whwhiteflame55
September 16, 2024
Recommended
I loved this anime. It's not the kind of series I think I would have appreciated nearly as much when I was younger; I probably wouldn't have appreciated the subtle ways the series develops its cast and world, which apparently several reviewers were frustrated with. This is going to be a long one, but I'll steer clear of spoilers as much as I can. I'd say the series is most definitely elevated chiefly by its characters and dialogue. Very little of this series is spoon-fed to the audience through exposition, and most importantly, characters never feel like their conversations are for the audience. You can feelthe weight of years and experience even among teenagers who have shared history, but most especially among the adults. It's great to see the various ways they present relationships in this series, and while Ryuzo and Fusa are a stand-out as a largely separated but still close couple with baggage, lingering love, and a child they deeply care for, every kind of relationship is on display in ways that I rarely see done this well. Akiyuki and Haru have a distinctly more mature relationship than most young couples, with each understanding the feelings of the other and loving them deeply, but not having to express it to clarify that to us. Ishu and Nakiami have a fascinating adoptive relationship that kept me mesmerized every time they were on screen together. Sukakki and Kakisu had a tragic romance that was mutually accepted to be set aside for their shared aims, but the tension and shared tragedy between them that was on display in every scene was amazing. And there's all kinds of other relationships that come through beautifully with little spoken dialogue: Kujireika and Nakiami, Raigyo and Ishu, and Yunbo and Ahm are all relationships we only get little glimpses into, but learn so much about in a short time. If I was judging this just based on these aspects, the series is among the best I've seen at juggling a large cast of characters so well.
I think the worldbuilding is also strong. The series doesn't need to flesh out every party involved - the fighting between the Southern and Northern forces is largely left faceless beyond the people who fight it, and I'm absolutely fine with the series feeling no need to attribute humanity to the governments that send their forces to do battle. There's a general sense of inhumanity in the way that these militaries and the people who run them treat the enemy or even people they might consider allies. Kakisu is from Sentan Island, but doesn't even blink at the prospect of using the people there to achieve his goals in any way necessary. Yet it's not hard to see the struggle that he's under, nor that of Reizo, his largely willing accomplice in committing war crimes. The more we explore how these characters came to join the fight, the more we understand the varying groups involved in this mess of a conflict that leaves entire societies in tatters.
Much to its credit, though, the series doesn't lean on its power system too much. I expected much more use of the Xam'd forms and a lot more pitched fighting, but those forms were often double-edged swords with the wielders' volatile emotions affecting their successes and failures deeply. There were some truly intense character journeys that stemmed from forced implantations of Hiruko, and even for characters like Furuichi who I never fully jived with, the tragedy of watching them suffer under the burdens imposed on them was brutal. The Xam'd forms and the Humanform Weapons in general were a fascinating way to utilize what could have been a very simple means of empowering the central characters, turning them into victims alongside the souls of those implanted into them. And yes, the animation of those crazy proportions is very much on point, channeling some powerful Studio Ghibli energy.
If I had a bone to pick with the series, though, it would probably be with the overarching plot. There's a lot to cover and the series does a good job of exploring many of the facets, but so much of what's here involves the spirits of the dead in a way that was always going to be rather complicated and difficult to parse. I connected with the stories of these characters on a ground level and how they were caught up in a much broader conflict, but less so with the aims of broader forces that directed a good deal of the plot. The Hiruken Emperor is an interesting idea for a character that ends up being very important to how things wrap up, but there's not a lot to his story beyond a mechanic that we've been introduced to already effectively being thrown in reverse to create a monster. I liked how it was resolved, but considering just how pivotal he was, his reason for acting felt a little underwhelming. I also wish we'd gotten to know some of the other key players better like Lady Sannova and the Jibashiri in general. I could appreciate their roles in terms of their specific actions and choices within the plot, but for the broader plot, it was harder to comprehend how they worked and the role they played. There was also generally a lot of complexity to how certain fantastical elements of the series work that just couldn't be conveyed fully in the way this series was written, which meant some elements of the series required me to do some homework to understand what was happening.
Still, that doesn't hold it back much, mainly because those machinations feel like they matter less or are even subverted by the will of our central characters. At least in the case of the Hiruken Emperor, he serves as the ultimate reminder of what the misuse of these souls can lead to - he's more a tool for forces larger than himself than anyone involved in the plot. The ending is bittersweet on a number of levels, but every character feels like they get a moment to shine in this brief moment of peace they experience. It's a beautiful way to bring an end to a subtantially underrated series.
