The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel—The Northern War

‘Trails’ has been one of the best JRPG series ever. The series has amassed a massive fanbase over the years, and with the gameplay and story it provides, anyone can see why. I haven't played all the games in this series, but Trails of Cold Steel 2 and 3 have been a gratifying experience.

So, when it was announced that the Trails series was getting an anime, I was excited to finally see this 'anime-like game’ setting get that much-awaited adaptation. Moreover, when the title was revealed later, the Northern War only ended up making the anime one of the most anticipated titles for all the Trails fans out there.

That is because the Northern War is something that isn't shown in the game, being an event that's just talked about through dialogue and recollections during cutscenes, and that has always made the war seem like this ‘pandora box’ that's going to shake the fanbase inside out whenever it opens.

However, after finishing the anime, it's been a total letdown. I can't imagine how it's been for fans new to the series or those who have just heard about the games but never decided to play them, given that JRPG titles take a lifetime to complete.

But even as die-hard Trails fans, it was hard to find things about the anime that you would like, to be honest. If you're a Trails fan, I'm here to tell you why you shouldn't watch this anime and let your imagination alone fill the gap this war has created between the second and third games.

Bridging The Gap While Creating A Bigger One.....

Set between the events of the second and third Trails of Cold Steel games, this anime season was made to bridge the gap and fill the holes created thanks to the video game entries. But just like Dragon Ball Super, it only ended up widening that gap, flooding our heads with all these queries we won't have answered anytime soon.

The story starts with Winslet Lavian, our main protagonist and the newest character in the Trails series. Set in North Ambria, the poorest region of Zemuria, it's a shame that they couldn't build a meaningful story, given they had so much to work with.

From the North Ambrian disaster, the Salt Pale incident, and the politics that have always been a thing in the Trail's games, we got nothing but a new bland protagonist who's punished for taking down that Leviathan monster in the first episode. Winslet Lavian wishes to join the Northern Jaegers. This mercenary group consists of members of the former state military, since that's one of the few ways to secure any investment for this poor region.

Throughout the series, we see Winslet Lavian become the center of attention in this faction while trying to uncover the secrets the state and this mercenary group are hiding. Most of the time, the story seems to circle this loop, not having any direction or purpose, and that gets you thinking about what they had in mind while writing something like this.

Poor North Ambria, Poorer Animation

No one expected the show to get the prestigious ‘Anime of the Year' award. But given the success of the Trails games, was it okay for us to expect some decent animation?

For the entirety of its runtime, the Northern War feels like a PowerPoint presentation, with the frames being allowed to move occasionally. It sometimes gets hard to watch since you can't help but notice how lazy the studio has been with everything. Moreover, the CGI is just awful. Just look at those vehicles in motion. It seems like the infamous Goblin Slayer gave birth to these heaps of metal used for transporting God knows what.

An action/fantasy anime, sort of like a post-war setting, is bound to feature action elements that carry it to the finish line. That's like the oldest rule in the book. But the fights regarding Trails of Cold Steel: Northern War are really out of place.

From slow movements to bad transitions to even worse camera angles, this anime is action done wrong, and it's at its worst at that. Fights don't last that long either, and not a single battle stands out as being decent or watchable without gouging your eyes out and cleaning them with water and soap.

Bland Characters, Blander Protagonist

Sure, getting to see some familiar faces from the series was a total treat. But other than that, the character cast is bland at best. Lavian Winslet has no personality, and throughout the series, we don't see her character shining or developing in a manner that would cement her as a memorable character. The new side characters are the same, and combined with the poor animation that the series has, everything feels out of place, and it's hard to remember even their names when you're done with the anime.

To be honest, it's regrettable how this turned out. With the Northern War, you could accomplish so much: bring in some new characters that were actually good, or make use of the different developments that were already in place, just waiting for you to execute them in the best way possible.

But apparently, we just don't like doing that for some reason. Seriously, the only good thing I can think of is that getting to see some of the stuff from the video games in the form of an anime adaptation made me remember the time when I was in the middle of finishing those games, but other than that; nothing stands out.

The music, for the most part, follows suit as well. However, the opening theme slaps really hard, and that song will be something I'll be listening to for quite some time in the future. I hope we see more from the vocalist!

If you still want me to spell it out for you, I'll keep it simple. Don't watch this show. Even as a Trails of Cold Steel fan, it was hard to keep up with everything that was going on, so I can only imagine how miserable it'd be for someone new to the series and wanting to use the anime as a gateway to get into the series. Everything from the story to the characters is bland at best, making it super easy to get lost in this mess that has little to say for it by the time it ends. A lot of you would drop it by the second episode or so. Want to test it out?

Given how it was made to bridge the gap between the two games, it's almost comical how it has only given birth to these discrepancies and plot holes that won't be getting plugged in anytime soon. I doubt we'll see another season since, with the way this first one ended, even the staff wouldn't want to work on another one.

A 4/10 seems perfect; that four makes sense if you're a Trails of Cold Steel fan since at least you can see something from the video game. Other than that, there's little to say or talk about. If you’re a fan of the video game series and want to see what the anime is all about and experience the Northern War that wasn’t shown or talked about in the video games, then be my guest and see whether I’m telling the truth.

As for the people who aren’t familiar with the games, I’d recommend playing them first and foremost and then getting into this anime in case they want to, since otherwise, it’ll be tough to make heads and tails out of this season. Again, it’s a shame that the season ended like this since we all know this setting had a lot of potential and, if done right, could’ve quickly become one of the best anime of the seasonal lineup. But it is what it is; let’s hope for something better in the future!