Anime: Nejimaki Seirei Senki: Tenkyou no Alderamin 1be6r

Having just finished half a dozen or so light-themed shows, Alderamin was a great palette cleanser. This show is a military-based, strategy-focused action show featuring an early rising general, Ikuta, and a merciless melee swordsman (what is it with swords and redheaded gals these days). It takes place in an alternate world where cavalry is still in use and rifles are considered the bleeding edge of technology. The show reminded me strongly of Valkyria Chronicles in many ways- primary protagonist, early plot progression, and the technological state of the world.

Though not a complete masterpiece, the show tells a contiguous story and is led by a protagonist who for once is not an all-powerful Kira Yamato like figure. Unfortunately, the story isn't really complete; it only tells the first chapter of Ikuta's rise. Nevertheless, it is an enjoyable ride and leagues ahead of other recent shows like Qualidea Code.

Animation:
Alderamin has a rather bright, saturated color palette, giving the show a bit of a happy mood despite the brutal reality of war. Shading is actually pretty good and you get a lot of pretty colorization effects in the background. Some of the battles feature a bit too much 3D CGI for my taste but I guess this is becoming the norm these days. I'm also not a particular fan of the character styling, honestly I almost skipped out on this show because of the facial drawing style. Emotions are fair overall but occasionally characters feel a bit stiff, especially the heroine Igsem and our princess. The show also feature miniature fairy-like spirit beings that specialize in generating light, fire, etc. They kind of look like less-cute, emotionless versions of Normins found in the Zestiria world.

There is a large amount of action in this show though the choreography isn't anything special. Expect a great deal of blood in this show, especially whenever sword master Igsem shows up. There's a large amount of suffering and death in the show but they almost always spare you from the more grueling parts. This isn't a show about a particular character's invincibility in battle, the excitement comes instead from the protagonist's ability to tactically outsmart his opponent. Though there are a few suggestive scenes and Ikuta is a bit of a player, this isn't an ecchi-focused show.

Sound:
The sound package was a bit underwhelming overall. The show opens with a rock-based OP that badly needs a more focused melody and ends with an ever-so-slightly slower ED that likewise isn't particularly memorable. The BGM is mostly orchestral, ive but nothing special.

The show has a fairly good VA cast led by the commanding performance of Risa Taneda. We also have rising stars Haruka Chisuga and Inori Minase in important roles. That said, there are tons of guys in this show; expect a large amount of screen time to be taken by stereotypical military/politically-inclined male voices.

Story:
From the very beginning of the show, we hear the princess narrate that this tale is about the early career of Ikuta, who will eventually be revered as a genius general. Despite this giveaway plot shield, the show still manages to draw the in through rather clever tactical troop strategies - it's like mystery but you're guessing how he'll overcome the next obstacle. Despite being a war-themed show, the mood is surprisingly light for a good portion of the time- whether it is the playful, relaxed nature of our protagonist or just inappropriate atmosphere is up to the viewer. There is a bit of political maneuverings and some hints at racial divides, but compared to A/Z or Schwarzesmarken I would say it's on the light side.

The story can be roughly divided into four main story arcs, each with its own rising action and climax. There aren't too many cliffhangers per say but there are a multitude of nicely placed plot twists. Though we have a military genius in our protagonist, there are some pretty interesting curveballs thrown his way. The show ends on a ridiculously large cliffhanger that begs for more episodes, this feels like but chapter one of a long and interesting novel. One drawback is the huge number of unanswered setting questions, the largest of which is what the heck Alderamin and the unexpressive spirits that accompany everyone are. Thank goodness, the main plot is exciting enough that you won't have too much time to dwell on such questions.

Character:
If you're tired of the typical male protagonist, then Alderamin sure has a treat for you. Ikta may be a smart, cunning military officer, but he is also lazy, outspoken, and a flirt. He is as commandeering with the ladies as he is on the battlefield, though this is by no means an action based harem. He reminds me a lot of Welkin Gunther from Valkyria for obvious reasons, but is much more unpredictable in general, and thus much more interesting. Rarely in this genre do we see a leading figure so blatantly heedless of rank.

The other characters are more average in general. Supposedly, the first arc introduces Ikta's friends, but honestly other than our redhead heroine, the others don't really get that much serious interaction or exposition. Even the princess is still quite the mystery at the end of the show. The antagonists are likewise fairly generic and some verge on downright inept.

Though there are some character interactions and light development, don't expect any particularly deep relations to form; just look at how small a part Daru Nanaku and Suya end up playing. Honestly, if you're going to like the characters, you'd better like Ikta.

Value:
Alderamin is an above average show that does a good job of differentiating itself. Though production values are not particularly strong, Ikta and his interestingly unpredictability give the plot a strong boost. It is a bit annoying that the show leaves such a huge portion of Ikta's back-story unexplained, but there's enough of it to whet one's appetite. This is an entertaining watch, and I hope we'll see more of it.

For a light novel adaptation, Alderamin does the unthinkable and has no schools and no direct fan service. It even attempts to have tactical warfare instead of overpowered beta males that need to fulfill some destiny by forming a huge harem.

At the same time, it is way less entertaining than your typical light novel adaptation because the writing is still bland. The reason they stuff these stories with panties and high schools is exactly for dres the otherwise barebones writing. It’s like soup without salt, pepper, or anything else that would flavor it somehow. It comes off as unimpressive and boring to follow for anything else besides the mind games the characters occasionally play amongst them.

Even there, the presentation is not the best, since animation and soundtrack are able. The setting is supposed to be taking place at a serious looking military academy yet many of the characters are using magic through the use of fairies. And I don’t mean the cute cuddly type of fairies, since these spirits behave like they are animated corpses. With their dead eyes, expressionless face, and simplistic design, they serve as weird looking magic batteries as well as weak points. Exposing them is the same as incapacitating a magic , which seems to be a neat idea, but just like everything else it comes off as bland.

It doesn’t always have to do with fairy exposing, since most of the battles are about politics, thinking ahead, and outsmarting the enemy generals, but even there it doesn’t feel like it’s that smart. The protagonist is supposed to be a genius strategist, yet most of his plans are working because his opponents are idiots instead of actually competent opponents.

And yes, I know the same issues plague even Legend of the Galactic Heroes but at least the cast there was charming. Other than that, I like Ikta, since unlike most protagonists in anime, he is not scared shitless of women and does not believe hard work and believing in your friends can make everything possible. He is lazy and easy going, essentially a clone of a certain character from the aforementioned show.

It also doesn’t help that the first third of the anime is a very slow introduction to cast and setting where nothing much happens, and why most casual watchers will drop it before it gets to the juicier parts. And no, I am not saying it gets better, I am only saying there is plot actually happening after that. The characters are otherwise dull and usually expressionless from start to finish; there is no real charm in whatever they are doing to make you care about them. You cannot even call the chicks sexy, despite having exposed midriffs and miniskirts. They have the warmth of icebergs.

The ending is incomplete, which is like they are telling us to go buy the novels because there is most likely not going to be a second season. Even as an infomercial, I don’t find it very successful since it fails to make me care about anything that is going on in the story. Although I consider it way better than something similar like the hot garbage that was Lord Marksman and Vanadis, it is still far from what can be considered a decent series, and yet another proof of why light novels are an insult to literature.

Review
The medieval fantasy genre has never been so decently represented in the japanese industry as in these last few years. For a genre tradionally brought down by anime tropes and a difficulty to represent western elements, shows like GATE, Vanadis, Akatsuki no Yona, Shingeki no Bahamut, Arslan, and even the flawed revival of Berserk managed to deliver an experience more akin to what western fans typically seek. Sword fights were aplenty, warfare, scheming, and even bits of characters with medieval-like personalities were achieved in these works, although there were always those annoying high-school templates spoiling the fun from time to time.

Nejimaki Seirei Senki: Tenkyou no Alderamin (Alderamin) is the newest show of the genre, narrating the rise of Ikta Solork, a mastermind tactician and scientist, and Yatorishino Igsen, an umatched swordfighter, amongst the military ranks of Katvarna Empire as the war against Kioka escalates.

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1. A simple change
   Alderamin offers a simple, yet efficient twist to avoid the mistake done by nearly all the recent shows portraiting some sort of military school or magical school. Instead of delivering a protagonist capable of being unbeatable both in a fight and in strategy, the show opts for two protagonists. Ikta is the mind, a guy capable of beating anyone when it comes to warfare, quick thinking, and logic. Yatori is the sword, an invincible amazon with enough cunning to resonate with Ikta and understand his line of thought. This division makes things far better, as you can feel each of those characters can be vulnerable if apart and you can understand that they are only truly invincible when together.
   
   A good tale
   A war between two large empires is basically the backdrop of any medieval fantasy show there is, so I won't enter the merit of originality. Alderamin, however, deliver a decently paced tale, presenting us to the fight between the two forces, giving us room to meet some of its cast, doing their rounds with the mandatory school-like setting, and finally reaching a climax as new players charge into the war and the bigger picture start to get clearer. As far as a medieval fantasy show needs to be successful, this is right on the spot.
   
   A able work
   Studio Madhouse did no surprise with Alderamin. The show is nicely colored and animated, delivering decent action scenes and giving us expressive characters. Sadly though, the model from which Alderamin extract its essence is a boring one. The characters all look the same as every other fantasy fare out there, with an absurdly generic visual for the protagonist, the red-haired girl we are all tired of, and some combos of dumb coward chubby guy, big-breasted healer, and annoying cliche'd leaders with moustaches or lazy berhaviors. As much as Madhouse wanted to deliver an awesome job, it was impossible from the start if the style was stuck with this.
   
   A decent progression
   Although the characters all look generic, fortunately some of them are at least a bit fun to watch when acting. Ikta is a lazy genius, womanizer and irresponsible. The berseker Yatori provide interesting combat sequences, and you see some confidence being born in the hearts of part of the cast such as Matthew and Torway. Alderamin also brings some welcome twists, such as nicely timed deaths and big victories. "See that ancient ghost unit of elite warriors? Oh, sorry, they all died when shot." For a show relying on the brains more than muscle, it succeeds in providing victories that don't feel as simple script shielding by the author.
   
   A ongoing series
   Well, you know. Alderamin is just the start of a bigger tale. It narrates the events of Ikta and Yatori as they finally make an important decision within the war setting. As a introdutory work though, it does awesomely. You learn about parts of the setting, you are left with many questions, and you are given a decent closure. If perhaps the sound direction could be better this could be an hell of a epic medieval war drama. But there's still hope it will be.
   

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Comments
Alderamin was yet another refreshing show of this genre. Although I mentioned many medieval fantasy representatives have been aired recently, most of them still struggled with the shackles of the japanese industry. GATE ended up being about nekomimi and gorgeous elves, Berserk was an auto-destructible experience, Vanadis turned warfare into a boring narrator, and so on. Alderamin follows its own route, being some sort of enhanced Legend of Legendary Heroes or Code Geass turned medieval. It offers a protagonist doted of military intelligence aided by a girl capable of killing anyone, and together they dig themselves into the war, dragging people around them and beating the ass of their enemies from the ground up.

It has many ways to get even better in its next seasons. Unlike Arslan it doesn't lose itself to unbelievable characters playing key roles, unlike GATE it is quite safe when it comes to the female cast, and even in its weird choices such as cute pinky friendly spirits and ionate women, it remains focused on what it wants to be: a medieval epic.