So, this is maybe half-review, half nitpick. Apologies in advance.
I am compelled to write this because I am Iranian, and this anime is (very very very loosely) based on ancient Iran; specifically, on the epic of Arsalan. So it's a fictional take on what is already a combination of history and mythology. For this reason, perhaps I should not be so nitpicky. But there are not many animes set in Iran (or a fictional version of Iran), so I was really eager to watch this one and am thus, compelled to be nitpicky.
Firstly, what I liked about this? I liked the world, I
...
liked the characters (more specifically, Arslan). I liked the theme of leadership and what it really means to be a leader as well as the repercussions of choosing the wrong leader (this was alluded to many times throughout the show). There were some good emotional moments and all that.
So in general terms, I liked it. It's in the details that I have some issues.
I am not really that familiar with the original epic of Arsalan in intimate detail, but anyone who knows basic geography of Iran and south Asia, can recognize that a lot of the places mentioned in this anime are real: Gujarat, Peshawar, Sindh, Kashan, and so on.
In real life, Ecbatana was the capital of the Medes (the dynasty that preceded the Hakhamaneshis or Achaemenids as they are called in English). There is one issue though: the Medes, neither at the time nor in history, are referred to as a "Persian empire." Persia is derived from Parsa or Pars. Today we see the vestige of this in the Iranian province of Fars (as its called today), which was the center of the Hakhamaneshi empire.
It was this empire through which the Iranic world became acquainted to the Greeks, and thus, to the Western world at large (in fact the Greco-Persian wars are what you could call the original East vs. West divide; a divide which has manifested itself in different ways throughout history). Much of what Westerners read about Iranian history today is from the Greek perspective; this is why "Persia" (Hellenized way of saying Parsa/Pars) has lasted so long although it has never been used by Iranians or Iranic peoples to describe their nation as a whole.
In any case, the Medes were a western Iranian people from the mountains in what is today Kermanshah and Iranian Kordestan. The capital of the Hakhamaneshis (which is what most Westerners think of when they think of the "Persian empire"), was Perspolis (which was in the aforementioned Pars/Fars province).
But yeah, some of the names we see in this anime, I am unsure of their origins, or perhaps they are made up or influenced from other sources: Gieve, Narsus (sounds Latin). Other names are perhaps anachronistic or out of place: Arsalan's hawk is called Azrael. In Islamic belief, Azrael is the name of the angel of death. I am not a linguist but I am almost certain that the name itself is semitic in origin. Another issue I had was when Daryun chanted "Yashashin" in the middle of battle. This is a word of Turkic origin.
Why is "Maryam" the name of a place? Maryam is how the Quran refers to the Virgin Mary, and with the spread of Islam, this manner of saying Mary also spread, so Maryam is a popular female name all over the Islamic world. I am not sure why this would be the name of a kingdom, and it sounds odd for anyone who is familiar with the name Maryam.
Then there is a name like Farangis, which is strange to me, as "farangi" means foreigner in Persian language. So yeah there's a lot of mishmashing when it comes to names of characters and places. Maybe these are odd pronunciations, or maybe they are from other influences.
But actually I have a big problem with Farangis' depiction. She is dressed like a stripper. Aside from being impractical, this is just not how a woman of nobility, in any ancient civilization (Greece, Iran, China, Egypt, or wherever else), would dress. (And as a maiden of a shrine, I would assume that she is among the nobility.)
In any case... the enemy, the Lusitanians, are strange as well. They seem anachronistic, in that they are some hybrid of the crusaders and the Khawarej. Another anachronism is some of the architecture; especially the domes. The domes look like domes of a typical Safavi-era mosque in Iran, but the problem is this is supposed to be set in ancient times (before Islam, and way way before the Safavis). Other than that, the design of the fortresses is really on point; you can see the resemblance to the historic citadels, like the Falakolaflak Citadel in Lorestan, or Arg-e Rayan in Kerman's desert. So I liked that.
Conclusion: This was an entertaining anime, with colorful characters, interesting themes, and nice art. I have certain nitpicks of it simply because this could have been one of my favorites if only there were a few minor changes.
Also, I would love if there was an anime more closely based on an Iranian epic (like the epic of Arash Kamangir, for example), just like there are so many animes on the Romance of the Three Kingdoms. (not that it matters what I want lol)
Jun 28, 2020
Arslan Senki (TV)
(Anime)
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So, this is maybe half-review, half nitpick. Apologies in advance.
I am compelled to write this because I am Iranian, and this anime is (very very very loosely) based on ancient Iran; specifically, on the epic of Arsalan. So it's a fictional take on what is already a combination of history and mythology. For this reason, perhaps I should not be so nitpicky. But there are not many animes set in Iran (or a fictional version of Iran), so I was really eager to watch this one and am thus, compelled to be nitpicky. Firstly, what I liked about this? I liked the world, I ... 
Jun 15, 2020
3-gatsu no Lion 2nd Season
(Anime)
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So, this is my first MAL review. Hope whoever reads it finds it helpful. Firstly, I advise to those of you who are just starting with the first season: don't give up! I was about to stop watching after 3-4 episodes but decided to stick with it. It's worth it, I promise.
Why is 3-gatsu no lion so worth sticking to, through the slow start? What makes it so special? Why does it have such a high average score? If I had to say it in a few words, it would be: this anime is deeply human. And so it has resonated with such a wide ... |
