The Fall 2014 Anime Preview Guide

Rage of Bahamut: Genesis

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Theron Martin

Rating: 4 (of 5)

Review: Doesn't matter what standard you are judging against; one cannot lay the dramatics on much heavier or thicker in anime than the apocalyptic first couple of minutes of this adaptation of the popular social card game developed by Cygames for the iOS and Android platforms. You have an immense dragon being faced down by an apparent alliance of gods and an arch-demon while a king and his knights try to escape the collateral damage, all while operatic music plays in the background. It all makes for quite the spectacle.

The spectacle continues when events shift to modern day, only instead of featuring world-shattering events swashbuckling derring-do worthy of an Indiana Jones or Pirates of the Caribbean movie take over as two young mean duel across rooftops, ground, and a giant rolling wheel while accidentally interfering with slavers in the process. Turns out that Favaro, a bounty hunter by trade, has done something to royally piss off Kaisar, a fallen noble who is also now a bounty hunter and blames his current predicament on Favaro. He uses all of his roguish skills and charms to keep Favaro at bay, the ladies at his side, and his bounty targets under wraps, but he gets more than he bargained for when a beautiful stranger takes him at his word over one of his boasts and insists that he guides her to a northern land. Favaro is unaware that she earlier appeared Terminator-style but soon learns that the woman may actually be a demon when the brother of one of his bounties attacks with a giant summoned creature. In the aftermath of that battle, he even discovers that the kiss he had been seeking from the woman may be his undoing: he now has a demon tail where none had been before.

As adaptations of games (especially card games) go, this is a surprisingly smooth one. Instead of fretting about mechanics, it devotes all of its effort to establishing what will presumably be its main characters, flashing lots of action, and getting the story underway. What, exactly, Favaro has gotten himself into is unclear at this point unless one has read the advertising copy for the series, but given the time devoted to the apocalyptic scene and how Favaro's strange dreams at the end harken back to that, presumably the beautiful newcomer is up to some kind of shenanigans concerning that, ones that will undoubtedly lead to a lot of trouble for Favaro. And who better to cope with trouble than a dedicated rogue?

Studio Mappa, which has made its reputation with high-quality visual efforts like Kids on the Slope and Terror in Resonance, again turns in a very distinctive-looking work here, one which is probably most remarkable because most of the characters depicted so far are, frankly, homely; given the striking beauty of the newcomer and how far she outshines other human women, this may have been intentional to convey just how far beyond mortal standards otherworldly beauty is. Action scenes zing with lots of energy, movement, and flash, and even background art and monster design is quite good. The musical score gets a bit overbearing at times but also assure that events keep moving along at a brisk clip. It also adds in some cool gimmicks, too, like the way the bounty hunters magically “store” their bounties. (Anyone else reminded of Han Solo in The Empire Strikes Back?)

If Rage of Bahamut Genesis continues to keep its distance from its origins as a card game then it could have some serious appeal as a classic high fantasy series.

Rage of Bahamut Genesis is currently streaming on Funimation.com.

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Bamboo Dong

Rating: 4.5

Rage of Bahamut: Genesis is the coolest show you'll watch all year. I know the season's only just begun, and there are still a dozen or so titles left, but there's no way, no how, they could be as cool as this show. The first episode opens with dragons and not just any dragons—giant, huge menacing monsters like the kind you can summon in video games and destroy everyone in a 10-mile radius. It's like someone rustled up every person from the age of 6 and 34 and asked them, "What's cool?" and crammed it into one awesome, fun, and occasionally hilarious show. Because in addition to giant dragons, there are also bounty hunters, laser powers, knights, demons, a talking duck, general shenanigans and hooliganery, sword fights, and also a bit with a dog that I watched on repeat a few times. If there is more fun that one could possibly have watching a 25-minute show, I demand proof.

The story itself is relatively straightforward, but the energy comes in all of the wild characters, their non-stop antics, and the colorful blast in the face that is Rage of Bahamut: Genesis. The never-ending rivalry between bounty hunters Favaro and Kaisar is good for plenty of swashbuckling action scenes, and plenty of fist-shaking and "Why you!!!" yelling. Their constant cat-and-mouse chasing is almost more fun than the demon scenes, and plays out like a cheesy action movie (all the way down to bits like Kaisar hitting his head while standing on top of a moving cart). Comedy-wise, this episode doesn't shy away from goofiness at all. Between old bits like the one above, to a well-timed scene where a stray dog saunters past a demon and licks his horn, this show is as humorous as it is action-filled.

Combined with bright backgrounds, 70s-esque character name flashes, and honestly kind of bizarre character designs, the end result is a viewing experience that makes you want to gather all your friends and watch it again. It's difficult to articulate the virtues of this episode without just babbling, "Fun! Fun! Fun!!!" but that's exactly the kind of reaction it evokes. It's rare for a show to balance drama, action, and comedy so effortlessly and seamlessly, but somehow, this episode is able to do it.

Whatever your plans are for the rest of the season, make some time for Rage of Bahamut: Genesis. It will make you feel like a kid again, running around your yard playing make-believe with your friends. And there is nothing more irreplaceable than that feeling.

Rage of Bahamut: Genesis is available streaming at Funimation.

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Hope Chapman

Rating: 5

Swash swash, buckle buckle, it's time for a good old-fashioned HIGH ADVENTURE anime! And what an adventure this is, the likes of which I haven't seen in a very long time...or "if ever," frankly, because by far the nicest thing about Rage of Bahamut: Genesis is that it feels like something new. It's strange that an anime hearkening back to old Hollywood adventure movies feels more "new" than anything else this season, but so far Bahamut does not disappoint! No, that's an understatement. Bahamut exceeds any reasonable expectations for an action anime premiere, and could easily pass itself off as the first twenty minutes of an animated feature film. It's that damn good.

Well, it looks that damn good anyway. The story is a whole 'nother ball of wax entirely, and all we have is the basics so far: a long time ago the dragon Bahamut almost destroyed the world, but he was sealed away at the last minute and since then humans and demons have lived in relative peace/fear of each other in their sprawling fantasy villages. One such human is the bounty hunter Favaro Leone, a quick-talking trickster who catches his bounties through a combo of traps and lies, and is unfortunately caught in a trap himself due to his own lies by episode's end...a trap involving the re-summoning of Bahamut and a re-connection of his world to Helheim. It's not wildly original by any means, but just original enough to hold your attention, and its characters just likable enough to do the same, big hokey archetypes though they be.

The real star of this show is the execution of its fairly basic set-up: non-stop action, jokes, and plot twists all wrapped up in a greasy burrito of disgustingly impressive visuals. The CGI dragon is disgustingly impressive. The fight between swashbucklers on a giant water-wheel is disgustingly impressive. The mysterious woman who seeks Helheim is a joy to watch in battle as well. It's all just so impeccably animated, smartly directed, and a ridiculous amount of fun start to finish that you don't even want to think about the nuances of the plot and characters and how well they might hold up in the future. "I can think about that next episode" is all that ran through my head. I definitely got the basic gist and that's all I needed to enjoy every frame of the journey.

This first step forward is so strong, confident, and nigh-on perfect that really the only reservations I have about it involve a fear of what is to come. The lead writer on this project, Keiichi Hasegawa, is very much an unknown quantity only credited with a few individual episodes of various series, mostly childrens' anime, and the director, Keiichi Satou, has done marvelous work across several action series, but I can't help but be reminded of just how badly the animation budget collapsed in the second half of Tiger and Bunny, and how unsuccessful Sunrise and Satou were at hiding that fact. Basically, this is a fantastic opening to an unstable or at least unknown blend of creative forces, and it's anybody's guess how well the substance of Bahamut will hold up once the spectacle has quieted down.

That said, the spectacle is so mind-blowingly impressive here that this has to be recommended. I thought nothing was going to top the above-and-beyond cinematic excellence of Fate/stay night this season. I was wrong. This tops it (but just by two swashes and a buckle.)

Rage of Bahamut: Genesis is available streaming at Funimation.

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Nick Creamer

Rating: 4

Rage of Bahamut starts us off where all good stories start - with a giant dragon being laser-beamed by a elf knight on one side and a roaring demon on the other. Cue massive explosions and “two thousand years later,” and we're suddenly where all other good stories start - watching people swordfight on horseback while galloping across rooftops. Bahamut starts fast and doesn't let up, quickly introducing us to Favaro (swordsman number one), a bounty hunter slash dashing rogue with a devil-may-care attitude and a questionably smooth tongue. Favaro spends the majority of this first episode alternately evading the clutches of Kaisar (swordsman number two), a former noble he has somehow wronged, and stumbling his way into a bounty fortune. But when a mysterious woman hears him bragging about knowing a shortcut to the inhospitable Helheim, his life swiftly gets a lot more complicated.

Sounds kinda like a Hollywood adventure movie, right? Well, it is - Bahamut draws deeply from the Pirates of the Caribbean storytelling well, featuring dramatic beats, character types, and even shot framing choices that seem more reminiscent of Hollywood blockbusters than most anime. There's a quip-filled swordfight on a rolling water wheel, a group of bumbling bandits who keep drawing the comic relief straw, and the characters are even introduced with dramatic title cards announcing their names. It all works brilliantly, actually - the show owns this style, and the dynamic camera angles and tricks of refocusing all help to make Bahamut really stand out.

Bahamut’s style is also significantly bolstered by its stellar production. Beyond the crisp character designs and shot framing tricks, Bahamut also boasts an almost gratuitous amount of high quality animation. Characters shift gracefully between flavorful and comically exaggerated expressions, swordfights are expressed in smooth physical exchanges, and even the limited CG is integrated very well with the traditional animation. Bahamut looks expensive, frankly - I know great animation is generally more a product of smart production schedules and talented creators than throwing money at a problem, but the overall effect looks “big budget” in all the ways that matter.

And then there's the little things. A horse named Barina Chall Lidfard. A talking duck with a tiny crown. “Who are you, and why are you naked?!” Bahamut knows the details matter, and this first episode is peppered with a full stock of great tiny moments.

So far, I'd say the one questionable element here is Favaro himself. They're obviously going for “dashing yet buffoonish rogue,” but so far his buffoonery hasn't really translated into strong likability. That will likely change as the show slows down a bit and allows him to express some non-bluster-based personality, but it's something the show hasn't yet demonstrated, so it's something to look out for. Otherwise, if you're looking for a wild, beautifully articulated adventure, you could do a whole lot worse than Rage of Bahamut.

Rage of Bahamut: Genesis is available streaming at Funimation.

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Rebecca Silverman

Rating: 3 (out of 5)

I'm not entirely certain what to make of Rage of Bahamut: Genesis. It begins with an epic battle between elves with hair of light and shadow-dark demons and dragons, pretty clear high fantasy fare. Then it's two thousand years later and a guy with a 'fro/mullet combo is fighting an escapee from Sengoku Basara on the rooftops of Pseudo-Spain before they fight on top of a freed mill wheel in a scene ripped straight out of Pirates of the Caribbean. It seems the two are Favaro and Kaisar, and they are bounty hunters who don't get along. Favaro has a devil-may-care attitude and an easy smile while Kaisar is very serious and blames Favaro for his fall from fortune. (Given Favaro's attitude and methodology, he may very well be right.) Meanwhile a naked lady appears on top of a wagon and announces that she must get to Helheim, throwing in a little Norse terminology as well. Other characters include a guy named Bacchus who (wait for it) drinks a lot and the Afflack Duck, here called Hansa.

So there's a lot going on and very little of it makes any logical sense. It is, however, fascinating. Not just in terms of trying to sort everything out – the town is called “Wytearp” just to throw in a reference to Westerns – but also because Favaro is a fairly bizarre choice of leading man. He's not really a good guy, although he's also not a bad one; like this episode, he's a little bit of everything thrown together. It really works for the episode, although it could get old quickly if no coherent plot is forthcoming.

The color scheme is predominantly in browns, with Favaro's red hair and Mysterious Lady's pale lavender locks standing out. The scenery has a very Spanish feel to it, with tile roofs and a vaguely Spanish soundtrack for most of the episode, backed up by much more classical fare during the high fantasy moments, a choice which works quite well. There's also some fairly good fanservice for everyone here – Mysterious Lady does show up naked, as mentioned, and when she dons her battle gear, it's pretty much a metal thong, which cannot be comfortable. For those who prefer beefcake to cheesecake, we see Favaro in the all-together towards the end, and while his groin is carefully avoided, we get a shot of his behind and the ever-elusive male nipples.

An odd mix of Western and fantasy, Rage of Bahamut: Genesis is off to an interesting start, if not one that necessarily makes a whole lot of sense. It's fluid and fast-paced with a mix of elements that keeps you focused, even if it's largely to try and determine what on earth is going on.

Rage of Bahamut: Genesis is available streaming on Funimation.