Giant Beasts of Ars | Ars no Kyojuu | Anime Review

Giant Beasts of Ars

The last few years have been full of surprises, so much so that very little surprises us anymore. Perhaps the apocalypse is just around the corner, or it is already spreading silently, unnoticed by us. We have so many post-apocalyptic anime that it's almost becoming tiresome to watch more. However, some aspects can be handled far better in newer anime.

“Giant Beasts of Ars,” also known as “Ars no Kyojuu,” is a 12-episode TV anime series that aired from the 7th of January until the 25th of March in Winter 2023. Studio Asahi Production brought it to life with the assistance of Mainichi Broadcasting System, Sentai Filmworks, Bilibili, DMM.com, Bit Groove Promotion, and NetEase. Producers Kouchiyama Takashi, Kamei Hiroshi, Matsumoto Takuya, and Iwakami Toru worked together on this project.

These 24-minute episodes featured action, adventure, and fantasy genres and received a rating of PG-13 for teenagers 13 years of age or older. This original series was released on Blu-ray in two volumes from the 31st of May until the 28th of June, 2023.

We are introduced to the world of Ars, where humans have led a decades-long war against gigantic beasts that continue ravaging the land and feeding on their resources. But where there are monsters, there are also those who quell them. As such, the fighters, in this case, are champions called "Nagimori," who use the destructive power of beings gifted with uncontrollable magical powers called "Kannagi." Thus we turn to our unfortunate MC, who is in the midst of mourning the death of his war partner, a former Nagimori named Jiiro. His path soon crosses that of Kuumi, a young woman who has just awakened her magical powers.

When Jiiro learns that Kuumi has escaped from a laboratory and is being pursued by the underlings of Mezami, the head of said research facility, the two fortuitously form a contract to save the city from a giant beast attack. Despite his reservations, he eventually agrees to assist Kuumi in evading her pursuers and begins traveling with his new companion. Her friend, Myaa, a young girl wearing a cat headdress, joins them.

However, while this unlikely trio explores the Arsian lands, the top officials begin to implement their plans. During the course of their exciting journey, this unassuming band of explorers will learn that their fellow humans are far more terrifying than any other monster they may encounter.

Before proceeding any further, let it be known that this anime chose to copy Attack on Titan instead of the entirety of the fantasy anime genre. That sums up much of the series, sadly. I had hope for this one, considering it's an original series, because it could showcase something different and refreshing.

The most significant difference it has going on is that it’s more akin to Monster Hunter, but it falls flat on its face as another wasted opportunity for well-rounded anime. The execution is terrible, and this show would be mildly entertaining. This series had the potential to be something grander and more cohesive because it shared many similarities with more successful shows. But in the end, we ended up with an anime that was difficult to wrap our heads around and left us wondering what on earth it was trying to achieve.

As for the plot, there are two storylines to keep track of. The main story focuses on the fierce war between magic-wielding humans and the giant beasts, defined as clerics and paladins destined to unite to bring down the latter monstrosities. The second story focuses on a kingdom as its focal point, giving us a broader picture and evaluating the mysterious occurrences going rampant, especially concerning the main characters. It’s confusing, especially since they botched the execution and seemingly rushed it. Overall, the story is all over the place and feels half-baked, quite undeserving of your precious time.

The characters are the show's core, but they must improve at whatever they do. Jiiro, the "Already Dead," is a paladin, and Kuumi, the "22nd," is a cleric. The heroine’s situation goes something like this: she was part of the antagonist Mezami’s agenda and is now essential for the experiment's success owing to her uncontrollable powers.

She then happens to meet Jiiro, a Paladin who lives up to his "Already Dead" title and soon finds himself protecting Kumi from the Empire's hounds. Once they abruptly sign the contract, Jiiro bonds with the people around him, including Myaa. Let’s just say Jiiro and Kuumi’s bond, which leads to a weird transformation, is one of the strangest sequences I've ever seen.

The art and animation departments are flops as well. The visuals are mediocre or decent at best, with nothing worthy of mention. This anime follows the same formula as all the other titles under the studio’s belt, and I don’t think they've learned anything either. It's not all horrible, though, because the action scenes look decent and the CGI is an improvement from their past work. It just lacks refinement in every sense of the word.

The audio department might be the only redeeming thing about this anime. The OSTs are good and, surprisingly, quite memorable. The opening theme is “Hengen Jizai" by PENGUIN RESEARCH, which is a very upbeat and absolute banger of a song. The ending theme is "Na mo Nai Hana" by Harumi, which has a very smooth and calming vibe. Unfortunately, the visuals for both of these are disappointing.

If there were any issues, the excessive animal sound references in Myaa’s dialect combined too many animals besides cats. If they thought this would give the show more originality, I'm sorry to say they made it worse.

Giant Beasts of Ars had the potential to be one of the season's most unique shows, but it failed miserably. It was a sad show with far too many similarities to Attack on Titan. The plot struggled to make any meaningful connections between the events. In this story, no matter how you look at it, the dots don't connect. It makes you wonder how much time and resources were wasted in creating this, but it is what it is. Overall, this show had a good concept but failed miserably in execution. Not recommended.