Senyoku no Sigrdrifa

Sigururi was my most anticipated show of 2020 along with Re:Zero S2. Coincidentally, both franchises are written by Tappei-sensei. So I had high expectations coming into the show. On one hand, they were met, on the other hand I was left feeling a bit.. let down. Let me preface this by clarifying what I meant by “let down”. In no way do I think Sigururi was “bad” or not an enjoyable experience. I absolutely loved it. It was one of my most anticipated watches each week. When I say I feel let down, I’m referring to the fact that the show never really reached the heightsyou’d expect given the staff behind it. There’s obviously Tappei-sensei, but you’ve also got Violet Evergarden’s showrunner involved too. Considering the heavy weight talent behind this, I expected the show’s story to be a lot stronger. I felt like the twist of the main villain actually being the villain was quite predictable from the jump. I felt like his motivations were pretty “meh” and I felt that the pacing in general in the show was a bit off down the stretch. I’m all for cute moments and festival episodes, but when you only have 12 episodes and are saving an entire final battle and resolution for the last episode, you probably didn’t plan properly. I think a lot of us Tappei fans were also expecting the show to get quite dark. It never did, which was ok for me in the end because I wanted these girls to be happy. Despite my issues with the writing and the pacing, I found the girls to be great and really enjoyed their individual quirks and personalities. I think Sono, Azu and Claudy’s arcs were handled really well in the short time that the show had. Seeing their relationship develop and them grow into a family was awesome and in my opinion, is the best part of the series. I came out of this show with several new waifus. A-1 did a pretty good job with the animation in the show. As you’d expect with an airplane fighting series, there is a lot of CGI. For the most part I think it’s pretty good, but there are a few sketchy moments here and there. I think the aerial combat is pretty impressively choreographed throughout the show and in particular, the final few fights are amazing. Despite my let downs with the writing of the show, I did really enjoy Sigururi and am easy to please. I’ve also been reading the prequel/spin off LN’s as of late, so I have a bit of additional context to the story to overlook some holes in the anime’s writing. Sigururi gets 8 planes out of 10 from me.

[This review is aimed towards people who have finished the show but could also be for anyone wondering if they should watch this, expect some spoilers for me to explain my reasoning for the score] Oh boy, A anime that was anticipated by some to be one of the greatest of its time by having two of some of the greatest directors.One from Re:Zero and the other from Girls Und Panzer, What could go wrong? Apparently, everything can. Just as Murphy’s law says “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong”. Surely things went wrong in all sorts of places with this anime. I will firstbegin this review by talking about the characters as I feel they are the main reason this show went downhill for me. The characters in a show are one of the most important parts as they are what decides how interesting the show is. In Warlords of Sigrdrifa, the character development is one of the weakest I have seen in any show. It's almost non-existent. Most of the actions made by our four main heroes are unnecessary to any plot development or anything in general. Their appearance doesn't help as well because of how bland the designs for their outfits are. The pink-haired girl is a literary copy from Sword art online (I thought I was watching SAO for most of the time by how there were some scenes with Thor and this pink-haired girl looked like Sao characters.) The white hair girl doesn't have anything special as well. (I forgot the 3 main girls' mains because of how irrelevant they were.) The black-haired girl is like the go-to girl for the guys and the main character Claudia is the most garbage main character. The rest of the characters from the mechanics to the assist pilots and the control tower are also useless to the story. The command tower is where you would think plans on how to defeat the enemy are made but instead the main heroes somehow figure out a plan in the middle of the fight. Passing on to my next issue with this show, the sound and look of the other parts. The sound and animation are both mediocre. The opening and ending are forgettable, They don't have anything shown that is interesting nor is the music catchy. The rest of the animation is basic for A1-Pictures not much to elaborate on other than it is what they know best. The OST between fights and dialogue scenes is also horrible, They are boring and not exciting enough to get the viewer hyped up or intrigued by it. Talking about fight scenes I decided to dedicate a whole section to this as it's laughable at how pathetic they were dealt with. Most of the fights are quick 3-second fire action-based. Very Anticlimactic to how they should be. Keep in mind this is an ACTION anime. All the fights had quick endings to them because of how somehow there's this one weakness that the main heroes find out to defeat the enemies after doing some quick analyzing. Very disappointing how easy and boring the fights were. For this segment, I will talk about some things that just annoyed me while watching as I don't want to put a whole section for each one. The first thing I noticed that got annoying real quick is the fan service. All women in this show are sexualized in some unnecessary way. Many of the camera shots had me questioning why they would decide to include this in the show. Like JUST WHY? They were unnecessary and I could go about my day without needing to see some 14-year-old looking girl be in panties and bra. This also brings up the part about how all the women are the same and young-looking compared to the guys who are way older looking and have more defining faces. A huge no-no. The second thing that caught my eye was Thor. The whole enemy of the show. Honestly, I didn't pay attention to the story as after a few seconds my mind would just forget I was watching the show because of how plain and unoriginal he was. He was also dealt with in just a mere second by the same logic used by the main girls. The third thing is the story. The storyline is what lost me the most, I didn't understand how in one episode things were all alert and stuff but then in the next episode the girls decide to host a summer festival. Like what? In the middle of the “biggest” fight, they are going to do a festival episode?. The last thing to mention is the clearest one as well. In what reasoning does someone choose an old WW2 airplane over a futuristic fighter jet? Yeah, I don't understand that either. In conclusion, This is the biggest time-waster of a show I have seen to date. From having a forgettable storyline and characters to being anti-climatic in what it's supposed to be about. Warlords of Sigrdrifa is a sure let down for me. It just showed me how low of a story a show needs for someone to greenlit it. If you would like to watch a show about some girls who fight a god and end up winning by the most stupid ways while having a lot of filler in between that has fanservice, this is the show to go.

Please note this review is intended to be read by those that have finished watching Senyoku no Sigrdrifa and while care has been taken to minimize story related spoilers there may still be spoilers within character analysis. You have been warned. Based on an original idea Senyoku no Sigrdrifa which is better known by both its English title Warlords of Sigrdrifa and its synonym of Suguri is an action and military genre anime that gives us the unique opportunity to see what will happen if one day in the near future of this century that humanity though far from being united were to for thefirst time in their lives be confronted by an enemy that not even the vaunted United States military can effectively take on with their bomber fleets and state of the art fighters in the form of the pillars an alien race that was bent on occupying the planet whether humanity consented or not. Faced with an enemy that not even their best weapons can defeat even the most experienced of generals and charismatic of politicians are faced with an impasse that they for all their might and intelligence cannot hope to overcome. However in this darkest hour when humanity was forced to the brink that their prayers for salvation were finally answered when a mysterious god named Odin appeared that offered them a solution which was the introduction of his beloved daughters the famed Valkyrie’s young female pilots who are not only highly trained but pilot specially designed warplanes called hero wings that have the power to vanquish the feared pillars and for the first time give humanity a chance to strike back. Though wary and uncertain of this so-called god's motivations the leaders of humanity soon move to introduce the young Valkyries into their militaries and soon though the battles are still fearsomely tough and the amounts of martyrs and heroes that they create are many for the first time since the war began humanity was able to score victories against the feared pillars and finally begin the path of understanding the cause of this conflict. In the far eastern front of humanity’s war with the Pillars, one such Valkyrie the famed S ranked Claudia Bradford is transferred to take the place of Tateyama’s former ace the honoured S ranker, Sakura Okita, the famed Olinde who was tragically killed in action defending her friends and squad mates in the fierce battles in the skies that defined the war against the pillars. Little did Claudia know that rather than being side-lined on a front far from the frontlines that Claudia and her new squad mates of the 909th Valkyrie wing would instead find themselves faced with not only the full might of the pillars but also in the process if they manage to survive long enough find the truth of this brutal war that’s been eating at humanity for years. The military and action genre of anime traditionally has been one of the most popular of genres within the anime world on account of the sheer number of stories that can be created to accommodate them whether they feature fictional events based on the real or entirely original events native to that series the genre had it covered. Indeed this versatility has also served to create many sub genre’s that are based on it such as the popular mecha genre. While the idea of having young girls take to the field as soldiers and fight directly on the frontlines with special gear is far from unusual as popularized by the popular sky girls, Strike witches, and Brave Witches series I felt that Senyoku’s fusion of world war 1 and 2 eras combat aircraft, special abilities and the professional and personal developments that each girl struggled with as they fought in the increasingly fierce war really served to make this series a notable one as it allowed us to see not only how the war is fought but also the kind of effects that it has on everyone involved whether it’s the pilots themselves, their support team and the controllers who direct their operations as they achieve not only great victories against staggering odds but also bitter defeats that cost them dearly in friends and lives lost. The first episode of the series I felt was an interesting one that did well to showcase not only the bitter war that was being fought by humanity but also showcased the fearsome toll that it has on everyone involved be it physical or mental. At the same time, we also got to see first hand the kind of power that the famed Valkyries possessed and the kind of bravery that such young girls put in as they take to the skies and battle against the nightmares that haunt humanity. The desire to see just how Claudia and the girls of the 909th wing fare as they form a new unit and fight together to defend the people of Japan and Tateyama base I felt was the main source of motivation for watching this series and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by its end. Claudia Bruford Claudia Bruford portrayed by veteran seiyuu Hibiku Yamamura of Sakurada Reset and Kiznaiver fame is one of the main characters of the series and is the primary protagonist of the series. A veteran Valkyrie and rare S ranked one that has won great fame on the European front fighting against the forces of the pillars alongside the elites of the European defense squadrons and in the process earning her the title Valkyrie Schwertleite the lauded Valkyrie of salvation. Though a highly skilled pilot with a list of accomplishments that are uncounted Claudia is also accompanied by a grim list of units and pilots that had supported her in battle and perished to a man defending her a fact that was seen to hang over Claudia like a veil and causing her to see herself as the grim reaper as a result of the pain she suffers from seeing so many of her friends die in front of her while she survives. At the beginning of the series as a result of such ill-famed titles, Claudia was shown to be a quiet, brave, loyal, and dutiful pilot that approached her duty as a Valkyrie with both utmost seriousness and a grim determination to fight on the frontlines with all her skill. Though not shown to shun personal contact with others off as one would expect Claudia was shown to be a calm and composed person by nature that served to keep relationships between her squadmates and support staff as professional as she can electing not to get too involved with others too deeply by hardening her own heart. While the veteran pilots of the European Valkyrie squadrons were shown to get on well with Claudia this is a result of them fighting alongside her in the fierce battles that characterize the war and the fact that they like Claudia had also gotten accustomed to seeing their allies die protecting them a fact that shows well the bond that exists between Claudia and her friends in Europe a bond that Claudia was seen to treasure dearly and one that she had to put aside once she was transferred to Japan to take over a dear kohai’s treasured place after her death in action. As the series progresses and Claudia’s personality is gradually expanded upon it can be seen that while Claudia was a confident and professional soldier when it came to interacting with and bonding with strangers as well as with Valkyries that were younger than her that she was shown to really struggle surprisingly. While for the most part, this issue was a result of her hardened heart in reality this was also because while stationed within Europe Claudia never had the opportunity to meet many civilians while her fellow Valkyries were all girls her age and thus never allowing her to meet and interact with girls younger than her a fact that was evident in her first meetings with Azuzu and her squadron after being transferred to Tateyama air base to join them. Thanks to her socially withdrawn nature Claudia or Claudy as the other girls nicknamed her was in her first days of joining the squadron rather stiff and was overly formal and was unwilling to share her own thoughts with others besides matters related to the mission. However, this began to change once Claudia not only saw the kind of laid back culture that existed at the base as well as the opportunity to see how Azuzu and her fellow Valkyries operated as a squadron seeing their strengths as well as their many weaknesses as well and in the process realizing that while protecting her heart by distancing herself from others had served well in preventing loss from affecting her duties in her new squadron this served instead to hinder her, as she was unable to understand the kind of strength that comes from fighting alongside friends and comrades that may argue with each other often but yet also be able to fight hard as a team when needed and convincing her that she needed to overcome the negative feelings that ingrained guilt had created within her and strive to reforge herself into a fighter that’s just as strong as her fellows and yet also be conscious enough of the feelings of her fellows as well for in this fight they always fight as a team. While retaining much of her quiet and serious nature Claudia was seen to gradually become friendlier and display more care and kindness towards her fellow Valkyries not seeing them as mere allies but rather as dear friends that can be relied upon both as fighters and also as sources of emotional support for her as well. While the veil of the grim reaper never completely disappears from her thoughts rather than let that hang over her and sap her motivation Claudia instead converts it into a sense of determination that she uses to protect her friends as well as the people that live and work at Tateyama base vowing to protect them on her honor as a Valkyrie. As a character, I felt that Claudia was one that represented well the kind of effects that fame and skill of veteran fighters can bring to not only themselves but also to the units that they get attached to. While their skill is undeniable the nature of such skill often serves to prompt central command to deploy them into ever-increasing battles hoping that they will make a difference and in the process creating not only stress but also a potential to cause emotional strain as well especially if such ops results in friendly casualties. In this, however, I felt that her reassignment to Japan and her meeting with the girls from the 909th was a godsend that served to not only heal her terribly tortured heart but also serve to remind her that brutal as this war was there are still many things that are worth fighting for and many more sources of motivation that can enable you to become stronger if you’re able to find it. Azuzu Azuzu Komagome portrayed by veteran seiyuu Mao Ichimichi of Aoki Hagane no Arpeggio and Toji no Miko fame is one of the main characters of the series and is one of the members of the 909th Valkyrie wing. A teenage girl of roughly 17 years of age Azuzu until Claudia’s assignment to the wing was the acting squadron leader of the unit that had the fun role of keeping the ever positive and hyper Miyako and the ever calm but highly reckless Sonaka from causing too much of a mess in their operations. In her initial appearances, Azuzu was shown to be a level-headed, brave but also somewhat blunt person by nature traits that while lending itself to overcoming the bureaucratic nature of the military often lead her to have verbal sparring matches with both her superiors and squadmates. While noted to be a confident fighter and leader Azuzu was also noted to be somewhat arrogant at times and was rightly proud of her place within the base’s command structure as shown when Claudia was introduced to her by the base commander. While the relationship between Claudia and herself, in the beginning, was chilly, to say the least as Claudia’s actions while innocent in nature often caused her nature of overreacting to manifest as her trust in Claudia improved this bond was soon transformed into one that was built on genuine trust between Valkyries. While at times overly logical and demanding at times Azuzu was someone that was shown to care deeply about her friends and squadmates and was keen to protect them from both physical and emotional damage as shown in her attempt to stop Miyako from acting as the sender for those that are about to die though she true to her nature was someone that was loathed to admit it. As the series progresses and we get to see more of Azuzu’s nature it can be seen that while she is a confident, skilled, and an adaptive fighter by nature she’s also someone that’s not very honest with her true feelings and emotions regarding matters. While Azuzu as a veteran is no stranger to losing people rather than let this grind her down and weight down her heart, she is one that prefers to stuff it into a box where it remains but not in the way until it's needed to be used. While this unique method will serve to provide her with plenty of emotional ammunition when faced with stressful situations such as the large scale assault on the Fuji pillar or confronting a certain laid back god about the truth this method also served to make it hard for her to be honest with herself as shown in her lacklustre skill at dealing with the support and fame that she gets from the kids and civilians that live near the base. However, despite her surface thoughts of hating them beneath the surface, it can be seen that she sees them as the primary motivation for putting herself through battle after battle. As a character, Azuzu was someone that behaved very much like an older sister to her younger charges being both confident, reliable, and adaptive in her role as a leader while at the same time being bossy, friendly, caring, and kind towards her friends and allies. The Tsundere trait I felt was used especially well here for her character and served well to enhance her personality and make her much more endearing to both her friends and allies but also to me as well for while Claudia was the vanguard Azuzu was the capable leader that ensured that they will also survive their battle by using a plan that she created that maximizes each of their strengths as Valkyries in order to attain the best chance of victory. Sonoka Watarai Sonoka Watarai portrayed by new seiyuu Sayaka Kikuchi is one of the main characters of the series and is one of the Valkyries that make up the 909th. At the tender age of 14 years old Sonoka is the youngest of the Valkyries that make up the wing and as a result, when compared to the others her base personality traits were far different being a quiet, shy and polite person by nature that resonated well with the likes of the hyperactive Miyako and the bossy Azuzu. However, despite being younger than Miyako, Azuzu and Claudia Sonoka was shown to be quite mature for her age being not only surprisingly perceptive but also combining that with a sense of responsibility which when combined with her prominent skill of striking at people’s weaknesses at the exact moment that they’re vulnerable enables her to easily dispel any sense of arguments that results within the squadron. While a quiet and shy person by nature Sonoka was also someone that was shown to be friendly, kind, and caring which when combined with her understanding, humble and earnest nature served to make her not only an excellent person to welcome in new members but also serve to give the members of the base as well as nearby civilians an excellent source of motivation to go about their duties with renewed vigor as nothing short of an angel has descended on the base in the guise of Sonoka. As the series progresses however and we get to see more of Sonoka’s personality it can be seen that beneath her calm and quiet nature there are in fact many things that Sonoka struggles with unknowingly. Despite having many impressive kills to her name as a member of the 909th Sonoka due to her young age was often struggling with others being overprotective of her a fact that served to annoy her greatly as she knew that when given the chance she can score just as many kills as the most senior of Valkyries. It is a result of this pampering by high command that Sonoka when engaged in battle can be seen to change from the calm and collected girl that she usually was to a brazen and rather reckless girl who will think nothing of charging large pillar hostiles to prove herself to others if she thought it was viable. However, despite this kind of attitude she is someone that’s always mindful of her actions and the kind of effects, this can have on their formation demonstrating not only an impressive sense of restraint but mental strength as well as in her position its exceedingly easy to try and take up the role of a hero and try to forge a name for yourself by earning kills. Though Sonoka’s mental strength was shown to be on par with those of Claudia and Azuzu she like them was not immune to the harsh realities war brings in the form of friends and comrades lost to the brutal dogfights that characterize humanities desperate battle against the pillars one that cost Sonoka no less than her entire squadron and dear friend and mentor Yayoi Amatsuka a person that was dear to her heart and represented a part of her that she drew strength from. However though tragic beyond measure the death of Yayoi served to not only blow away the cloud of doubts that had started to manifest within her but also inspire her to better support her friends and honor her deceased friends by fighting harder on the field and bring an end to the war. As a character Sonoka, I felt was an interesting one that was both well designed and developed with the contrasting personality traits of hers being especially so. Her ability to act as an instant mediator between the more vocal members of her squadron in the form of Azuzu and Miyako as well as her determination to overcome her mental fragility by overcoming her painful past with worthy confirmed kills in the war really served to create an excellent sense of balance for her character. Miyako Miyako Muguruma portrayed by new seiyuu Nene Hieda is one of the main characters of the series and is one of the members of the 909th Valkyrie wing stationed at Tateyama base. A 17-year-old Valkyrie and Sonoka’s senior within the squadron Miyako in her initial appearances was seen to be an excitable, friendly, and overly positive person by nature that despite her role as a soldier that fights in what is undoubtedly humanities darkest hour still approaches each day with a radiant smile on her face and a thousand ways to make others laugh locked and ready to go with one of her most prominent ones being her superlative ability to not only mess up people’s names but also phrases as well. While friendly and capable of forging strong bonds with others easily Miyako’s greatest strengths undoubtedly was her free-thinking and curious nature that when paired with her enthusiastic attitude that she shows towards being a Valkyrie served to make her not only a powerful combatant but also allow her to become the heart of Tateyama a position that not only brings great joy to its occupants but also serve to motivate them to work even harder. As the series progresses however and more of Miyako’s personality is revealed it can be seen that Miyako like her dear friend and squadmate Sonoka also had her fair share of struggles that she hid beneath her surface personality. On the surface while Miyako’s base nature can be seen to be that of a joker at times it can be seen that Miyako was also someone that was noted to be quite perceptive and while she can be blunt when addressing others rather than due to being insensitive to others this is more because she wants to get to the heart of the matter before things can escalate into something else which is shown well in how she comforted Sonaka by telling her the truth about Yayoi’s actions after her death and in greeting and getting Claudia settled in before she can get overwhelmed with her new duty. At the same time while she may seem to be carefree it can be seen that even when she has no assigned tasks she strives to help the base and her friends whenever she can and if not possible then on striving to improve herself showing well her earnestness and diligent nature. Undoubtedly the role that best shows this aspect of Miyako was the fact that she alone had chosen the responsibility to act as the sender a Valkyrie whose job was to send the grievously wounded soldiers whose injuries were incurable into the next life as gently and as painlessly as possible by staying with them right until the end. While the role itself is not a stated role that she should be taking on Miyako’s decision to take on the role shows well that not only does she see each person at the base as her friend but she also sees them as a source of motivation that will serve to help her fight effectively in the skies above. More than anything I felt that this aspect of hers show that beneath the jolly and ever active surface personality that Miyako shows to others that she while understanding well that she has neither the intelligence that Azuzu has or the hard-earned experience that Claudia has can still function effectively as a Valkyrie by focusing solely on the goals and objectives that she can accomplish without having to consider every angle of approach that often gives others pause. While certainly a direct approach to things I felt that this attitude did well to show a side of maturity to her that showed well not only her preference at aiming at goals that she can accomplish but also showing how much she places her trust in others as well. Overall as a character, Miyako was one that I felt represented well the different archetypes that exist among the minds of others. While her fellow squad mates Claudia and Azuzu are formidable combatants in their own right each was backed by something that was unique to them with Claudia having the experience earned through countless battles and Azuzu her intelligence and adaptability that was earned through countless hours of strategizing for Miyako while she has none of these what she brings to the table is something that is just as valuable which is that of hope for even though Miyako knows that she cannot hope to match her friends in their respective skills by branching out to others and forming bonds with and vowing to help and protect them from the sky she is not only able to use such hope as her source of motivation she by inspiring others is also in a way striking back at the pillars by negating the sense of despair that the pillars brought to the world through her actions and kindness something that I felt suited Miyako really well. AMV In terms of animation, I felt that the character designs for both the Valkyries and their support staff within the series were pretty well designed. While the Valkyries themselves are powerful fighters that act as both the shield and sword of humanity in the war against the pillars I felt that their design reflected well on the fact that while they are not part of any nations military that they are still people that have individual stakes in this war that’s just as high as their allies. At the same time while certainly intended as a side effect on Odin’s part the design of the girls as teenagers that vary in age from early to late teens also served to have a synergizing effect on the relationship dynamics that form between the Valkyries and their allies within the countries in which they are assigned to a move that served to enhance both parties effectiveness in the war by giving both parties an understanding on just how much each party can help the other in their fight against the pillars a sense of understanding and comradery that served to provide ample motivation for both sides to fight ever harder in the war. In terms of equipment that was used within the series while the human forces made effective usage of the modern-day fighter aircraft that was assigned to them in the form of F15J’s, I felt that the antiqued warplanes that the Valkyries made use of which largely came from the World war eras of history were an interesting choice. While I would have preferred to see them be outfitted with more modern equipment that was on par with their allies I did feel that the unique power that Valkyries commanded was better utilized via the machine and cannon emplacements that served as such planes main armament as while providing the hard-hitting impact that modern weapons lacked it also served to allow us the viewer see the kind of tension-filled battles that was unique to dogfighting enemies with such weapons while also making best use of their planes unique maneuverability as well tension that I felt will be lacking if they had been using modern fighter jets. With regards to the pillars that serve as the series primary antagonist faction, I felt that they were kind of a mixed bag. While the designs of the pillars I felt were impressive and showed some interesting variations in both design and abilities possessed I felt that this was somewhat wasted due to the rather limited scope of abilities that they had. However whilst the villain of the week enemies was limited in scope I felt that in the major enemies that the girls encounter within the series does the enemy variety really show its strengths in the form of the giants that lived within the primary pillars as well as their power to raise the dead and use them against the Valkyries with this being used to notable and devastating effect in ep6. The thought that not only do the girls need to contend with a new enemy but also fight against the hero wings that were piloted by the reincarnated puppets of their deceased dear friends I felt really served to make that battle both physically and emotionally harder for them as even as enemies they were still people that they once counted as valued comrades which made pulling the trigger that much harder. In terms of music, the series made use of one opening and ending theme which was Higher’s High that was performed by Akari Nanawo and Sayonara Namida which was performed by Spira Spica. While both of these songs were excellent ones I felt that they served to give off contrasting feelings and emotions when taken in with the accompanying visuals with the former showing well that while each of the Valkyries that make up the 909th is a squadron that’s still new to the frontlines that they and their allies within the base despite their inexperience are still determined to not only prove themselves by facing the pillars but also in the process overcome the emotional scars that have come from seeing years of continuous combat with the pillars that have seen countless friends and allies perish in front of them by not only bonding with each other but use this bond to show the pillars the might of their determination. In contrast to the upbeat and determined nature of the opening themes underlying message I felt that the series ending theme was somewhat different both in tone and in the kind of emotions that this conveyed to the listener with the song in this case being a sombre, emotional and beautiful one that reminded the listener of the countless sacrifices that both the Valkyries and humanity are putting in as they fight as one in order to protect the things that are dearest to them. Voice acting wise despite the inexperience of the main cast I felt that overall the series main voice cast all did an excellent job at portraying their assigned characters whether main or support ones. In particular, I felt that Hibiku Yamamura, Mao Ichimichi, Sayaka Kikuchi, and Nene Hieda all did an excellent job at portraying their assigned characters of Claudia, Azuzu, Sonoka, and Miyako respectively. While both Sayaka Kikuchi and Nene Hieda are new seiyuu’s I hope that through this series that both were able to learn a great deal from it and in turn improve in ability as seiyuu’s and in the near future step up to take on main roles. Overall conclusion In overall I felt that Senyoku no Sigrdrifa was an interesting anime that while having some decent strong points in the form of its unique premise of an alien invasion that was paired with an interesting story that combined high tension aerial combat, gods and Valkyries learning to fight together as a team by overcoming their trauma and forge strong bonds that enabled them to fight effectively as a unit, not as mere comrades but dear friends and an excellent vocal cast was somewhat let down by a lack of an effective challenge for the girls by the pillars until the latter half of the series that served to sap the sense of tension that the opening episode created as well as odd design choices for episodes that was rather puzzling with the ep4’s heavy use over the top comedy being the most notable. However, while I found the first half lacking in tension I am thankful in that the latter half of the series was shown to be of a much higher quality than the first half due to its skilful usage of revelations, guest stars in the form of the always-excellent Marina Inoue and shock value in the form of the reveal of Thor and his unique ability that was both devastating to the girls while at the same time being the final piece of the puzzle that was needed for the girls to finally overcome their trials and find the truth about this war. Overall in terms of final score would say that Senyoku no Sigrdrifa would deserve a score of 6/10 for while the series had a decent premise, characters, battle scenarios, and a good combination of feelings that it tried to convey to the viewer through both the battles and the development of the characters as well as an excellent voice cast it was let down by some odd design choices for individual episodes that served to cause a sense of disconnect with the main plot. While the second half of the season served to introduce a sense of mystery and additional tension via the revelations of Odins secret and the heavy losses sustained in the offensive and the girls determination to strike back to both protect their loved ones and finally unravel the secrets that were borne of those sacrifices this I felt really served to make the final episodes that much more compelling as we get to see the girls we watched over throughout the series fight with all their might and skill to protect the ones dearest to them and in the process forge a new path for not just themselves but for the world as well. While the series may have stumbled at some points within its journey due to a bad episode or too Senyoku in my eyes is one of the rare series that managed to overcome this and give us a much stronger second half of the series that not only incorporated the best elements from the first half but improved it significantly as well a feat that was not only through the hard work of the writers but also of the seiyuu’s as well.

Senyoku no Sigrdrifa (also known as Sigururi) is one of the most underrated anime that I've ever seen. It's not anything groundbreaking or life-changing, and the animation is fairly average, but I absolutely love how this show handles itself and its themes. The decision to make the first episode double-length is the smartest thing they could have possible done. Had it been a normal length and the episode ended at the 22 minute mark, I probably would have dropped the show. The way the series opens is incredibly bleak, with Claudia at the end of her rope following another failed mission. What I wasn't expecting atall was for the show to do a complete and total 180-degree turn with her transfer to Tateyama, and for the show to hit us with the one thing that can make any premise interesting: CUTE. ANIME. GiRLS. The show doesn't become bleak again until its characters have been established and we actually feel the stakes at hand. When this shift does occur, Sigururi really begins to handle its themes of failure and the definition of family incredibly well. It would be a lot easier to elaborate on this by diving into spoiler territory but obviously I can't do that here. All I'll say is that if anything I went over sounds interesting to you, I'd definitely recommend checking Sigururi out.

Merchandise

Links may contain affiliate references

Studio

Producers

Themes