AlexPaulLEWZ

The power of coincidences is very interesting, but what if it was powered up to the point that it strengthens bonds between two people? I'm sure that almost everyone knows what Romeo and Juliet is. It's one of the most recognizable and popular works of literature known to mankind. As what people would already know, it's about a boy named Romeo and a girl named Juliet whose families are in conflict with each other, and after their deaths, the Montague and Capulet families stopped their feud. That premise is basically what happens in Kimi to Boku no Saigo no Senjou, Aruiwa Sekai ga Hajimaru Seisen. Wehave two factions: the Empire and the Nebulis Sovereignty. The Empire and the Nebulis Sovereignty have been at war for more than a century. In those factions, we have our protagonist for each side. For the Empire, we have the swordsman Iska who looks like Kazuto Kirigaya, and for the Sovereignty, we have the ice princess Aliceliese "Alice" Lou Nebulis IX. Both of our protagonists desire to end this pointless war, meeting each other by fate, and as time passes by, their relationship seems to develop. Similar to Romeo and Juliet? Of course, but it has magic. A total rip-off? Debatable. Boring? Absolutely not. You see, I have been dreaming about this kind of premise for a while now. One might call it cliched, and I'm not going to deny that. I have been looking for the kind of anime: rivals and enemies becoming acquaintances and possibly budding into romance. As the story gets developed, we have the power of coincidences that seem to link Iska and Alice together wherever they may go. Cheesy? Maybe. Interesting? Absolutely. I noticed that the story development is kind of slow, with the series picking up about halfway where we finally see things happen. Of course, I understand this. After all, ending a war does not happen overnight. I think that the story is on the right track and is developing itself properly, but it's still not enough, considering that there are still many things that need to be answered. Twelve episodes are too few to give a satisfactory conclusion. Nevertheless, I still want to see more. The first thing that I noticed immediately after watching the first episode is that the characters seem to have their eyes drawn with a similar fashion to a Geass from Code Geass, although it's black. I don't mind the similarity, in fact, I actually like it. I kept thinking, what would happen if someone actually used a Geass there and controlled someone's mind? I actually wouldn't mind if Kimi to Boku no Saigo no Senjou, Aruiwa Sekai ga Hajimaru Seisen actually ripped off that concept, although I would probably be worried if it gets used too often. Eyes aside, the magic used by astral mages, especially the ice magic (got it?) by Alice was as beautiful as she is. The freezing chill that permeates the screen made me feel cold, although I think that only happened to me. One more, by Alice's maid Rin, and her earth magic was also spot-on. The action scenes weren't something to be scoffed at either, the animation was pretty fluid. If I am allowed to be more selfish, I would want more of the series' magical display. When we're talking about Kimi to Boku no Saigo no Senjou, Aruiwa Sekai ga Hajimaru Seisen's music, especially its opening and ending themes, I really remember that beat that gave me a very good first impression about the anime, especially Kaori Ishihara's "Against." which was the OP (although I kind of admit I missed this when I was playing animemusicquiz once). Moreover, Sora Amamiya's performance of the ending song "Koori no Torikago" was spectacular as well, especially that refrain that really hits you in the chest on how relatable the lyrics are to the theme of the show. Itsuka oozora he hanatsu sono hi made (Until the day I let it go to the sky) kanarazu tadoritsuku hi made (Until the day that it surely arrives) tsuyoku arou dakara dou ka (Please be strong) anata mo akiramezu ni ite (Don't give up) That song really hits the spot. And of course, until our protagonists really do achieve their goal of world peace, they should remain strong and never give up. And yes, I also missed this once in AMQ. Am I a fake fan now? Maybe one point that you can take to remember the characters is that the anime is similar to Romeo and Juliet. Personally, however, I do not like thinking that way. Iska and Alice are great characters especially that the plot of the power of coincidences revolve around them. One goes here, and they meet the other. I will never get tired of a premise like that. Their character development is lacking, yes, and I cannot deny that, because there are still more things to explore about their relationship and like what I have said earlier, I am looking forward to seeing their characters develop more... if we actually get to. In Kimi to Boku no Saigo no Senjou, Aruiwa Sekai ga Hajimaru Seisen, I have two notable favorite characters. First would be Alice's maid, Rin. Her personality is so uptight like what you see in many anime, but that's exactly why I like her. A pulchritudinous maid who wants to abide by the rules that she gets so pragmatic when it comes to violations… I mean, who doesn't want that? Pardon that deep word, if you please, something like "beautiful" couldn't possibly describe Rin. Second would be Sisbell Lou Nebulis IX, Alice's sister. Her being the underdog in what could possibly be a love triangle is something that makes me want to root for her. I'm on team Sisbell on this one. Like what I have been saying earlier, I hope that my enjoyment is already palpable. Yes, I truly enjoyed the show, while at times I was frustrated because I was wanting to say something like "why don't Iska's friends already know that he and Alice are acquaintances? Like please, let them all be allies already! I want to see the combined forces of Alice and Iska as they bring about world peace!" I get more frustrated as I continue to realize that things do not happen that fast. Because of this, I still enjoyed Kimi to Boku no Saigo no Senjou, Aruiwa Sekai ga Hajimaru Seisen. In conclusion to this review, overall, the anime has a cliched premise but it still managed to make me interested. Not just any kind of interest, however. I want to know more. I want to know what happens between the Empire and the Sovereignty as their war continues. I want to know whether Iska and Alice's last crusade will change the world. I want to know if the main enemy would just be the two warring nations. I want to see more of Rin and Sisbell. I want to see more of the anime's characters. I want to see a second season for Kimi to Boku no Saigo no Senjou, Aruiwa Sekai ga Hajimaru Seisen.

Stark700

Sometimes, it’s just easy to be tricked by an anime’s potential. Judging by the premise, this show sounded like your typical, generic light novel adaptation. And you’d be right. It isn’t masking its potential in any way or form. Sadly, that means it’s exactly you’d expect: a military fantasy of mediocrity. Our Last Crusade or The Rise of a New World tells the story of a young man named Iska, caught in between a conflict involving the Heavenly Empire and the Nebulis Sovereignty. To put it simply, they are two sides with different ideologies and even utilizes different tactics as part of its culture. The HeavenlyEmpire relies on its advanced technology while the Nebulis Sovereignty utilizes its magic users. It’s a conflict of science vs magic, a common trend in military fiction. What makes this anime mediocrity relies the ultimate execution of the show’s ideas. I remember the first time when the trailers and promotional material debuted. It became obvious why the anime is designed with such a way to pit two important characters together. Iska and Alicelise (Alice) represents the opposite spectrum of an ongoing war. Peace is a far cry from being achieved although it appears that both characters desires the war to end. Fate designates their encounter and from the first episode, the two unlikely characters builds a peculiar relationship throughout the rest of the show. It would appear based on narratives and plot elements that the war has been lasting for a very long time. In the present timeline, the show sell itself as a military fantasy story. The nations have their factions, politics, and ongoing plans to achieve their goals. Iska is the powerful swordsman with near unrivaled skills from the Heavenly Empire. Meanwhile, there’s Alice, the Ice Calamity Witch with powerful ice magic at her disposal, serving the Nebulis Sovereignty. After their first encounter, we see the two continuously bumping into each other. This later turns their relationship into a complicated angle due to their conflicting ideals and alliances. However, this show does little to actually build their relationship. There’s a lack of character development as the two personalities are too contrasting to be compatible. Furthermore, it’s hard to get invested into either character when their roles are so blend. Both Iska and Alice has an honorable personality but can be deadly on the battlefield. It appears throughout the show, neither of their personality really change except when interacting between each other. Even then, it’s poorly executed especially from Alice’s point of view. In later episodes, she shows more vulnerable sides of herself that melts some of her Ice Queen persona. Meanwhile, Iska follows his moral code like a good little soldier although he isn’t afraid to take risks when needed. This includes taking on fights on the fly or trying to outsmart a battle maid like Rin, Alice’s personal bodyguard. Are you hopeful for a memorable supporting cast? If so, I got some depressing news to deliver. The supporting cast is made up of some of the most generic and poorly written characters I’ve seen this year. Rin, Nene, Mismis, and Jhin are a few examples that absolutely lacks any sort of decent characterization or development. To be honest, if you remove most of these characters, you wouldn’t feel too much impact from the anime’s storytelling altogether. It’s mostly rely on Iska and Alice to carry this anime on their back but unfortunately, they couldn’t live up to the expectations. The antagonists are even more forgettable such as Salinger, who is introduced with little buildup. In fact, it’s hard for me to say there’s any important antagonists besides the show being an enemy of itself. Yes, this anime’s weakness is itself, being that it’s so poorly designed that it’s nearly damn unwatchable. Perhaps the only saving grace is the artistic visuals. I’m not going to lie, Alice can be an eye candy to look at with her beautiful red dress, graceful blonde hair, and alluring eyes. Iska on the other hand looks like your average Kirito-clone you can find in any light novel. The world setting opens up some chances for redemption but overall still remains lackluster with the war being the main emphasis. No, this isn’t a solid show or even close. It can’t hold itself together when the plot is so lackluster with a poorly constructed main cast. I wonder when the anime adaptation was announced, it was an attempt to get the audience to drop money for the light novels. Keeping my fingers crossed, I hoped to be proven wrong but after these dreadful 12 episodes, my hope was lost. This anime is a lost cause and has no redemption.