Blade and Soul

There are a lot of massively multiplayer video games out there. A lot rely on typical fantasy stereotypes and frameworks and resort to using these fundamentals in order to generate fast sales with little character and unique selling points. You know the kind; a big world full of miscellaneous magic and weapons and some kind of evil empire dominating the universe at large. Occasionally that game world makes the jump to an animated format in order to add some coherence to another expansive world. Enter Blade and Soul’s anime adaptation and let’s see whether this is a legendary item or a glitchy mess.

The game itself was first released in 2012 by NCSoft and Team Bloodlust to a Korean market and has slowly made the jump to foreign markets with a possible English release in the future. It came out in Japan on the twentieth of May, about seven weeks after the anime debuted so as to generate enough hype and interest to the lucrative Japanese market. Gonzo, the animation house behind the show, has a lot of lore and source material to work from as well as most of the basic character designs for the classes and factions already tried and tested in the game mechanic. In this animated tale, we follow the struggle of Alka, an assassin for the Clan of the Sword who is seeking revenge for her fallen master by Jin Valel, an equally strong villainess who is in control of the kingdom of Palam. Along her travels across the world we’re in she encounters three other strong female characters who have their skills with different types of weapons and martial arts. It’s a pretty cut and dry adventure tale; Alka wants revenge. Simple as that. It doesn’t help that we hardly see any of her personality shine through in the initial few episodes. In fact, we don’t get much of anything!

In my opinion, Blade and Soul and its story is something that could be told in a two hour OVA to coincidence with a Japanese release of the game instead of a twelve episode season. Granted you can expand on the lore of the world of the Wind Empire in this extra time but it leads to the show feeling extremely padded out and boring. I kept finding myself checking how far into the episode I was in and wanting the episode to end. By the middle of the first episode I was so bored of what I was seeing and wished for things to get going properly. The anime’s problem is that it has little innovation behind it. It’s your run-of-the-mill adventure fantasy with ancient Asian mysticism garnishing its universe and the usual tyrannical Empire who will stop at nothing for total domination. Same old, same old. It doesn’t help that I can’t really relate to the characters. In the early episodes, characters die suddenly after being formally introduced potentially leaving audiences confused and disappointed. It’s a shame because there were a few people that had some personality and it would’ve been nice to see them develop, unlike our main character.

Alka, Alka, Alka. What are we going to do with you? She’s the usual brooding main character who has a dark and sordid past and channels her frustration through violence…despite her teacher’s dying wish for her to stop being an assassin. Logic! It doesn’t help that she HARDLY talks. At all. She has a few times in the first few episodes where she utters more than a couple of words but these moments are so sporadic. It doesn’t help that the camera is shoved in her face nearly every minute, like it’s trying to go “SHE’S THE MAIN CHARACTER! LOVE HER! FEEL BAD FOR HER!!” I get that she’s had a horrible background, has a troubled soul and that she is on the run from the Palam government with a sizeable bounty on her head but that shouldn’t stop her having character. There are loads of anime leads with bounties on their heads who have bucket-loads of personality such as Lupin III and those with a troubled past such as Spike Spiegel from Cowboy Bebop who still kick ass and retain their charisma. Alka has no charisma. She stands around and sometimes throws weapons around; she does that well at least. Long story short, I don’t care about Alka. Moving on.

Blade and Soul does have some good stuff going for it. Its main villainous dictatorship, the Palam Empire, isn’t dedicated to wiping out the kingdom or seizing blind control. It has a plan in which to use the wealthy arable land and turn a profit; at last, bad guys who have financial and practical skill! I will give the writers credit for that at least. Also the lack of blatant fanservice is somewhat refreshing [at least for now]. Yes, Alka and many of the main characters are quite well endowed but there are very little moments where they’re ‘posing’ for the fans and instead are acting as they would normally. Showing such restraint is commendable and worth noting. As for the artwork, it’s alright but inconsistent. It holds up well in moments of high action and blood spewing from all directions but when the action subsides and the exposition is in full swing, it lacks clarity and overall quality. There’s one moment where Jin Hazuki, the gun nut of the series, has expandable lips which go from small to HUGE in two cuts. Did she have collagen implants inbetween takes? I dunno! On the whole, it’s alright but nothing to write home about.

At the end of the day, Blade and Soul: The Animation is meant to be used to sell its parent game. Has it sold me? No. I actually took a look at the game’s website and found it to be much better looking than the anime in question. It did the job of convincing me that it was a decent game. Unfortunately I have little time to play massively multiplayer games these days but I’d certainly pick it up for a little bit if I had the hours to kill. It didn’t need an animated version as far as I’m concerned; just a better marketing campaign in general. Alka and her narrative did not engage me and it feels like a waste of time; just go play the game when it comes out.

Blade and Soul is available to stream on Crunchyroll.

RATING: CANCEL [Stock fantasy multiplayer universe with very few flickers of flair]

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No Game, No Life

We all think it. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to rid ourselves of the shackles of real life and become fully immersed in the world of video games where rules are clearly defined and yet free. A world where things are clear, imagination is nurtured and where you don’t have to do taxes. No Game, No Life begins Anifile’s main reviews for the Spring 2014 season and already states its intent for being the top of the leaderboard come the season end.

Despite the poor grammar akin to Big Rigs: Over The Road Racing , the story set here is in a whole other league. It is about the life of shut-ins Sora and Shiro who live their lives vicariously through video games. These two work together to triumph over all gamers under the name “[    ]” (blank) and clearly have supernatural skill and genius when it comes to strategy, logic and dexterity. It is clear that these two siblings are in the wrong place; they know that. It turns out they’re right! After beating a supposed AI in a game of chess, the pair are transported to the world of Elkia by a mischievous god named Tet who sets about the rules of the world whilst also free-falling to certain death…or not. From the second Sora and Shiro not-crash into the ground, this world is strange and unfamiliar but they quickly adapt to the rules of the world. These rules boil down to essentially not committing crimes and honouring challenges, wagers or arguments no matter how small. It’s a powerful system which is illustrated later on by some characters acting beyond their will just for the sake of adhering to the rules. It’s both funny and unsettling. The inner narrative is quite compelling without being too heavy. However, the idea that a guy who is proud to be a hermit suddenly becoming the greatest being who ever lived thanks to a scene change is a little bit Gary Stu-esque. It’s like Sora’s living out the fantasies of like-minded individuals. Whilst it IS shoved in our faces a whole lot, it doesn’t detract from the story at large; his execution and expositions are skillfully explained albeit a little elongated but anime can be cerebral like that so it’s to be expected or at least speculated.

My main problem with the initial story is that Sora and Shiro somehow gain the ability to understand the world of Elkia off-screen. We don’t get an awkward or amusing first encounter akin to most anime; they just seem to instantly know what’s going on and how to manipulate other players. However it can be argued that the show wants to get to the good stuff quickly and skip over the trivial matters of comedy so as to keep the viewer interested. We know these two are hyper-intelligent and treat life like a game so it’s natural for them to do the same in this new world. They’re not like most main protagonists in that they’re already masters and the show is all about them thriving in the world they truly belong in. It’s also about restoring the honour of Stephanie Dola, the granddaughter of Elkia’s ‘foolish king’ who gambled most of the kingdom’s assets away in games. She recently lost the chance to gain back the throne in a card game and winds up in the company of Sora and Shiro with the former then relishing the chance of becoming king in a game of chance and skill. He’s not got anything better to do so why not? It’s like the story is offering the pair a chance of achieving something great in a world that embraces their skills as opposed to living in isolation in the real world otherwise considered to be a ‘crappy game’. There’s potential in all of us to do something great and the siblings are grasping that potential tightly.

There is some urgency though to proceedings. It’s not simply about Sora becoming king. The world is broken up into sixteen races where Imanity [humans as we know them] are the weakest with no magic skill or awareness whatsoever. Kinda rough considering every other nation can use magic, EVEN THE WORLD’S ORC EQUIVALENTS. Ouch! This is the overarching theme; the world of Elkia [humanity/Imanity’s last stronghold] is under threat and it’s up to Sora and Shiro to save it. Simple premise, effectively executed. The visuals here are probably some of the most beautiful I’ve seen in years. The off-black lineart, the over-saturated colours plus the sheer bizarreness of Elkia are a wonder for the eyes, a blatant signifier to the viewer that this world is unlike our own. This is a world to get lost in and be mesmerised in. Madhouse have once again demonstrated their skill in creating rich and vibrant worlds where fantasy is its pen and the colour palette is jammed up to one hundred percent saturation! It reminds me of the live-action Speed Racer adaptation in its sheer indulgence in colour. You can’t fault this show being boring! Yet you could wish it saved some exposition for later on and instead focus on introducing more of the world around us, not just spout off minutes of plot. A picture says a thousand words after all.

In all, I recommend No Game, No Life. It lived up to my expectations in terms of presentation and direction as well as its underlying message which left me thinking. I was disappointed somewhat by the stop-start exposition express and wished that Sora showed some sign of infallibility to make him an actual human being but perhaps that’s to come and it might in term have more impact then. Tet’s wishes for a peaceful world are laudable but his rules can be bent to exploit some players’ desire to stick to the rules. Steph’s actions in episode two confirm my worries in that she seems to have no free will even though she does put up a fight; is that down to programming or a fear of breaking the rules and suffering the wrath of Tet? Either way, the show is a fun ride and one which I will be keeping an eye on.

No Game, No Life is available to stream on Crunchyroll.

RATING: CONTINUE [A dash of colour in an otherwise drab world.]

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