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Arc the Lad is based on a video game of the same name. There are multiple games in the Arc the Lad videogame series and the anime is an adaption of some sorts of the second video game: Arc the Lad II. I heard about the video game some 15 years ago because it is a name that is quite rememberable because it's a little silly sounding. I did not play the video games, so this is also the reason why I do not know in what way, shape or form this follows the second video game.

At the start of the anime, it is pretty ... clear that something happened in the near past (the first video game took place) and we follow a new protagonist named Elk who is out looking for revenge. The interesting thing here is that the protagonist is looking for revenge against the protagonist of the first game, who is introduced as a wanted criminal by the name of Arc.

You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. What could be a very interesting perspective on how all well intended actions could have negative consequences, soon fades away as Elk learns the truth and ends up joining Arc's crew. From here on out the story could go in several standard coming-of-age-through- adventuring ways, but I was pleasantly suprised with the dark themes and character developments that were presented in the middle of the series. There are nice substories about a blind girl and a childhood friend of Elk which were very good and emotional. Towards the ending the story turns pretty generic though.

There were some very disturbing visuals spread throughout the anime, which felt a bit out of place because they happen so sporadically. In a way it was almost as if the viewer has to be reminded that the world in which the heroes live is very harsh and unforgiven, even though the heroes are shown to have it pretty good and often appear quite overpowered compared to the chimeras they are fighting.

Seeing as this is based on Arc the Lad II in a way, and there are more games after this, I thought this series was going to be open ended and even though not everything is resolved, I was pleasantly suprised by the feeling of closure at the end of the anime. Also the final battle felt very catastrophic with all the impending doom vibes and the magnitude of everything. It really felt like an animated playthrough of the final stage of a videogame!

The quality of the animation takes quite a dip throughout the series and it is not just background characters, it is very notable unfortunately. The crew must have worked hard on the final two episodes because it shows in comparison to the few episodes before it. There are also a few goofs throughout the show, such as someone running off and in the next shot they are shown together again without further explanation. Nothing plot-shattering, but still noteworthy.

I enjoyed Arc the Lad, what started as a generic shounen anime grabbed my attention back with it's violence and cruel substories halfway through and then returned to a generic shounen anime at the end. Unfortunately it's not enough for me to recommend you to spend 9 hours of your life watching this.