Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign

Episode 19

It's been a solid run, but Seraph of the End has finally had its first visual dump episode, and seven into the season at that. That's impressive - usually I expect it around episode four or so. Story-wise, this episode was also lackluster, but necessarily so. This was a narrative bridge to finally take our heroes away from the battle against Lucal Wesker and toward their intended confrontation against Crowley.

Things get off to a bad start. When the smiling noble shrugs off Yoichi's sneak attack, they know that he's too powerful even for all three squads combined. So they come up with an alternate plan instead – Shinya and Guren distract the nobles while everyone else rescues the hostages. It's the most dangerous option, but with typical shounen bravado, our heroes refuse to let anyone die willingly. They're all given five minutes to complete their respective tasks. When that time runs out, they'll all retreat, regardless of where their comrades are. The mission begins, but Crowley and his aides quickly prove too much even for two of the JIDA's strongest soldiers on the defensive. They're cornered until Yuichiro breaks through a wall with a surprise attack against the 13th Progenitor. However, he dodges, and the episode ends with Yu in the path of the noble's blade.

It's cool to finally see some of the Guren squad's powers in not-still-frame action. It would have been better if they were lushly animated, but whatever, we can't have everything. One of the most fun things about Seraph of the End is the distinct, tactical ways in which characters use their powers, so it's disappointing when they're given generic weaponry. (For example, three-fifths of Narumi's squad uses swords. Guess which characters aren't important.) Sayuri's generic sword turns out to be a special sword covered in paper, while Goshi conquers his foes with the power of vaping.

But yeah, that animation. The number one thing that Seraph has going for it right now is stellar production. The animation, art design, music, and direction are all top-notch for television animation, but when one of those takes a hit, there's a significant decrease in my engagement. It's nice when the story is interesting, but I'm really here to see guys in full military regalia shooting lightning out of swords. Once I'm dealt quality like the smooth motion on display during the Lucal Wesker fight, it's tough to go back to speed lines.

Fortunately, Seraph on an off day still looks and sounds better than the average anime production. There were more animation shortcuts and awkward off-model moments than usual, but also some inspired attempts at motion during the concluding sequence. That motion is just rougher around the edges – they're lingering on frames for longer than they did before, and those frames are of lower quality, which becomes noticeably awkward. Hopefully, this dip is due to them putting extra effort into some upcoming climactic moment, rather than the production finally crashing. Studio Wit's work on this series has been very impressive, so I'm hardly at my wit's end about this. Eh? Eh?!?

Tough crowd.

Grade: B

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.