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EP. REVIEW: Seirei Gensouki - Spirit Chronicles


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Series5Ranger



Joined: 22 Aug 2021
Posts: 41
PostPosted: Tue Sep 14, 2021 4:18 pm Reply with quote
Really the question has to be "Why Celia?" The Princess would be the most logical to marry to solidify his power base as he would have all factions on his side and would definitely guarantee his ascension to the throne. That's just me though.

The only negative aspect of that plan, is that it would make the Princess a target, for whoever was against him gaining control of the country.
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Melicans



Joined: 01 Feb 2012
Posts: 620
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Tue Sep 14, 2021 4:24 pm Reply with quote
I agree pretty much entirely with Rebecca's review this week. To do the characters in this series justice it really should have been two-cour; maybe even one and a half like Nisekoi.

This anime has hit all the main plot points in order to reach the part it wanted to get to. Because it unfortunately cut away all the moments leading up to those plot points, the bits you could perhaps derisively refer to as "fluff" in an adaptation, it lost much of the all-important development of characters. Rio's relationship with Celia is so much more developed in the source novels, and that is because the author was able to really explore the bond between them over the years at the academy and in their time apart. That made their reunion - and Rio's subsequent interference - much more moving when it came to that time in the anime.

Likewise the novels were able to explore the political situation in far more detail. After being taken away, Christina and Flora are now effectively on opposing sides in a conflict that could lead to civil war in the country (I don't think this is a spoiler as it was mentioned - briefly - in the episode). This is not by choice on either of their parts, it is simply the reality that they find themselves in. There was certainly an element of surprise in this development because Rio had been away for four years with no knowledge of what happened, but the ramifications were again explained in more depth and much more satisfyingly than in this episode.

Honestly, I'm now convinced that spoiler[Miharu, Aki, and Masato] will appear in the final episode for such a short amount of time that I wonder why they even included the latter two in the opening. At the rate they will have to rush to get there, I wouldn't be surprised if neither even get any lines. I fully expect episode 12 to end with spoiler[the 12 pillars of light from the summonings and the reveal of the trio in the grassland, ending with a close-up of Miharu's face and her saying "Where... are we?" Roll credits.] The episode's title could just be explained away as Rio's kidnap of Celia.
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MFrontier



Joined: 13 Apr 2014
Posts: 10946
PostPosted: Tue Sep 14, 2021 4:29 pm Reply with quote
What is it with Akane Fujita playing Main Heroine's who end up forced into marriage and requiring the main character and their real love interest to save them? Even the hair colors are similar.

I do feel pretty bad for Celia though. She hasn't seen Rio for years and seems like she's finally realized her feelings for him right when she's about to get trapped in a loveless marriage because of her family's shakey political position. She also apparently barely sees her father as it is and he is kicking himself for not being able to keep her out of this. You know she was being really honest when she said she wanted Rio to take her away and marry her.
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Cryten



Joined: 19 Jan 2019
Posts: 979
PostPosted: Tue Sep 14, 2021 6:05 pm Reply with quote
Its strikes me how much more nuanced this whole conflict could be if Charles was not just so plainly evil, in the simple minded Saturday morning cartoon villain kind of way. If he had shreds of dignity and drive then the ramifications of interfering with a nations internal conflicts leading up to a civil war would have far more weight to them. But moral conflict has no place in a power fantasy it seems.

You could have so much more fun peeling back layers of character to reveal that insidious personal desire but I guess thats more for victorian drama instead of this show.
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Melicans



Joined: 01 Feb 2012
Posts: 620
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Tue Sep 14, 2021 7:48 pm Reply with quote
Series5Ranger wrote:
Really the question has to be "Why Celia?" The Princess would be the most logical to marry to solidify his power base as he would have all factions on his side and would definitely guarantee his ascension to the throne. That's just me though.

The only negative aspect of that plan, is that it would make the Princess a target, for whoever was against him gaining control of the country.


Huh? What are you talking about? Rio has no desire to rule a nation, and he has never expressed any interest in being a king. If anything his interactions with nobility have actively dissuaded him from any desire to take a throne. He has no base to support him, he is literally alone in the country. In Beltram he is a nobody, at best he is known as a commoner who nearly killed a princess. The factions don't want to unite under somebody else, they want power for themselves and have been goaded into it by the Proxia Empire (led by Reiss/Weiss, whichever spelling you prefer).

Besides, if he wanted to rule a country all he needs to do is stay in Yagumo. He is literally the heir to the throne there, and his grandparents made it clear they would welcome him as a prince.

Cryten wrote:
Its strikes me how much more nuanced this whole conflict could be if Charles was not just so plainly evil, in the simple minded Saturday morning cartoon villain kind of way. If he had shreds of dignity and drive then the ramifications of interfering with a nations internal conflicts leading up to a civil war would have far more weight to them. But moral conflict has no place in a power fantasy it seems.

You could have so much more fun peeling back layers of character to reveal that insidious personal desire but I guess thats more for victorian drama instead of this show.


Yes, Charles is not just simple villainy as this portrayal implies. He does loathe Rio because he resisted the torture, and thus he was made to be responsible for his own mistake instead of pushing it onto a scapegoat. He considers commoners so far beneath him that he considers it natural Rio should have taken the fall, hence his hatred. Years of poison whispered into his ears by Reiss hasn't exactly helped, and neither has his own family. There is more to his character that would be revealed if the story continues into a second season, much more than an elitist snob with six wives at least.
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Cryten



Joined: 19 Jan 2019
Posts: 979
PostPosted: Tue Sep 14, 2021 7:56 pm Reply with quote
I believe they where talking about Charles when it to comes to choosing Ciel over the princess.
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Melicans



Joined: 01 Feb 2012
Posts: 620
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Wed Sep 15, 2021 9:51 am Reply with quote
Ohh, my bad for misunderstanding who they were talking about.
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sadoldguy



Joined: 01 Aug 2009
Posts: 67
PostPosted: Thu Sep 16, 2021 9:52 am Reply with quote
Charles is pretty much the crown jewel of the unearned pride of the Bertram nobility. His family's recent contributions to the kingdom are: tricking a senile king to give them unwarranted appointment power, using that power to get rich(er) by accepting bribes for positions, assassinating and/or destroying any noble family that could challenge them on actual merits, and finally selling out the country.

Charles himself is frequently proven incompetent, with his defense of Floria in the first novel and his own wedding in the fifth novel (Yes, he was in charge of security, overriding actual competent people's suggestions.) He even mismanages his own harem, allowing the lower ranked wives to bully his intended wife Celia, who is much higher ranked.
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Blanchimont



Joined: 25 Feb 2012
Posts: 3426
Location: Finland
PostPosted: Mon Sep 20, 2021 2:01 pm Reply with quote
Episode 12; spoiler[So it ends at the pillars/summoning of the heroes(and tag-alongs) which is basically the end of the prologue for the novels. The story got rearranged insofar in the novels Celia's wedding was only afterwards.

The slave trader scene was handled a bit differently in the novels. Instead of killing them, he managed to negotiate their release. And they weren't the only people in the wagons, and the people in the wagons did beg him to free them too. There were some thoughts on it, but the slave trade in that world is legal and releasing them would be a crime, so in the end he decided not to act.
Edit; apparently he did kill the mercenaries who attacked him in the novel. But not the slave trader himself, just scared the hell out of him.

I'm pretty sure age comes up in the review/comments. Let's just say time is not exactly consistent between the two worlds. On earth he was about the same age as Miharu. Haruto got reincarnated into a child/Rio, grew up, and now that she is summoned(not as a hero, as a tag-along to one of the heroes), they're.. ...about the same age again. If you remember the first episodes, she actually got summoned before Haruto reincarnated...]
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Cryten



Joined: 19 Jan 2019
Posts: 979
PostPosted: Mon Sep 20, 2021 5:24 pm Reply with quote
I dont know what to say about this series at the conclusion. Other then perhaps "That was the conclusion?!?". It was a perfectly run of the mill showing, with its only stand outs being its clothing design and the first 2-3 episodes having more character then normal for a Over Powered Isekai show.

I wish it would spend at least some time with the actual considerations for the power struggles of the kingdom he just blasted through. Even if it would only spend a minute trying to reconcile the stealing of the bride with her family. Additionally I still cant get over how Charles power move was to marry a lady most people considered the throw away daughter of a duke who was permitted to become a teacher and researcher instead of a lady of the court.

If Rio was 14 (not sure) at the time of his flee'ing that would make him 18 now. How old would celia be? she appeared to be 15-16 when Rio was a child of 7-8. Wouldnt that make her mid 20's by now?

Anyway back to the overall picture. Acceptable and simple power fantasy like most OP Isekai. I thank it for the brief distraction each week but I think it will be quickly forgotten other then the second coming of Kirito and his girl circle.
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AnimeFlyz



Joined: 31 Aug 2015
Posts: 363
PostPosted: Tue Sep 21, 2021 9:11 am Reply with quote
Yeah, no surprise this was a mediocre adaptation when it tries to adapt 5 volumes of content into only 12 episodes.
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MFrontier



Joined: 13 Apr 2014
Posts: 10946
PostPosted: Tue Sep 21, 2021 9:20 am Reply with quote
Surprised they had some good action animation in this episode, even if they seemed to re-use some shots of Rio vs. Alfred in the Opening.

I feel bad for Celia that she finally had Rio relatively to herself (minus Aishia as a plus one) and then he finds his first love and childhood friend as Haruto. All that drama and the romantic rescuse (+ a princess carry in a bridal dress) and the poor girl can't hold onto the Main Heroine position for more than five minutes.

Also kind of feel bad for her dad.

Jeez, that's probably one of the most blatant "read the Light Novels" endings I have ever seen what with shoving as many plots and cliffhangers as possible into the last few minutes out of seemingly nowhere.
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Melicans



Joined: 01 Feb 2012
Posts: 620
Location: Canada
PostPosted: Tue Sep 21, 2021 2:09 pm Reply with quote
Rebecca, if you are planning to pick up the books again I really would be interested in seeing how your thoughts on volume one have changed from a few years ago after seeing the anime. And a review of five books in one article would be an amusing headline!

MFrontier wrote:
Surprised they had some good action animation in this episode, even if they seemed to re-use some shots of Rio vs. Alfred in the Opening.


Glad I wasn't the only one wondering about that! Still, it seemed to fit into the rest of the fight pretty seamlessly so I'd have to say they nailed the animation for the rest of it.

Quote:
I feel bad for Celia that she finally had Rio relatively to herself (minus Aishia as a plus one) and then he finds his first love and childhood friend as Haruto. All that drama and the romantic rescuse (+ a princess carry in a bridal dress) and the poor girl can't hold onto the Main Heroine position for more than five minutes.


More 'read the book' spoilers, but spoiler[Rio doesn't reveal who he is for a while after rescuing Miharu. Truth is he doesn't know what to think/feel because despite what Aisha says he doesn't consider himself to be Haruto, but now he is wrestling with Haruto's feelings in Rio's body/personality. For him it is confusion]. Keep in mind as well that in the novels he saved Miharu + co (volume 4) before he ever learned about Celia's marriage and kidnapped her (volume 5), so this is very much an anime-only five minutes.


Quote:
Also kind of feel bad for her dad.


More spoilers but spoiler[Celia gets to say goodbye to her Dad and explain what happened. Her Dad may be distraught now, but he is just happy to know she is safe and won't sacrifice her future for him].

Quote:
Jeez, that's probably one of the most blatant "read the Light Novels" endings I have ever seen what with shoving as many plots and cliffhangers as possible into the last few minutes out of seemingly nowhere.


Did it work? Razz

To be serious though, I really didn't enjoy the post-credits sequence. Rather than a genuine scene it felt more like a commercial with all the jumps between shots. Or even a recap if it was at the beginning of a hypothetical season 2 and this season had ended with that scene properly. Razz
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Princess_Irene
ANN Reviewer


Joined: 16 Dec 2008
Posts: 2599
Location: The castle beyond the Goblin City
PostPosted: Tue Sep 21, 2021 4:25 pm Reply with quote
Melicans wrote:
Rebecca, if you are planning to pick up the books again I really would be interested in seeing how your thoughts on volume one have changed from a few years ago after seeing the anime. And a review of five books in one article would be an amusing headline!


I'll try to do it! Given that the print volumes are all two book omnibuses, covering six books at a go isn't out of the question. Smile
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samuelp
Industry Insider


Joined: 25 Nov 2007
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Location: San Antonio, USA
PostPosted: Tue Sep 21, 2021 4:54 pm Reply with quote
Princess_Irene wrote:
Melicans wrote:
Rebecca, if you are planning to pick up the books again I really would be interested in seeing how your thoughts on volume one have changed from a few years ago after seeing the anime. And a review of five books in one article would be an amusing headline!


I'll try to do it! Given that the print volumes are all two book omnibuses, covering six books at a go isn't out of the question. Smile


We definitely didn't plan for our 2-in-1 omnibus releases to make it impossible to just start with volume 6, nope.
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