Grimgar, le monde des cendres et de fantaisie

If you are like me and just finished Sword Art Online (SAO) and loved the first season you are probably looking for other Dungeon and Dragon / RPG shows. This one has a slower plot that is more suitable for adults since it focuses more on the mental and emotional struggle of being in a RPG and having to kill goblins to survive. There is a sense of maturing that occurs as the main character becomes the leader of the group, I will say I like SAO and Log Horizon more but I still enjoyed this show

I really enjoyed the change of pace from other anime. If you don't feel like watching the characters scrounge for food or money, or observing every new item or skill, this may not be for you.

The characters have extremely mixed but distinct personalities, something more reminiscent of reality then many other tv shows. I feel anime as a whole tries to push single or double character traits/personalities even on main characters, and the variety of traits displayed by each character is uncommon among anime. This a quality I find to be rare in anime, and I'm glad to see one with personality development, and even change as the story progresses.

The artwork is wonderful and again, rather unique; it's picturesque and tinted like watercolors, but the 3D animation isn't the greatest, (shown in large group movement/fight scenes).

I have watched many Japanese animation, some are unforgettable such as Ghibili productions or animation series such as Erased. But not all have to be unforgettable or outstanding, some are light and easy such as Ranma. This animation while is not fantastic it is nice and enjoyable maybe a little slanted toward mid teens. Never the less any Japanese animation is far better than the pasteurized, homogenized, franchised cookie cutter Hollywood productions. In response to a reviewer who said " It is cringe worthy when in the first scene of the series it is portraying the females as useless and clumsy damsels in distress….." Maybe you have watched too many Hollywood shows where 50 KG females with stick figures easily over power men 3 times their size but in real world females do rely on their male kinsmen and friends to defend them, where physical strength is needed, and this is one of the good things about most Japanese animations where women are women and men are still men, this does not mean women are not strong. On the contrary women are shown to be truly strong, i.e. not physically but strong in will and character. You should see Kikyo in Inuyasha or Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. Again one can not satisfy everyone, especially when views of reality has been so warped by popular culture and interest groups. Enjoy

I really enjoyed this show, but it does have its faults, and I don't think I can actually recommend this to any of my friends.

The artwork and animation is really nice most of the time. (there are points that it seemed a little numbed down and "cheap")

The story line was pretty simple, and not explained very well. They are all put in this situation at the start of the show, everyone is confused as to why and it is never questioned again ******

There is a LOT of down time (with the characters reflecting on EVERYTHING and feeling sad or confused about stuff, also there is a tone of inner monologue that seems to drag on a lot.) and too much singing and music. A lot of moments I felt bored watching and actually would start surfing the internet.

Some of the dialog is a little childish at times as well.

Aside from some of the small plot holes and dragging on of the show it does have some good moments. I would recommend if you have time to kill or need something on in the background.

On the surface similar in many ways to the others in the genre (hero wakes up in a new world etc..) the many divergences make it worth watching even if it never gets a follow up season.

-The Art is fantastic and blends together different styles in a way that at first is jarring but quickly becomes something I looked forward to. -Character development is key to the depth of this short series, and draws you in. -The "commitment" to the trials and adventures of the group was a pleasant surprise, with the series taking a surprising path early on.

The anime however isn't perfect and falls short in some areas, for example even as it does a great job developing one key character it fails to deliver on another. But all in all it's flaws are forgivable as was only a single season and the hope is this would be ironed out if the show returns.