Knight's and Magic
So I finally went and popped my Isekai cherry, and all I can say is want my cherry back. I came across this anime on accident and dove in, dove out, and dove back in and made it to the end credits. Thank god it was only thirteen episodes in length; otherwise, this would have been as bad as the time I watched Tenchi Universe, only to find out it was a harem anime. Shame on the gods at Toonami for deceiving me.
As a rule, unless I’ve been exposed to the manga, word of mouth, web search, or advertisement, I try not to read about an anime before I watch it. I am not one hundred percent faithful to this rule, but it has spared me some disappointment over the years.
You do what you like as there is no sound way to delve into an anime. I’ve had friends tell me something was good only to find out it was terrible. The opposite has also occurred. Lastly, I’ve disliked an anime-only to watch it at a later date and fall in love. It is becoming apparent that the more I view anime, I realize that with many works, it takes between five and seven episodes to decide if I am going to soldier on.
Knight's and Magic is Isekai, meaning the main protagonist dies and is reborn in another world. A fantasy world. The story follows Kurata Tsubasa, an earthly mecha enthusiast, obsessed otaku, who dies in an accident and is reborn as Ernesti Echevalier. In his former life, Kurata was an exceptionally skilled programmer, and those skills carry over in his new life. He is adept at magic and piloting the Silhouette Knights. Silhouette Knights are large mech units used in this fantasy world. They are giant mecha used for fighting or defending against other kingdoms and defend against natural threats such as the Demon Beasts.
Demon Beasts are beings of various sizes that prey on humans. The kingdom of Fremmevillia, the realm that Ernesti is transported to, defends against these monstrous threats. A by-product of defeating these creatures is that they possess catalyst crystals—a material used to covert ether into mana. Mana is used to power the various machines and mecha.
Knight's and Magic or Naitsu to Majkku is based on a Japanese light novel written by Hisago Amazake-ru. The story was originally a web novel before becoming a light novel. Currently airing on Funimation and Crunchyroll, Knights and Magic was a 2017 anime release adapted by Eight Bit studio. A manga adaptation was released, Square Enix created by author Takuji Kato.
Ernesti Echevalier, our main protagonist and hero, is a twelve-year-old wunderkind who, for lack of a better expression, is a god-like being who, sans minimal training, excels to the top of the social hierarchy. His appearance is considered androgynous by some and a running trope as characters who initially meet him confuse him for a young girl.
A boy in all manner of being Ernesti or Eru is one reason I managed to like, I mean, tolerate this anime despite his move to the head of the class abilities. He is beautifully drawn and animated, and his youthfulness reminds me of when I was twelve and obsessed with electronics, Transformers, and tree climbing. His obsession with designs that include both form and function versus function over form is an engineering theme that appears within the anime.
His character designs and the designs of the supporting cast, kingdoms, vehicles, etc., are a highlight and did keep my attention. The use of 2D and 3D rendering was also a plus. At first viewing, I did not catch many animation errors, but heavy dark shading was a bit distracting—especially when viewing at night.
Instrumentally nothing stood out about the intro’s outros or OSTs used throughout the anime. I won’t bother to reference them but will only say that “HelloMyWorld!” the opening intro performed by Fhana is an excellent song that sets the viewer up for a bit of excitement only be confused throughout the series.
First, Knight's and Magic is not a hellish anime. It is a beautifully animated and illustrated series but seems to be torn in its own engineering ideology. Do we want form and function, form over function, function over form, or just form? It obviously didn’t want function as it seemed in my opinion that a lot of ideas were tossed on the table, and no clear direction was laid out. Not even the Mecha and insertion of a bit of fan service were enough to plug this sinking ship.
There is a fantastic story that isn’t well hashed out, and I imagine budget constraints were an issue. Nevertheless, I can follow the premise behind Isekai and overlook a few nuances, But the constant see-saw between light and dark themes became burdensome over time. The themes are easier to digest watching the sub, and I do recommend going sub over the English dub. The dub seemed hampered by a story that they plodded through instead of happily skipping along. In other words, I got the “a job is a job feeling” from watching it.
Knights and Magic is an anime best skipped if this your first Isekai. There are better choices, and I would prefer you save your Isekai virginity for a more suitable partner.
