Gurankuresuto Senki

I've loved Ryo Mizuno's previous works, Record of Lodoss War and Rune Soldier. So I expected that I was going to love this series and that it would be pretty much Lodoss War without elves and dwarfs. And it kind of is that in a way, but I don't know if I would say I loved it. I watched the whole thing, though. Ryo Mizuno's works seem to have several typical tropes, the protagonist who wants to protect everyone including the enemy and whose father paid the ultimate price for that goal, a desert-based tribe who are very skillful but also very violent and ruthless and a secret subplot in the background involving an ancient witch and a magical major player that will be revealed only nearing the end of the story.

That said, I didn't really enjoy the pace of the series nor did I much care for the way that the show treats its characters as pieces of convenience. Not only do characters who seem like they're critical die, but a lot of the times, they die with only a mundane line of dialogue to even let you know that they're dead. Characters get introduced as if we're deep into their story, and their stories end completely abruptly.

The final plot line of the show, which is introduced IMMEDIATELY before it is 'resolved' is so overused and in anime and video games, and once it happens you'll no longer need to wonder why it is that everything seems a bit off in this world.

Good anime. The first few episodes are are all over the place but it gets REALLY good. Can't wait for season 2

Enjoyed this story. Story has some sidesteps to the main storyline that tie everything together.

Too long, too many characters, not enough depth to them, way too many battles with thousands of soldiers and plot "twists". Grancrest senki is as dull and forgettable as they come.

It plays too much as a videogame that intertwines dating sim and rts troop management, its biggest shortcoming isnt the weak plot but the lack of agency of its overly extended cast which seem to default to being the embodiment of a primary directive as the core of their identify.

There are more clashes between armies and fanservice than most can stomach. The only interesting part of the plot is the fight to keep society back to avoid technological progress and the use of nuclear weapons to destroy the world again. There is a big catch though, it is mentioned for two minutes toward the end and just as motivation for the antagonist faction. It is not the worst thing ever but it makes me question the usefulness of score averages seeing reviews praise this lint as a 10 out of 10 masterpiece.

Pros: Nice graphics and some interesting ideas.

Meh: A lot of cgi.

Con: fighting scenes are ridiculous, story is childish and hard to follow.

The concept of crests in the story is interesting and had me intrigued by the first episode or two, but the story itself is simple and ludicrous, following no obvious order. The graphics are not bad except armies are CGI making an ugly mixture when they show up, and whether someone wins or loses a fight seems to have no basis in "reality".

The real story seems to be the negotiations being made, which indeed has a little interest, but they keep throwing in more details as conveniences to keep the story going. The alliances that are made seem superficial and people are too trusting, it feel as if the story was made for five-year-olds.

I dropped the series at the beginning of the fifth episode because it was becoming a bore. Although it's an interesting concept, the story itself is lacking.