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This review will not contain any spoilers regarding the series.

Story:

Akagami no Shirayuki-hime's story is straightforward and simple, it's concept and how it is formed is something that is very common with the demographic that it resides in. So in that regard, it is not something that has not been seen before. Despite it being so simple and straightforward, it gives the feeling of being magical and soothing. How the events unfolds towards the character is incredibly seamless.

While it may follow the specific tropes that come from the demographic, it tries its best to either break the trope and become surprising or execute it in a ... way where it is appreciated. Many people may hate the 'damsel in distress' trope, but this series tries its best to avoid it, as much as the synopsis/first episode gives the impression of it occurring, the continuity of the series avoids it.

As the name of the show suggests, the show tends to give a feel of it being a Disney movie. It's charming, fuzzy and cute to watch through. The story is definitely light and focuses more about the dynamics of the characters, and how their relationships progress through the events that approach them.

Art:

The art and animation of the series is incredibly exquisite. As expected from a studio that is well known for it's gorgeous visuals, Bones. It does not follow the usual colorization that someone would expect from this type of show. Yet it fits it perfectly. The colors are bright and the animation is slick smooth.

It is easy to distinct between the characters and it highlights everything. The visuals are consistent throughout the entire series without a hint of drop in quality. Surprisingly, the visuals compliment the series atmosphere, considering how warm the content of the series is.

In this situation, the visuals play a factor in the enjoyment of the series, since it visualize everything that is needed.


Sound:

The opening and ending themes are not my favorite, but they're fine. They're not bad or amazing. They don't feel out of place, the sound is something to be expected from the type of show this is.

On the contrary the soundtrack for the series is fit and light. It does not overwhelm the atmosphere that the show is trying to represent. It does not stand out, but I'm under the belief that it is intentional, considering that it is not the type of show that the music should take the spotlight. It's only more evidently used in scenery focus moments to capture the feel of the place.

It may not be a great field on it's own, but that does not necessarily make it bad from my perspective. (Please note that both sound and art category are for most post completely subjective points; they're my opinion)

Character:

The relationship between the characters is what this show is all about. Or well, to be more accurate. It is what makes the show special and great to watch. Shirayuki is a fresh of air from the usual heroines that are commonly in this type of demographic. She's very clever, independent on what she does and holds responsibility of what she does and try to repay any favor that she may hold to anyone. She is not there to be saved and protected for romantic moments, she holds her on and tries her best to be in the same line as the male main lead. Her boldness and ability to solve situations on her own is nothing short of amazing!

The same falls for other characters. Most of the characters showed how multidimensional their characteristics are instead of being one dimensional characters. Character developments are thankfully still open for the continuation of this series,.

Enjoyment:

Akagami no Shirayuki-hime is an anime that is incredibly easy to watch through. It's light and warm as I have mentioned previously. The interactions between the characters are interesting and the dialogue rarely leaves the person to be bored or feel that it is being dull. It may have it's moments that feel "cheesy" on book, but the way it is approached is what makes it gorgeous and beautiful to watch.

If you're fan of the shoujo demographic and the Disney-like settings, with a strong-willed heroine, then this show should be right up the alley.


Thanks for reading this review, any feedback is appreciated on my profile!

This review won't contain any spoilers regarding the series other than stuff that have already been written in the synopsis which is, of course, spoiler-free to divulge into. I should also note that this review is solely written from my anime-only watcher perspective, as I did not read the original material.

Story:

Rokka no Yuusha unfortunately does not give the best first impression regarding it's actual story line and genre for people that are looking for a series to start. It gives off the impression of it being your average demon-fighting fantasy anime, and it's understandable to think of it as such at first glance.

But that's not ... really the case. Or well, it's not really the case for the part that was adapted in this anime. The series is actually a niche mystery fantasy focused series that focuses into the vast Mesoamerican fantasy world and to find the potential impostor among them. As the synopsis for this anime points out.

At first, the anime may give the impression of being stale, or boring. But the suspense in it between the main characters is something that is not easily found in your average anime. The settings of the series may not be the most original out there, but it is without doubt executed phenomenally

Art:

The anime production is done by Studio Passione. As far as I am aware I consider this to be it's first major production. The anime has gorgeous colours and background visuals, especially at it's first episodes. Some of the background visuals could easily be considered to be put as wallpaper considering its exotic beauty.

Unfortunately due to it's lack of success and it being the studio's first true production, the quality of the animation and art drops midway during the series where it's quite evident that the animation feels sketchy or/and has a lot of cutscenes. The facial expressions proportions are sometimes off too. I wouldn't call it completely bad, I find it acceptable and in the important scenes it thankfully delivers great quality.

The biggest gripe about the visuals regarding the series is definitely the CGI. It is not very pleasing and they look awkward, thankfully the CGI usage is minimal halfway through the series except for select few moments.

All in all the art shines at the beginning, then decreases to being acceptable. I don't think a series should be completely judged upon it's production issues in certain episodes.

Please note that art in itself is a subjective matter, whether someone thinks X looks good, Y could see it as negative, so all of this is simply my opinion regarding the matter, it is not an objective fact. the only thing that can be considered as "fact" is that it have gotten inconsistent.

Sound:

I find the sound in the anime to be fitting to the theme that it presents. The first opening gives you the feeling of it being a fantasy show, not necessarily the best sound out there, but it conveys what the show is about at that time. While the second opening tries to fit into more of the dark atmosphere of the show at that point in the series. I don't have a solid opinion regarding the ending but I did definitely like the two other endings that are character-centric. It's a nice touch musically, especially that the characters themselves sing it.

The soundtrack is eerie at times, I never once thought that it wasn't fit. The music is done exactly where it should be done. It compliments the atmosphere that the show is trying to display. It's rare to find such a nigh-perfect placement sound for certain scenes, but Rokka No Yuusha implements that effectively.

Even if the sound is not outstanding if it's viewed on it's own, it's done in a fashion like it's an exclusive musical piece for the specific scene that is happening. And that is something that I personally respect from composers that pay respect to the art that they're working on.

The voice-acting cast does well for the the type of personality they're working on and there is no monotone voices, and the sound-effects are definitely well fit.

Character:

This field is definitely where the series shines best at. Despite the fact that the show is only 12 episodes long. The cast has a very distinctive personalities and roles that are easily recognizable. They're also for the most part all incredibly likable to the audience. Their developments in such a short period is amazing, and it's very evident as to how the characters changed from their first appearance.

This includes the main character. The main character is not your average lead hero. He tries to reach to the best conclusions in the most logical way, and he's humane. May be naive at times, but he looks past his naivete if the situation asks for it. The same falls for the rest of the cast.

It is not surprising that this category is the show's best field. Because the plot revolves around the cast, and how they act depending on the situation that is presented to them. All of the cast have their own motives and desires and are explored thoroughly. The designs are rather attractive as well, but aesthetics are completely subjective as pointed out previously.

Enjoyment:

Rokka no Yuusha is an incredibly enjoyable anime. It's clever. It never feels repetitive. Every episode has it's own new content for the watcher to explore through and think about the mystery surrounding it. It's very great at displaying suspense between every episode end for the watcher to watch the next. It's definitely a series that is worth watching in one-go.

If you like tension (edge of the seat feel) and character-centric fantasy show this is definitely the type of show that I'd recommend to watch. Unfortunately, this series suffers from the point that it will most likely remain incomplete (anime-wise)


Thanks for reading my review and any feedback is appreciated on my profile, as this is my very first review.