Jormungund | Anime Review | Pinnedupink.com

Jormungund

Seinen anime tends to skew towards men in the 18 to 45-year-old range. Like its female counterpart, josei, seinen anime tends to cover topics such as action, fantasy, romance, and current events, to name a few, in a more mature light. Because anime is a competitive field, getting eyes on screens or eyes on manga is e difficult when your manga or anime caters to the taste of a more mature demographic.

This is not to say that there aren’t seinen classics like Tokyo Ghoul, Banana Fish, Ghost in the Shell, or Elfen Lied. Unfortunately, seinen anime is sometimes overshadowed by their shonen counterparts that often skirt the boundaries of mature subject matter while presenting it to a broader audience. The result is that some real gems get overlooked. The beauty of an overlooked gem is that when I get bored with the low-hanging gems, I can climb the tree for more.

Jormungund is an anime that fell under the radar that continues to have a loyal following, especially as its subject matter continues to grow in relevance. Released as a manga running from May 2008 to January 2012, Jormungund follows the story of arms dealer Koko Hekmatyar and her bodyguard group as she implements her plan to bring about world peace.

Jormungund Anime Review | Pinnedupink.com

Jormungund is the name of the “the plan” created by Koko Hekmatyar and her friend Dr. Minami Amada to implement a new world order of world peace in which war is obsolete. Spanning two seasons, Jormungand and Jormungand - Perfect Order, each season is twelve episodes, respectively.

Jormungund opens by introducing a new member of Koks’s Squad, a child soldier named Jonah who hates weapons.

Jonah (Johnathan Mar), the new addition to Koko’s Squad, her bodyguards, is a child soldier who fought in combat situations throughout Asia and Russia. Though academically challenged due to his years as a soldier, he possesses superior combat abilities, often rivaling his adult peers. Jonah openly hates war and arms dealers.

It is revealed that the Hekmatyar’s, a corporate family operating in technology, logistics, and arms, were indirectly involved in the death of his parents through the sale of weapons. Orphaned Jonah would find his way in the service of Koko via an arrangement deal with Koko’s brother Kasper.

Though the initial focus is on Jonah, he is the series secondary protagonist. Series protagonist Koko is the true show stopper. A highly intelligent polyglot. Koko is often seen wearing a Cheshire cat smile keeping her true nature secluded. She is quick-witted and bold and one of the few characters who show any monochrome of depth. She is charismatic, and as the series progresses, she begins to devolve into megalomania.

Koko and her brother Kasper were born at sea. The daughter and son of Floyd Hekmatyar, mother unknown, the duo were groomed in the HCLI operations, their father’s business, at an early age.

Having no political, ethnic, racial, or nationalistic ties, Koko works to further her agenda while under the hidden shadow of her Father. Her strained relationship with her Father bordering on disdain/hatred is a possible driving force in her desire to implement the Jormongund.

Jormungand or Jormongund(r) is the name of the sea serpent of Norse Mythology. Also known as the Midgard Serpent or World Serpent, the latter used in the anime’s opening monologues is the middle child of Loki.

According to Norse mythology, Oden threw Jormungandr into the ocean surrounding Midgard. The serpent subsequently consumed the ocean growing large enough to circle the Earth. The serpent would eventually unknowingly consume its tail. When the serpent releases its tail, Ragnorok will begin.

In short, Ragnorok, through a series of events, will usher in a new world order. The old gods, including Loki, will die and be replaced by the new God's, and a new Adam and Eve will repopulate the world. This is Jormungund in a nutshell.

To get to this new world order, we globe-trot through a series of episodes involving CIA operatives, Para-military units, competition via other arms dealers, and hired assassins. Character backstories are also presented as well, some work and some, not so much.

Before Jonah’s arrival, Koko had eight bodyguards. We are given sneak peeks into their backgrounds during the two seasons and why they are loyal to Koko. The group consisting of Lehm, Mao, “R,” Ugo, Lutz, Tojo, Wiley, and Valmet make up the Koko’s bodyguard unit. While each receives adequate screen time, Lehm is the most relatable.

A seasoned member having served as Floyd Hekmatyar’s bodyguard, Lehm is Koko’s surrogate father acting as a voice of reason through much of the series. Valmet fills the comedic void as she has a romantic interest in Koko, though it is not reciprocated except when Koko wants to satisfy our yuri and fan service needs. Valmet, besides Jonah, is probably the only character who receives a significant backstory.

Jormungund is divided into two seasons. Jormungund and Jormungund Perfect Order. The first season was primarily divided into episodes that did not necessarily build upon the other but did provide character insights into Koko. Perfect Order is more fluid, with episodes building upon the other in such a way that, in my opinion, you could watch season two without watching season one and still understand the story.

It is based on the manga of the same name written by Keitaro Takahashi. White Fox Studios produced the anime adaptation with the scripting done by Yousuke Kuroda.

Yousuke Kuroda has worked on anime such as My Hero Academia, High School of the Dead, and Trigun.

The aura of Trigun can be seen in Jormungund in that it takes dark themes and adds moments of humor. Unfortunately, in an anime like Jormungund, this doesn’t work. The characters aren’t given significant time to develop and the moments of craziness more often than not fail to add value to the show.

Where Jormungund shines is in its art and animation. The art is very Western and has been compared to Ghost in the Shell, though I would say it also reminds me of Batman Beyond or the Batman Superman Series.

There is impeccable attention to detail. I wish this anime had secured brand arrangements before production due to the attention to detail on many vehicles, including Honda’s CR-V, Ford’s F-150, and various luxury autos feature prominently. Many weapons, munitions, and military vehicles are also well detailed.

Jormungund takes place in many parts of the world, including Africa, Indonesia, Arzbijan, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. Though I have never traveled to these places, I felt a part of the scenery via White Fox’s attention to color and background.

I did notice subtle variations in character design, and this was prominent during season two. Because there is more ecchi, including nudity, it was common to see the animators ratchet up the ladies’ curves in season two. Valmet is a great example, she is at times very feminine and curvy, and other times her female frame was downplayed. Compare similar storytelling methods when Koko’s appearance would be warm and human and the opposite, her skin appearing white.

Jormungund receives many compliments for its soundtracks. The OSTs range from hip-hop- to world music to classical to rock. The soundtrack is a driving force, and while it’s no Cowboy Bebop, its soundtrack is nonetheless excellent. Another rarity is that while the sub is good, I’m going to lean towards the dub on this one. North American licensing is through Funimation, so it’s a Funimation dub! People! I also have to go with the dub because they got a “Brotha” to voice a “Brotha!” A nod to attention to detail on Funimation’s part.

Akron Watson is the voice of Wiley, one of Koko’s bodyguards. Watson is noted for his character Eric Houston on the television show Empire.

Jormungund is a great anime that had it fully embraced its potential; it could have become legendary. An anime with a blazing soundtrack, superb animation, and attention to detail. It had the cinematic chops to reel in viewers. It wasn’t afraid to push boundaries with ultra-violence, nudity, yuri, and hints of shota. Jormungund falls short in that it didn’t embrace the dark and heavy nature of its subject matter. I won’t say it’s epic, but the Jormungund project alone was enough to pull Koko and her crew into the MCU Universe. Shota!!