ApplePieHunter

Like many of the degenerates reading this review, I saw an Ecchi tag slapped onto the poster of a demon succubus lady and went straight in for the fun times. While I won’t lie to you and pretend this show is not filled with pointless fan service, let’s be real with ourselves, the fan service is the only thing stopping this show from getting dropped by every anime enjoyer. And although I didn’t feel the need to wipe my memory after finishing the season, let’s dive into how incredibly lazy writing makes this show completely forgettable. VERMEIL AND ALTO - Even while ignoring the creepy agegap, there’s still a lot wrong with these 2 characters. It’s pretty clear that the meat on the bones of the show come from our 2 main characters, Vermeil the Demon and Alto Goldfield the Human. Vermeil begins this show with one purpose only, to provide lots of hot fan service for the average teenage boy. I’ve seen a lot of people describe her in different ways… some of them didn’t even bother with words as the tent pitched in their pants said enough. I don’t care much for reviewing Ecchi quality, so I’ll summarize her as a “big titty Ara Ara Onee-san” who pushes the show dangerously close to hentai territory. But the cool thing about Vermeil is that she does get some respectable character development in later episodes! A far cry from top-tier waifus like Rem, Zero-Two, Megumin, and others, but enough to keep me mildly interested. Alto, on the other hand, wins the award for being the blandest MC this season. Love them or hate them, every other MC of Summer 2022 has at least some distinguishing traits that make them stick out. However, Alto Goldfield is the perfect example of the strong-willed young hero cliche. He always sticks to his principles, which conveniently, never really get challenged. His motivation to face obstacles consists entirely of wanting to be the best at magic (for god knows what reason). And, of course, his lack of self-confidence makes him completely oblivious to people’s feelings toward him. If that sentence didn’t give it away… yes, he has a childhood friend romantically interested in him and he has no fucking clue. Having a boring protagonist is not always a problem, especially for Ecchi shows. But if you’re gonna make the main focus of the show be the relationship between the main characters, have some more complicated dynamics besides makeout scenes and steamy “mana sharing” that land Vermeil on the FBI watchlist. THE WORLD OF MAGIC - Hey, author? You know you’re supposed to fill in the writing template… right? Something that always bothers me in Fantasy shows is when the magic is never properly explained. I’m not asking for a 30-minute PowerPoint presentation, a 10-page essay, or 3 characters who provide narration over every fight. All I want is some fucking inkling of how magic in this world works. Because when I don’t understand how things work, I don’t understand just how hard it is for characters to make things work. If some elaborate fight scene against an OP villain happens, how am I supposed to know this person is OP besides “haha, funny colors go brrrrrrr”. If Alto and Vermeil pull off some revolutionary shit, its impact is never felt since the only indication I have are random background characters going “wow, that’s so cool” then never mentioning the event again. Don’t even get me started on how little effort the show puts into the world itself. Its tier list of magic is basically ripped from “Mairimashita! Iruma-kun”, the other school and societies of magic are worthless to the story, and I’m under the strong impression that the Student Council has more power than some governments. Overall, the world our characters live in is so filled with holes that ignoring it is the better option than trying to understand it. VILLAINS - It’s crazy how this show went 0/3 with its antagonists. “Vermeil in Gold” has some terrible villains, and once again its lazy writing is to blame. Without spoiling anything, here is a quick summary of each antagonist Vermeil and Alto have directly taken on. Villain 1 has an inflated ego that doesn’t match their skill, resulting in them getting humbled pretty quickly. Villain 2 is supposed to be a surprise twist, but there are so many obvious signs that I was hoping it would be a “you thought they were a villain but they weren’t” moment. Sadly, I was disappointed. Villain 3 is the worst of the lot, with absolutely no reason for doing what they do besides being inexplicably mentally unstable and finding bad things fun. FINAL VERDICT - Unless you came just for Ecchi, “Vermeil in Gold” won’t satisfy any of your anime cravings. I would recommend trying out “Mairimashita! Iruma-kun” if you want a good show about a boy attending magic school, or watching “Muma no Machi Cornelica” if mommy succubus dominates little boy is the kick you get from “Vermeil in Gold”.

SpRayquaza11

6/10 Tropes + fanservice + decent animation are the only first thoughts that come to mind while thinking of this anime. Episode 1-3:- Fanservice and character introduction, FMC remains a mystery Episode 2-6:- More fanservice, side characters introduced and we find out MC is "Special" while he steamrolls the existing power system. we also have a Villian working in the shadows, Then he gets rekt and after this, we find out there is bigger fish than him. Episode 3-10:- ofc fanservice Antagonist working in the shadow (Again) then MC resolves to “Become stronger to protect my loved ones” oh god the cringe xD Episode 11-12:- Reveals and a final showdownthat strengthens the bond of the characters I mean it's so formula based that, I can sum it up like this easily xD. Oh, and fanservice. Now, this may actually sound like an adept story, But there is a catch…… There is nothing about this anime that is unique, but what it does is stick to the formula and just execute it, it's like you read the best essay online word to word and write it in your exam and get a 10/10. Hence As far as entertainment value goes, anyone who hasn't seen many magic school animes or power fantasies, or ecchi animes will probably enjoy this anime very much, the fans who are well versed enough with most of these will be bored out of their minds due the sheer formulaic nature of the series. Vermeil is an anime with a cheeky pink-haired lewd childhood friend who is heavily tsundere, A Shota good boi who the ladies want to “Pet” rather than seduce, A big boba Onee san Esque character that constantly tests his uh “Restraint”? A goofy sidekick that makes even this loser of an MC look like Kirito-Kun and the filler character maid who is being saved for plot points and extra waifu later on (I mean we have seen wilder shit happen). I have seen THIS SAME CAST AT LEAST IN 30% OF ALL MAGIC SCHOLL ANIMES. Well coming to the review, the review is, strictly speaking, assuming that you are more trope forgiving, remaining Bias free after having watched 400+ series is a hard thing to do so please remember, some of these may just be PERSONAL opinions but I have TRIED to be bias-free. Plot (6/10) It is not ultra compelling but is a story of regret and mystery, it delivers a cohesive story divided into well-defined phases, and the magic system is standard (immediately relatable to similar shows). The main plot is revealed one bit at a time, most of the fanservice however is of convenience (Having to kiss to get MANA?? XD) or worse, just creepy (the pink hair gives me the chills). The main reveal of FMC's past is actually good and delivers nicely but, it comes a bit too late in episode 11 to be precise. Most of the plot is formulaic and structured based on precious successful shows of a similar kind but it is unique enough to stand out, just a little bit. Characters (5/10) The characters are boring, sometimes alright but mostly insufferably cringe, The MC is a bit of a Goody two shoes but is seen making exceptions and the right choices at times, the FMC is the main highlight, Vermeil changes as the mystery unravels since she was running from the past rather than face it, the changes are handled nicely and it does make for a slightly compelling character drama the antagonists are mostly crazy fucks hence just remembered as the same or just forgotten quite quickly. The rest of the characters mostly serve as comic relief or fan service enhancers(especially pink hair). Art and animation (7/10) For a low-budget production it's done quite well, the art is nice and provides a good setting for the mysterious magical vibe, the animation during fights is inconsistent, some scenes get more love than others, but the ecchi scenes have consistent animation, unlike the fights. The ED art is quite nice and the only standout thing about this series in general. Sound and VA (8/10) I expected a different cast for vermeil since the VA even after trying hard is unable to capture the onee san type of tone, she does quite well for what it's worth but the initial allure of this series was definitely the big boba, ara-ara oneesan but that didn't happen. The other VAs do quite well, especially the pink-haired Tsundere that does an outstanding job during her more uh…. Deranged moments? The ost is reused and repetitive but it is not too bad in general. The OP and ED are really well done and hence the most points this series gets are here. With how packed and hyped next season seems to be this is gonna be a tough sell, the suggestion would be watching the first two episodes and deciding whether to binge or not, since if watched alongside the power hitters of next season, this series would be an instant drop.