(CR) Nanatsu no Maken ga Shihai (Reign of the Seven Spellblades)

[Applehell]

The flashback between with Ophelia, Godfrey and Carlos was really well done. The only caveat is that anime glosses over Ophelia's decent into self-destruction and putting a lot on viewer to infer how the growth of the Campus Watch was affecting it both positivity and her mental state negatively. Made wish this arc had at least one more episode.

Another good point about, it gets to core of who Godfrey is as character and kind of extremes he will go to for his ideals. He becomes one of my favorites from this point on.

[FlareKnight]

Good flashback. Definitely established Carlos, Ophelia, etc. And it makes it clear how sad all of this is. There was just a good desire to help Ophelia out and give her a place to be herself and honestly to feel positive. For that end a lot of effort was put in. And it was working. But sadly as time went on and the Campus Watch grew...things went badly. And a lot of that seems to go on people being stupid.

Now to head towards what appears to be Ophelia's end. It doesn't seem possible to back off now or turn her around. While it seems a given the main cast will come into conflict with her for the sake of the rescue. It does seem only proper that her friends and former companions are the ones that will be with her at the end.

[Frontier]

Thank goodness Pete was able to send out a signal, now everyone is gathering right to where they need to be to face Ophelia .

Aw man, they updated the OP with a picture of the old campus watch with Ophelia. They're all smiling this time. Just really heartbreaking .

"I want to see him" - Is that your female hormones talking, Pete ?

Wow, so Ophelia's final summation of her magic is a Grand Aria, which in her case is a giant womb where rather than her families' old ideal of a perfect being is instead just a breeding ground for Chimera. Probably more practical AND dangerous. The group are going to have to bring out every ability (aside from Spellblades) at their disposal to win, and their best teamwork .

Miligan really knows how to hit a girl where it hurts by mocking her first love. What was a succubus doing falling for a guy like Godfrey? It was never going to end well. But she loved him all the same and she doesn't like having that thrown in her face after she sacrificed that to be consumed by the spell...and Miligan gets stabbed multiple times for the insult. Yikes .

It seems like Ophelia's point of no return might have been when the man she loved saw her as little more than someone who had to be stopped. Or maybe a part of her wanted him to stop her .

The gang do a good job setting up Nanao for the final blow...but for once she hesitates. Nanao can see through Ophelia and sees the sad girl still hurting inside. A girl who sees in Oliver and Nanao, and the groups' camaraderie, everything she wanted but lost because of who she is. Which is perfect timing for Carlos and Godfrey to show up .

I feel like I shouldn't be surprised to know that Carlos was castrated just so they'd be the perfect counter to Ophelia, and their families planned it that way if she ever went too far, which is convenient for this situation. Carlos was there for Ophelia at the beginning, it only makes sense that they're there for her at the end, as Carols consumes Ophelia and they both fade away. It's sad, and Godfrey lost two people important to him, but maybe this was best solution they could hope for in this tragedy .

I'm still kind of curious about Shannon and Ophelia's history together .

Well, things are back to normal at Kimberly. Everyone made it back (except Carlos and Ophelia unfortunately), the Sword Roses are reunited get back to their daily routine, and Ophelia's incident is just another case of someone consumed by the Final Spell. Yet Oliver still has his targets, and his relationship with Nanao, defining his life and his future .

[Nachtwandler]

That was a good series. Though, I feel there was no need to drag the second and third arscs for whole 9 episodes. They could have comfortably cut it to 13 at least.

If they announce another season (which I doubt), I will definetely watch it. Not sure if I want to pick up the novels, but I'll think about it if Kindle version is available.

[Applehell]

In most other series Ophelia probably would have ended up being saved since she is largely a victim of circumstance, but as one of perils of mage's life in this setting, this demonstrates that once you're "consumed by the spell" there isn't any going back. And this can happen to anyone. Especially in a place like Kimberly & the widely magic society where pursuit of the arcane is everything.

Anyhow while far from a perfect encapsulation of them, this was a solid adaptation of books for the most part. 8/10

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by Applehell

In most other series Ophelia probably would have ended up being saved since she is largely a victim of circumstance, but as one of perils of mage's life in this setting, this demonstrates that once you're "consumed by the spell" there isn't any going back. And this can happen to anyone. Especially in a place like Kimberly & the widely magic society where pursuit of the arcane is everything.

Anyhow while far from a perfect encapsulation of them, this was a solid adaptation of books for the most part. 8/10

We didn't even just lose Ophelia, but poor Carlos as well...she deserved to have a normal school life with friends and a normal romance and not this .

[FlareKnight]

I can't say everything worked out well. But I guess it could have been much worse. I did half expect that she could still be pulled back. But unfortunately there was no happy result like that.

A sad end for both Carlos and Ophelia. In the end it at least allowed her to pass peacefully. But still came at quite the cost. And it's a real shame. Ophelia crossed a line she couldn't pass back over. But in the end it all just came about because she fell in love and various circumstances led to things going badly.

I can't blame Nanao for hesitating. She can gladly cut down many kinds of opponents. But in the end the core of Ophelia was just a crying child. Someone never allowed to grow up with any sense of normalcy and who didn't really want things to turn out like this.

Fair enough that Oliver is prepared for where his path of revenge will lead him. Although I'm sure he'd regret it if that path dragged his friends in with him. So far he's managed to keep those two sides of his life from crossing. But only so long that will remain the case.

[frodonk]

Huh, no explanation of what was that coronation for, and why it wasn't really a crown but a mask, or why he's the head of a cult of teenagers who are somehow also enrolled at the same school, or why his mother is an important person and they needed an entire faculty to kill her, oh well, at least the Snape wannabe got offed first.

[Wandering Soul]

That was a nice series. I don't know if I'll pick up the novels, but if a second season gets announced, I'll watch it.

[Alchemist007]

This show felt a bit unfocused from a central narrative, which was introduced but really just teased with the Snape teacher, in favor of exploring how this world worked and the attitudes involved from its inhabitants, which is fine in some ways. I think the Ophelia story should've been placed somewhere else because ending with it felt a bit more like a mid-season finale, but there's no 2nd cour to be had yet.

7/10

[scififan]

The anime ends suddenly. The ending shows Oliver is determined to finish off faculties. Katie Aalto's ideal world is the co-existence with monsters. So, she may have same fate as Oliver's mother. It appears all students Oliver fought become friendly with him. It is a shonen manga way of making friends.

[magnuskn]

Ultimately, this series kinda fell down for me by not addressing how screwed up magic society is, or better said, just taking the screwed up magic society as given and having characters act in alien ways.

7,5/10, solid overall, but it could have been better.

[Endscape]

Originally Posted by magnuskn

Ultimately, this series kinda fell down for me by not addressing how screwed up magic society is, or better said, just taking the screwed up magic society as given and having characters act in alien ways.

7,5/10, solid overall, but it could have been better.

I mean, it did do both of those things?

[Frontier]

Yeah, I don't see how you could come out of this series without seeing (in-universe or otherwise) how messed up magic society is. It's the reality the protagonists have to deal with, but it's still messed up.

[Endscape]

When people say stuff like this, I get the impression they like their stories didactic.

[magnuskn]

Maybe I do in a certain way. I had the same problems with the Harry Potter books, in that magical society is incredibly screwed up there as well, but it just gets glossed over in a "well, that's just how things are" kind of way. Yeah, Hermione and Katie both want to better magical society, but that's an afterthought both here and the Harry Potter books to the actual struggles in the foreground.

In comparison, the screwed up aspects of magical society (dealing with wizards and other magical groups) are put front and center in the Dresden Files series and while Harry Dresden is not in a position to change them, he at least very clearly voices his displeasure about them and at the people perpetrating said screwed up things.

[Twi]

Originally Posted by magnuskn

Maybe I do in a certain way. I had the same problems with the Harry Potter books, in that magical society is incredibly screwed up there as well, but it just gets glossed over in a "well, that's just how things are" kind of way. Yeah, Hermione and Katie both want to better magical society, but that's an afterthought both here and the Harry Potter books to the actual struggles in the foreground.

In comparison, the screwed up aspects of magical society (dealing with wizards and other magical groups) are put front and center in the Dresden Files series and while Harry Dresden is not in a position to change them, he at least very clearly voices his displeasure about them and at the people perpetrating said screwed up things.

Look at it this way, the novels have covered up to their third or fourth year, whereas the anime has only covered her first year.

In Katie's first year in a school that has a mindset opposite of her own (something she knew when she chose to attend that school), she had been very vocal about her opinions but she hasn't been overbearing. She put herself on the line and ate a Crucio defending a Troll, showcasing she was serious about it. She met a senior who agreed with her (granted, said Senior was experimenting on them to raise their intelligence) and met friends who don't outright oppose her thoughts.

She's done well for her First Year. But expecting grandiose change right out of the gate in her First Year isn't something that's going to happen. Without spoiling anything, a big part of Volume 4 (which is the Volume after the end of this season) has them cover just how reliant the current society is on Demi-Human slave labor and how to change that they would have to change everything from the ground up, with a major section of the second chapter dedicated to it.

I'm not going to tell you to go read it or change your opinion because the anime doesn't present any of that yet and its the only medium you've been presented with. But for the time she's spent in her first year, she's done well. Change takes time and every time she does something and proves a point despite what other people think, she's making a step towards that.

But ultimately, its still Oliver's story and we know his goals. It isn't to change anything. It's revenge for how they killed his mother.

And there's still six targets to go.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by Twi

Look at it this way, the novels have covered up to their third or fourth year, whereas the anime has only covered her first year.

In Katie's first year in a school that has a mindset opposite of her own (something she knew when she chose to attend that school), she had been very vocal about her opinions but she hasn't been overbearing. She put herself on the line and ate a Crucio defending a Troll, showcasing she was serious about it. She met a senior who agreed with her (granted, said Senior was experimenting on them to raise their intelligence) and met friends who don't outright oppose her thoughts.

She's done well for her First Year. But expecting grandiose change right out of the gate in her First Year isn't something that's going to happen. Without spoiling anything, a big part of Volume 4 (which is the Volume after the end of this season) has them cover just how reliant the current society is on Demi-Human slave labor and how to change that they would have to change everything from the ground up, with a major section of the second chapter dedicated to it.

I'm not going to tell you to go read it or change your opinion because the anime doesn't present any of that yet and its the only medium you've been presented with. But for the time she's spent in her first year, she's done well. Change takes time and every time she does something and proves a point despite what other people think, she's making a step towards that.

But ultimately, its still Oliver's story and we know his goals. It isn't to change anything. It's revenge for how they killed his mother.

And there's still six targets to go.

It might end up being an unintended positive consequences knowing how messed up these teachers are and how Oliver goes on enough side-quests to help his fellow students .

[magnuskn]

Originally Posted by Twi

Look at it this way, the novels have covered up to their third or fourth year, whereas the anime has only covered her first year.

In Katie's first year in a school that has a mindset opposite of her own (something she knew when she chose to attend that school), she had been very vocal about her opinions but she hasn't been overbearing. She put herself on the line and ate a Crucio defending a Troll, showcasing she was serious about it. She met a senior who agreed with her (granted, said Senior was experimenting on them to raise their intelligence) and met friends who don't outright oppose her thoughts.

She's done well for her First Year. But expecting grandiose change right out of the gate in her First Year isn't something that's going to happen. Without spoiling anything, a big part of Volume 4 (which is the Volume after the end of this season) has them cover just how reliant the current society is on Demi-Human slave labor and how to change that they would have to change everything from the ground up, with a major section of the second chapter dedicated to it.

I'm not going to tell you to go read it or change your opinion because the anime doesn't present any of that yet and its the only medium you've been presented with. But for the time she's spent in her first year, she's done well. Change takes time and every time she does something and proves a point despite what other people think, she's making a step towards that.

But ultimately, its still Oliver's story and we know his goals. It isn't to change anything. It's revenge for how they killed his mother.

And there's still six targets to go.

Thanks for the additional context, but, as you said, I can only judge the series on what it has shown us, not from additional content down the road. And even there it sounds from what you said like Katie is the only one really fighting for systemic change.

7,5/10 is not a bad rating, I still liked the show and story well enough. However, it's not free of criticism and this one thing stood out to me especially. I could also have focused on fight choreography and spotty character development for some of the main cast as reasons to not rank it higher for me personally.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by magnuskn

Thanks for the additional context, but, as you said, I can only judge the series on what it has shown us, not from additional content down the road. And even there it sounds from what you said like Katie is the only one really fighting for systemic change.

7,5/10 is not a bad rating, I still liked the show and story well enough. However, it's not free of criticism and this one thing stood out to me especially. I could also have focused on fight choreography and spotty character development for some of the main cast as reasons to not rank it higher for me personally.

To be fair it feels like Katie is the only one that really had a reason to fight for systemic change because of her background. I guess maybe Pete for being from a non-magic family but that's part of why he had a chip on his shoulder.

I thought the fights were pretty solid myself.