Nanatsu no Maken ga Shihai suru

Impressed by Nanao Hibiya's skill with a sword, Kimberly Magic Academy instructor Theodore McFarlane saves the samurai from certain death amid a fierce battle. With his encouragement, Nanao enrolls in the academy, where she instantly becomes a celebrity after she and four of her peers save a student from an enraged troll. Under the leadership of Oliver Horn, a young man who seems to hide a troubled past, Nanao and her newfound friends start their magical apprenticeship at Kimberly—where only four out of five students make it to graduation in one piece.

It does not take long for Oliver and his friends to experience the dangers of the academy firsthand, as a near-death encounter in the labyrinth under the school leaves Nanao grappling with her bloody past. The inexperienced yet determined students must stick together if they want to have a chance to survive and uncover the mysteries that the academy holds.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Hibiya, Nanao Main

Nukui, Yuka Japanese

Horn, Oliver Main

Tamaru, Atsushi Japanese

Aalto, Katie Main

Oowada, Hitomi Japanese

Reston, Pete Main

Sugiyama, Riho Japanese

McFarlane, Michela Main

Yamada, Misuzu Japanese

Greenwood, Guy Main

Sugawara, Shinsuke Japanese

Milligan, Vera Supporting

Kakuma, Ai Japanese

Carste, Teresa Supporting

Mano, Ayumi Japanese

Salvadori, Ophelia Supporting

Kayano, Ai Japanese

Esmeralda Supporting

Tanaka, Atsuko Japanese

Oowada, Tomoyuki Producer

Kawase, Kouhei Producer

Matsukura, Yuuji Producer

Sotokawa, Akihiro Producer

Reviews

Oct 13, 2023

Xeconis

Recommended

Nanatsu no Maken ga Shihai suru, or Reign of the Seven Spellblades, if you prefer, is a great show that takes its time to develop itself. As an adaptation of the LN given a runtime of 15 episodes, it did a pretty nice job at what it was trying to do. That being said, it wasn't able to be as indulgent as the LN but what it does provide is enough to satisfy what it does cover in the story without leaving too many things undeveloped. That being said, the "3 episode rule" many people follow does this show a disservice. The suggested minimum episode ... count for this show is 6 episodes. Watch that far and then make your decision, but it's definitely worth giving it a shot.

Each of the members in the main group have their strengths and weaknesses. This becomes apparent as the show goes on and they have to solve various problems that come up. Everyone relevant gets enough background and definition in a timely manner before they become relevant, providing the proper introductions in ways that feel fluid to the narrative and doesn't break it up too much.

The scenery and world leaves a lot to be discovered. There's a good amount of varied locations that the show visits despite being placed at a single academy. Many places get familiar, but not stale when returning to them multiple times throughout the duration of the show. It doesn't take long for the show to introduce one of the biggest reasons why there's so much for the students to explore, and leaves no doubts to them and the audience that exploration might be someone's downfall.

They aren't afraid to pit peers against each other, and they talk about the school's 20% rate of mages being "consumed by the spell" which is a nice of way of saying that someone died from magical circumstances. That's also not something they treat lightly, the show has a dark undertone to start and without getting into spoiler territory, it doesn't go away and makes sure it's known to be there. They try to cover it up with the day to day circumstances but it still lingers on the edge of perception.

The score is fantastic and at all times provides a proper atmosphere to the content being shown on the screen. Combat? Appropriately balanced brass and drums. Maybe some whirring strings in the mix. Minor mishap in class? Not overly dramatic yet still urgent flurry of notes. Day-to-day student interaction? Calm and collected background track. Both the opening and the ending songs are absolute perfection in musical composition for evoking the right feelings of wonder in both cases. Active curiosity and reflective pondering.

The animation of the show is very pretty. The characters are expressive, the choreography is well done, and the motions of characters feel fluid and dynamic. The colors blend nicely, things don't stick out unless they're meant to, yet nobody fades into the background outside of the nameless characters that are part of the background. Even the actions taken by things like brooms and plants sfeel fitting and real. With all the very beautiful animation to see, it's a shame that this didn't particularly carry over into some of the magic. The spellcasting itself is great, the magic circles that appear around the wands and such blend nicely and fit into the scenes where they're present. After the spell cast though, most elemental spells and other adjacent categories feel rather mundane to see. There's a lot of effects for more specialized spells and even some of the spells that aren't orientated around combat feel "magical" in their own ways, yet some of the more common spells used that are still magic to the audience and should feel magical, just don't. It's not a particularly major thing, but it is somewhat noticeable.

Unfortunately, on the more critical side, they did bite off a bit more than they could chew. 15 episodes was enough to get all they needed in, but it sits on the border of being too indulgent and not indulgent enough. This story is one that wants to be a 24 episode long haul so badly but it doesn't get that chance, and it's not often that a show ever comes out of the blue with that opportunity these days. Almost all of the shortcomings of Reign come from how the structural format of a show airing in 1 cour doesn't take well to the way a story like this wants to be paced and built up over time. If this show gets a season 2 then it will only benefit overall as it will have that time that it really wanted to shine.

Overall, the show is a lot of fun and a balancing act of dark tones and day-to-day life in the magic academy. There's a lot to love here but still something to be desired. That being said, the 15 episodes that we got are satisfying on their own while still allowing for a continuation in the future. It's worth giving it a shot if you're not one for reading, get to episode 6 and make the decision. If the show doesn't cut it, the LN doesn't have to follow the limitations the show has to deal with, and gets to be exactly what it wants to be.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Oct 13, 2023

robert788

Mixed Feelings

Nanatsu no Maken ga Shihai suru (2023)

Overall, it is like a 7 but it has a massive issue. This isn't supposed to be the power of friendship and slice of life, it is supposed to be dark, gritty, and full of revenge. It was supposed to be deep but in the end, it is Harry Potter with more selfish characters. People hide their powers when it matters and you get a deep set of allies everywhere but they basically do nothing.

One minute you get a deep backstory, see the targets, and get ready for some revenge and it was great but then suddenly it ... goes back to the power of friendship and slice of life and nothing particular happens again. Even the finale builds up like it is going to be an epic battle but in the end, nothing really happens which is a real big shame.

The art is average, the sound isn't bad and the characters are somewhat interesting just sort of lacking.

If a season 2 came out with more of the dark stuff it hints about like it tries to in the final episode for all of a few seconds then fantastic. If not then it is just a fake story premise just like every other show in a school.

3/10 in its current state.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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Oct 20, 2023

verbinflection

Not Recommended

Well-written

'Reign of the Seven Spellblades' is a fantasy action series about teenage wizards at boarding school. It has a lot of ideas and it tries to do a lot of things, many of which could have worked: after all, it's basically 'Harry Potter', only darker and more violent. Unfortunately, every part of it is rushed, forced, and underdeveloped, practically perfunctory: watching an episode feels like reading a plot synopsis. It's an awkward mess from start to finish, entertainingly bad at times, but mostly just boring.

It is immediately clear that the series is drastically abbreviating its written source material, and whatever appeal the original may possess, ... little has survived this brutal treatment. It's like ordering a pizza and receiving a ball of dough, a slice of processed cheese, and a squashed tomato. Scenes play out as if the writer or the director were checking off plot points scribbled on a sticky note, with no added detail or depth.

It's difficult to discuss 'Spellblades' without rewriting it scene by scene, because it does practically everything wrong. I will try to avoid doing that, but — well, for example, if you want to establish that a magic school is dangerous, you can introduce what we think is the protagonist of what appears to be a general fantasy action series, then subvert our expectations by having a magical plant devour him five minutes in. It's a bit more entertaining than having someone state that magic school is dangerous.

A relatable protagonist is a solid foundation for a story, which is why 'Harry Potter' begins at home with Harry Potter. 'Spellblades' begins by rushing no fewer than six main characters into a fight scene. It makes the most important character less relatable by relegating much of his personality to a mysterious backstory to be revealed at some later date, which is problematic in a point-of-view character. Also, it's difficult to create a sense of mystery when the setting is so underdeveloped: we can't tell if a scene is intentionally confusing because of a mystery that hasn't been solved yet, or unintentionally confusing because the adaptation is missing some important detail.

Having met on the first day of school, the main characters quickly become close friends. Anyone who ever lived in a college dorm can understand this formative experience of young adulthood and how the series has failed to capture it. I am not asking for literary realism: I am asking that they bond in a way that feels credible. Real life is often unrealistic. Real students can build a close friendship on a chance encounter in a stairwell at one in the morning, because real students are notoriously stupid. Wizarding students, on the other hand, are too busy self-seriously collecting plot points to have any formative experiences at all. I think one night of bad behaviour would go a long way toward humanizing them. Didn't Harry Potter use a cloak of invisibility to sneak his friends into bars? Let the edgy wizard boy date the goldfish-brained samurai girl. It doesn't have to be dark and mysterious: it can just be fun.

As it stands, the tone is inconsistent: the series often attempts to be whimsical — easily detected in the soundtrack — but the characters, the setting, and the plot are really too dark for that. 'Harry Potter' meets the minimum threshold for whimsy because Harry Potter and friends are basically normal kids, not child soldiers; none of them has a death wish, not even Ron; and the Slytherins are bullies, not murderers.

As for the violence, action scenes are fundamentally about character conflict; they are not necessarily violent. (The potato chip scene in 'Death Note' is a good example.) Violence without conflict is just spectacle: another pointless tournament arc. 'Spellblades' has plenty of violence but little conflict: many of the fight scenes serve no purpose, as the students are continually challenging one another merely to show off.

The plot is practically impossible to spoil because it includes practically every fantasy trope and treats each of them with about as much detail and depth as a plot synopsis. None of its ideas are inherently bad: every good pizza begins with a ball of dough. The plot, the setting, and the characters could have worked: just rewrite every scene. Make the goldfish-brained samurai girl the protagonist: her backstory, her struggle, her growth — all of it has potential. I know you can make any story sound stupid by describing it in a stupid way, and I have tried to avoid doing that. So an elf and a troll fight bees with a werewolf: so what? 'Hamlet' had a ghost and a pirate ship, and it turned out fine. In every case, it is the execution that counts, and in this case — I mean 'Spellblades', not 'Hamlet' — the execution is perfunctory, wasting its potential.

On the positive side, the series is morally inoffensive, exalting friendship, courage, traditional martial arts, and the ethical treatment of animals; in that respect, it's better than 'Black Lagoon'. I liked the kissing scene, the severed hand, and the barbecue guy. The last arc was watchable. The voice actors did the best they could with the material.

All in all, 'Reign of the Seven Spellblades' is unfortunately quite bad. At times, it was entertainingly bad; looking back on the season as a whole, the edgy wizard kids, the goldfish-brained samurai, the slightly improved final arc, etc., I can even say that it was endearingly bad, so long as I do not have to rewatch any of it. I can recommend it as a case study in how not to tell a story, but I cannot recommend it as a fantasy series.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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	They've totally Ruined this series by Rushing the end SoloNecromancer - Dec 12	10 replies	by Zefyris »» Dec 18, 11:24 AM
	Poll: Nanatsu no Maken ga Shihai suru Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ) Stark700 - Jul 7, 2023	223 replies	by AtotehZ »» Oct 9, 7:29 AM
	Hype? LN readers where you at? RealityChanges - May 7	28 replies	by MRD_Crowe »» Sep 6, 8:57 PM
	Poll: Nanatsu no Maken ga Shihai suru Episode 15 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Stark700 - Oct 13, 2023	114 replies	by zcv45 »» Aug 23, 7:42 PM
	This harry potter mess was pretty bad. xsilicon9 - Jul 27	19 replies	by Animillion »» Jul 31, 6:04 PM