birdlandmemories

This review contains spoilers: I completed this anime about 2 months ago but forgot to write a review on it. I really enjoyed this series and the lighthearted, easygoing nature of it. Anyways onto the review:

Synopsis: Red (formerly known as Gideon) is well, banished from the party of the Hero. The hero happens to be his sister, and Gideon is seen as the weak link of the group, even though his sister had no say (the hero is not permitted to have any emotions). After his removal, he moves to the small town of Zoltan, where he opens a medicinal herbs shop and meets the friendly adventuruer named Rit. 

The main storyline intrigued me before starting the series, and I thought it was exectued solidly enough. The other storyline in addition to Red's slow life is the trajectory of the hero's party after Red's departure. It falls apart, and now his sister Ruti goes on her own journey with her new best friend Tisse in order to find her brother.  For a slow life series, it's pretty entertaining I must say. 

The animation admittedly is nothing special. It wasn't bad, but just wasn't unique or any different than your usual anime series from the past 5 or so years. That doesn't mean it's bad however, it's just decent enough.

Now we're onto the characters and this is where the anime excels in my opinion. Our 2 main characters, Red and Rit, have a dynamic that works. As a team they're likable and have good chemistry. The same can be said for Ruti and Tisse as well. Ruti in particular experiences a good amount of character growth. By the end of the series she's able to express emotions, and in fact, slime. It's one of the more heartworking parts of the anime. This series has a good core group of main characters that allows it to flourish in other areas.

The red of the cast is solid. Ares is a totally destable villain, so he fits that role well. Theodora's (one of the Hero's party members) conflict on whether to support the role of the hero or acknowledge the human element of Ruti is also an intersting subplot. I can't forget Gonz, Nao and the rest of the gang. All in all, I don't like to give perfect scores for a category, but I find it hard to deduct points here. Just a great group of characters all around.

Overall: The storyline and characters make for a great watch. Even if the animation won't blow you away, a likable cast should be more than enough to continue. I would definitely recommended this series, particularly if you want a wholesome series that just leaves you feeling happy.