These first two episodes of Übel Blatt do very little regarding hand-holding. We're given some brief on-screen text about the mission of the 14 warriors and are shown the brutal murder of Ascheriit—the last of the four who actually completed their mission—at the hand of the “Seven Heroes.” And from there, we're thrown right into the deep end.

On one hand, this adds a sense of wonder to what we see on the screen. We experience fantastical locations and meet an array of different characters. On the other, it is rather overwhelming. We know nothing about the state of this world or our heroes' place within it and have no baseline to compare to. Because we don't know what's possible, it's hard to know how much danger our heroes are in. Is a troll-like monster a legitimate threat? Is being knocked into a wall a fatal attack? Are humans more durable in this world? Is there something like healing magic? The only way we learn the answers to such questions is by seeing them happen on the screen—which means there's always an uncertain level of tension in these first episodes that makes things less exciting than they could otherwise be.

However, while the world can be a bit confusing, this is largely tempered by the straightforward plot of this first arc. Köinzell, Peepi, and Geranpen are all strangers to each other but come together because they share the same immediate goal: to get into the Szaalenden Empire, where the Seven Heroes are. To do so, however, they need to pass through a border city ruled by a religious sect that takes great pleasure in torturing and executing anyone who they see as sinners. For example, anyone trying to sneak through their city without paying enough bribes. It's unquestionably clear who the heroes are, what they're trying to do, and why their slaughtering the villains en masse is a good thing.

While each of the main characters gets a bit of development—be that in motivations or back story—the story's main focus is on Köinzell. Everything about him has an air of mystery, from his prowess with a blade and magical nature to his physical appearance and personality. Throughout these two episodes, we get a lot of answers about who he is and why he's on his quest to kill the Seven Heroes. But for every answer we get, new ones arise, making him a solidly captivating protagonist.

In general, Übel Blatt feels like an anime from a different era, like a throwback to turn-of-the-millennium dark fantasy stories like Claymore and Berserk than what we're used to getting in anime today. Of course, the reason for this is that the Übel Blatt manga started in that era (before finally wrapping up 15 years later in 2019). There are noticeable changes from the manga, most notably in the visuals. The violence is far less graphic, and the sex and nudity have been cut out completely (at least in these first two episodes, anyway).

That said, the animation looks decent. The fights are dynamic yet easy to follow, and the addition of color allows the fantastical locations to pop off the screen in a way they never quite manage to in the manga. Likewise, the character design is largely fantastic, especially the armor. It all has the same general style, looking like it comes from the same place regardless of who is wearing it, be they hero or villain. However, I have to admit I had to stifle a laugh every time we got a full-body shot of Köinzell wearing what appears to be a garter belt outside of his pants. But I guess that's one way to keep your socks up.

On the music side, the soundtrack matches the dark fantasy nature of the story quite well. Much of it is orchestrated and punctuated with wordless vocals that make things feel epic. It also has an earworm of an opening theme by GARNiDELiA, which is a bonus, to say the least.

Ultimately, these first two episodes perfectly set up a straightforward revenge story and an intriguing personal mystery. With Köinzell, we know what happened, not the why or how. This makes for a great hook going forward. Add onto this the fact that the show feels like an anime out of time—a throwback to a genre largely unrepresented in recent years—and it hits quite well. If you're craving a dark fantasy from the turn of the millennium, you should check this one out.