Nejimaki Seirei Senki: Tenkyou no Alderamin: ANIME REVIEW

"Laziness is the mother of human progress."

-Ikta Solork

With this said I welcome you to another post here on World of Anime Girl. It is time for a new anime review and the quote your read just above is one of my favorites from the show I'll be reviewing today. Being a light novel adaptation and a studio Madhouse production it will probably stay at one season, with an unfinished story. Still, that one season was surprisingly enough to turn me into a great fan of Najomaki Seirei Senki: Tenkyou no Alderamin or in English, Alderamin on the Sky. Enjoy!

STUDIO: Madhouse

GENRE: Action, Adventure, Military, Fantasy

EPISODES: 13

LINKS: MY ANIME LIST | PV TRAILER 

PLOT AND STORY LINE 📜

I seriously expected another average military, action story about teenagers that we have seen so many times before in anime like: God Eter, Owari no Seraph, Balck Bullet, Schwarzesmarken etc. But as I said in the beginning, I was positively surprised by the story that was both intriguing and entertaining. 

First of all, it is a very simple story. The plot revolves around Ikta Solork, a lazy yet very clever womanizer that detests war above anything else. But after his country, the Katjvarna Empire, attacks the Republic of Kioka, his world is thrown into chaos as he becomes obligated to join the war as one of the officials. Soon enough, his comrades would realize Ikta's intellect and talent as a leader, never imagining that he would actually be the hero that everyone needed.     Now that I think more about it, the story it self is definitely nothing special, but it was still good. The first reason for that was definitely the main character who contributed the most to the entertainment factor. It was his wit and his war tactics that made the anime so interesting to watch.            In addition to that, each, let's say, story arc is somehow connected to Ikta's past. So the side stories are also vital parts that drive the plot into an intriguing and in many parts really emotional story that keeps your attention until the very end. And it is then where we stumble upon a real problem. Don't misunderstand, the end of the anime was definitely its highlight and the most exciting part, but the fact that it ended with an enormous cliffhanger is the real problem here. The part of the story that we see in the anime is just the tip of the iceberg, whereas everything that's coming after that is the real thing.

The anime was nothing more than an introduction to the setting and the characters in the show. I haven't read any spoilers on the story that follows the anime, but I think  that it will definitely evolve into an even greater story than before.

Lastly, there is one more thing that I actually want to tackle in this review and it is the relationship between Ikta and his best friend and the female lead of the show, Igsem Yatorishino, or just Yatori. The whole anime might be about the war between the Katjavarna Empire and Republic of Kioka but its very core is without any doubt the friendship of Ikta and Yatori. The anime begins with the two and each event in the end ties back to them. I haven't read any spoilers on the novel so far but I am certain that the story will end in a very emotional finale that will involve their friendship. 

On the whole, the story might not sound like much, but it is without any doubt intriguing, exciting, entertaining and emotional until the very end. I got actually so interested in the story that I am planning on reading the novel, if I find a decent English translation that is. 

CHARACTERS 👦👩

Just as I mention before, Ikta Solork is the main reason why I found this show so good. His character represents a very complex personality of someone that looks like a careless, happy-go-lucky person on the outside, but is actually very well aware of his surroundings and extremely clever. Ikta is a womanizer but is also someone that would sacrifice him self for the ones closest to him. Also he is one of the wittiest anime characters I've seen, amusing us trough out the whole show. When it comes to the other characters, I must say that they mostly have some superficial personalities without much involvement in the story. The only exception there would be Yatori. Her character has been given more detail in the personality and is so a vital part of the story. Still, when it comes to my overall opinion on the characters I wasn't disappointed, especially because I didn't expect much to begin with.

ANIMATION AND STYLE 💻🎨

The story and the characters could have been a bit better, but the animation was on point. Well, as expected from a Madhouse anime, right? I also liked the character design and the design of the very setting: the ancient country look, the way they dressed, the different regions/tribes etc. The only thing that kinda bothered me where the lips. I don't know why, but all the characters had strange lips that always stood so out. I can't say exactly what was wrong, but it was definitely strange. If you watched the anime, let me know in the comments below whether you noticed it or not. 

CONCLUSION 📌

The best way to watch an anime is not to expect a masterpiece. I really thought that Nejimaki Seirei Senki would be another average military anime, but I was positively surprised with an intriguing and exciting story, interesting and amusing characters and a great animation. This anime might not be a masterpiece but it certainly deserves another season (which will probably never come). 

Now if you would excuse me, there is a light novel that I want to read.