might sound a little messy. And honestly, Youjo Senki is an anime that I didn't plan to watch but tempted by the pretty amazing opening song, I decided to give it a try when it started airing. And I'm very glad I did.

The aforementioned salaryman was in his original life a cold person that only ... focused on his job. He didn't feel any sympathy towards those he had to fire. His goal was to climb the steps of his career and to live an easy and peaceful life. And it was all going according to his plan, until the day a man he had fired took revenge on him and pushed him in front of a train. In the moment of his death, he is faced by a being that claims to be God. Believing that modern people don't need God, the protagonist denies his existence until the very end. And as a result of their conversation, he is reborn in a world of dire straits, where he needs to live on as a little orphan girl in the harsh reality of war. And in spite of the bad situation around, our protagonist - now known as Tanya Degurechaff - doesn't plan on giving up on living a proper life.
The overall concept is pretty unusual. I was skeptical at first, but in the end it works fine. The show tells not only a story of a very young girl progressing with her military career, but also a fight between her and said Being X who tries to make Tanya recognize him as God. The story is very interesting and engaging, mostly thanks to the protagonist.

Tanya is a character that is very nice to follow. She's dead set against Being X and manages to live on and be successful in spite of all the hardships he puts her in. It's fun to watch her accomplish new things and it's fun to watch her struggle. She's a strong character and, since her personality remains the same as in her previous life, she is still focused on pursuing an easy life and avoiding unnecessary mess. But if everything goes wrong, she puts her mind to it to overcome the obstacles.
Her experiences in the previous life weren't fruitless either. Not only does she have some knowledge of the war which in her original life had already happened, but her cold and career minded personality is perfectly suited for a soldier. But there's more - she's also progressing as a character in her new life. In the end, we can see she is a little different - she has gotten to know more about the human nature and its unpredictability. And she uses this knowledge. I loved Tanya and now she is one of my favorite characters in general. She fuels the story and is perfect fit for a main character, if you're not looking for perfectly moral warriors of justice. It's not that she's complete villain either. In spite of her being called evil, she's not essentially a bad person. She avoids unnecessary conflict and likes to have things peaceful. But at the same time, she doesn't hesitate to do everything to wipe out her enemies and she shows no mercy for the disobedient comrades either. And to top it off, she's genuinely enjoyng the battlefield.

Sadly, it's only Tanya that shines so brightly in this show. There aren't many memorable characters. There are many bland personalities and her soldiers don't have much to them either. There was only a little more focus on a small group of them, especially on Viktoriya. But unfortunately, the story hasn't progressed enough to put her or any other side character in the spotlight yet. Also, the main villain of the story only appears in the last episode.

As for the art, it's decent. The not so pretty CGI is used here and there but it's something I'm able to forgive - it didn't hurt my eyes that badly. No major animation problems spotted either. The character design may be disappointing for some, since it was changed quite a lot in comparison with the LN/manga designs. But honestly, I didn't mind. It's not a show where I'd like to see a cutie that ran away from some shoujo show and put a military uniform on. Which is yet another good point of the show! Tanya is not your average cute loli, and she's even less cute if you remember who she originally is. The characters in Youjo Senki aren't supposed to be some eyecandy, and I got used to the way they look quickly.

The music was very good. The background music was remarkable, but at the same time a little repetitive. It wasn't that big a problem though. It sounded good. The opening song - Jingo Jungle by Myth & Roid - is a pretty amazing song and actually the thing that made me give the show a try. The song fits the show very well. And the same thing can be said about the ending song - Los! Los! Los! sung by Tanya (Yuuki Aoi). Her VA did an EXCELLENT job not only with said song but with her voice as Tanya in general. The voice acting was generally good in this show, but it's Yuuki Aoi that shines very, very brightly this time. Her monologues are really something else. There's also another ending song (episode 8) which is Sensen no Realism by Niina Mako. The song is just about perfect, I'd say.

Another thing that is worth mentioning is the fact that this show is very detailed. More than you could think at first. I'm not gonna lie, I'm not very good at history. But there were some pretty neat details here and there. There are other details that aren't related to history, but also nice to see. Like Tanya's change of voice throughout the series, her problems with carrying the rifle (explained in the Youjo Shenki mini anime), the way conversation and fight scenes are choreographed (where camera movements tell us who is on the advantage at the moment).

All in all, in spite of its flaws (like there being no other particularly important character aside from Tanya or the last episode ending on a cliffhanger), Youjo Senki is an extremely enjoyable show that is far from being generic. And it's mostly this enjoyment, my love for Tanya and the excitement I felt waiting for each episode that make me give it a 9. It's not perfect but it's definitely solid (putting away the very personal feelings, I'd say it deserves a 7 or so) and it depends on the viewers tastes how much they are going to enjoy this anime because like I said - it's mostly Tanya that fuels the show and not everyone likes her and the overall idea of this anime. I enjoyed it A LOT and I hope with all my heart that it wasn't just an ad for the LN and that there wil be another season. Which would make sense, considering it's NUT's first anime and a pretty successful one.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Mar 31, 2017

themegamancave

Mixed Feelings

Before Youjo Senki even aired, I had preconceived notions about it. Based on its ridiculous main character and overall premise, I was sharpening my literary claws in preparation to critically rip it to shreds in this eventual review. Lollis, reincarnation, magic and the tedious politics of war were all aspects I roll my eyes at individually, so naturally I didn’t have my hopes up very high after the first episode. After concluding the final segment of Youjo Senki, I can say without doubt that my initial impressions couldn’t have been farther from my analysis of the finished product. It’s an anime I wanted to hate, ... but in the end surprised the hell out of me.

The Saga of Tanya the Evil starts out on a battlefield. The fog of war is palpable and laden with smells of gunpowder and blood. Screams of agony and despair resonate from friend and foe alike, causing your bones to shake with an uncontrollable fear. This is war. The first thing I noticed about the anime was the expert level of sound design. Each explosion and gunshot echoed in my brain, causing my focus to increase with each passing moment.

Then, as if transported from the wrong anime… Tanya appeared.

The stark juxtaposition of the cute, Aryan 9 year old against the malevolence of a gruesome battlefield was hard to swallow. I just couldn’t grasp how she was written into the anime at all. To add to her perplexing position, appearing beside Tanya was another glassy-eyed damsel, who clumsily trudged through the combat zone, narrowly evading enemy fire. Adding to the gunfire and merciless killings was the boom and crack of magical attacks from certain individuals. Mages, who could harness supernatural forms of energy contributed to the battle, a clear reminder that I was watching an anime and not a literal historical account. I paused the episode to digest what I was seeing. I know anime in general has its fair share of nonsensical moments, but the contrast of these characters and abilities with the haunting atmosphere was jarring.

As the series continued, I became less fixated on Tanya’s chibi appearance, and more focused on the personality she exhibited, or the precarious situations she found herself in. Without spoiling, her backstory and purpose is explained, though not in the most sensical way. This disclosure causes most of the “what the hell?” moments to dissipate, and triggers the viewer to really hone in on the finer aspects of what Youjo Senki has to offer. The magic abilities some characters possessed were also loosely explained, as anime often does. Though I’m not sure how I expected these powers to be any bit of believable.

The main story itself is nothing special. We get dropped into an ongoing war between nations (presumably during World War I), both at each other’s throats trying to gain the upper hand in the theatre of battle. Tanya is a captain of a small battalion, relatively insignificant to the grand scheme of things. Through willpower and a stern leadership style, Tanya excels through the ranks in order to gain supreme power and ultimately defy her maker, God himself. There aren’t many “aha” moments or intellectual pondering to be had, just a straightforward war story with the added twist of a cutthroat preteen at the helm. I will also admit that while entrancing to look at, the magic elements weren’t entirely necessary, as the series had enough occult moments to go around.

But seriously people, we don’t need a recap FOR A TWELVE EPISODE SERIES.

If you care for historical fiction or war jargon, this anime is chock-full of it. After the noisy, action-packed battle scenes fade out, they are followed by debriefs, strategery and political patois to ignite the interest of any history buff. Very little of the past or present parallels our world technically, but the rhetoric and red tape of fighting a war are synonymous with some of the battles fought in the 1900’s. Many risks are taken, with some paying dividends while others blowing up in the commander’s faces. It can be pretty engrossing if you can get past Tanya’s childish appearance.

The characters in Youjo Senki are irrelevant with the sole exception of Tanya. She’s cute, ruthless and has a severe case of Napoleon syndrome. At first, I was so nearsighted that I assumed any other main protagonist would’ve been a better fit for the story, but as the anime went on I actually began to think the opposite. Having such a unique character as Tanya for the lead gave Youjo Senki the propensity to stand out from the crowd of its genre. I could appreciate the route the writers went with her backstory and who she really was, but I think her past life should’ve been elaborated on a bit more. In the end, Tanya grew on me as a character, and I eventually even began to empathize with her situations, something inconceivable to comprehend when she was introduced. One complaint I have about the characters is the trouble I had differentiating between friend and foe at various points in the show. Although Tanya and Serebryakova stood out due to their arresting appearance, the others disappeared into a muddled mess of similar faces.

The animation and action scenes in Youjo Senki are some of the stronger points of the anime. No pixel lag or framing issues at all. Definitely one of the strongest showing in visuals this season, and the animators should be patting themselves on the back. The art style is grim and uninviting, utilizing a blend of muted dark colors. This style accentuates the vibe of each scene, and adds to the militant structure of the strategic scenes. The character models for Tanya and her female right hand are vibrant and contrast the battlefield well, and their facial expressions all flowed accurately.

There hasn’t been an anime I’ve pointed out solely due to sound quality since I watched the 2015 release of Knights of Sidonia. Anyone who’s seen that show knows how much realism and feeling was put into each sound effect, and how satisfying they were to listen to. Youjo Senki’s sound engineers emulate the harsh conditions of a war setting meticulously and with a level of finesse barely rivaled. I was quite impressed. The OP, though not always there worked to get the viewers pumped for some intense action scenes, while the epic, pulsing ED was my favorite of the season. Aoi Yuuki did a bang-up job portraying the adolescent tyrant, and from what I’ve read she had a lot of fun playing her as well. The rest of the OST flowed together beautifully, with each track transitioning seamlessly into the next, and adding a level of believability to the accompanied scene.

Most importantly, should you watch Youjo Senki? I was ultimately impressed with how much my mood shifted through the 12 episodes, and can give the anime a solid recommendation. The story won’t blow you away, and the characters (sans Tanya) are uninspiring, but the action scenes and strategic nature of the battles will offer plenty of incentive to stick around. Plus, if you’re all about reincarnation and fighting “God”, there’s plenty of goodies for you to indulge yourself with. I’d recommend this series to fans of action shows or large scale battle shows like Attack on Titan, or Overlord, though the historical elements could relate its fans to Joker Game or others. Surprise of the season? Possibly, but I was certainly glad I watched it, and I’m sure you’ll like it too! Thanks, as always for reading and be sure to check out the rest of my Winter ‘17 reviews!

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Jul 18, 2017

Polyphemus

Not Recommended

My first encounter with the anime "The Saga of Tanya the Not Particularly Evil" intrigued me greatly. I walked in on my roommate watching some anime with a little girl and, as per tradition, I casually called him a pedophile. But then something strange happened. Rather than the usual "ACKSHUALLY, she's a 500 year old demon," he said "ACKSHUALLY, she's a middle aged man." Now, I was horrified by this. I slapped him and began to shout. "Why?? Hasn't this trap shit gone on long enough??? It’s too far!“ I said. But he explained the plot to me, so I told him it sounded stupid. ... "No,” he said “Actually, it's really good." And that is where our sad story begins. (It was not, dear readers, actually really good.)

An essential problem here is that the whole premise feels pointless. Some dude dies and God doesn’t like him so he turns him into a badass loli mage. Because that’s a punishment now. Why is it important that this girl used to be a man when we know basically nothing about her previous life? This reincarnation seems to give her knowledge that battle-hardened generals envy, but there's no reason why some salaryman who’s read a few wikipedia articles would be a genius at military strategy. And did he have to be some fedora tipper's wet dream? Libertarian, atheist……I guarantee this man dabbles in bestiality just based on this combination, and this makes him a really unsympathetic character. Couldn’t we have had an anime where a loli becomes Hitler, without this whole thing where it’s actually some reincarnated old dude? That sounds like a much more interesting character. As it is, they keep telling us she’s a monster or evil every episode, but she’s mostly just dull, which is why they have to keep telling us…..we would have never guessed if we were left to our own devices.

In any case, I care more about the actual plot than this weird backstory. Or I would, if the AU was not so vague and dull. One alternate option would have been to create a whole new universe, with only slight similarities to our own, but that would have required world building and work. Another would have been to have it take place in a universe more similar to our own, but the points at which the anime departs from history often seem to be more out of ignorance than creativity, suggesting that this choice was never really an option. As such, we’re stuck in this uncanny middle ground where the viewer knows next to nothing about the setting, despite how similar it is to his own world’s history. The lack of clarification on points of departure is jarring and it destroys immersion.

The ‘Characters' section must be put at 1/10, to represent that there is only one character. (And she’s not that good!) I can’t say I remember anyone else’s name, or anything about them. It seems as if the creators genuinely did not put any effort into creating unique, compelling, or creative characters. I don’t care about any of these people, or what happens to them. And every time I start to feel invested in Tanya I’m reminded she’s actually just some weird old dude, and the whole orphan backstory means nothing. Most character interactions are very shallow, and we don’t know anyone’s motivations other than the absolute basics. Where are the meaningful character interactions? Where is the development? It’s ridiculous and shallow.

The ED was probably the best part of every episode. Not only because it meant the episode was over, but because it was actually not too bad. No complaints there.

Overall, I thought most of this anime’s potential was squandered. It wasn’t an atrocity but I wouldn’t recommend it, nor do I plan to watch the next season. There wasn't really enough tension or depth to keep me going and it became difficult to watch towards the end.

Story: 3/10
Art: 4/10
Sound: 6/10
Character: 1/10
Enjoyment: 5/10
Overall: Let's just call it a 4 or something

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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