okami31

A classic.

WHAT’S GOOD?

Almost everything is highly commendable.

The main characters are likeable and the support cast is very memorable with character designs that stand out from the rest of the anime. The relationship between the main characters is strong and significant through the whole of the story.

The plot development is great.  There are some scenes that are tough to watch with one of them even bringing me close to tears and another one that’s just very sad, so you know you will remember this series forever.

There’s a lot of comedy and some seriously creepy stuff.  There are deaths, there is quite a big amount of blood and ghastly wounds, there’s philosophical musings, there are personal problems to overcome, etc.

The action scenes are well done. The animation flows great.

WHAT’S BAD?

This is frustratingly common in anime and I don’t understand why the writers are not able to provide a good conclusion to a good piece of art.

Yes, this anime has another ambiguous ending that detracts the value of the whole series. However, this series also provides a fix for its ending problem and that is the movie “Conqueror of Shamballa”.  You must watch the movie in order to get closure and overall satisfaction.  

Maybe they wanted the extra cash, who knows.

Some villains deserved longer fights but this anime didn’t care to follow the shonen formula for “boss battles” You get what you get and you will like it.

RECOMMEND?

Oh yeah. Like I said, this is a classic.

Just know that there’s going to be some rough stuff to watch, but that’s foreshadowed at the very beginning of the series, with the failed alchemical summoning.

Who knew alchemy would be so much fun?

This series will make you want to draw symbols on the ground and slap your hands on them!