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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