Grimgar: Ashes and Illusions

There are times when I watch an anime for no other reason than the fact that it exists. On other occasions, however, the reason is that I read a recommendation or a review. On this occasion, however, it was due to the fact that I inadvertently clicked on it and then said, "Why not?" Now, I won't say that I jumped right in, but I did start by putting my feet in the water and eventually ended up swimming, which is pretty much how this anime goes.

In my last review, I skirted some of the technical details, but not this time. Mostly because I am mildly considering buying the manga, and if I’m buying, then you're drinking. That's a bar reference for you underage people.

For those of us who speak English, this monster is commonly referred to as Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash (Hai to Gensou no Grimgar). The Japanese light novel series is written by Ao Jūmonji and illustrated by Eiri Shirai. The narrative follows a group of people who find themselves in a fantasy world without any memories from before their arrival. It chronicles their struggles to survive and make a life for themselves as volunteer soldiers in the world they now find themselves in.

In the magazine Gangan Joker, Mutsumi Okubashi started publishing a manga version of the story in 2015. Twelve episodes of an anime TV series based on the novels aired from January to March of 2016. Grimgar: Staking Our Youths on the Bath Wall—One More Centimeter is an original animated video that came out in March 2016. The original animation is not important to watch because it is just a continuation of the bathing scenes from episode 2.

The anime is licensed to Funimation, which puts it out as Grimgar, Ashes, and Illusions in North America. The original English translations of the novels were put out by J-Novel Club, and the manga version was put out by Yen Press. At the time of this writing, Grimgar of Ashes and Illusions can be streamed on Crunchyroll, FUNimation, Hulu, and Bilibili.

Teamwork makes the dream come true, and when an anime begins with character development, be warned that it may move a little slower than you expected, as was the case with Grimgar.

Even though I was disappointed to find only a small stream instead of a raging river, the result was still worthwhile. However, the fact that it took longer than the standard three episodes to get interesting wasn't enough to make me stop watching this anime. People tend to be very polarized in their feelings toward Grimgar, but I've noticed more fans than detractors, so I'm taking that as a positive sign.

Hai to Gensou no Grimgar follows the story of a group of humans who have been transported to an alternate world without knowing their past lives or how they got there. Much in the way of the denizens of the “Big O,” they do occasionally reference things from their past lives, such as cellphones and the one drunken revolver who yells "Australia."

Four main characters, all of whom are outcasts among the new arrivals, drive the plot. As a result, they must find strength through their shortcomings and survive in this new world.

Manato, Haruhiro, Yume, Shihoru, Moguzo, and Ranta make up the quartet. Grimgar is a real-life battle royale that appears to be a game, but it is not; there is no way to undo or restart your progress; it is either kill or die with honor.

They are compelled to enlist in the Volunteer Soldiers, an organization of citizen soldiers who train to fight "goblins" or monsters. In other words, without the slaughter of terrifying monsters, it wouldn't be an isekai.

Concepts seen in Grimgar have been seen in other anime, so the story doesn't do anything particularly groundbreaking. What Ryosuke Nakamura does is take a more realistic approach to the series. Even though there is humor, Ecchi (though not nearly enough Barbara), and action, what really drives the story are the characters' internal conflicts and the bonds they forge with one another as they try to make it in this strange new world. The anime focuses on how the main characters change over the course of the series as they get used to their new lives and learn to work together.

Character growth is one of the best things about Grimgar of Ashes and Illusions. Each of the main characters is different and well-rounded, with their own strengths, weaknesses, and backstories. The audience can see how they grow and develop throughout the series and how their relationships with one another evolve. The series also explores themes of friendship, trust, and sacrifice, and it does so in a relatable and emotional way.

As with any anime, there are a few hiccups, and it's tough to get to know a lot of characters in just 12 episodes, so the focus is primarily on three or four main characters.

We meet Haruhiro early on in the anime. He is nervous and unsure of himself early on. To put it mildly, he is the group's good guy. The boy who is forced to become a man and a leader that others may look up to is paired with Manato, who was a natural leader who was bold and charismatic. To describe their relationship, I would liken them to Roy and Hikaru from the SDF Macross series.

The remaining major players are handled in a variety of ways. Despite fitting the stereotype of the shy and reserved character, Shihoru got some screen time when she interacted with Yume, the other female team member, and Manato. Manato provided her with many opportunities to break out of her reserved shell. There was a remote possibility of a love triangle taking place because Yume gave off the impression that she was also interested in Manato. This shouldn't be a surprise because Manato didn't have much confidence, Ranta was the group's jokester and always called Yuma's chest "flat," and Mogazo fell for the "big guy" trope.

The emotional growth changes as the anime progresses into darkness. As Manato takes over as leader, he must learn about his friends and how to fight to win. Unlike many isekai, the boblins and goblins can add and think like humans, so Manato must learn about them and how to fight to win. An example of this was when two goblins were seen playing chess.

As I've said before, it can be hard to develop a large group of characters in a short amount of time. Aside from Ranta, who gets more development, and Haruhiro, who is the centerpiece of the story, the supporting characters really exist to help grow our main hero, with one exception being Merry's introduction.

I omitted one piece of information, and that was, for lack of a better term, the gaming roles that the characters played. Each member of the group had a specific role: Manato was the priest, Haruhiro the thief, Yume the hunter, Shihoru the mage, Moguzo the warrior, and Ranta the dark knight. As the series moves along, Merry becomes the priest, and her story takes up a significant chunk of the anime until its conclusion.

Despite my initial skepticism, I ended up appreciating her contribution. She, Ranta, and Barbara all played important parts in the story to help Haruhiro reach his full potential. Barbara was the in-house trainer and resident sadist. Although everyone in the show had a mentor, she and Manato's mentor get the most face time.

If you don't have enough time to develop your characters, you can always make up for it by giving them great animation, especially your mage characters. The animation quality in Grimgar of Ashes and Illusions is very high, and the character designs and environments are both very well done. The action scenes are well choreographed, and the animation is smooth and flowing.

The character designs are great and stay the same throughout the series. They are expressive and detailed, and they show what the characters look like and how they feel. The environment and scenery are also well done. They are realistic and have a lot of detail, which helps make the world seem real and draw you in.

This anime makes heavy use of both cool and warm tones, including many shades of green, purple, and red; however, there were times when I found the scenes to be sloppily executed, such as when the nighttime settings were too dark and I had to watch the show in a dim or dark room. The only thing I didn't like about the show was how some of the background elements, like the buildings, blended into one another.

Knowing that you've been reading a lot, I'll just say that the voice acting was generally inconsistent, which is what I usually say at this point. The opening and closing themes were also strong, and the sound effects and background music were also well done. However, "Knew day" by [K]NoW_NAME might have to join my list of recommended opening themes.

It can be said that Ryosuke Nakamura was largely (okay, primarily) accountable for everything that took place. Ryosuke Nakamura was the series composer as well as the director, and he was in charge of writing the script. He was, in many respects, the George Lucas of this anime; however, George Lucas is not the best person for doing exposition, so we should be thankful that he had other people working on the episodes and other aspects of this anime.

Despite the fact that it gets off to a slow start, I still found Grimgar to be a very enjoyable anime. However, I can appreciate why some people adore it while others despise it. Overall, I would rate Grimgar as a good anime. I do understand that some people love it and some people hate it. Personally, I'm on the "love it with reservations" half. It gets a recommendation from me, but let me know what you think below.

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Grimgar: Ashes and Illusions Official English Trailer