Drifters - Reviews

Drifters is a fantastic hardcore action anime with bits of humour thrown in for good measure. Its what I've been looking for ever since I started watching anime again this year and it is just simply awesome. Just really really awesome. (Please if you happen to know an anime like it lemme know!!!)

It is very combat focused and prioritizes the perfection of wondrously portraying that combat above all else. So if your like me and love beautiful, visceral and tactical combat you will adore this fine anime. If you however are looking for a story focused anime well then dear reader this is simply not that at all. You will find none of that nonsense here, only violence and rage.

Characters:

We have the unyielding inspiringly brave badass Toyohisa.

The clever naughty fox Oda.

And the slender so feminine looking you have to do a double take to see its not a girl Yoichi the archer.

These three are the MC's and they are all strong willed wild territorial icons of war and as such their personalities often clash to hilarious effect.

Sound:

OP was great. The animation of which where the background soldiers move there mouth along to the music is so damn cool I loved it.

ED was also not bad I did like it. But i just almost always like OP's more.

Animation:

10/10 hands down one of the prettiest things Ive ever seen. You could take literally ANY scene from the anime, pause, take a screenshot and boom you got a gorgeous wallpaper. Movement was also fluid and very smooth, camera was great, and the CGI parts like the Dragons were pretty decent.

Story:

Did you read a word of what I wrote??? THATS NOT WHY WE'RE HERE LOL

For completions sake though: Warriors from all kinds of eras of human history are snatched through time and tossed onto another low fantasy world that ain't Earth. As stories go its a pretty cool one and as far as I know very original. It allows for interesting sights like how people react to the sight of guns used in war for the very first time, the awe and dread in equal measure, the respect and the terror.

In Conclusion:

If you are a fan of the DOOM games or Khorne of the wh40k universe you will love this (Everytime good ol Toya chopped a head off someone screamed in my head SKULLS FOR THE SKULL THRONE!). And if you like me REQUIRE comedic relief so that something isn't too dark and dreary, this has that too with plenty of funny parts. Especially those featuring Olmi! Those are frigging hilarious lol.

Thats all for my review have a nice day :) 

Drifters - A Gritty and Action-Packed Historical Fantasy

Story (7/10): "Drifters" is an anime that takes historical and fantasy elements and melds them into a unique narrative. The story revolves around historical figures who are transported to a fantastical world where they are known as "Drifters" and are tasked with battling against an opposing force known as the "Ends." The premise is intriguing, blending real historical figures with fantasy elements. However, the story can feel a bit disjointed at times, with numerous characters and plotlines to follow. Some viewers may find this complexity enriching, while others might find it overwhelming.

Animation (8/10): The animation in "Drifters" is visually striking, especially during action sequences. The battles are well choreographed and full of intense moments. Character designs are distinctive and suit the historical figures' personalities. The animation quality significantly contributes to the series' overall appeal.

Sound (7/10): The soundtrack effectively complements the series' action and historical themes. It features stirring orchestral pieces that enhance the epic battles and dramatic moments. The voice acting performances are strong, helping to breathe life into the diverse cast of characters.

Characters (6/10): "Drifters" boasts a cast of well-known historical figures, each with their unique abilities and personalities. While some characters receive adequate development and backstory, others remain relatively one-dimensional. This imbalance in character depth can affect the viewer's attachment to the cast.

Overall (6/10): "Drifters" is an action-packed and visually impressive anime that brings historical legends into a fantastical world. While the premise is captivating and the animation top-notch, the narrative's complexity may be a double-edged sword. Some will appreciate the intricate storytelling, while others might struggle to connect with the numerous characters and plot threads.

Regarding the manga/novel comparison, "Drifters" originally started as a manga series by Kouta Hirano, which is well-regarded for its artwork and story. The anime adaptation follows the manga closely, so if you enjoy the anime, delving into the manga is a great way to experience the story in more detail and potentially gain a deeper understanding of the characters and plot.

So few animes are able to capture all-out warfare so elegantly. Drifters is gripping, beautiful and action-packed. Truly a must-watch.

[FR] Awadachi website

Drifters  (2016) vu en 1080p réalisé par le Hoods Studio (Hori-san to Miyamura-kun, BlazBlue…) en 12 épisodes standard.

Du très lourd pour celui ci, un peu dans la catégorie Berserk et SNK avec une animation très crue, un scénario sanglant très typé shonen et un contexte historique poussé. Tout l'animé se passe dans un monde parallèle au notre, coupé de notre ligne temporelle ou des personnes historiques connues atterrissent, français, romains, allemands, et surtout japonais, de tout époques tout y passe ! Nous suivrons principalement Toyohisa SHIMAZU, samurai japonais du clan Shimazu vivant entre le 16ème et 17ème siècle, qui a un seul but : combattre et être un fier guerrier. Je tiens à ne pas vous en dire plus, le scénario très basique soit-il reste intéressant et accrocheur.

Là ou l'animé excelle, c'est dans son animation, très détaillée, sombre et sanglante, avec des scènes de combat explosives, l'humour est très spécial et unique, avec un dessin absolument génial, très marquant et très amusant ! Ajoutez à cela des personnages uniques et historiquement très riches en détails (plus difficile pour nous français de connaître les grands héros japonais, merci wiki du coup ! ) avec des personnalités distinguées, un message sur le racisme, l'esclavage et la persécution, un peu de fantaisie avec des elfes et des nains, de la stratégie militaire, et pouf ... un animé complet. Ah j'oubliais ! Un openning monstrueusement bien, et une OST au petits oignons, une VO très réussie, tout y est.

Un animé qui offre beaucoup de qualité, celui qu'on n'oublie pas, sans non plus transformer le genre, violent mais pas trop, shonen mais pas trop, humouristique mais pas trop... Il plaira sûrement à la majorité d'entre vous sans aucun doute, une oeuvre à visionner pour tout fan d'animés médiéval (mais pas que, gnihihi...).

Histoire : 13/20

Animation : 18/20

Son : 18/20

Personnages : 16/20

Globalité : 16/20

Drifter is another series from Kouta Hirano the author of Hellsing manga, which adaptation is still one of my favorite anime series (i.e. Hellsing Ultimate). I have read few chapters of the Drifters manga, when it was released, but I wasn't really impressed with it. I wasn't expecting much from this anime to begin with.

The story is about the Drifters. The Drifters are warriors, including historical figures, taken from our world across the time and put in the different world as far as I understand to fight some proxy war between two deities. Strange as it seems the story is appealing. It is one overarching story and aims for more episodes in my opinion. The Hellsing Ultimate in comparison at moments felt somewhat disjointed in the first half. It is much heavier on comic relief made in same way like in the Hellsing Ultimate, which degrades the atmosphere. It would be much better without it. After 9 episodes it is still mystery what is the conflict is really about.

Overall the art style is same as in the Hellsing Ultimate. The animation is good, but degraded with sudden drops in quality for abundant comic relief in the story.

Soundtrack is meh, but OP and ED simply won't do. In comparison with the Hellsing Ultimate the soundtrack is disappointing and unimpressive.

The anime aims in characters for similar psychadelic style (art and personality), but much more toned down when compared to the Hellsing Ultimate. While it makes them more down to earth less extreme it also makes them more boring. What I like about the anime that it uses the pre-supposed traits of historical characters to impact their aims and behavior in the settings the anime puts them in. For example Nobunaga's desire to conquest drives the events in the story. He builds on his experience i.e. learns from his mistakes in our world. The story aims for some kind of redemption story line for some of the characters. The number of characters is greater than in the Hellsing Ultimate and many of them didn't do much so far. I would say they are pointless, but I don't want to make such conclusion before the anime ends. What I didn't like is greatly distorted character of the historical characters such as Jeanne d'Arc. While it is easy to use widely known historical characters for their background, it limits the author to certain preexisting personality.

Overall the series is so far (9th episode) good. From my point of view it is not as good as the Hellsing Ultimate, but still better than many present day series.