Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign

Episode 17

Damn, I keep waiting to be disappointed by Seraph of the End's visuals this season, but it keeps on trucking with style. On paper, this shouldn't be a great episode. It doesn't have a ton to do with anything that happened previously. This was just a fight against a new antagonist, Marilyn Manson Lucal Wesker, who dies in the same episode that he's introduced. But what a fight! It made me realize that I'm tired of drawn-out multi-episode battles. I'd been missing the simple one-and-done, where all of the characters get an opportunity to participate, but there isn't some wrenching cliffhanger before the inevitable conclusion. This fight reminds me of the very best parts of Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works, when the pacing was snappy, the design work on point, and almost every shot was loaded with some eye-pleasing detail. If you watch one episode of Seraph, it should probably be this one. Side note, I would definitely play this version of Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem.

After losing a training match against Guren's team, the Shinoa squad is partnered with another group for guidance. Said group is led by the halberd-wielding Makoto Narumi, who immediately takes umbrage with Yu's flippant attitude. Still, they cooperate on a mission to assassinate Lucal Wesker, a vampire noble. Lucal's way less hammy than his character design implies (a top hat and full centimeter of eyeliner), but he still puts up a tough fight. As a lower-level progenitor, he's a manageable opponent for the two squads working in tandem. Guren's lesson about the importance of teamwork begins to pay off, while Yoichi gets some practical instruction in sniping. This all establishes that our heroes are still competent fighters after their loss to a handicapped Guren squad last episode. Even if their loss was gentle, we needed a victory to show that they were capable combatants and not just children. I look forward to seeing what challenge their real target, the perpetually smiling Crowly Eusford, will provide in the weeks to come.

Last week didn't have a trip to Vampire Intrigue Land, but we did receive a report from Wesker about vampire factionalism. Apparently, he was allied with Lest Karr, Krul's rival and the shota vampire king to her loli vampire queen. They're equally ranked and vying for control over Japan. I don't know what vampire issues they disagree on, (marijuana legalization?) but I assume that we should be on Krul's side. It'd be nice if they could clarify some of this soon. Intrigue is fine, but not if it turns into people disagreeing endlessly over things that have not yet been disclosed to the audience.

Otherwise, this episode was just an excellently directed, choreographed, and animated fight scene. For as much as the previous episodes went on about teamwork, it's nice to finally see a fight play out successfully with a dozen people working in tandem. While Yu gets the protagonist-mandated final strike, everyone else's abilities serve a vital purpose getting him there. Yoichi takes crowd control, Shinoa delegates positioning, Mitsuba is on defense, and Kimizuki pisses the enemy off with his bad attitude. (Now that Yu's calmed down, I guess that Kimizuki's become the designated hothead. Everyone needs to be good at something!) Even Narumi's mooks serve a purpose, even if it's just pinning down the opponent. This is all probably establishing battle procedure for a later episode, where it'll go off the rails.

The choreography in particular is excellent here. Blow-by-blow, the fight is memorable, has synergy with its environment, and makes creative use of the characters' abilities. Even if they're not the standout fighter, everyone gets a moment to shine. I look forward to seeing what this production could do with a more climactic situation. Seraph of the End is almost starting to remind me of Rage of Bahamut in its ability to replicate blockbuster live-action cinematographic techniques in traditional animation. You don't see the moving narrow focus of Shinya and Yoichi's climactic appearance in most other shows, or those sustained aerial shots where Yoichi watches a bunch of vampires moving from above. This episode was a lush visual feast that left me wanting more.

Grade: A

Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign is currently streaming on Funimation.

Gabriella Ekens studies film and literature at a US university. Follow her on twitter.