Jormungand

I'm usually pretty lenient with anime that I can turn my brain off to, but this series takes the cake for being worse that painfully mediocre. This has been on my plan to watch list for ages because this looked/seemed interesting. Let's just say I've never been so baffled by a series with a semi-decent rating be so bad. Art/Animation/Visuals (1/10): This was comically bad at times. There have been plenty of reviews shitting on the gun play and how it's not right. That aside, characters designs are average at best. Animation is lazy 80% of the time which is painfully bad for a show like this where action and fights should be the highlight. Plot (2/10): What plot? I'm okay with one-shot types series where each episode is not linear to the next, but holy shit. I doubt there was a single moment where an arms deal actually happened. It almost always turns to shit and looks like hell. Characters (2/10): They're all cardboard boxes honestly. Koko is hands down the worst, which is bad for the main. character. Quirky, crazy, loco Koko doing her shenanigans again! Gimme a break Sound: (4/10) The opening is cringe. It's painful to listen to. That aside, the OST isn't the worst thing I listened to. I can't rate it any higher though since nothing visual is entertaining enough to match the audio. Overall (2/10): So. This was 4 hours of my time I am never getting back. If you want interesting gun fights or an actual plot, hell, High School of the Dead does a better job. Please don't waste your time.

Jonah is a a child soldier who hates guns and arms dealer who he hates because he blames the for selling the guns who killed his family. However, he ends up working as a body guard for the enigmatic illegal arms dealer Koko Hekmatyar. With Jormungand we delve into the murky world of illegal arms dealing and the contradictions that go with. We follow Koko and her band of mercenaries as she makes arms deal with anyone who can make her money, rival arms dealers whilst dodging assassins and the CIA. One thing is for sure, where Koko goes death surely follows. One thing Jormungand does too well is glamourising the world of illegal arms dealing. One thing you have to remember none of the characters are nice people. On the surface the characters are very likable but this is a facade. Koko is fiercely loyal to those who follow her and that loyalty is returned but this loyalty has a price. She is extremely cunning, expertly hides her thoughts and will ruthlessly kill anyone who crosses her. Her mercenary bodyguards are really more like well armed killers. This contradiction is probably the point of Jormungand. Moving on from the morality of Jormungand. The art isn't the best but the story is good. The key to the whole anime is Koko Hekmatyar as you never know how she will handle any situation and it is this unpredictability that makes Jormungand enjoyable to watch and give the anime depth where it could have been just mired in gratuitous violence. A violent but well worked and very enjoyable anime but it could never be a classic.

When comparing this to relevant animations such as Black Lagoon, I was struck by a pleasant surprise. I first watched Jormungand on a whim to get more of the brainless action that I got from Black Lagoon. In that sense, I was left with disappointment when watching Jormungand, for it is not as braindead as one might think. The story has a simple introduction of our main character, Jonah. He's a child who has lost his parents in a war and is now a child soldier in said war. What country this war takes place is unspecified (for the simplicity's sake, I reckon), but Jonah looks like he's originating from the middle east. Shortly after, Jonah is introduced to the money-loving, top of the food-chain and absolutely nuts woman; Koko. Koko is part of her family's logistics company: HCLI. They transport weapons to clients and Jonah is now part of Koko's crew which consists of persons from all over the world, from various organizations and gangs or whatever it may be. I have to say, the development is rather nice (maybe even more so than the second season, if you ask me!) and it was indeed a pleasant surprise when I first started watching. I'm not going to dive further into the various complex situations revolving around the story, that would just ruin the experience. I am, however, going to rate the story 8/10. The artwork isn't really standing out much, but it isn't necessarily bad either. There's multiple fast shooting-scenes and CQC (close quarter combat) involved, which in my experience tend to lead towards poorly animated frames, but Jormungand actually delivers quite well in that sense. Some of the scenes left me with a sense of disappointment due to some poor execution, but all in all, I can't really complain. 7/10 on art. Now let's get into the real awesome part of Jormungand that really sets it apart from other action animations; sound. The soundtracks in Jormungand are fantastic. If you ever get to watch Jormungand, make sure you watch it with good headphones or with good speakers. The opening in both seasons really hyped me for what was about to come (even though it's stuffed with Engrish), but as I said, the soundtracks are what really makes it so damn good. I highly suggest that you look through the various OST's and listen through them thoroughly. Giving sound anything other than 10/10 would be unforgivable to me. The characters of Jormungand don't really get introduced too much until the second season, where they try to focus on getting to know the background of all the characters. This may leave you a bit unsatisfied, but the characters themselves are still pretty damn awesome. The first season, I'd say, is more focused on Jonah and Koko, whereas the second season is more focused on the group as a whole. Anyhow, I will give character 7/10 for this one. Most important of all is, however, the enjoyment. I can gladly say that I indeed enjoyed watching armies getting slaughtered and see Sofia's mad skills with knives. Jormungand delivers, I have to say that, although it's not delivering all the way for me. It has good action, kickass sound and characters fit for the role, but in the end I think they needed more episodes to develop the story. My enjoyment rating on Jormungand is going to be 9/10. Overall I give Jormungand 8/10 and if you're looking for action that might not be as braindead as you think; you've come to the right place.

Jormungand is about an arms dealer and her assistants. The story revolves around their adventures and their hidden objective. The story contains a lot of gun scenes and explosion. I recommend this to others and here's why. Story: You might think that the story is just your normal rambo crap but its not. The story might but slow to develop but it is very interesting. It also involves brain games that can make you guess what will happen next. The series are divided into different arcs that may contain 2-3 episodes but each of it are interesting. Art: The animation is very good given that it contains a lot of fight scenes that needs high frames per second. Those scenes are quite well done that really helps the mode of story. The blood scenes can be seen quite often so if don't like that scenes you might want to skip this anime. The background are well made and given that they go different places, the quality did not drop. Sound: The sound is also good. The ost's are great and it really helps in setting the mode. You can feel the excitement when needed and it really gets you going to watch more. Even in the preview track, the sound is really great that it will play in your head a number of times. Honestly, I always look forward to the preview track every time I watch. Character: The character development is discussed in the series. The lead is very interesting and really gives an impression. The sub characters might not be very interesting in the start but as the series goes on, you will learn a lot about them. Enjoyment: There may not be a lot of fanservice but you can still find this series interesting and enjoyable. The story is good and the scenes are intense. I sometimes stop watching just to kill my over excitement when watching the series. Overall: Overall, I will recommend this anime given the ideas I discussed on the top. I'm sure you will not regret this because it's a complete package anime.

The Positive Side: Jormungand follows the travels of Jonah, a child soldier with a hatred of weapons, as he serves as body-guard to an eccentric and playful arms-dealer, Koko Hekmatyar. One of Jormungand’s greatest strengths is in the way it handles its sprawling cast. Each member of Koko’s motley crew of bodyguards has a different set of skills, a distinct personality and a different philosophical perspective. Almost everyone is given an episode or two in the spotlight, and in just a short period of time with any given character, you can get a very strong sense of who they are. It’s difficult for a series with a cast this large to achieve this kind of distinction, but character development is one area where Jormundgand shines. Even the villains, however briefly they appear on screen, bring with them unique quirks and the remnants of their personal histories. The most memorable character of the lot is easily Koko. She grins and jests her way through the tensest of situations, her skylarking and casual demeanor betraying her brilliant coordination of her team. She’s the perfect blend of silliness, wisdom and charm, like an albino, gun-slinging Willy Wonka. Given the market saturation of supernatural/scifi Shonen series, Jormungand serves as a refreshing reminder that you don’t need super-powers to make an action-scene sizzle. Fights range from chaotic, urban gun-battles to smooth sniper-executions to a beautiful knife-fight set in a secluded clearing of a snowy forest. The story is primarily episodic, each new episode setting up a new antagonist for Koko, Jonah and the rest to overcome, and it is not until the end of the series that it becomes clear what all this has actually been building up to. Like Cowboy Bebop before it, Jormungand proves that an episodic structure can work wonderfully as long as each separate story is well-executed. Thematically, this is a story about the reconciliation between killing and morality. Koko strives to prove to Jonah that simply because she and rest of the group are in the moral grey by the very nature of their business doesn’t mean they can’t have fun and mess around on their days off. Koko repeatedly proves that she truly does care about her team, that she wishes to avoid killing when it is unnecessary, and that she has principles she refuses to violate. The English dub is very well-acted, thanks to the talents of Funimation, and while the music can be a bit grating and synthetic at points, the opening theme really grew on me after a couple of episodes. The Negative Side: While a fairly intelligent show in terms of theme and the impact of war, Jormundgand’s greatest failure comes from backing itself into a philosophical corner. It’s difficult to talk about the ending without giving spoilers, but I will do my best to keep this vague for the would-be viewer’s benefit. In short, when we learn of Koko’s ultimate goal, we find that she is about to do something morally horrifying for the sake of what she believes is the greater good. It’s supposed to be a huge moral quandary, but the flaws in the plan become obvious when given the slightest degree of consideration. In fact, Koko’s own brother points out the faults in what she’s doing not long after she unveils her grand plan. The problem is, by the time her plan is revealed to be grossly philosophically imbalanced, the series is out of time, and has nowhere left to go. While the ending is nowhere near as bad as a few other series I’ve watched (The Big O, Deadman Wonderland), it’s still rather unsatisfying, especially compared to the show’s stellar Season 1 finale. Final Verdict: Despite its lack-luster ending, Jormungand boasts strong characterization, action and plotting. It’s definitely worth watching, especially if you’re a fan of Seinen and war stories.

Jormungand has, to say the least, action. Lots and lots of action. If you like action movies like Rambo, Die Hard, just about any Jean Claude van Damme movie, then look no further. On a personal note, I do enjoy such films and was taken in quite quickly by this show. For an arms dealer, you would think their attitude would be serious, evasive, short and to the point. Koko Hekmatyar seems anything but serious. Rather, she’s very calm and cheerful and has a demeanor that would put one more at ease than anything. Without any prior knowledge of Hekmatyar, you would think she’s a spacey goofball of a businesswoman. Her mannerisms can sometimes be that of a typical 10 year old throwing a tantrum. With only 12 episodes to work with, they jump into plot rather quickly, not really bothering to go into the supporting characters much. Over the course of the series, they do eventually touch up on some of them and you learn about their past a little. But it is a bit sad when a character that only has three episodes of screen time gets more of a background than one of Koko’s own men whom we see in every episode. I would have liked to have seen more background on the other supporting characters that got few lines and hardly any screen time, and saved the main story and action for the second season. The most pressing question many watchers of this show have in mind is, “if this kid Jonah hates weapons so much, why is he so good with them, and why does he continue to use them? If he hates arms dealers so much, why is he traveling with Koko?” This is explained during the early- middle part of the series. We learn about the trials Jonah has faced and why he has become who he is. As the story progresses, we do see a bit of a change in his personality, and he does eventually warm up to Koko’s group while still keeping his main goal in mind. The animation is nothing super spectacular, but it’s still better than average. There were a few scenes during gunfights when I noticed the quality drop a little bit behind the muzzle flash of gunfire. Other than that, there wasn’t anything notably wrong with the animation. In a nutshell, Jormungand definitely has a target audience in mind. But for those among that audience, you won’t be disappointed.

Oh boy, where do I even begin with Jormungand? I mean, what's not to love about an anime about a group of lovable misfits traveling the world selling illegal weapons to anyone who will buy them? And let's not forget the main character, Jonah, who hates weapons and those who deal them but is somehow convinced to become a bodyguard for an international arms dealer. I mean, that's just good, solid logic right there. But wait, it gets better! The team is constantly pursued by the CIA and assassins, so they have to constantly protect their dear leader Koko and her "overly idealistic goal of world peace" with their lives. Oh, and did I mention that Koko is an international arms dealer? Yeah, that whole world peace thing might be a bit of a stretch. Overall, Jormungand is a wild and absurd ride that will have you rolling your eyes and laughing at the sheer ridiculousness of it all. It's definitely a must-watch for anyone who enjoys a good dose of sarcasm and irony with their action-packed anime.

I like anime with plenty of action, whether it’s about guns, explosions, and close combat, especially modern ones. That’s why I was eager to try out Jormungand. Sadly, I ended up mostly disappointed. I really tried liking it, but the issues became bigger and more numerous with each episode. I don’t regret watching it, but I don’t think I’ll do it again. The show had a good idea, but the execution was terrible because of bad story, pacing, boring characters, lack of character growth and arcs, and a bad ending. Story & setting The story focuses on Koko Hekmatyar and her group of mercenaries travelling around the world illegally selling weapons and military equipment. It’s a dangerous business where you must keep a close eye on everyone, where allies and customers can quickly become enemies. The story takes place at various places around the world, including Africa, Europe, and Asia. I know this is a Japanese anime, but I was a bit annoyed with everyone speaking Japanese, including Americans and Africans. I wish the darker aspects of being an arms dealer could have been explored. For example the fact that Koko’s weapons may be used to kill innocents. Everyone in Koko’s group seems perfectly fine with being a bodyguard to one of the most wanted arms dealers in the world. A big issue I had with the anime is that there’s no overarching plot. Many episodes are simply slice of life settings for Koko and her group. They take on various assignments and meet all kinds of customers, with some being more dangerous and shady than the others. You can watch some of the episodes in random order and you wouldn't be able to tell. You can even skip entire episodes without missing anything. Occasionally there’s a short arc that spans over two episodes instead of one. There’s also a fan service scene where the guys and the girls go to the beach, which of course leads to bikini shots and ogling. The characters. The first of the main three characters is the arms dealer Koko. She has no moral compass and thus has no problem selling weapons to the mafia, rebels, dictators, and various military groups. She doesn't care what her goods are used for, as long as she gets paid. Sure, Koko is at times a bit funny and quirky, but you don’t really get to know who she is. Only small details of her background are briefly mentioned. Even Koko’s own henchmen admit that they don’t really know her, as she keeps all secrets and history to herself. I was annoyed a few times that she always smiled no matter what. She never got surprised or shocked. She didn’t feel very human to me and it was impossible to relate to her. The second main character is the child soldier Jonah, who hates weapons and that they’re used for killing. He’s a big hypocrite, because he uses weapons all the time to murder people. He also hates those who sell weapons, yet he has no problem travelling together with one of the world’s most famous arms dealers. While Koko is charming, outspoken and extroverted, Jonah is reserved, shy, blunt, and introverted. We learn a bit more about his background than Koko’s, but not enough to make him that interesting. In most scenes he’s just “there”, having no real purpose. Both Koko and Jonah are bad main characters because they have no character arcs or growths. They’re the exact same characters as they are at the beginning and the end. Since Jonah hates weapons and arms dealers, I would have liked if there was some sort of conflict between Jonah and Koko, but there is none of that. He does ask a single time in a normal manner why she sells weapons, and she ignores his question. Koko treats Jonah like a caring, big sister, often hugging and teasing him. The third main character is the deadly, sexy, one-eyed, female soldier Valmet, who is Koko’s most loyal subordinate. Perhaps the writers did not intend it when they wrote the script, but I found Valmet to be the most interesting character and main protagonist of the show. She gets plenty of flashbacks, internal thoughts, a character arc and growth. The series has a character bloat. We're introduced to too many protagonists, villains, and supporting ones, but none of them get any real depth or focus thanks to the bad storytelling and limited episodes. Some characters are in one or two episodes before going away or dying. There were a few that interested me, but unfortunately they didn't get the focus that I hoped for. The lack of interesting character focus and developments is the second reason why I didn’t like this anime. Action Of course I gotta write about the action, which is a big part of the anime. I had mixed thoughts on it. The weapons look very detailed, but they have no recoil and almost infinite ammo. There’s a couple of cool close quarters and knife fight scenes. I found it a bit silly when characters called out what weapons they were seeing in the middle of fights. For example someone says “That guy is using a Negev LMG!” Or, “Up there, a Mi-24V Hind E gunship with thermal sensors!” That’s dialogue just for the gun nerds. Koko's soldiers must have super powers that stop bullets from reaching them, because I was annoyed that in almost every action scene none of them got killed or seriously hurt. The only exceptions are Valmet being wounded twice. At several scenes Koko’s gang are outnumbered by enemy soldiers who have worse aim than stormtroopers, while Koko's gang quickly and expertfully gun them down. Even at very close ranges, trained enemy soldiers with automatic rifles are unable to hit someone right in front of them. Another stupid scene is where some of Koko’s members are in sitting in a regular, non-armored car and they get fired upon by a heavy caliber machine gun just a few meters away, and still none of them suffer a single injury! I felt that was quite immersion breaking. I felt there was no tension. I never had to worry about anyone dying, not that it wouldn’t matter because you barely get to know most of the characters. I was disappointed that the final fight with Valmet, one that was built up over several episodes, happened offscreen. Music: I didn’t find the music to be any special. The opening soundtrack however is quite good and catchy.

I began watching Jormungand with very low expectations. I wasn't searching for a fascinating story or complex characters. I just wanted to watch some fun, badass action. Jormungand failed to even meet these low standards. I guess I should start by saying that this anime wasn't offensively bad: it was just boring. It took all of my willpower just to click the play button for the next episode, and I would often leave it untouched for weeks at a time. For something so centered around action and weaponry, the combat scenes were dull. The occasional knife fight could be entertaining, but Jormungand mostly consists of confusing gunfights with zero creativity. We just get to watch bright lights (bullets! missiles! bombs!) hitting things... or missing things... and people hiding behind walls to avoid getting hit by the aforementioned bright lights. It is anything but dynamic. I understand that the creators may have wanted to maintain realism in their action sequences, and this might have been fine if there were a good story backing it up. However, the story is hardly even there until the last few episodes, and what we're given is hardly anything interesting. It's a revenge story (arc?), made flimsy by one-dimensional characters whom I did not care for at all. And a revenge story only works if the characters are complex, flawed, and intrinsically human, so that we might actually care about watching them carry out their vendetta. (See: Cowboy Bebop). It doesn't help that Jormungand was grasping for straws when it came to incorporating a theme or "profound" question, and landed on something blatantly shallow, while simultaneously lacking the proper subtlety to pull it off. There is a wide cast of characters, and I can only remember the names of three of them. The cast was too big, there were too many side characters who contributed nothing important to the show, while still having some of their backstories jammed into the twelve episodes. I enjoyed their antics and quirks, but I was never able to really care about any of them. I did like the weapons-dealing aspect, which could be intense and even thought-provoking at times. I might have enjoyed it a whole lot more if I knew anything about weapons, or if the show had provided deeper explanations of the conflicts that called for the weapons in the first place, such as motives for the opposing armies and whatnot. I just DIDN'T care about Jormungand. I didn't even care enough to hate it. It's just kind of there. I'm sure there's plenty of people who love it; I'm just not one of them.

WELCOME! I AM JORMUNGAND.... Man I gotta love me some great action anime series, like Canaan (heard about it, never watch it), Michiko to Hatchin, Cowboy Bebop, and Black lagoon is my favorite. This Anime is not only my second favorite action anime series, but it my favorite by far to my top 20 of my favorites anime's. NO SPOILERS! let's get to the review. Story/Plot 10/10-(Brilliant) It like Black Lagoon equivalent plot (an outsider joining a team of mercenaries), with a clear suggestion that human ugliness will be examined through the arms trade. Non-Stop Action, Guns, Mafia, You have the ruthless squads dealer, you have a Main character's with charismatic, and quest to a journey of world peace. Art/Animation 10/10-(Marvelous) I know I bit may have too much liking to the animation (overuse), no. The fight sequences is the best part to this animation, great gun/knife fights, and the car chase, also with dark background to the main character's. Characters design look like Gangsta (anime recommended). Music/Sound 10/10-(Excellent) Soundtrack/OST is really Outstanding, rap, edgy, remix, but great. I prefer watching this on English dub, because watching it in Japanese dub it no fitting to the character's personality. Character's/Development 9/10-(Outstanding) The Cast is really great. top 3 best characters to this series. 1. Valmer (She skillful in knife, she muscular and cute, she could be my waifu) (maybe). 2. Koko ( She charismatic, and ruthless and has been called a 'monster' by various characters, Harley Queen split personality, she my second favorite character). 3. Johna (he kickass, great lack of development, and skillful in battlefield) Enjoyment 9/10- (Really Enjoy it) ACTION!, ACTION!, and MORE ACTION! I'm not board of it, it took me a year to finished it, because I hold it a month ago and brought back to finished it. I really enjoyed everything about this series. I 'vent watch season 2 Yet, I'll get to it. Overall 10/10-(Love it) It my 3rd favorite action anime, like hellsing ultimate, black lagoon, and cowboy bebop are in the general. If you love Those kind of anime with Non-stop action, badass cast character, that a prize chance for you. JORMUNGAND!

Have you ever had this feeling to just watch something with a whole lot of action in it? Well, if you haven’t, stay the heck away from Jormungand. You may as well leave this review now if you hate action shows. Okay, now that all of the action-haters have left the room, let’s talk about Jormungand. A lot of people like to compare today’s show with Black Lagoon, another anime that focuses on high-flying logic-defying action. I’m going to be upfront about this; I think Jormungand is the superior show. I personally couldn’t get into Black Lagoon, no matter how hard I tried to get invested into it. Jormungand, on the other hand, had me invested within the first few minutes. So, it’s obvious that I really enjoyed the show subjectively; but how does it hold up objectively? Sit back, relax, and read on as I review Jormungand and its second season Jormungand: Perfect Order. Jormungand’s setup is rather simple; a child soldier named Jonah is brought into the arms trade as a bodyguard of Koko Hekmatyar, a female arms dealer. From there on, action ensues; explosions, gunfights, fiery deaths, crazy chicks with guns; you name it, Jormungand’s pretty much got it. The characters of Jormungand are what I believe to be the both the best and worst part of the show. Each character introduced into the show is fairly interesting and likable for the amount of screen time that they’re allowed, but some characters are more favored than others. For example, a character named Valmet had a character arch that is basically the climax of the first season, while a character named Lehm barely gets any backstory but was equally as important to the plot. Then there’s also the fact that character motivations are sometimes completely shot, with the most obvious target being Jonah himself. Jonah lost his parents earlier in his life due to his village being attacked, and because of this he claims to hate weapons and those who use them. However, this makes him the biggest hypocrite in existence because he constantly uses weapons during his time as a child solider and in defending Koko. His character was just a huge walking contradiction, and I was waiting for the show to address this and give us a full explanation of Jonah’s backstory. That never happens. We learn why he got involved with Koko, but we never learn anything else beyond that. The show attempts to justify this by saying that Jonah uses weapons because he can’t live without them, but that statement is both incredibly weak and doesn’t explain why Jonah became a child soldier in the first place. I also couldn’t help but think that this was the creator’s attempt to make Jonah seem more human than he actually was, as this character trait plays close to no part in the entire story. I suppose I would be able to overlook this if it only happened once, but Jonah’s character isn’t the only one who suffers from this lack of backstory. This flaw also affects a lot of the more minor antagonists and side characters. I won’t go into detail about them because then I would be spoiling a lot, but let’s just say that this flaw is very noticeable and the show seems to be unaware of that fact. The show just seems to expect you to connect the dots yourself, which in a lot of cases would be fine; except in this case, the show doesn’t give you enough dots to connect, and therefore you don’t have the entire picture. As for character personalities, they were fleshed out enough so that they felt like real people, but they weren’t very complex or even original in a lot of cases, with the exception of Koko herself. Koko is a fantastic character, and she was just so much fun to watch. Her personality is that of a fun-loving person, but at the same time is cold, calculating, and all-knowing. She always seems to be one step ahead of everyone else, and has enough charisma that her bodyguards would die to her sake. The side characters were just kind of there to create excuses for more action scenes, which in this show’s favor is a rather good thing, but I still would’ve liked to see a little more development on that front. Jormungand’s story is one of those stories that starts off episodic and then concludes under an overarching story. The first season and around half of the second season is split into archs, each ranging from around one to three episodes (as displayed in the episode titles) and focusing on either a member of Koko’s team, some opponent that the group encounters, or both. In my opinion, this is where the show shined the brightest, but that’s only because of my own tastes, as I like more character-centric shows. When the show’s overarching story kicked in, I was more than a little disappointed. Granted, the story wasn’t horrible, but it wasn’t nearly as strong as the individual character stories that were featured previously. Then there’s the ending. Wow, that ending was just…it wasn’t as bad as I anticipated it to be, but it was incredibly open-ended and felt like a cop-out on the creator’s part. I also want to address the overall tone of the show, which is rather lighthearted. Some might view this particular tone as a horrible aspect, because the show makes it seem like child soldiers and the arms trade are perfectly fine and don’t involve any moral dilemmas. Now, I don’t want to get political, but having read A Long Way Gone…it was harder for me to overlook than it probably will be for most. If you’re sensitive towards that kind of stuff, then Jormungand is not the anime for you. Produced by White Fox, Jormungand looks pretty darn good, but it’s not White Fox’s best. In comparison to both Katanagatari and Steins;Gate, Jormungand looks a lot more jagged and is outlined with darker colors, as a contrast to the constant white that is the show’s main color. On top of that, the characters don’t always look all that three-dimensional and more like drawings. During the action scenes, however, the show looks really good and barely cuts any corners. The character designs were also pretty top-notch, with each character looking fairly realistic but at the same time retaining that anime feel we all know and love, which is preferred in my book. The OST is good at getting you excited for action and accompanies each scene well, featuring a lot of techno, auto-tune, and rap lyrics that are in ENGLISH (heck yeah). Both openings for the show are great, and the second ending theme is a nice listen too, but the best out of all is Jormungand’s first opening. This song is what kept me awake when studying for finals, and has cemented itself as one of my favorite anime openings ever. Finally, English or Japanese? No contest, English. I tend to like English dubs a lot more when the main setting isn’t Japan because it feels more natural, and Jormungand is no exception. The best performance goes to Anastasia Munoz as Koko, for providing a convincing performance that make Koko sound confident, fun, and manipulative when needed. As for the Japanese dub (I did listen to some of it), honestly I couldn’t stand it. It may have better acting, but the English just sounds a lot more natural to me. Overall, I really enjoyed Jormungand despite its many issues and was able to accept the anime for what it is. If you’re not a fan of action, then this anime won’t change your mind in the slightest. If you like action, this may not be the best choice, but it’s still a fun anime. I give Jormungand a 3.25 out of 5, and a recommendation to watch it if you want a decent action show to pass the time with. Like always, however, it’s up to you to decide your own opinions.

There was this (fan-made manga) crossover of this and Black Lagoon with a younger Koko selling stuff (and succeeding) to Revy. So I figured there must be a connection between the two. (The voice acting people of Revy, Dutch, and Scarecrow; producers and production; special effects; broadcasters... That's about it.) Jormongand is the spiritual successor of that "swearing up and down like a drunken sailor" of a franchise, Black Lagoon; taking a view that's more whimsical and down-to-earth than it should. Not to say that it has less adrenaline than it's gun-crazed "older sister." It's just that you're more likely to welcome Koko & Co into your house than Revy & Co. "Dem Pr'feshun'lz" are an odd, mixed lot with some pretty tear-worthy pasts. But what surprised me is Koko, who's basically Nyaruko of the "weapon-selling-under-the-table" flavor. I didn't like Scarecrow (and the idea behind him) AT ALL. (America says "SCREW YOU TOO, WAPAN.") The men herein are still pathetic against women and children (instead of being equal to them). And the main cast make everyone else look like amateurs. But you know. Atleast it's not teeth-rotting moe animu like Upotte.

Honestly, Jormungand isn't all that. Its a low budget Black Lagoon. Its got a similar style and setting, but the cast of Jormungand isn't that well written or directed. Only a handful of main characters get any kind of characterization and even then barely any development. The majority of the cast are females who are clearly otaku-bait, you've got crazy chick with knives, crazy loli with shotgun, crazy child with silly hat, ara-ara gun mommy, and blonde CIA traitor. Which, I will admit I enjoyed. The characters aren't well written, but their decently fun which keeps the show's engagement factor high. The action scenes are good, completely unrealistic of course but that's perfectly okay because the point is to be exciting and fun. Music is decent too actually and it sets the tone well, Koko's theme is going to be taking up long term space in my brain that's for sure. And the intro isn't too bad if you can look past some goofy pronunciations. My main issue is the character's have a really annoying habit of having someone dead to rights, and then just not killing them. They spray down nameless drug dealers and thugs by the dozens, empty fully automatic weapons into buildings with no regard for collateral damage or civilian causalities. But somehow these named characters are too much? It's too evil to finish them off? Even as their swearing revenge to your face!? AND IT KEEPS HAPPENING TOO! A MAJOR THREAT COMES ALONG, AND THE PROTAGONISTS JUST PASS IT OFF! It completely undermines any sense of danger, either the protagonists are so skilled that the enemy in front of them doesn't pose any threat at all. Or their just brain damaged. Honestly, I suppose if you watched Black Lagoon (and the Roberta's Blood Trail OVA) and still want more then Jormungand might be a decent second helping. It'll also probably sate you if you enjoy gunslinger anime. It's not perfect, and doesn't hold up to any serious analysis. But it is at least fun to watch.

Hol up HOL TF UP Ya'll. Seriously. People are out here being like "BLACK LAGOON" meanwhile I'm like BLACKLAGOON WHO!? AMIRITE? Lemme say. Ok we get it, they are in the same universe, but hot damn is this SO much better. Guns, action and tiddy, what else do you need? Here's a GOOD, CRIME, ACTION, GUN RUNNING anime. You looking for some uniqueness, that doesn't hinge on anime tropes and the power of friendship? Well, hell yeah my friend, i'll drink to that. JORMUNGAND is that very anime. No super powers, no "s-senpai didn't notice" no "Oh I have to go to high school". NO. This is gritty, violent and downright abusive. CHILD SOLDIER? YEAH THAT AIN'T RIGHT. BUT IT MAKES FOR A GOOD STORY, THAT'S FOR TRUE. Story? 10/10. Arms dealer with a badass crew who just so happens to pick up a child and turn him into a hesitant killing machine? Sign me TF UP. TEN OUT OF TEN Art? Guns, violence, and weapons can be ugly in the real world, but holy TIDDY does this anime do a good job of turning them into artistic art pieces of mass destruction. The animation is flawless. For an anime that focuses specifically on military hardware, the ground level animation is STUNNING. The SOFIA fight speaks for itself. Sound? Pew pew TF UP TO 10/10 Characters? Bruh, he has red eyes. Sofia got the tiddy. Koko is some weird amalgamation, but they are STILL GOOD. AND her entourage is comprised of a BADASS host of characters who all get their own storylines to flesh them out. What else do you want? It took DEKU THREE SEASONS TO FIGURE OUT HE HAD LEGS. CMON. THIS DOESN'T TAKE THAT LONG. Enjoyment? Ya'll. Cmon. 10/10. Watch the first 3. Or don't. I don't know your life. If you want that "lets hold hands UwU daddy senpai" this ain't it. Ok. If you want some good ass crime anime in BLACK LAGOON style? Get it. Lets hold hands and watch it. BEST OF BOTH WORLDS. Overall? Ya'll really need me to go over this again? Its good. Ok. Last time I checked you were some sexy ass person of culture. I know you know. If you love it, hell yeah. If you hate it, hell yeah. Lets be friends anyway.

I honestly don't have too much to say about Jormungand. It's a de facto dumb fun show to me. It's certainly not realistic, so firearm snobs; don't get your hopes up. The story, while fun, leaves a lot to be desired. What we're shown is the journey, and definitely not the destination. Jormungand does do the whole "fictional #1 mega arms dealer in the world" thing good, though. The sound and music is just... oof The instrumentals in the music are alright for building up tension, but the vocals are repetitive, uncreative, and cringey. They're worse than rhymes children could come up with. The sound itself of things like gunfire are highly unrealistic and you should go in expecting standard video game/movie quality, and not anything substantial. The characters are... characters. They aren't great, but I've certainly seen worse. There's some muscular dommy mommies so I guess that's cool. Overall, I give this a "dumb fun" out of ten. Watch it with suspension of disbelief, and it'll be as enjoyable as something within the realm of John Wick.

Jormungand was an anime I watched back when I was just getting into anime, right after Madoka Magica and Naruto. I was younger then, but I really enjoyed this anime and have rewatched the first season maybe twice. The story is really intriguing and, like many good anime, leaves you on cliffhangers each episode to keep the tale weaving itself on. There is some inferencing to be made, but the story fills itself in as the anime goes on. The artwork is absolutely amazing, with the semi-realistic style I have grown to love and comedic expressions to add to the mood. It's a perfect mix of anime and reality, making it one of the anime I love most for its artwork. The soundtrack is really great for me personally, and the opening is on many of my anime playlists to this day. All of the songs in this anime are songs I would always like to listen to again, just because they really set the mood for the storyline and characters, of which are equally amazing. They are all interesting in their own rights, and there isn't a character that can be considered dull. They all have personalities, and you'll grow attached to them rather quickly. It's easy to see what's most important in their eyes and see the experiences they've had in the past. I really enjoyed this anime (the first season at least), because everything just came together and was very simple to understand and easy to become hooked on. Definitely an anime I'd recommend to anyone who likes action, politics, or even just a nice story mixed in with great artwork and sound.

[NO SPOILERS] Story 7 / 10 Jormungand's story is good, although it isn't special. The episodes may seem a little chaotic at times as this anime thinks the action is more important the the plot line. The action is indeed very good, but because of the heavy focus on action, the actual story suffers. Don't get me wrong, all episodes form a continuous storyline with a clear beginning and an end. It's just that this anime could have been more if it tried harder(or so I like to believe). It is clear that the writers tried to make a complex story. Unfortunately, Jormungand fails at this aspect. The background of all characters are in fact interesting. Also, every episode is fun to watch, as it has some really good action. But I would never call the story of Jormungand complex. The episodes are pretty straight forward: someone orders our weapons - we go there - something that we expected would go wrong did go wrong - since we prepared for it we easily solve the problem and get the money anyway. That's basically every episode of Jormungand. It isn't boring, absolutely not! The characters are nicely written and there is some comedy. Also there is a lot of action which is really good. The story of this anime is good, but not great. For that reason it deserves a 7 out of 10 Art 8 / 10 The art is good, not great, but good. The art is somewhat angular, reminding me just a little of Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor. I mean, you can barely compare it, but I think you'll get the same feeling after watching a couple of episodes. The art style fits Jormungand. The angular style makes this show more mature, which is good. It would've been weird to use coloful art. Because of this art form, characters really had a distinctive look, which I really liked. Sound 8 / 10 I really like Jormungand's OST as I did its Opening theme. The opening theme is one of my favorite ones in fact. The VA's fit the characters really well and I still listen to the OST of Jormungand Also, who can forget: "Her name is Koko, she is loco, I say OH NO!" I still got that one in my head! Characterrs 6 / 10 The characters were fine, but not memorable. You won't really sympathize with any of them, with maybe the child soldier as the exception. Although the cast was pretty good, to me there were too many characters. It's hard to bond with any of them if there are so many running around. The characters themselves didn't really go through any kind of change or growth. They started out the same and ended the same. Even one of the main characters, the child soldier, Jonathan Mar, who had a lot of potential for character development, did not change at all. To me, the only memorable character was one of the two main characters: Koko Hekmatyar, who carried the whole show in my opinion. Enjoyment 8 / 10 I might seem a bit negative, but Jormungand is in fact a very good show. It could've been better, but it is definitely good! I really enjoyed this anime. It has its funny moments, the action is really good and I especially like one of the two main characters: Koko Hekmatyar. I don't recommend this anime to people who like anime heavily focused on their story, since you won't get that with Jormungand. Overall 8 / 10 Jormungand is very good but has its flaws. It lacks a good set of characters, and if it was up to me half of the cast would have been cut. The art is very good, reminding me a little of Gyakkyou Burai Kaiji: Ultimate Survivor. The music fits the show really well. The opening theme is awesome and the OST is good too. Overall Jormungand is very good, but definately not the best you'll ever see. Thank you for listening! Razovy

I wasn't sure what I expected when I entered the world of Jormungand - if the plot synopsis gave me any idea, it was that there would be a lot of guns. It certainly didn't let me down there. Is there more to this anime than explosions and eye candy? Mmmmmnnnoooot really. Story: 4/10 Jormungand doesn't follow a specific plotline - it's almost as if it's a slice of life, arms dealer style. I'm not sure it really worked. I mean, sure, I really enjoyed watching it - it's fun, not something you really have to put much thought into, but that, to me, doesn't necessarily mean that it was successful. The fact that the style of the anime was episodic meant that there was no intense finale, which is the sort of thing one expects from this kind of series. The finale ended up being anti-climactic [i]regardless[/i] of the fact that there wasn't enough buildup. Art: 7/10 The art and character design were fluid and not uninteresting - the weapons (which, admittedly, are practically the focus of the series) were well animated and drawn, the characters were unique enough, and the scenery was pretty standard. Sound: 8/10 Probably the best part of Jormungand for me - the voice acting, both the English and Japanese versions, was great and portrayed the right vibe. If you're an English speaker, I recommend the dub - being able to hear the characters swear makes the whole experience a little more interesting. The soundtrack was pretty awesome as well - it definitely fitted in with the overall atmosphere of the series. The opening is probably one of my all time favorites soundwise. Character: 4/10 There was little to no character development - any development there was felt a little forced. Some of the character interactions/relationships seemed forced as well - for example, those between Koko and Jonah, the main characters. Jonah is a deadpan child soldier who hates the fact that he works with weapons, but it's almost as if we wouldn't know this if it wasn't constantly explained to the audience by his internal dialogue. Koko is the better character in my opinionn, although she could have been better portrayed. If she is supposed to be the hardcore crazy bitch the others make her out to be, we never really see that side of her, apart from in the way she 'smiles in the face of danger'. If she is meant to be intimidating or even frightening, I'm afraid I didn't get that feeling from her at all. However, she was definitely the most fun to watch of all Jormungand's characters, closely followed by Valmet. If it weren't for the fact that the characters were so entertaining to watch, even just in battle, the score would be lower. Enjoyment: 8/10 I prioritized this series because I enjoyed it, finishing it in 4 days, despite the copious amount of crap I still have to finish. That says something to me. I was enthusiastic to watch it. Overall: 5/10 I rate anime highly for clearly achieving what they intend to - and I'm afraid Jormungand really didn't meet that mark. What one would expect is grit, terror, nailbiting action - but to me, it was just a bit fun. If I had gone into it with any expectations, I'm pretty sure I would have been disappointed.

The story of Jormungand follows the life of a young boy who works with an arms trader. As you could imagine arms trade isn't the safest job in the world. This anime will take you on an action packed adventure of a young boy soldier.

"Jormungand was an unexpected delight for me." STORY: Weight of 25% at 3.9/5 Jormungand follows the story of an arms-dealer named Coco Hekmatyar and her trusty bodyguards. The plot has her going across the globe, running from buyer to buyer and selling her goods. However, as it should be expected, usually things don't go too smoothly and they end up finding themselves in a jam. Now, because of the type of story that this series tries to tell, the experience felt very episodic with every few chapters or every one or two episodes usually being a single adventure that they have to complete. And while there are some elements that carry over, after things happen in the last adventure, there really isn't a feeling of continuity and it usually felt stand-alone. At the same time, it was very hard to tell if the story makes any progress. See, the goal that the main character Coco aims for is world peace, at least that's what she's telling us. But it was very hard to tell if she was actually trying to accomplish this until later parts of the series where it becomes much more obvious. And unless you give your full attention to what is being said or written, you might accidentally skim over important words that might tell you if the story actually advances. With all that said, the story is very fascinating because it presents us a third-party view on conflict and war in general. There are no good guys or bad guys for arms dealers, only buyer or not buyer. Because of this outsider's point of view, it also raises questions on real life conflicts and shows how futile war really is. At the same time, it raises some interesting social and political issues that exist both within the story and in reality and it really is interesting when you take some time to reflect. Overall however, if the story really doesn't interest you, the plot creates many opportunities to witness some beautiful gunfights, so everybody wins. CHARACTERS: Weight of 25% at 4.0/5 Jormungand has a very nice gathering of both cool and interesting characters. Not only is the roster large, the supporting characters were memorable and interesting and the more important characters were simply fantastic. What does make all of these shine though is that they are not simply one-faced. Unlike other animes where a character is set in stone from the moment they are presented, usually categorized as A, B or C, none of Jormungand's characters are like this. A good example would be the main female character Coco Hekmatyar, the arms dealer. Coco is a very interesting character. Apart from being charismatic and shrewd, she also has a funny and quirky side, a dangerous and cold side and a philosophical and intelligent side. Furthermore, I can't help but smile when such an interesting contradiction of a protagonist exist, I mean really, a peace seeking arms dealer? Standing next to Coco, we have the main male character Jonas, a young child soldier. While some might be quick in writing him off as that quiet kid, in reality he is so much more. He does voice his opinion when people ask him for it and isn't afraid to speak freely about what he thinks. But at the same time, he knows the world well enough to know his place. So while he might give his thoughts, he never goes out of line, unless he's really pushed. Symbolically though, Jonas represents the future of all children that will come if the world walks down the path of war. The other characters are all fantastic. Whether that be the villains, the supporting or the minor ones. They each get at least a single memorable scene and I assure you that whether that be a chuckle or a heartbeat, you will love them. ADAPTATION: Weight of 25% at 4.4/5 The Jormungand anime took all that we loved in the manga, kept it and threw away all the stuff we didn't like. We liked the action scenes, we liked the story and its hidden meanings, we liked the interesting characters, so White Fox kept that. The anime, in one word, transcended the manga and I would definitely recommend the anime over the manga, if not only for the awesome aesthetics. AESTHETICS: Weight of 25% at 4.8/5 2012 was an awesome year for beautiful animes like Psycho-Pass, Guilty Crown and K but Jormungand was by far the one I enjoyed whose aesthetics I enjoyed the most. Maybe I'm just a sucker for military weaponry but I love seeing guns in anime, whether that be pistols or rocket launchers, and Jormungand has a lot of big guns. And other kind of big guns. But no joke, the animation is beautiful, with the action scenes in particular showing exactly what the word polished means. The sound is amazing, whether it be gunfire or explosions, I can't get enough. The music is not only catchy but also fits the series perfectly and even if you don't want to care about the story, you can simply watch the awesomeness that is happening on your screen. The two openings were amazing, the two endings were amazing and the background music is amazing and Jormungand really WAS amazing when it comes to the aesthetics. FINAL VERDICT: Overall score of 85.5% Jormungand was an unexpected delight for me. It provided more than a simple story, more than a few mediocre characters and more than shit ass animation and sound. And I would definetely recommend the anime to anyone who wants a beautiful fast-paced and maybe even thought-provoking show to watch.