Seirei no Moribito - Review

Let me begin by saying this: Whatever I say, whatever my opinion, there's really no way I'll be able to make justice to this masterpiece with this review. It's just that good. And it may overall be the best anime to come out this year. You owe yourself a favour to see it.

Seirei no Moribito, or Guardian of the sacred spirit; Is a book franchise now turned series about the mystical world of Nayug and the earthly world of sagu. Two worlds endlessly entwined in peaceful coexistence.

Balsa is a female spearwielder from a far away land, and a traveler in a voyage of redemption. Early in her life, lives were sacrificed for her sake; And to atone for her sins she will save lives of equal number to ease her concience. Even if this feat pits her against the royal court.

With only one life left to satisfy her debt, she's charged to protect the youngest heir to the royal throne. She's to guard him from his own father.

Inside him lays the seed of a demon that will bring drought and poverty to the kingdom if left to grow. But the pain of a mother and a duty of honor are all it takes to defy destiny and begin a journey that will shake the foundations of a nation to it's core.



What I love about this series is the human factor. Really, all characters act human, and all have good qualities. All of them are honor-bound, all exhibit maturity or growth and all of them are well developed withouth the need of silly quirks or gimmicks. Seirei no Moribito is based on a book, and it shows. There's nothing over the top, nothing excessive and certainly, nothing lacking here.

Hell, The series even doesn't go to the lenghts of "we're saving the world". Not at all; this is the life story of a woman of character and the boy she's been charged to protect. A tale of responsibility and growing up, a tale of faith and virtue. The world "epic" gets thrown here and there wherever there's strife shown in fiction, but I can tell you this: The word is well worth it's four letters to describe Seirei no Moribito.

And oh boy! The characters are great. Balsa herself is the hottest warrior character ever. She's got more balls than all wannabee spiky haired anime heroes together. Yet they managed to write her feminine and down-to-earth without taking away the fact that she's strong as nails. She is in short, a true woman of character; Something you rarely see in anime.

And you're in luck. Scholastic has a contract to publish the books in english. I myself will start saving for them. Give yourself the treat of the year and get Seirei No Moribito. It's an excellent product that will leave you wanting for more, yet satisfied with a well rounded series that is to be remembered.

And the production was handled by Production I.G. So you know you're getting quality.

Seirei No moribito gets 5 out of 5 stars of Seriously hot spearwielders.


You get a trailer:

And an opening with a funny engrish song:

Baccano! Review

I'm a sucker for stories that take place during the prohibition era. Don't know why, But I love the historical period. Heck, I would have loved to live during that age of turmoil and well-dressed people. And that's why Baccano! was one of my most anticipated series of 2007.

I could say Baccano is about 2 retard lovers that cause unsuspecting troubles everywhere they go. I could say it's about a dominance war between the most influential mafia families of New york. I could say it's a murder story set during a train hijacking. I could say it's the unfortunate story of a no-good man and his compassionate sister. Or that it's about Immortal alchemists and a ragtag band of thieves led by a crybaby.

Guess what? Baccano is about ALL of those last topics. Like a tropical smoothie, the mix actually manages to blend so many genres into one hell of a story that deserves a second go to be understood fully (as the narrative is presented in a non-linear way that is bound to confuse many).

Ok. And since there's not really a way for me to present a good story synopsys without spoiling the hell out of it, I'm going to tell you that you should get your rear in gear and download/torrent/import (whatever floats your boat) this 13 episode rollercoaster. You won't regret it.

Those that don't care about spoilers, Proceed.

------SPOILERS AHEAD ------

The story really begins a long time ago. A group of Alchemists and scientists, looking for eternal life, Summon the devil to grant their wish aboard a ship in the middle of the sea. And their wish is granted, albeit with certain rules.

1-When you wish to die, allow one of your immortal companions to "eat" you. And give him your knowledge.
2-You will not use false names in front of your brethen.
3-One of you will remain with the knowledge to create more of the eternal life drink.

But looks like life unending is unfit for humans. After treason, murder and strife storm the once peaceful ship, a covenant between immortals is achieved. They are to separate trough the world to ensure their survival.

And During the prohibition era in the United States, Immortals converge, Immortals die and Immortals are born. All in a series of entwined stories that have only one thing in common: Survival.



One last warning about this series; It's bloody. And we're not talking about "wow! That's a lot of red paint" bloody. No, We're talking about gibs, headshots, brains, torture, masochism, sadism, bloodbaths, gore, and a million ways to die while riding a train.

If you can look beyond the gory bits, this series is a definite favorite for anyone seeking an interesting anime. The amount of characters is staggering, yet all of them get good development and screen time. And even if some of them start as bothersome (like the two retards and the crybaby), they all end up having a good place in the story.

Baccano! gets 5 out of 5 stars of bloody immortal cammorristas.

And you get a spiffy opening: