×
  • remind me tomorrow
  • remind me next week
  • never remind me
Subscribe to the ANN Newsletter • Wake up every Sunday to a curated list of ANN's most interesting posts of the week. read more

Forum - View topic
EP. REVIEW: Grimoire of Zero


Goto page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6  Next

Note: this is the discussion thread for this article

Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
Stark700



Joined: 30 Jan 2012
Posts: 11762
Location: Earth
PostPosted: Tue Apr 18, 2017 9:03 am Reply with quote
Zero and Mercenary has one of those character chemistry that I can't help but find charming to watch.

The show so far has been enjoyable for me. I didn't expect it that much but they nailed the premise on point and the quality of it is pretty tolerable. There's not many characters yet but with what it has so far, I've been enjoying it a lot.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
Nordhmmer



Joined: 11 Feb 2017
Posts: 1028
PostPosted: Tue Apr 18, 2017 9:39 am Reply with quote
The light humor of-"Till I took a arrow to my knee" and the willful ignoring of Zero being The Zero are keeping me watching.

The animation is shaky for me,especially in regards with how "Mercenary" is drawn, it really does not do the character justice.


Last edited by Nordhmmer on Tue Apr 18, 2017 1:11 pm; edited 1 time in total
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
FilthyCasual



Joined: 01 Jun 2015
Posts: 2165
PostPosted: Tue Apr 18, 2017 1:10 pm Reply with quote
Is the rating widget for this borked for anyone else?
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Parsifal24





PostPosted: Tue Apr 18, 2017 1:30 pm Reply with quote
Asof right now it is kind of stuck in a "holding pattern" but the skeleton of a good story is there and episode two at least helped flesh out the world a little.
Back to top
belvadeer





PostPosted: Tue Apr 18, 2017 2:14 pm Reply with quote
With this show and Tiger Mask W, I'm watching two tigers this season. I love it. :D
Back to top
bs3311



Joined: 07 Nov 2011
Posts: 416
Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
PostPosted: Tue Apr 18, 2017 2:32 pm Reply with quote
With the upcoming 3rd episode potentially showing more furries. I think that community will grow on Grimoire of Zero. And I'm not saying that in a negative sense since I find anthropomorphic character designs to be charming since I grew up on the animated Redwall series. Plus it really blends well with the berserk, guin saga and spice and wolf vibe. Plus the shows comedy has potential too from the 1st episode with Mercenary just running like his bum will be grass when he meets Zero. And even the 2nd episode where albus acted out a characters chest, instead of giving zero the foreground to do the stereotypical tsun flat chest feel. She's in the corner background doing that while Mercenary is in the foreground talking to albus. Interested in meeting said character, but it opens to comedic misunderstanding if he wants to see her because of the amazing stories albus talks to him about. Or its just because she has a nice chest.

I hope the story evolves to where Mercenary decides to stay as a beast-fallen just like Daxtar staying as an Ocelot. Though I think the light novels won't reach that far. But it would be consistent to what Mercenary's mom and Zero said about him being fine as he is, revolving around the "don't change for others since you're great as yourself" cliche. Which is still a nice moral.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
ChibiKangaroo



Joined: 01 Feb 2010
Posts: 2941
PostPosted: Tue Apr 18, 2017 6:07 pm Reply with quote
bs3311 wrote:
With the upcoming 3rd episode potentially showing more furries. I think that community will grow on Grimoire of Zero. And I'm not saying that in a negative sense since I find anthropomorphic character designs to be charming since I grew up on the animated Redwall series.


It's really funny that both this series and SukaSuka came out this season and I sent in an answerman question specifically regarding this issue. We'll see if I get any answer, but I didn't even know these two shows were coming out when I sent it in. I was mainly referencing Kemono Friends.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11306
PostPosted: Wed Apr 19, 2017 2:07 am Reply with quote
I've quite enjoyed this so far, especially the chemistry of the 3 main characters. My only problem with it was the ending of the second episode, where they're being hunted with enemies all around them, but they exchange their stories like they're in the town square and when they leave, Albus shouts a farewell to the old lady. Just one of my pet peeves that is common in media and has me grinding my teeth every time.

@ FilthyCasual: widget seemed to be working for me. But maybe it was fixed after you asked.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
belvadeer





PostPosted: Tue Apr 25, 2017 9:36 pm Reply with quote
Well the third episode certainly had "it" in spades. XD

*spoiler[Zero telling the guards that she and Albus were Merc's sex slaves to get into town; massive awkwardness ensues].

*spoiler[Merc hurling Zero like a bowling ball when she didn't use the dressing room to get changed and stripped buck naked in front of everyone].

*spoiler[The shopkeeper wanting to keep Zero's old clothes so he can smell them and get turned on].

*spoiler[A bear beastfallen drooling like a lecherous perv at one of the slave girls].

*spoiler[Zero almost giving us some wolf beastfallen manservice before she shaved the guy to nearly no fur at all to teach him a lesson].

*spoiler[Some barechested white tiger manservice from Merc at the end (damn it Zero, move so I can see all of it].

I'm not complaining about the last one, mind you. ; )
Back to top
Key
Moderator


Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18135
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 12:10 am Reply with quote
As much as I like the set-up for this series, I agree with James' criticisms on episode 3. Some parts were fun, but the series is being too lackadaisical. It takes a special level of writing and character interplay to pull off this kind of pace, and this series doesn't have it.

IOW, it's trying to be Spice and Wolf and falling short.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website My Anime My Manga
DuskyPredator



Joined: 10 Mar 2009
Posts: 15433
Location: Brisbane, Australia
PostPosted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 2:15 am Reply with quote
While it is not being full up to the level of Spice and Wolf, nowhere near as sophisticated, I think it is still being reasonably fun. At least I was feeling the fun in the recent episode with character interaction, even if there was not a lot of plot. But it is not like the series is falling down to the levels of something like Cerberus either.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message My Anime My Manga
ChibiKangaroo



Joined: 01 Feb 2010
Posts: 2941
PostPosted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 3:05 am Reply with quote
This was definitely the weakest of the first 3 episodes for me. That being said, I wasn't totally put off by it. I laughed at some points during the first half of the episode that was clearly devoted to comedy. The whole thing about claiming our two young witches were Merc's sex slaves was mildly funny, but only because the show had not yet attempted to make either of them into a love interest for him so it was a sudden outrageous statement that was ridiculous enough to be somewhat funny.

However, the other parts of this episode where they were playing dress up, and where Zero goes nude and is oogled by the shopkeep (who then keeps her old clothes so he can smell them) seemed to take that joke too far to the point that it seemed out of place with the rest of the show. Had it not been for that scene, then the later part where Zero sleeps atop of him probably wouldn't have meant all that much, but now that we've had the big tease (i.e. him seeing her completely naked in an obvious fanservice context) these types of things will probably seem like little teases, especially if boy witch keeps pointing it out.

If Merc and Zero appeared closer in age, I probably wouldn't have an issue with considering the possibility of them having a more romantic relationship, but the way that their characters have been presented, I don't think it would fit in my mind. They seem to work much better as friends.

The second half of the episode was ok for me, but I also agree that it would have been nice to see more of these beastfallen and learn more about them. The two that we met were one dimensional and only served the purpose of making Merc look heroic, which has already more or less been shown to some extent.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Inopethflames



Joined: 02 Feb 2016
Posts: 34
PostPosted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 4:57 am Reply with quote
I like this show a lot so far but it feels like if it's only 12 episodes that it won't cover any material, even if it's 25 episodes. Maybe it won't turn out that way but right now it feels like the beginning of a long story that will never be finished in anime form.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
FilthyCasual



Joined: 01 Jun 2015
Posts: 2165
PostPosted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 12:53 pm Reply with quote
I liked the humor of the episode. Initially I assumed that the wolf was a fake beastfallen and Zero was just stripping away his disguise, but her half-humanizing him seems more valid now. At any rate, wolf being even more of an outcast than normal is a hell of a punishment.

On my prior issue, I still can't view or interact with any rating widgets.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
One-Eye



Joined: 08 Mar 2011
Posts: 2260
PostPosted: Wed Apr 26, 2017 4:44 pm Reply with quote
Ep 3
For me the only thing this show has had going for it has been the chemistry between the two leads. I'm not sure its quite enough. The show hasn't made me particularly invested in any of the issues going on in this world or the characters. Why? Well besides the clunky world building I haven't felt much in the way of drama or excitement. The show hasn't been visually interesting to me either. Then there's the dumb awkward fan service. Oh, look socially clueless girl strips butt naked in front of everybody, and perverted shopkeeper wants to sniff her clothes (Sigh).

Its not an awful show and it does have its moments (the removal of senor wolf's fur was funny), but its verging on blandness for me. I may give this one more episode to get interesting in some way...maybe.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Reply to topic    Anime News Network Forum Index -> Site-related -> Talkback All times are GMT - 5 Hours
Goto page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6  Next
Page 1 of 6

 


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group