Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World

There are numerous ways to skin a cat, just as there are many ways to create an anime. Making one that deals with politics but has a romantic undertone becomes more complicated. Since the creation of the first Sumerian script, many writers, artists, and creators have attempted to find ways to tell the story of political intrigue and romance without being heavy-handed. "If anyone can get away with it, it's Shakespeare." Unsurprisingly, today's anime drew a little inspiration from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

The light novel series Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World, also known as Kimi to Boku no Saigo no Senjō, Aruiwa Sekai ga Hajimaru Seisen, abbreviated as KimiSen, was created by Kei Sazane and illustrated by Ao Nekonabe.

The first volume came out on May 20, 2017, and there have been fourteen more, plus three collections of shorter works. Kadokawa began publishing the novels in print in Japan in May 2017. Okama launched the manga adaptation in Hakusensha's Young Animal magazine in May 2018. Yen Press is publishing the light novels and their manga adaptations in English.

The series has been adapted into an anime television series that premiered in 2020; the first season premiered in October 2020. Funimation streamed the anime as it aired in Japan, and it also streamed an English dub. Due to Sony’s acquisition of Crunchyroll, the series currently streams on the CR platform at the time of writing.

The official website for the television anime of Kei Sazane and Ao Nekonabe's Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World (Kimi to Boku no Saigo no Senjō, Arui wa Sekai ga Hajimaru Seisen) light novel series announced on August 6, 2022, that the anime's second season will premiere in 2023. Crunchyroll announced during Crunchyroll Expo that it would stream the second season.

A few more technical details before moving on are that KimiSen is a SILVER LINK animated series directed by Shin Oonuma (BOFURI: I Don't Want to Get Hurt, so I'll Max Out My Defense, Dusk Maiden of Amnesia) and Mirai Minato (BOFURI, Masamune-kun's Revenge). Kaori Sato (episode animation director on BOFURI, Dusk Maiden of Amnesia, and Shomin Sample) is credited as character designer and chief animation director. Kento Shimoyama (Death March to The Parallel World Rhapsody, The Ones Within) oversees the series scripts.

The protagonist of KimiSen is a young man named Iska who finds himself in the middle of a war between the Heavenly Empire and the Nebulis Sovereignty. Despite being on opposite sides of the conflict, Iska and a witch named Aliceliese Lou Nebulis IX find common ground. And that's the nutshell explanation.

This conflict has been going on for quite some time, pitting an empire whose soldiers dress like priests and use magic weapons against a sovereign power of witches, a common trope in anime. It's a war based on fear, ignorance, power, and political intrigue, the latter adding a bit of flavor to an anime that has been compared to Romeo and Juliet (the one with all the candles).

So like all good anime, this one is no different; it makes an excellent splash. In its first episode, we're introduced to the leading players, Iska, Jhin, Nene, and Mismis Klass, or Mismis, the Captain of the Special Defense for Humankind Third Division Unit N07. In the opening act, their unit is tasked with capturing the Ice Calamity Witch, also known as Aliceliese Lou Nebulis IX, heir to the Nebulis Sovereignty. The dreaded adversary, the Apostles, hope she can be used as leverage to force their enemies to surrender.

However, everything goes differently than planned when Iska and Aliceliese meet on the battlefield. Iska displays his sense of honor and fighting prowess against Aliceliese and her handmaiden, Rin Vispose. Humiliated and beaten, Lady Alice vows to fight him again, but first, she must see him again, as similar ideologies drive the two. Each wants to see a peaceful end to the war.

Meetings are easy. KimiSen is designed so that two opposing warriors can see each other without necessarily meeting on the battlefield. I'm referring to the use of neutral cities. These neutral cities, Erin, Jarak, and Aksamira, have not chosen sides. Erin is the most prominent. Here, our protagonist and deuteragonist can meet without the prying eyes of others, allowing them to foster a romantic interest in one another.

The early setups for their romantic entry are nice; whether through a concert, an art museum ticket ex machina, or orders from above, they allow for a few laughs, though at times the pacing begins to grind to a halt. Fortunately, the romance is only one part of this anime; otherwise, I would have been disappointed, as many characters and stories exist to uncover.

In many ways, Iska is the heart of this anime. He is my type of guy—an ex-felon imprisoned for doing what was unpopular, freeing a purebred of Nebulis Sovereignty. The Heavenly Empire imprisoned him for a year and released him from confinement on the condition he captured another purebred, the Ice Calamity Witch, or Lady Alice.

Unfortunately, Iska lives by a code of honor and romance, and the boy can’t deviate from it. His late master, who left him with two magnificent swords, probably instilled this trait in him. He is a Saint Disciple and successor of the Black Steel, making him a formidable foe. His frequent demonstrations alongside Lady Alice show how others have enhanced his skills and abilities. I'm glad the writers didn't make him OP because that would have been a letdown.

Lady Alice, also known as Aliceliese Lou Nebulis IX or the Ice Calamity Witch by the Heavenly Empire, is one of the strongest astral mages in the Sovereignty and heir to her mother’s throne. She seeks to end this conflict, which has raged since the Founding Nebulis destroyed the Heavenly Empire ages ago. Although her shapely appearance (oppai) and blond hair occasionally obscure this, she is an obvious idealist. She, like Iska, can be one-sided in her ideologies, losing sight of the big picture. The bigger picture is what's at hand.

With so many characters, initially, it would be confusing to follow, but the writing is done so that the viewer learns who the antagonists are on both sides, and the agendas are layered. Unfortunately, not all characters receive equal treatment. The N07 Unit, for example, features four members, but of the four, Jhin and Nene need more development. They demonstrate themselves as excellent combatants, and plenty of fight scenes feature them. Mismis, the team captain, was a character that I initially thought I could do without.

Mismis’s story arc remained incomplete after the season, so it will be interesting to see how it is completed. I initially thought she would only be fanservice bait, as she, like Lady Alice, can sometimes be dense. However, she adds to the story, and I sympathized with her when Risya took advantage of her.

Even though Lady Alice is the series' main protagonist, Rin Vispose is my favorite for "best girl." Despite being a lady in waiting, she is her lady’s bodyguard and closest advisor, having been with Lady Alice since childhood. Despite not being royalty, she bears a regal demeanor similar to L'Armica (Vampire Hunter D). She is an earth mage, though, despite this, she proves herself a formidable fighter, even rivaling royal mages like Lady Alice and Kissing Zoa Nebulis IX.

She is focused, frequently grounding her mistress, and serves as a constant reminder that her sisters and other families are also vying for the throne. Her goal is to assist her in ascending to the throne and achieving her peace ideals. While she despises the Empire, she develops respect for Iska, though, unlike the other females in this series, I'm not sure they're romantic. Despite being a secondary character, her chemistry with Iska often steals the spotlight from Lady Alice. This may be due in part to the voice acting.

The voice acting in this series is good overall, with a few voice actresses and actors stealing the spotlight. Notable mentions include Yumiri Hanamori, the voice actress for Rin. She also voiced Kon in Kemono Jihen. Kemono Jihen is an anime worth checking out. Toshihiko Seki is an industry veteran (Angel Cop, Kill la Kill), and it was nice to hear him voice Salinger. He brought an aged ferocity to the character, making episode nine enjoyable.

As Aliceliese Lou Nebulis IX, Sora Amamiya handles singing duties for the ending theme. The ending music, "Koori no Torikago" (Cage of Ice), is perfectly paired with the opening theme, "Against," by Kaori Ishihara. Kaori voiced Nene in the series. The remaining OSTs are acceptable in this series; honestly, I have no complaints—the voice acting pairs well with the animation in this anime.

SILVER LINK does an excellent job, though not everything is stellar. A few scenes where CG is used look a little out of sync. An example is the fight between Iska and Kissing, where her projectiles seem out of place and should have been hand drawn. The power suit that Nameless primarily wears also uses CG; in this case, it works well with the 2D surroundings.

On the topic of fan service, admittedly, it is not overblown here. Despite the fan service, the character designs are par for the course, though I need to find out what was up with the Queen's design. Yes, Lady Alice is our resident eye candy and well-illustrated, but she does not overshadow the series' main themes.

Overall, Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World is a good anime. The anime is visually stunning, with beautiful animation and character designs. The action scenes are well-choreographed and exciting. The characters are likable and relatable, and the romance between Iska and Aliceliese is sweet and heartwarming, although I see harem waters ahead!

Like a similar series, The Asterisk War, there are a lot of unanswered questions left open for subsequent seasons. It’s apparent that Shin Oonuma and Mirai Minato played it safe and didn’t push many boundaries. However, they gambled that this series would receive a second season.