Overview:
Legend says, when the Evil God awakens from the deepest of darkness, the god of fate will summon Six Braves and grant them with the power to save the world. Adlet, who claims to be the strongest on the face of this earth, is chosen as one of the “Brave Six Flowers,” and sets out on a battle to prevent the resurrection of the Evil God. However, it turns out that there are Seven Braves who gathered at the promised land.
From Crunchyroll
Review:
I copied and pasted the overview this time because essentially this is supposed to be a mystery and given the series ends at an episode titled “The Time To Reveal The Answer” kind of means that if you have already been tipped off as to who the seventh is there isn’t a lot of point in watching. Mostly because even though the established premise of this series is that the braves have to go and fight the demon god, the series ends with them going to fight the demon god. Way to shoot your storyline in the foot.
So we end up with something that kind of feels like a prequel series to the story of how the braves defeat the demon god, and admittedly, it is interesting enough. As the characters point out about episode 4 or 5, it is a locked room mystery that needs to be solved. We’ve got a limited cast in a confined area and while there is no murder yet, all of them believe it is only a matter of time before the seventh tries to kill them so why not kill the seventh first.
This is pretty much my biggest issue with this series. It ignores the grander plot of the world to focus on one step of a journey these characters are on (which would be fine if this were the first installment in an ongoing saga but as far as I am aware there’s been no announcement of a continuation of the anime) and the characters fall back on the silliest of all assumptions. They assume suspecting each other and trying to find the culprit is actually the best option when all it does is nearly lead to them taking each other out (which is more likely the plan in the first place). If they’d actually just looked for a way to deactivate the seal from the start and decided to not worry about whether someone was a fake or not, the fake would have had to act (giving themselves away) or would have simply failed.
Having got that gripe out of the way, I really enjoyed watching this. Adlet is a really fun protagonist. Yeah, he boasts a bit and at times plays the fool, but he’s a lot of fun to watch in combat, to travel with, to see the other characters from his perspective, and he doesn’t have amazing plot armour saving him from harm though he does rely heavily on luck, a fact even he acknowledges toward the end. There are a few inconsistencies in how injured he is at times where it looks like one minute he can’t move, then he’s standing, and then he’s collapsed again, but this is a minor nit-pick.
Actually, the four of the seven braves we meet are really fun characters (even if they aren’t entirely likeable). Unfortunately that leave three that mostly just fill a particular plot point or role and don’t really endear themselves as actual characters. This is kind of a problem for the simple reason that it really limits the number of suspects the audience actually has when putting the mystery together. There’s really only two probabilities from a fairly early point in the series and by episode 8 it should become reasonably obvious which on is the culprit and which one is the red-herring. They did try a small twist at the end by making you believe the red-herring was the culprit but that didn’t last particularly long before attention turned to the one who was the obvious suspect. I’m going to leave that line of speculation there because anything further just spoils viewing for others.
I wasn’t a fan of the theme song for this series. It isn’t bad by any means but it is just kind of there and the visuals are kind of ordinary. Considering the tone of the show and the over-the-top nature of some of the characters it would have been great for the opening to really get you ready for the show but mostly it was just kind of there and then we began.
Visually this show is interesting. The fight sequences were fun to watch. Right from episode one where Adlet interrupts a sacred tournament, I enjoyed watching the combat in this show. Each character has a truly unique style and weapons and they tend to use tactics more than brute strength (though there is definitely an aspect of brute strength in a few of the fights). I liked the designs of the temples and cities with its very central/south american feel even as none of the character designs or weapons matched that particular setting. What it ends up feeling like is something wholly unique and it works even if it isn’t particularly logical at times.
Really, this was fun to watch. I started it because I had a long weekend and wanted just to declutter my mind and ended up not really being able to stop watching. I did stop at episode 8 the first day and finished the remaining four episodes the next morning, but otherwise did this almost without pauses. I knew going in that the overall plot line wasn’t going to finish so that was less annoying than it might have been and the mystery was wrapped up neatly even though they then threw some sequel bait at us. Basically, if you haven’t given this one ago and you’ve got some free time, it will probably be an enjoyable few hours of viewing.
What are your thoughts on Rokka?
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I think I was more caught up with the mystery and how I hated watching it play itself out (I’m a big mystery buff) instead of taking the time to enjoy the experience of the characters. I agree that there is primarily four characters that we are given a chance to enjoy in this show, even if that is hindered by the overall narrative having a sense of tunnel vision at times. It feels like its creating a good mystery and forsakes some elements because of it which disappoints me because I really do enjoy the bits of the world and characters we received.
I would have enjoyed a continuation. This was one of those shows that needed the full source material adapted. Didn’t work as a standalone experience, especially ignoring the big picture plot and that end bit (you know what I mean)… Really wanted to like this one but it ended up leaving me wanting more without being all that satisfying :/
As fun as it was, I think that lack of conclusiveness is probably the real sticking point for this series. It’s fun while it lasts but it’s never going to be great so will probably not come to mind when you are recommending something or just wanting a complete viewing experience. Still, I don’t regret watching it which is a feeling I normally have after getting to the end of something that isn’t finalised and that’s probably because the mystery that was the main plot point focussed on in this series was solved.
OH! I might give this one a try. Love your review!
Hope you enjoy it.
I remember watching this anime and being totally thrown off by the change of tone around episode 4. Glad it went that direction because otherwise I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed it as near as much. Also, it’s neat to see Fantasy and mystery clash together, for it’s a rare combo in itself. Im happy you enjoyed binging the show!
It is a different kind of story in a fantasy setting, though part of me wants to see the demon king fight.
So glad you enjoyed the series and thankful for your review because I am planning on talking more about Rokka myself and the more opinions I see, the bigger of a picture I can get from how people view this show.
I do wanna express my opinions on a few subjects:
I’d argue looking for the 7th Brave IS the best option. Because even though I am sure they would’ve eventually found the way to deactivate the seal if they worked together; I think a lot of that would’ve involved splitting up into groups to which the 7th Brave could’ve killed another Brave and the problem at hand is that none of them can die. If any of them die, they will lose confidence in their ability to fight the Demon God because they require all 6 Braves to fight him. Yeah, it would’ve revealed who the 7th Brave was(most likely) but they can’t afford to sacrifice a Brave for anything less than the Demon God.
And yeah, a lot of assumptions are made but that’s mostly from 1 character who is just very ignorant in her/his approach of doing things. I personally think that says more about the character than it just being a flaw but that’s just how I view things, I can definitely see people seeing it as a flaw- and it is but I see it as a healthy flaw in the character that shows that they are alive.
Regarding character designs and weapons not matching the setting: ehhhhhh… I think it suited just fine. Not perfectly, but I don’t think it came off as “out of place” as some people might think. I know you said you liked it but Idk I don’t think it strayed too far off from the setting. Like Adlet’s clothing was inspired by Aztec clothing.
Though, they did make it look masculine enough, I think his clothing was inspired by moreso feminine clothing. Which is funny. A lot of the setting and even character designs I think were inspired by the aztecs.
The issue with choosing to seek out the traitor is it meant they essentially were all in it alone. They can’t afford to sacrifice a brave for anything less than a demon god, except that several of them attempt to kill another brave at various points under the assumption they must the 7th. One of them even says if that doesn’t work she’ll try another and another. She doesn’t care how few braves are left by the end.
It’s not necessarily that she doesn’t care. It’s just she believes she’s sure of herself and that she knows what best interests the Braves have but in reality she’s ignorant and doesn’t get the big picture. She’s just focused at the current problem. Going fist first into every situation and is not afraid to do something scummy in order to achieve what she thinks is right.
Humpty does say something like that but you have to understand that information is a crucial part of how these characters act and portray one another. Humpty believes her to be simple- minded and he’s not wrong but I don’t necessarily believe what he says as he barely knows her.
information in the dialogue isn’t necessarily correct or definitively portrayed but rather is an added perspective of what one character thinks and can vary from character to character.
But knowing the information in the dialogue isn’t correct, and the characters knowing that, just makes the whole search even sillier. Unless the 7th acts, there is no way to definitevely know who they are. So they are just stuck in a loop of suspecting and being unable to verify.
Well, the whole situation is pretty silly. Again, it isn’t that the information is incorrect to the characters. It’s that they perceive it as correct. The 7th brave intends for them to be stuck and to “perfectly” blend in with the braves. If you notice, “perfect” is a word used a lot in this show and I don’t think it’s all that reliable.
The 7th believed in the “idea” of the there being a 7th that the 7th didn’t really need to hide the evidence all that well. Just enough for it to not be in plain sight and out of view should they search inside the locked room. The notion that someone would stab you in the back, ofcourse, is a risk that would generally be easier to take because of 2 reasons: 1. Generally nobody is suspected in this situation and when they are it’s almost the same story.
2. Risking someone’s life for the sake of a quicker escape isn’t an idea that a lot of people would be opposed to and I can think of a character or 2 in Rokka that would also agree with this method. But, as I mentioned, they are braves and they can’t risk that.
So, yeah. It’s silly to waste time what could probably take FOREVER retracing the same steps and even going the entire time without sleep or food.. In their minds, going as long as they can is less risky than losing a brave.
It also helps knowing that these people clearly aren’t master detectives. For one, Adlet’s Adlet. He’s smart and calculative but his brain isn’t specialized in this kind of thing. The other characters are either a heavily suspected demon who knows her suggestions are not gonna be taken seriously, a child who doesn’t give a shit, a bigshot who probably only got her job on the basis of brute strength and almost nothing else, a bunnygirl who’s too emotional and a lovestruck “child” who’s too loyal.
It’s safe to say that this case probably would’ve been cracked in record time for someone like L from Death Note but these people aren’t cut out for this kind of thing.
True. This is not the crack team of master detectives which is probably just as well given the 7ths ultimate plan is pretty silly.
And I do realize you could also be talking about Chamot but in her case- she’s just a child with a lot of confidence. She doesn’t care about any of the Braves she isn’t familiar with because she doesn’t understand the gravity of the situation. In her mind, she can just kill the Demon God by herself like it’s a typical Friday.
I just checked if this was available here, and luckily it is. Your review has really interested me for it, and you give it high praise. Seeing as it is weekend here, and we are experiencing very hot weather, I might give this one a go tomorrow. It really sounds cool, and I like the premise for it. Even though I am still in the middle of Yuri on Ice, I think I will watch this one in between. As always great review and thanks for the recommendation 😀
Apart from the obvious criticisms about a lack of ending, I really did enjoy watching this. Perfect binge for a weekend really. Hope you enjoy it.
The only problem is that the show had absolutely horrendous sales. I actually remember the sales numbers exactly, it sold 556 copies of its first volume of the anime week one. Which are numbers no anime studio would ever want to see.
Another season will sadly never happen, even tho I and a lot of people in the west who watched the show when it was airing.
And so the demon king revived and stomped everything flat. I guess that’s the ending we’ll just have to settle for.
Lol
In case if you were ever interested in continuing the series, the anime only adapted the first volume of the light novel.
So start with volume 2 and onwards.
I personally absolutely adored watching this show when it was first airing.