Assassin’s Pride

Ladies and gentlemen, let me tell you a tale of a particular person that conceals their genuine identity to fit in with their judgmental society. Have you ever felt different from the rest of the family? The class's loner or black sheep, who draws the attention of the bullies? Would you strive to be what your family expects of you despite all the horrible comments and mistreatments? Would you ever lend a hand to that odd individual because they helped you realize how similar they are to you?

'Assassin’s Pride’ is directed by Kazuya Aiura, with Deko Akao handling the series composition and Maho Yoshikawa designing the characters. It was brought to life by EMT Squared studio, featuring the genre of Fantasy. It aired from October 10th to December 26th, 2019, on AT-X, Tokyo MX, SUN, and BS NTV and was licensed by Sentai Filmworks. It was streamed on Hidive and Crunchyroll. The first season consisted of 12 episodes with 24 each, and it was rated PG-13 for those 13 years or older.

'Assassin’s Pride’ is an Anime adapted from a light novel series of the same name. This series has published thirteen volumes since January 20th, 2016, under the Fujimi Fantasia Bunko imprint. A manga adaptation with art by Yoshie Katō has also been serialized in Shueisha's Seinen Manga magazine Ultra Jump since May 2017.

The city-state of Flandore is now humanity's final refuge after being driven to the brink of extinction. Each city block in Flandore is encased under its own glass dome. Train lines that operate through glass tunnels are the only means of transportation between the domes. The world beyond the domes has turned into a place of chaos and darkness and is utterly overrun by creatures known as "lycanthropes."

Because mana is passed down through aristocratic lineages, there is a big difference between nobility and commoners. Noble family members have the power to manifest mana through their blood, endowing them with powerful superhuman abilities. Mana users must use their ability to protect the last members of humanity against the dangerous creatures known as "lycanthropes." One of the key characters, "Melida," the daughter of the noble Angel family, needs a bodyguard and a teacher. "Kufa Vampir," who is one such assassin, is born and trained to fight these horrifying fights. Is his most recent duty to fulfill his role as an assassin or a tutor?

Even though Melida's family is one of the three great aristocratic families in the world and is renowned for having inherited the Holy Knight, a paladin class mana, Melida herself does not seem to possess such skill. Still, Kufa recognizes potential in his young pupil. Will she, however, develop her abilities and become a Paladin?

Melida, the only child of a noble father and a commoner mother, cannot manifest the powers she is expected to. She was believed to be the offspring of her commoner mother's secret liaison rather than her noble father. Others bullied her and labeled her useless, but she was determined to realize her dream of being a great warrior and paladin, so she kept fighting back and doing her best. To carry out his obligations, Melida's teacher, a covert assassin, Kufa Vampir, will have to kill her if Melida cannot manifest mana and unleash her skills.

After seeing Melida's tenacity and bravery as she fought back to the best of her ability with a wooden sword against monsters, things would start to change. She was aware that she had little chance because she lacked magical skills, yet she persisted in fighting rather than giving up, with a burning fire in her eyes. Kufa finally decides to take the girl on as an apprentice and ultimately shares his mana with her rather than kill her in defiance of his own authorities. She desires to join the 'Crest Legion’ as a mana user, as befits a member of the Angel family.

Who are these lycanthropes, though? There are more than 30 different lycanthrope races, although only a handful was shown in the light novel. They are as follows;

Vampire: The most powerful Lycanthrope.
Ghoul: A synthetic lycanthrope with the ability to control bandages.
Arachne: They have the power to control people and morph into enormous spiders.
Mad Wolf: Powerful werewolves that belong to the Lancanthrope clan. They were initially human refugees. The Mad Wolves are renowned for their power and violent tendencies.
Necromancer: Can summon and control undead.
Jabberwocky: A huge black, faceless Lycanthrope dragon type and Pumpkin Heads are one of the lower-ranking Lycanthropes.

This anime had a ton of original content from the first episode and great plot possibilities. But the story's execution and the portrayal of the characters other than Melida, Kufa, Rosetti, and Elli have some issues. There are several plot holes, which gives the impression that it is moving too quickly. The show offers the audience a cast of colorful characters, each with distinct characteristics, but fails to demonstrate inter-character growth. Instead of taking the time to show us how specific people have changed or become closer, the story just skips through the development and pushes us to accept it.

The animation was stunning, the soundtracks were unique, and the characters were appealing. However, given the 4-year age gap between Melida, 13, and Kufa Vampir, 17, this story will become rather uncomfortable if they are to fall in love in future seasons.

Melida is a little girl who, despite The Angels having had silver-white hair for millennia, got her beautiful blonde hair from her commoner mother. Her red ribbon holds up some of it, which she wears in little side buns. Her eyes have a brilliant ruby hue. Given that her mana wasn't awakened and her hair color differed from the Angels, the nobility despises her and believes she is the result of her mother's extramarital relationship. She was pretty timid, yet if necessary, she would fight and protect the people she loved. However, under Kufs Vampir's direction and training, she gains more self-assurance and improves as a capable fighter.

Kufa is an extremely tall man with dark purple hair and stunning, enigmatic eyes. He belongs to the White Night guild and acts as the primary protagonist, a fascinating character in his own right. He may behave per his judgment while being an undercover assassin. The relationship between the teacher and student deepens as they learn more about one another and discover that Kufa is a strong lycanthrope who is half vampire and half human. Melida embraces Kufa for who he is and admires him, even though he attempts to obliterate her memories in the hopes that she won't like him for who he is.

Even though the animation and music were adorable, the adaptation wasn't excellent since it omitted a lot from this fantasy light novel. The music was beautiful and original. The series' opening theme song, "Share the light," was sung by Run Girls, Run!, and its closing theme, "Time of Foreigners," by Tomori Kusunoki.

In conclusion, this show would appear inconsistent and have missed the opportunity for a fantastic tale. It might not be to everyone's taste and may cause unease by showcasing a minor mingling with an older man. However, it is entirely up to your preferences whether you’ll like this series or not. Maybe you’d rather read the light novel and manga instead of watching the incomplete adaptation, so give it a spin and find out!