Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry

Greetings fellow Otakus! :3 I'm Marik and this will be my spoiler free review of the Fall 2015 anime: Rakudai Kishi No Cavalry, I'm going to split this review into Five sections: Story/Plot, Characters, Art Design/Animation, Music/Soundtrack and then my overall thoughts on this anime. Let's go ahead ;P *Disclaimer* This is my opinion on the anime and as such if you don't share the same thoughts as me on anything within the review feel free to let me know and we can discuss and share our opinions in a civilized fashion, also I'm open to any constructive criticism but please no negative comments or uncalled for hate and show respect to one another :3 - Story/Plot: Rakudai Kishi No Cavalry or Chivalry of a Failed Knight is an anime set within a world where gifted humans can materialize their souls into weapons which are known as devices and each device has unique ability's that give these humans incredible power, these gifted humans are known as "Blazers" and they are the equivalent of modern day knights/magicians. These Blazers attend various schools around Japan to hone their skills and become strong knights, then they graduate from these schools and go on to protect Japan from any threat the world may impose as official Magical Knights/Blazers. In these schools there is a ranking system based on how talented of a Blazer you are and from lowest to highest it goes rank F, D, C, B then A. As you attend these schools every year there is an annual competition called The Seven Stars Festival in which Blazers from seven schools all over the country compete in intense one on one matches until one knight is deemed the most powerful Blazer in the country. (That's attending school) The story revolves around Ikki Kurogane, an F ranked Blazer who is widely known as "The Worst One" or "The Failed Knight" as he has no talent/aptitude for magical ability whatsoever, in fact he has a tenth of the average magical power of a regular person. He attends Blazer school in the hopes of proving to everyone around him that through hard work and determination and winning The Seven Stars Festival, even a "Failure" like him can become a knight as powerful as any other. At the start of a new year at school Ikki encounters a half naked foreign princess called Stella Vermillion who is changing in his room and this fateful encounter will change his life forever. :3 My thoughts on the Story/Plot: Overall the plot to this anime is good, it's not to complicated as to where you struggle to understand/keep up with it but it's not to vague as to where your wondering what the anime is about in the first place. It has a clear setting and a clear direction as to where it wants to go and the main character has a clear goal that he wants to achieve. The genres of this anime include: Action, Ecchi, Fantasy, Romance and School. Also the plot is never "Tossed aside" and replaced with fan service so if your worried about that happening you can relax and cast your fears aside ahah :3 Characters: As the story progresses a huge cast of diverse characters are introduced/added into the mix. Ikki Kurogane: Ikki is the main character and is voice acted by Ryota Osaka. Other notable characters he has voice acted include Vali Lucifer from Highschool DxD, Staz Charlie from Blood Lad and many others. Ikki is from The Noble Clan: The Kurogane clan, which had produced generations of extremely talented magical knights, however when he was a child he was very ill treated and ignored by his family because he had no talent for being a Blazer, which was a fundamental requirement in a family such as the Kuroganes. When he was a small child he had had enough of his mistreatment and as a result ran away from home during a blizzard, as he was walking through the snow he came to the logical conclusion that he was going to die being a waste of life, however miraculously he was found by his grandfather, who is known as the most powerful magical knight in history, his Grandfather then saw his situation and took him in, saving him from certain death, and then Ikki grew up living with his Grandfather. However his Grandfather could not train him personally as he was to old and rugged, however he gave Ikki all of his wisdom and kindness and as a result Ikki developed a strong will and resolve and trained by himself tirelessly everyday of his life, honing his skills in swordsmanship and the way of the Samurai, while he had no aptitude for magical ability, his physical ability was superhuman, conditioning his body with intense exercise and training for years on end, this became his greatest strength as a magical knight and is shown throughout the series as the source of his backbone. Ikki's personality is very interesting, he is kind and disciplined to a fault, never resorting to violence and never shows any feelings of hatred or contempt towards others (Unless they deserve it), he is hardworking and has amazing resolve and determination in anything he wants to achieve, he is also very decisive which is a much appreciated trait for a main character :D unlike some mc's ;P he is very inspiring, he inspires others in a way that no one else could, often showing to others that talent isn't everything, including a certain someone ;P he is also very compassionate and able to relate to others very well, and finally he is very likeable, another awesome trait for a main character to have. Overall he is the definition of a Samurai and is a very good main character, he is everything you'd want in a main character and offers a very unique perspective on things. His chemistry with Stella is very genuine and awesome to watch and gets better and better as they become roommates very early on in the series etc. :3 Stella Vermillion: Stella is the main heroine of the show and is voice acted by Shizuka Ishigami. Other notable characters she has voice acted includes: Ayame Kajou from Shimoneta to Iu Gainen ga Sonzai Shinai Taikutsu na Sekai, Ellis Fahrengart from Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance and many more. Stella is from The Royal Vermillion Family, a family of royals of a small island nation, she is the daughter of the Emperor of this island nation and is a princess as a result. Since she was a little girl she has had amazing talent for being a Blazer and as such she had never lost a one on one match in her life, as well as being talented she also works extremely hard, honing her skills since she was this little girl. Although her mother told her she didn't have to become a Blazer if it meant going through all of this tough training and hardship. However she continues regardless, emphasizing that if her nation wanted to truly prosper and grow she had to become a strong Blazer and be a shining role model to her subjects. I'll be frank and say that Stella's personality is that of a Tsundere's xD (If you don't know what a "Tsundere" is it is a Japanese term for a character development process that describes a person who is initially cold and even hostile towards another person before gradually showing their warm side over time.) Although she is a very likeable Tsundere, she is very kind and compassionate at heart and is very distinguished since she is a princess after all, however she is very arrogant and pompous at the start of the show but has amazing character development in which she grows and matures into an amazing young woman, she's quite childish and since she is a Tsundere but not in a bad way, she is very cheeky and as such is very cute as well :3 she is a very strong independent woman so she has a hatred for those who assume that her life is a walk in the park since she is so talented and a princess of a nation and as such is very misunderstood. Overall the best thing about her is her amazing chemistry with Ikki, as this anime is fundamentally a romance between these two very different yet similar people it's very genuinely enjoyable and an awesome experience seeing these two grow closer together and do cute romancy things together, w…

Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry... where do I even start? I mean, I've seen some great anime in my time, but this one... it's something special. First of all, Stella. Oh my god, Stella. She's literally the most adorable and cute girl I've ever seen in anime. I mean, I'd marry her in a heartbeat if I could. But it's not just her looks - her personality, her strength, her vulnerability... she's the perfect waifu material. And then there's Ikki, the main character. Dude's got some serious guts. I mean, the way he faces down impossible odds, just to be with Stella... it's inspiring, you know? I was cheering him on the whole time, even when things seemed hopeless. The fight scenes? INSANE. I mean, I've seen some epic battles in anime before, but these ones... wow. The animation, the choreography, the sheer intensity... it's like you're right there in the arena with them. But what really gets me is the emotional depth of this series. I mean, it's not just about action and romance - it's about perseverance, loyalty, and believing in yourself. Ikki's journey is seriously moving, guys. And that ending... _sigh_... it was worth it. All the hardships, all the struggles... it was all worth it to see Ikki and Stella reunited.

Keep in mind this review is my first review in a long time, so bear with me please. Anyway let's start my review of an anime that is completely underrated, and wrongly compared to another anime this season known as Gakusen Toshi Asterisk. Story(8) Cavalry tends to come off as an anime that'll be your typical magical school, harem "Romance". But Cavalry breaks that mold, and creates a real romance. One that doesn't leave you upset by the end *cough* *cough* Asterisk *cough*. The story follows Kurogane Ikki(MC), as he struggles to prove to his family, who constantly attempted to sabotage him, that he can do anything if he works hard at it. To prove himself, he competes in the school's tournament in hopes to represent his school in the seven stars sword art festival. Art/sound(8) This art is soo vibrant, the colors just blend so well. The character designs are ok, the animation did take a dip in quality but by the end of the series i didn't even care. I don't pay a lot of attention to sound but i'm in love with the opening. Character(8) Kurogane Ikki- Known as the "worst one" due to his magical power being so low. He is considered a failure by his family. But through hard work, he succeeds in showing how badass and OP he can be. He repeated his grade because of his family's influence ffs. This mc also earned my respect by actually picking a girl, i mean really, have you really ever seen that in your typical harem... Stella Vermillion- The heroine, the princess of another country, and Ikki's girlfriend. I also forgot to mention she's a badass on her own. People want to refer to her as the tsundere, but i think she's just extremely shy. By episode 3 she already realizes her feelings for Ikki, and even attempts to ask him on a date. Kurogane Shizuku- The only character i hate, really if you watch this you'll know why. Her only redeeming quality is how strong she is tbh. I really don't want to waste too much time or words on her... Nagi Arisuin or Alice- He or she is like the advisor for the small group. He or she gives off an older sibling type of vibe. It's somewhat pleasant to have a character like this as it keeps our characters grounded. Did i mention to say that he refers to himself as a woman so it can get confusing on how to address him or her. Enjoyment(9) The fight scenes are great, the characters are lovable in their own right. This series can be cute/nice one minute, and be epic or badass the next. It takes a lousy critic to judge an anime based off 1 episode, it takes a good one to look at the series as a whole. But it takes an anime fan to look at a series for its enjoyability. Rakudai has that factor. Overall(9) This i one of my favorites of 2015, definitely top 10. I wouldn't say this is a masterpiece, but it's surely something to check out. Btw for those of you who aren't fans of ecchi anime, try Asterisk, less ecchi scenes with more or less better fight scenes.

There are spoilers below, but this anime is so generic you’ll predict everything anyway. Generally, I’m all for tournaments, sword fights, high-fantasy, and adventure anime, but Rakudai fell flat on its face with crappy characters, cliches, and plot holes. 【Story】 4/10 — Rakudai Kishi no Calvary (which will be shortened here as “Rakudai”) follows the story of Ikki Kurogane a knight with the nickname ‘The Worst One’ due to his lackluster magical skills. However, despite what everybody believes, Ikki actually possesses extraordinary skill and fighting ability. After beating the A-rank princess-knight Stella Vermillion in battle, the two team up (sort of) to battle through the Seven Star Sword Festival in order to establish themselves as the best knights. The plot of Rakudai is fairly generic these days in anime, but for me I still love this type of storyline. Unfortunately, the execution of Rakudai was pretty lame and heavily relies on cliches and tropes. You’ll see the same run-of-the-mill junk that has been done to death in the anime world: a guy walking in on a girl while she’s dressing, incest, several jealous guys that pick a fight with the MC because why not, etc. For all the cliches this anime includes, it also leaves plenty of room for plot holes, too! Not once does the anime try to explain what knights are/what their duty is. Are they supposed to be the police of the world? Are they just people gifted with powers from birth? What are they and what is their purpose? What do they even use these powers for anyway? We never find out and there are no attempts made to explain. As another review mentioned, this makes the Seven Star Festival seem pretty… useless. Participants are paired up to fight in death-matches because… why? To determine the strongest, you say? So basically this is just a sporting event? Okay… so what happens after the tournament? Are apprentice knights hired as bodyguards for people? Clearly not, since many of the top students (Touka Touma, for example) are still attending school even after the tournament ends. So… what is the purpose of knights? The anime never explains. I know some might say, “well, if Rakudai gets a second season, they’ll explain some of these things!” but that to me is a pretty lame excuse. You don’t give someone subpar information and expect them to be interested in what’s to come. Even if this anime were slated for a second season, I shouldn’t have to wait to get basic expository details. Another issue I found is that most of the battles in Rakudai (an action-tournament anime) aren’t even tournament-related. Most battles take place outside of school grounds and really aren’t even relevant in the grand scheme of things. When it comes to actual tournament battles, most just flash forward to the end where we see one of the main characters brandish their sword as they’re declared the winner. Only about 3 - 4 fights are shown over the course of the entire series and nearly all (with the exception of one) are Ikki’s. As the main character, this is to be expected, but the fact that his battles all end predictably make the anime dull. Rakudai seems like it had a great plot idea, but it wasn’t approached in an enjoyable or sensical way, thus I give this category a 4. 【Characters】 2/10 — The characters of Rakudai are what make this anime intolerable. Ikki Kurogane — Your flat, overused, “kind-hearted” male protagonist who becomes conveniently oblivious whenever a girl wants to take him to bed. Coming from a family that shunned and isolated him because his knight skills were an epic fail on their record of prestigious knights, Ikki works hard to become a strong knight that will be able to protect others. He’s colorless, having no unique goal in mind that you haven’t seen or heard before. By episode one, Ikki establishes himself as Kirito 2.0. He’s your typical Gary-Stu, complete with a sad past to make you feel as if he actually deserves your pity and has genuine flaws. One of the biggest issues with this show is that Ikki doesn’t have any flaws or weaknesses (because no, not knowing how to deal with the attention of girls is not a character weakness). All of his problems are external rather than internal. The problem isn’t him, it’s the world he lives in. There are no inner demons he has to face, no personality defects he has to overcome, no opponent that *really* will give him a run for his money. He’s basically flawless. When he was younger his magic skills might’ve been crappy, but we never actually SEE this. All we see is the end product of a perfect sagacious swordsmen. In episode 12, after Ikki realizes his father truly doesn’t love him (big surprise), he goes into emo mode for about 10 minutes before his school friends cheer him up. This isn’t an internal struggle and about the closest we ever get to seeing one. Characters like Ikki are hard to root for because you already know he’ll win every battle he steps into. That’s why watching him get beaten down by characters such as Kuraudo and Kirihara was all the more enjoyable, even if it only lasted a few minutes. Stella Vermillion — She is, shockingly enough, worse than Ikki. Stella Vermillion, princess-knight from a foreign land, wears the label of “twin-tailed tsundere heroine” and quickly rises to the top of this story’s short-lived list of female horndogs. She’s introduced as the all-powerful A-ranked knight that has the ability to control fire. And of course, throwing away all logic, she loses her first battle on the first day of her enrollment to none other than Ikki Kurogane. (Never mind the fact that she’s an A-ranked knight and doesn’t land a scratch on Ikki yet a C-ranked knight beats Ikki so bad he has to go to the hospital in a later episode…) What sickens me the most about Stella is that she has very little dignity. Ten minutes into the anime, she’s prepared to make Ikki commit suicide for walking in on her while dressing, but later on, that SAME day, she seats herself on top of him and begins stripping him down/touching him out of “curiosity.” By episode two (which, for viewers, seems like only a day has passed) she’s already “in love” (read: lust) with him. For the next two episodes, her only role is to pine over Ikki and try to maintain a monopoly over him. Ikki himself seems oblivious to her feelings, but don’t worry, he falls for her by episode 4. Buildup and relationship development not included. For the rest of the series, her personality can best be described as that of a desperate, quick-tempered girl that seems to always be in heat (with episode 9 being particularly disturbing). To make matters worse, even though Stella is an A-ranked knight, she loses or becomes incapacitated for almost every single one of her on-screen battles (this doesn’t include tournament duels since they aren’t even shown). Even though she’s the supposed HEROine, you only see her defeat 1 opponent in the entire anime. This makes for a very weak heroine indeed, so I wouldn’t necessarily call her a heroine but more of a side character. Stella is Ikki’s cheerleader and trophy, plain and simple. She’s not meant to be taken seriously as a character that can hold her own, and if she is, the studio should’ve done her justice instead of making her out to be lovesick and needy all the time. Shizuku Kurogane — A character that had potential, but is forced into the ‘incest-is-best’ character trope for the simple reason of why not. Misanthropist at large, Shizuku is one of the only Kurogane family members (Ikki’s younger sister) that isn’t out to get Ikki. She’s quiet, analytical, controls water/ice, and French kisses her brother in episode 2 (he doesn’t seem to have a problem with it considering he doesn’t push her away). From the get-go, she’s introduced as having a brother complex, but this aspect of her personality has no relevance whatsoever to the story. After episode 4, it’s clear that she’s “out of the running” for Ikki’s heart, making me wonder wh…

Rakudai kishi no Cavalry is an ongoing light novel series from Misora Riku. Near the end of last year an anime adaptation aired. It was handled by Nexus and Silver Link. Silver Link being the studio behind WataMote & Baka To Test. Yeah, that's not an auspicious sign. Then again, those are the only two series that they did the main work on that I've reviewed or even seen. Their studio probably has some really good stuff of their own. I know that some of the stuff they've done in-between animation for has been quite good. So, let's look at this thing and see if the third time will, indeed, be the charm. Story: Ikki is the worst magical knight. He's at the bottom of his class in ranking and can't even get proper lessons because his stats are so low. One day, he returns to his room to find a young lady changing her clothes. Not knowing what else to do, he apologises for seeing what he saw and takes off his clothes to make up for it. He later finds out that this is his new room mate. Princess Stella Vermillion, a high ranking magical knight exchange student. The two have a mock battle to decide who gets to make their room's rules. After the obvious upset, the two and the rest of their school begin competing in a tournament to determine who will represent them at some big magic knight battle event. Let's talk about the comedy in this series for a moment. I know, it's an action fantasy romance and not a comedic work. However, it does try to inject quite a few comedic moments. The problem is that these comedic attempts are just poor. They all seem to be based on something being unusual. The perky teacher who constantly vomits blood or Stella's entire body turning bright red in a slightly over the top way. Misora doesn't seem to understand that unusual does not equate to funny. I could sew newsie caps onto the shoulders of my coat and it would be weird but it wouldn't really be funny and the same can be said for these moments. They're odd and, at times, out of place but they aren't funny. Let's move on to the main narrative. We have an underdog hero in a tournament with a bunch of other teens who all have special powers. It's a very trite, very done to death type of story. I've reviewed two series that used the same premise, at least as far as I can remember ff the top of my head, four if you count the tournament arcs in Dragonball and Yu Yu Hakusho and there are quite a few more out there. Rakudai kishi no Cavalry takes this very over-used, standard premise and does nothing unique or original with it. It follows every cliché with no surprises which just serves to make it incredibly predictable and pretty boring when it comes right down to it. That brings me to the biggest weakness of the series, the romance. Like the main narrative, the romance is very trite and standard in terms of its arc. However, it also suffers from there being no chemistry between the leads whatsoever. They barely know each other and have been nothing but antagonistic and then, suddenly she has a thing for him. All in the same episode. No explanation or motivation behind it. It's just contrived and weak. Then she starts acting tsundere towards him and then the obvious arc is obvious. Granted, it could be worse. His younger sister could be introduced as a romantic rival. Wait... she is. This romance is utter shite. Characters: So, with such a standard plot do we at least get strong characters? After all, Nanoha Vivid managed to do something pretty good with the same story just by virtue of having strong characters. So, what do we get here? The bland protagonist who acts like basically every generic nice guy protagonist ever, I'm going to call him Blandon from this point on. The tsundere princess, I'm going to call her OA from this point on because it amuses me to do so. The creepily devoted little sister. The supportive trans-girl and a bunch of archetypical characters on the side. The closest you get to any character arcs are the standard doubting yourself for reasons and having to get out of it thing that Blandon undergoes near the end and OA's spontaneous romantic interest in Blandon. And even those character arcs are ones that are often associated with the tropes the characters embody. I will give the series some credit for not using the trans-girl for a bunch of really tasteless jokes, they do have one, when so many series would have but that's not saying much. Save that the series could have been tackier. Art: The artwork in this is a bit mixed. On the positive side, there is some really nice background design The battle between the little sister & the student council President is pretty decent. The character designs also look mostly okay if a bit standard, except that their eyes are done in such a way that it looks like they're all constantly wearing heavy eye-liner. On the down side, this is a series with really tasteless, really tacky uses of fan-service. There's also an issue with most of the action sequences being really weak. So, not only do you have this bog-standard plot but there aren't even good action sequences to make it worthwhile. Instead, we get these very quick matches that end before anything exciting can happen or these kind of standard hero gets knocked around a bit before winning matches. The final match in the series is the absolute worst offender. They build it up quite a bit and then it's over in ten seconds. What's the point of a super-powered tournament plot if there aren't even going to be good fight scenes? Then, we have the “artistic” art choices. We've seen some of these in other reviews, the odd slanted shots in Phantom and such. Inn this one, they use mostly black and white with little colour during Blandon's doubting arc. To be fair, they do actually need to do this for practical reasons. There's nothing to the character beyond the trope so the art has to try and convey the emotional tone that the character himself can't carry. Sound: The acting in this is not very good. It suffers from the same issue as a lot of anime with weak characters, the vocal cast is very limited in what they can actually do with them. You can't give a complex performance to Blandon or OA or any of these other characters because they have no complexity. Instead, we get the actors doing the standard performances that go with the tropes. They may not be strong, emotional performances but they're the best you can expect under the circumstances. The music is pretty forgettable. It's not Nakagawa Kotaro's best, certainly but it's not bad. Remember, he did work on the music for Code Geass. Ho-yay: There really isn't any in the series. Final Thoughts: Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry is a bad series. The plot is trite. The romance is outright atrocious. The characters are weak with acting to match. The action is mostly pretty bad, culminating in an unforgivably short and disappointing climactic battle. If you're looking for a series where super-powered characters battle one another, you'd be better off with Nanoha Vivid, Shaman King, Dragonball, Yu Yu Hakusho or even the Law of Ueki. That being said, I have seen worse series. At least the backgrounds are nice and most of its flaws, though glaring, veer more towards stupidity than they do towards painfully terrible to watch. As such, my final rating is a 3/10. Next week I'm going to look at Boku dake ga Inai Machi. Hopefully, it will be better than this was.

>STORY: 1 the story for Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry is virtually non-existent, it has a basic backdrop where the show takes place but then it just drops random characters in the setting and sets them loose. There is no structure, no climax and no character development at all. The romance is rushed to the point where it is insulting that a person would think that any romance is even remotely similar to what this show depicts. School days had a better romance than this show did. i bring up the romance because that is what the supporters for this garbage claim is the real story but honestly if thats true then that makes this show even worst than it already was. I would rather have a generic cookie cutter harem show than a show that cant even do that correctly. >ART: 2 The art is just as bad as the story however even though it hurt my eyes at times i will give them props for atleast trying something new >SOUND: 1 The sound wasnt necesarily bad when you looked it up however whats worst than having bad sound design is having sound that you never even notice to the point where you cant remember if the show even had any background music at all. >CHARACTER: 1 The characters might honestly be the worst part of this entire show because atleast in other bad shows the characters atleast feel like they have something to add to the show but with this every character is just a cutout with no personality that feel like they exist just to be used in fan service moments. In all honesty they feel like they were designed by a 10 year old who's only writing experience comes from making bad Sonic fanfiction. >ENJOYMENT: 1 after all i said did you really think i enjoyed this show? no, of course not. The only enjoyment i got from this was laughing at how bad it was or laughing at those on this site who keep giving it scores that put it on the same level as shows like cowboy bebop and steins gate.

I have been begging for a season 2 of this anime for over half a decade now. A season 2 would feed families. Never will I ever get tired of the overlooked and mislabled, secretly incredibly talented swordsman trope. The Ittou Shura arguably increases my blood flow better than oranges, face icing, and thirty minutes of cardio. This anime is one of the perfect shows to get a friend interested in anime as long as they are a boy in highschool with raging hormones and like swords. That is because, it does have a fair share of fan service. But listen, the Ittou Shura makes up for it. And well... Stella.

Just a typical ecchi anime that tried to implement an element of romance. But in all honesty it failed. And it failed big. Yes the couple Ikki/Stella is cute but sincerely Stella is a stereotyped princess character with the typical tsundere personality. The series tries to make her strong but in the end she's just a sort of cheerlader for Ikki. The story isn't original and it is pretty boring. The powers are cool, i admit it, but the fighting choreographies are mediocre. The art is pretty good, for an ecchi anime, the characters are cool and even the art style of some scenes are awesome. But just that. Nothing more, nothing less. The characters are boring. Ikki is the typical protagonist overpowered that wins every fight and is surrounded by every single girl in the show. His story with Shizuku is horrible (incest, again?!!). The psychology of most of the characters is absent or badly treated. Personally i liked Ayase more than Stella but it's just a matter of tastes. I think that the worst thing about Rakudai Kinshi No Cavalry is the fact that it expects to be a serious anime with good characters but at the end it's just an ecchi anime with some action. Ikki's story isn't so special this "Worst One" that represents those without talent is just the typical main character that is always a good guy, is overpowered as hell and never loses. Adding the romance didn't make the anime special or more interesting. If i think about it, the romance theme, made the anime more stodgy.

STORY: 7/10 CHARACTER: 8/10 ART: 10/10 SOUND: 9/10 ENJOYMENT: 8/10 OVERALL: 8/10 What starts as a copy & paste of countless other generic Harem+Ecchi anime turns on itself by delivering a decent character driven story including some great Action and good Romantic elements! Three episodes in and you are already losing interest at what’s unfolding in front of you but hang in there! Just like our MC here, this show follows suit by working its way up from its cliched fest of tropes set at the beginning! It brings nothing new to the table, but it succeeds in executing the same old concept very well. (More than you would expect!) The Action scenes had real build-ups, clearly defining the reasons for all characters wanting to win their battles to reach the final tournament, thus making the fights feel more personal. The powers displayed aren’t ground-breaking by any level but the way they were performed brought a lot of excitement to them. The love story also took me by surprise which is a rarity in such anime’s, so it was enjoyably refreshing. The Romance may have started on a corny note, but it gets well-developed by launching it on a slow pace. The characters don’t just fall in love with each other, rather they are confused by their own feelings and convincingly approach their confession of desires to each other on a more natural note. So, towards the end, I genuinely bought their relationship as I had witnessed an authentic chemistry between them which is worth rooting for! The characters introduced look generic, but the anime lets their personalities to shine in order to stand out. The MC has a noble and hardworking attitude mixed in with a kind and tolerable demeanour that splits the fans on whether liking him or not! (I frustratingly found him ‘Too Nice’ at certain points!) He’s disclaimed by his family and nicknamed as ‘The Worst One’ for his lack in magic skills yet it’s his perseverance and desire to fight back that makes him very interesting. Despite showcasing tremendous set of skills like ‘Perfect Vision’ or his fight style, he is portrayed as an underdog in a believable fashion. (His powers are cool but limited!) What makes him a unique character is the situation he is put in and especially how he faces it! He strives when the odds are stacked against him, he enjoys turning unfair circumstances to his advantages, he revels in such environment because he believes it makes him stronger and this is the reason why he grabs people’s attention so quickly. (Whether it’s in a good way or a bad way!) Stella is our tsundere princess with a fire wielding sword who doesn’t get a lot of screen time but manages to leave an impression by developing into a motivating character due to her romance angle. And while Shizuki is very badass with water manipulation powers, her self-devotion to Ikki and brotherly love was a total No No! She did start to change at the end by learning to act more like a sister than a lover with the help of her Not So Straight friend, Alice. The art style is noticeable and colourful enough to give a clean look but the real stand out is the work done on the backgrounds. Different shading and colours were given to specific situations, further establishing the distinctive temperament of the show, whether it’s the warmth glow you get during flashes of Romance or the bleak monochromic setting with shades of red and blue to further symbolize the show’s dark and depressing moments, they perfectly nail the atmosphere of the story. The same kind of care is seen with its animation as well since you watch the fights in clear cut angles and smooth fluidlike motions, sporadically dabbing with cool slow-mo shots which are pleasantly detailed and gorgeous to watch! THE OP is very bad, not in terms of its music or even the video attached to it, rather it’s their choice of the singer who completely ruins it! However, the soundtrack plays as a great companion piece for the show since its pleasing to hear and helps elevate the scenes accordingly. The OST is a great harmonic mix of Jazz, Rock, Piano, etc. that can be listened to as a standalone piece due to its soothing, diverse and upbeat nature. (“Tension Feeling’’ happens to be my favourite one!) Regarding Voice Acting, the dubs were fine while the subs had more feel to it, but both are serviceable. I’m glad to stick with this show since it does its job by impressing me even though it brought nothing new to the genre, still to my surprise it didn’t follow the projected route I was thinking it was going to take! Though attaching Ecchi to some serious scenes actually hurts the show as it cheapens whatever they were trying to accomplish, but I did enjoy the few cliché breakers here and there. However, in the end the anime manages to charm you with its firm handle on Action and Romance, thoroughly entertaining me with brilliant fights and making me care and root for the lovebirds! I would have liked to see Stella fight more and I wish the final arc had been stretched a bit more. In addition, this anime neither needs to be a Harem or an Ecchi so I hope to see less of it in the next season. It’s definitely worth a onetime watch at least.

(This review has been adapted from my blog/reddit thread. Spoilers ahead!) Holding the door open for others. Pulling the chair out for your date. Saying “please” and “thank you.” Common actions that you (hopefully) do for others. A code of conduct that the Medieval knights originally created. I am talking about chivalry. I am talking about chivalry because I am talking about Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry. (Yes, “cavalry” and not “chivalry.”) I try to be as courteous as possible to others, and I do not usually get bothered when others are not. Except for one example: holding doors. More specifically, when I am behind someone and he or she walks through a door in front of me, and he or she does not look back to try and keep the door open, I get slightly irked. No doubt trivial, but I cannot help it. In Cavalry, holding doors open for others is not a motif. Still, the anime keeps its own doors open for others to witness just how strong it happens to be. STORY Cavalry’s tale is one that has been told many a time in the medium. Ikki, a “loser” compared to his peers, is looking to prove himself in a high-school battle royal. Perhaps obviously, it turns out he is not a loser but actually the strongest dude ever. But rather than having himself a harem (the usual direction), the narrative takes a different route: he forms a romantic relationship with Stella, the (albeit stereotypical) tsundere, fire-based transfer student. This romance is primarily what the events of Cavalry revolve around. Their initial duel. The arrival of Ikki’s sister. The hostage situation. The start of the tournament. And the public pool trip. For approximately five episodes, the anime slowly builds up the romance into not just a believable connection but also a natural one. Simultaneously, the anime interlaces these episodes with other welcome additions. The introduction of characters, building the world (the system, the society, and so on), and various battles are included alongside the romance, giving the audience even more out of the narrative. All the while, Cavalry has relevant sexual and comedic content. For example, Stella wanting to wash Ikki in the bathroom is sensual and funny, but it also serves as more romance. And Shizuku straddling Ikki and slowly inching her face towards his face is (again) not just sensual and funny but also demonstrative for how she generally acts and where her scenes proceed. Where Cavalry dips slightly is in the middle set of episodes. The romance-driven narrative does continue. Ayase’s arrival sparks jealousy in Stella, getting her worried that Ikki may be taken from her. The thigh-touching scene was a tad unnecessary, but the intimate moment Ikki and Stella share that night quells her “insecure” feeling and makes her trust Ayase. The problem is that these episodes are too much of an aside. Ayase receives attention and therefore development, but these events and even Ayase herself are barely referenced again and hardly impact the overarching plot. Hence, they come off as pointless despite the continued exploration of the romance. Thankfully, Cavalry finishes as strong as it possibly could. Episode nine and ten serve two purposes. The first purpose is to (once again) continue the romance. The vacation gives Ikki and Stella time alone, but it is the sultry scene in the cabin that foreshadows what is to come. The second purpose is to get the final villain ready. Todo’s power is proven twice over – taking out the rock golems and defeating Shizuku – setting up the stakes for the final battle. The last two episodes, however, steal the show from itself in stunning fashion. The events of episode eleven happen the way they do because Ikki wants to prove how much “he cares about the relationship” he has with Stella. (The anime’s words courtesy of Shizuku.) But more than this, the episode builds up so much tension. So much drama. So much emotion. The events may be laid on thick – Ikki’s conversation with his father, literally being put in isolation for days on end – but they instill that sense of unfairness to the max. As a result, the audience is pumped and furious and ready. This is all expertly executed. But the mastery occurs in episode twelve. Ikki battling through a figurative snowstorm, subsequently full-circle framing the narrative, is nice. Everyone arriving outside to support him one last time before the final fight is nice, too. But these moments are not what do it; it is the final fight itself that does. The audience expects this to be an amazing fight with swords flashing and bodies flying and techniques flurrying. But no. Instead, the entire fight is condensed into a single second. It cannot be said enough how absolutely satisfying that one second is. All of that tension and drama and emotion that had been built up for an episode and a half? How all the unfairness was stockpiled onto Ikki? Gone. In the span of a miniscule moment, Calvary brings euphoric relief. Yet the show continues to deliver satisfaction. Ikki wins it all, the bad guy is wrecked by Stella, and the two announce their betrothal to each other (the aforementioned foreshadowing followed through), capping off the entire season on as high of a note as it possibly could. Thus, the ending ends up being one of the strongest in recent memory. After all of these episodes, what is it that Cavalry is trying to tell its audience? What story did it create? What messages did it try to impart? The answer is in the narrative: love. Love motivates people. Love for a lover motivates that person to always be there for the other, to always do whatever he or she can for the other. But it is not just love between lovers. It may be love for a friend that motivates someone to reach out a hand. Or it may be love for a sibling that motivates someone to give it their all. Love is this weird and amazing and unique emotion that motivates people in ways they never thought possible. And, as Cavalry shows time and again, love can always be relied on. ANIMATION Calvary generally sticks to drab colors. This includes both its art and its character designs. The former is usually dark greens, whites, and blues, and the latter is usually browns, blacks, and purples. In tandem, they keep the anime grounded, realistic in its presentation. Speaking more on the art, the static setting unfortunately keeps the backgrounds boring to look at. This boringness is caused by the buildings, rooms, and recreational areas missing extensive details. As for the character designs, the only two that (literally) stand out are Stella’s and Shizuku’s. Stella’s tsundere-symbolizing hair, sexy figure, and different outfits give her an edge over the others. Shizuku’s icy-symbolizing hair, cute looks, and different outfits give her an edge over the others, too. Lighting is similar to the coloring. Except for a few instances, like a sunset on the hill, a hot summer day, or the different battles, Cavalry keeps its lights low-key. This has the double effect of keeping the anime more serious and highlighting those moments when shining does make an appearance. Where Cavalry shines brightest is with its cinematography and animation. Most of the time, the anime does not do anything too fancy. Up-close lips forming words, focus on the lewd, bouncing breasts, and shots of closing fans and floating petals are quite standard. The exception is episode eleven: The grainy effect and black-and-white depiction amplified the downcast feelings. The battle scenes, however, step it up and then some. While Ikki is in the vast majority of the battles, each one involves a vast array of abilities. As such, Calvary employs a myriad of different camera techniques and perspectives. One example is a top-down view of Ikki falling into a stream of bullets that changes into a view that follows him in a circular pattern. Another example is Todo using her “Raikiri” that simultaneously shatters the black bars used for the wide-screen view. But, perhap…

Rakudai Kishi no Calvary is part of the sea of fantasy/school anime out there. Good news is, it's not part of the mediocrity we've come to expect from this genre. Some anime, such as Asterisk War and Tokyo Ravens, definitely made me realize why this genre is so popular nowadays. OP male MC who eventually attracts a harem of archetypes- check. High school setting so you don't feel like too much of a perv for enjoying said archetypes- check. Magic and fight scenes that only temporarily distract you from the lack of character development-check. So little work to appeal to a shounen/seinen audience. Now that I've significantly bashed the genre, I can tell you that Rakudai Kishi no Calvary definitely stands above that. Ever wanted to see a school/magic anime done correctly? Look no further. Story- 7 Starting off with a... cliché. Nothing new here. MC meets princess, tournament, and battles ensue. So why did I give it a 7? Mostly the pacing. The show's pacing felt just right, now rushing (Tokyo Ravens) or dragging (IS) too much. Other than that, nothing significant. Art- 9 The best part of the show for me. The characters are detailed and the backgrounds are more than sufficient. The fighting animation was exceptionally fluid and never dragged unnecessarily (think Kara no Kyoukai). And some scenes were, uhm, "exciting". Sound- 8 Nothing to say 'cept that I liked the OP and OST was above average. Character- 8 Ikki Kurogane isn't your everyday main character. Imma say it- he has personality. *GASP* He works hard for his goal, as he wasn't born with natural talent, and feels like a person. His interactions and emotions are all at least somewhat realistic Stella Vermillion, our other lead, isn't nearly as unique. Standard red-headed spoiled tsundere princess, although she's not so spoiled as the series goes on. Oh well, at least she's honest about her feelings (more than I can say for a lot of main female characters). One other thing- you may notice that this anime is tagged as "romance" and not "harem". Surprisingly, Rakudai Kishi no Calvary has a fully fleshed out romance that develops past the "first kiss". Nice job, Rakudai, nice job. Enjoyment- 8 This show, while not original, was damn entertaining at some times and the romance really helped it feel more complete than a lot of others. The way it ended way was awesome. Overall- 8 Give it a try. It's only 12 episodes, and even if you don't like the characters, at least you can enjoy the fight scenes. Here's to season 2!

================= INTRO ================= I entered this series expecting it to be just another generic harem school battle anime. Needless to say, my expectations were pretty low. After finishing the final episode, I ended up really enjoying it. ================= THE REVIEW ================= Despite having a harem atmosphere this series is so far from being one. You would think that the MC is a dense gary stu just like any other Harem Battle MCs but Ikki is really AN ALPHA MALE. He has a purpose, he knows what he wants, and he works hard to attain it even though he has no talent. No bullshits, no excuses, and no melodramatic moments. HE JUST DOES IT. Because of that attitude he gets the girl early on in the series. Stella, the heroine, is also pretty great. Don't let this big breasted pink haired tsundere deceive you. She is strong, she can handle herself, and she is in love with Ikki. The dynamic between the two is really enjoyable to watch. Their dialogues are well grounded and do not insult the audience' intelligence. Aside from the little sister and the daughter of the sword master, the side characters are a little weak. Little background information were provided which I found a little irksome. The overall plot is also something we have seen countless of times. MC is shunned and is considered weak, enters a school and a tournament ensues, and slowly wins until he reaches the top. The fight animation was pretty good to be honest. The movements were fluid and when coupled with some nicely placed artistic touches, were some of the nicest fights that I've seen with this kind of show. Overall, Ikki and Stella were the stars of the show. Their interactions are pretty sweet and fun and I had a great time watching the two of them. ================= VERDICT ================= What should have been a mediocre show turned out to be a nice surprise. Although it might not be talked about for months to come, everyone should at least give this a chance and just enjoy it. So I'll give it... 7.4/10! The two leads really carried the shortcomings of the show. Surely, a contender for anime's best couple of the year. Although the flaws are glaring, most viewers would find enjoyment if they stop criticizing and just watch the show for what it is.

Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry was a show that started off promising but took a really drastic downhill slide about halfway through and never stopped sliding. I'm writing this review due in large part to both my disappointment with the show as well as my surprise that it is rated as well as it is here on MAL in comparison to what I scored it (7.66 at the time of this review). As mentioned, it starts off rather promising. The first couple episodes do a good job of establishing the protagonist Ikki as a likeable underdog who is a much better fighter than what his test scores show he is. I got a real Tatsuya vibe from Mahouka in the early parts of the show. Stella is quickly established as the main girl and his love interest (more on that further down) and is a cliche yet still likeable tsundere. As the show goes on, Ikki's underdog status just gets milked for way more than its worth and Stella becomes more and more annoying. The side characters are much more likeable than the two main characters, with Shizuku (Ikki's imouto) and Alice (Shizuku's roomate) essentially stealing the show most of the time. The story begins to fall apart also. The Sword Eater arc in the middle of the show was when it really began to go downhill. It was just a boring arc with a disappointing final fight. It really felt like filler honestly. Lastly, the last arc... just... was terrible. I won't give any spoilers as to why, but let's just say that the EXTREMELY forced drama and the asspulls are strong in the last few episodes. The show makes it pretty clear early on that it is a very action-oriented anime that is structured to where enjoyment heavily relies on the fights and the build-up to the fights. The problem is that most of the fights are not that good. The fight between Shizuku and Toudou is honestly a great 9/10 fight and really the highlight of the show, but most all of the other fights were really disappointing- the final fight in episode 12 especially. Another complaint I had with the show in regards to the fights is that way too many of the fights happen off-screen. Granted, since most all the fights are disappointing anyway it may be a moot point but it still made everything feel super rushed reagardless. The plot revolves around the Seven Stars Battle Festival which is essentially a giant tournament. Of all the fights that take place, Ikki's fights are pretty much the only ones you see happen. One of Shizuku's fights and one of Stella's fights are the only other ones shown. Alice gets no fights and his abilities are still completely unkown. The sound in the show is not terrible. Pretty good action music for some of the fights, but overall it's really forgettable. However the OP and ED are, to put it bluntly, just plain bad. The show has many bad aspects, and the art is definitely one of its worst ones (no pun intended). The characters themselves look nice usually but the environments look really bad. Worst of all is the colors. The colors just look dirty- that's the only way I know to describe it. The entire show just has a really dirty gray tint to it, and none of the colors shine the way that one would expect them to in an anime. There is also a very unique choice (and not in a good way) of coloring done with the animation during the important fight scenes, such as the Sword Eater fight and the final fight. All the colors on-screen are scrapped and the show is animated in pure black and gray with only the characters' eyes still retaining their color. It's definitely a unique strategy to emphasizing the fight scenes but it's utterly pointless and really doesn't look good at all. It made me shake my head and wonder who the hell thought of it more than anything. I'm going to assume that people are rating the show as well as they are on here because of the romance between Stella and Ikki. Unlike most romances that occur in anime there is actual progress made in the romance throughout the story. It has a fairly consistent progression in-plot of the romance progressing and I guess people are a sucker for that considering that its a rarity for an anime to actually progress a romance in-plot like that. That being said, I still found the romance cheesy. It developed way too fast and I felt like its role in the story was really forced and overblown. But again, it did develop which is a rarity, so I'll assume most people rating this show are overlooking all its other flaws because they're a sucker for that or something.

Absolutely loved this anime. For those who compare this to Gakusen Toshi Asterix, the only similarity is the school festival setting. Once you get past that the character for both are different. The growth and feelings of the characters in cavalry are what makes this my favorite of the 2 and one of my favorite of the winter series. It is both funny/entertaining and serious, covering very relate-able issues throughout the story. The seriousness of it is clearly scene with brilliant art style changes. The only thing i would say against this anime is that the soundtrack was not on par with the rest of it Despite this it is still definitely a 10/10 for me

WARNING: Some of the nature of what makes Chivalry a good show requires me to discuss some spoilers for Episode 4 of the anime. It won't wreck your enjoyment of the show, but you have been warned! Chivalry was a show which I went into with rather average expectations: The 5-6 kind of light novel show that is enjoyable but forgettable. For some, that will be true. For me, however, I was pleasantly surprised with this show's willingness to innovate within its genre, its desire to go for ambitious animation even if it was beyond their means at times and I enjoy the fact that they went for some pretty cool, flashy fights. The first thing to get out of the way is the comparisons between Asterisk Wars and Chivalry of a Failed Knight, as the surface connections are so easy that a blind man could see them through a snowstorm. I will try to get through those comparisons throughout the review, instead of dumping them all at the start, but I think the difference in score between my reviews of the two series tells a lot of what you need to know. To begin with we have Ikki Kurogane, our main character, who's visual design is somewhat bland, although I do appreciate the brown colors that he uses. Unlike most Light Novel cookie cutter protagonists, Ikki is a rather driven person who reminds one of a more traditional action protagonist. Known as the "Worst One" at school due to his extremely low magical talent and some plot I won't get into, but nonetheless Ikki trains hard to become a strong "Magical Knight" in spite of basically everyone shitting on him and his lower end magical prowess. He doesn't go for the "too cool for this show" vibe or "I don't give a shit and things happen to me" vibe, instead being a character with his own personal goals and desires who actually ends up fairly cool. Considering the need to be low magic for the plot to make sense, his power set is pretty good too. One of the good things about this show is it doesn't go for full fanservice harem, but is instead a romance-action series, eschewing the desire to use hot girls in place of plot (although this show does have plenty of fanservice, I'll get to that more later). This can be most seen in Ikki and his eventual girlfriend, Stella Vermillion. Stella, in comparison to Ikki, has great natural magical talent and uses it fully to her advantage, but feels it overshadows the hard work she puts in to reach the level she has. Stella fits the Tsundere archetype, but has an important distinction I feel which some Tsunderes miss: That the "Tsun" part is not just acting standoffish and dickish for no discernable reason and that the character usually softens when actually getting to know them. Stella's character arc understands this well, as her Tsundereness becomes driven by a lack of proper social understanding, and when she actually gets together actively with Ikki, the method of her Tsundereness changes as she developes more. She also is presented as an equal to Ikki who frequently bests her fodder even better than him and has her own goals and motivations. The way this romance handled impressed me, in that it is a developing story throughout the entire first season, that the show goes for the full on romance from Episode 4 on, and that becoming romantic doesn't automatically make them click perfectly. Instead, they have issues with their physicality, they misunderstand each other, and in general they act more like what you'd expect a couple of people in school in love to act like. Comparing the characters of Ikki and Stella to Ayato and Julis from Asterisk Wars shows how superior Chivalry is by comparison: Ayato and Julis, especially Julis, have vague at best reasons for want they wish to do, with Julis' Tsundereness often being illogical, and Ayato's personality being quite difficult to discern and coming off as generic. In fact, amusingly, Chivalry has a side character later with a similiar motivation to Julis, except it also adds actual backstory and depth to the reasoning and gives it more examination in about an episode than Julis gets in a season, making this side character come off as far more realistic and interesting than Julis ever does. Ikki and Stella have motivations which are delved into and do not have silly, pointless stop and go. The other two main characters are Shizuku Kurogane and Alice. Shizuku is probably the most hit or miss character given both her archetype and her general character: She is Shizuku's blood sister and is madly in love with him, although fortunately this gets played more for the dramatic parts of Shizuku knowing she will be unable to get him rather than a constant harem. In fact, Shizuku's romantic love for her brother gets surprising examination throughout the series considering this will usually be played for comedy only if it is not the show's focus, and she has fairly well thought out motivation to her. She also gets one of the cooler fights in the series and utilizes her power set impressively. While she could be annoying at times, I overall liked her, although I am someone who generally wishes more not-blood-related siblings with romantic stuff were because it seems like a cop out otherwise, so take that for what it will. Alice is the main character with the least screen time to her, but was quite enjoyable, and given that I have read up some on the light novels I would be very interested in where she went in a sequel series. A pre-op male-to-female transexual, Alice has pretty cool powers over darkness which allow her to teleport, bind people's shadows, and generally has a lot of potential for future fights in the series. She serves as the primary grounded one of the group who helps them understand themselves and others better and questions their motivations, while not releasing much info on herself. The fact that she is treated as normal and not just a joke trans character is a pretty big plus, and she has a pretty stylish look as well that is pretty fun. There are of course more characters in the show like the mini villains, but going into them too much would just be spoilers: This show does have some good variety from complete douchebags to friendly rivals, though, which gives it someone who will appeal to most people at the least. Plot-wise, Chivalry is nothing groundbreaking, but it paces itself well and the way it handles aspects like Ikki and Stella's romance is an actually refreshing change of pace compared to various other shows I have seen, working fairly differently within the light novel adaption-esque genre. It fits a solid amount of character developement into 12 episodes while giving us a little mini-arc to go along with the main plot and sets up some prospective later villains which seem appealing. The story is essentially that the combat school, a school for "Blazers" which are people who use powers and gain weapons derived from their soul, is holding a tournament in preparation for the big national tournament for Blazers to decide who will represent them. Ikki, who failed the previous year for reasons the show delves into, is in such dire straights that he must win the entire national tournament to graduate, and so is putting in all of his efforts into doing so. When he becomes roommates with the recently transferred Princess Stella Vermillion, the two get into a fight which quickly leads to them understanding each other a bit better, and then plot going from there. We even get some political intrigue later with the involvement of the Kurogane family. The plot is not a blow you away plot, but it is solidly good and enjoyable, and has room to become more as time goes on. It doesn't skimp on fights, giving us multiple 8+ minute fights and actual characters and interesting powersets behind them instead of just useless mooks. It definitely isn't super deep, like a Madoka or whatnot, but it isn't super shallow either. When compared to Asterisk Wars, a show where even saying it HAS a plot is dubious at best, Chivalry comes f…

- I N T R O - I was looking for the next quick watch to help me relax from all of the great but tense anime I've been watching and I decided on Rakudai Kishi No Cavalry after seeing a few fun clips on YouTube. I wasn't left with a good taste in my mouth, not to say I didn't expect it... but it wasn't anywhere near to this extent, here's why : - S T O R Y - There are humans capable of using magical power to manifest their souls as weapons and they are called Blazers, and those who are recognized as such undergo training at academies to become Mage-Knights. Ikki Kurogane is an aspiring Mage-Knight, despite being considered the worst student at Hagun Academy as an F-ranked Blazer—the lowest rank possible. One morning, he accidentally stumbles upon Stella Vermillion, a visiting princess and A-ranked Blazer who has just enrolled at Hagun, in a state of undress. As a result, she challenges him to a duel where the loser will be the winner’s slave. It seems like a surefire win for Stella, but could there be more to Ikki than meets the eye? Of course there is something more to him, he's the protagonist of a Light Novel adaptation. The premise is insultingly generic and the story itself is no different. All of the LN clichés you could think of, it's like Rakudai hits them all on purpose. The pacing is too fast at moments and at some episodes it's non-existent. The writing feels extremely amateurish at more than a few points and the comedy is extremely forced. The battle scenes are handled alright, though they're nothing great. Two of the battles are well choreographed and do flow nicely, but that's far too few. Every other battle relies on absolute non-sense or Ikki's ability which is to use 100% of his power in one go, since humans can never bring out 100% of their power. Though this ability does not last long and serves as a victimization tool for the protagonist. The moment it's duration expires, Ikki collapses because he's tired to create the illusion he really struggled with the battle when he easily defeated his opponent with his plot convenient power. - C H A R A C T E R S - None of the characters are unique, Kurogane is nothing more than your typical bland self-insert present in plenty of Light Novels. He has no personality outside of constantly spewing his clichéd ideologies like ''Friends should never be hurt'', ''the truly strong ones are the people who have someone to protect'', etc. Other than him being a rather weak character, there's nothing much to say about him. His backstory is mildly interesting but it is nothing new. The main female lead, Stella, is a basic tsundere. They didn't go out of their way to flesh her out or make her a unique. She's just a waifu archetype and nothing more. In fact, every single female in this series is a waifu archetype, none of them are developed. They feel rather uninspired in terms of design. Whatever antagonists this anime has, he/she's nothing more than a one dimensional villain to make sure the MC looks cool infront of the girl. They don't really have much of a personality on their own. The show also tried to shamelessly force in incest, yes, it doesn't miss out a single clichéd Light Novel trope. His sister is in love with him, she's nothing more than a shallow character serving only as a love rival to the main female lead. Alongside her, we're introduced to another character, he happens to be male so of course in order to not get in the way of the harem he has ''a maiden's heart''. The main selling point of Rakudai Kishi No Cavalry is the fact that unlike many anime of that sort, the main characters do get in a relationship, that doesn't stop Kurogane from having his low-key ship moments with the other girls to tease the fans of course. Also, every single romantic interaction of theirs is extremely forced, the author felt the need to constantly remind the viewers/readers that the two MCs are in a relationship and that it's a big deal. - A R T & A N I M A T I O N - The art in Rakudai feels extremely bland and uninspired, you would have a hard time setting it apart from similar anime such as Kuusen Madoushi Kouhosei no Kyoukan or many other. There is no set atmosphere in it, it's just a regular city with a messy setting. It seems more technologically advanced in certain places but other locations feel just like a regular city building. Despite all of this, it does fit with the series and still does feel pretty at places. Art aside, the animation is actually good during the action scenes, it flows nicely but as I mentioned before, the battles themselves are not well choreographed, they feel like a slugfest of random attacks, only the very first battle had some kind of strategy involved but even then the animation still makes the action scenes enjoyable. - S O U R C E M A T E R I A L - Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry by Misora Riku (Story) and Won (Art) - The art in the Light Novel is certainly better than it's animated adaptation but seeing as this is a Light Novel, it's not of much use as you're gonna see an illustration every 100 pages. The script, while it does have more time to develop itself and the events that happen, the characters are still nothing more than just archetypes and a bit more time to develop the story does not make a difference since the overall script is bad, amateurish and the pacing is still all over the place. I do recommend reading the Light Novel over watching the anime though. Unless you're just in for the pretty colors and animation.

Most magical knight anime are very similar, this particular one takes a slightly different step, by adding a romance plot that goes somewhere, an interesting main character with a harsh past and having some of the best action scenes of 2015. (The video review is up on my channel, but here is the written) Story - 7/10 Chivalry of a Failed Knight story line and setup is rather generic. There is a magical knight tournament for high schools known as the Seven Star Battle Festival. Those who fight in this tournament are known as Blazers, people who materialise weapons to fight in battle. Now the main character Ikki makes a promise with a princess, that he and her together, will make through the selection matches and have one final battle in the last round. Pretty standard story so far. Even though the overall story is pretty standard, it’s the sub stories in between that what makes this an interesting show. Ikki is dubbed the ‘Worst One’ all because his magic power isn’t all that great, so a lot of people look down on him and so he has to work his way up to the top, through his own ability rather than relying on the magical power everyone else has. It’s really a character driven story, as we learn about different characters along the way and find out their reasoning for wanting to win the festival. It’s interesting because the build up to each fight felt very meaningful as we get a good insight on to both sides of the fight, and seeing the trials and tribulations each character has to go through. On top of that, there is a romance story as well, between the two main characters that actually go somewhere, and it’s nice to see their relationship build up from there, even though it may be subtle. Characters - 8/10 Ikki Kurogane is the main protagonist of this anime. His personality is rather generic of a normal hero, he’s got a caring personality and obvious about the girls around him. What I found interesting about his character is his past, on how wasn’t allowed to learn anything from professionals because of the way he was born, so everyone neglected him, and we see how hard the struggles were for him to reach the top after being dubbed the ‘Worst One.’ And I like how he changes the other characters around him, he gets people to respect him and in return he teaches them how to be stronger themselves. Because since he had to learn himself, he has become a very knowledgeable person, while also putting it into practice. Obviously his biggest character development comes in with Stella. Stella Vermillion is the A-Rank knight of the academy. She is considered the strongest knight, because of her abilities. At first she does come across as another tsundere. However after some time, she is actually shown to be someone who is trying to earn respect the right way through hard work, rather than a title. And her interactions with Ikki helps her character develop into a strong character by the end, as she is able to trust herself more and Ikki, as they go out and understand each other more. Shizuku Kurogane is another character that gets quite of time in the show. She is Ikki’s sister with a brother complex. She was the only one to understand Ikki’s situation growing up, she hated the family for mistreating him, and therefor does everything she can for Ikki. Her character shows quite a bit of development as she pretty much stays as she learns what it really means to be a loving sister for Ikki, because her naivety at first puts everyone off. What Rakudai does very well is give us a lot of different characters and actually give them rather interesting backstories, and it’s not like all the characters are the same, some characters are completely arrogant, some actually are fighting for family, and some fighting for pride. It’s with all these characters, each story arc gets interesting, we see the initial build up to the fight and the resolve. I especially did like Ikki’s build up to his last fight, as we really learn a lot about his character and what he has gone through. The interactions he has with each character felt very meaningful. However, what kind of bugged me was, after the character for each arc was done, we don’t see them that much outside of it, so that may leave some people annoyed. Animation and Sound - 10/10, 7/10 The art and the animation is probably the best thing about Rakudai. The world and character designs itself is rather standard compared to most anime, and that’s a good thing, because it looks good and smooth. Being an ecchi genre as well, you’re going to get fan service, and I would say at least they separate the fan service from the action scenes, but it seems some scenes they were trying to make it emotional, but the fan service kind of was distracting. And also the when do show fan service, it’s pretty revealing, but not nudity. Now to the best part of this anime, the animation for the fight scenes. These were probably one of the most gorgeous action scenes I’ve seen in 2015. Yes it I think it’s up there with Unlimited Blade Works. The special effects for each fight is gorgeous, you really see the fluidity of each element. My favourite use of the art is when Ikki is using his abilities which changes the art style completely, into a monochrome world, and the stronger it is, the more awesome it looks. Also I like how every fight scene the quality never really drops, it just gets better as the series progress, and it’s not simply just sword fights, as there are many other ways to fight as well, so there is quite the variety, and the animation quality never really drops. Probably one of my favourite fights of the year was Shizuku vs Tohka, the strategy behind that fight and the execution by the one character made it really enjoyable. Oh yeah, and the last 2 episode, when they used the monochrome art style, it worked so well at building the hype surrounding the final fight, while really adding to atmosphere of the story. The music is in anime, I’ll get to what I love the most soon, so let’s start with the ost. Nothing really stands out too much to make it a great ost, maybe only the second last episode when Ikki was going through a hard time, when the music really added to the atmosphere, but that was probably the help of the art style. The ending song is ok, it’s nothing great in my opinion, it’s a slow pace song with a gothic feel to it. I said I was going to get to my favourite part of the music, which is the opening of hype and epicness. I don’t even care about some of bad grammar in lyrics, but the instrumental, the rock with blues like feel, really is amazing to listen to. Pair that up with the awesome black and white art style opening, and you have yourself such a hype opening with amazing animation at that. Enjoyment - 9/10 At first, despite Rakudai really showing nothing new to the genre, it did had a certain appeal I was very entertain by. The comedy in this show is what I think separates it from other genres, as the first episode showed us that it was very aware of itself, and used that to its advantage and had good timing with their jokes. In the second episode it does become more generic, but after that it’s completely a fun anime to watch from there, and the comedy is quite funny. Watching the relationship between Ikki and Stella grow over the course is amusing to watch, because it’s a relationship that actually goes somewhere, albeit not completely deep, but still pretty good. And the best thing about watching this show is the action and fight scenes. Each fight scene is unique and brings out a lot of each character. It’s gorgeous to watch and the strategies that each character goes into each fight, is entertaining to watch. And every time Ikki uses ‘Itto Shura’ I always get hype, because there is ass kicking coming. Especially the last battle, that was hyped. Verdict - 8/10 So for the story of Rakudai, I give it a 7, the concept is really not all that special and setup is rather basic. But I do like the story o…

This show in no way a ground-breaking story. It's premise is about a high-school battle-academy and tournament that has its share of tropes and fan-service. The main protagonist archetypes are a red-haired fire wielding tsundere and a chivalrous hero that everyone thinks is quite weak, yet turns out to be super-strong. If you think you've heard this before, you have, because it has been used time and again. If that isn't your cup of tea, then I'll tell you right now to avoid the show because you will not enjoy it. For those that don't mind this generic premise and are willing to give a show the chance to separate itself from the rest of the pack, I present you Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry; you wont be disappointed ;P On to the breakdown: Story (6/10) - Weakest point of the show, simply because it isn't anything that hasn't been done before. It isn't treading any new ground with its tried and true battle-academy story. If you are looking for a super deep and philosophical thought-piece or commentary on some kind of modern ill befallen society, you wont find it here. That said, it is a generic story because it is generally a well-received story that is a simple setup for the rest of the show. It's an average action-fantasy RomCom on the surface, but the story doesn't dally trying to take itself too seriously and simply acts as a vehicle to display entertaining character interactions, some really magnificent fight scenes, and absolutely wonderful romance. And really those are the selling points of the show, especially the romance aspect. They don't waste any time with it. It's direct, it's adorable, and it is something many people have been searching for in the last few years of this genre. It doesn't feel awkward or ham-fisted and it is very endearing. For that reason alone, its story becomes a little more than just average. Not much more mind you, but it stands out a bit from the sea of clones it comfortably resides in. Art (9/10) - One of the truly high points of the show for me. The art in this show is by no means perfect, but it is very, *very* good when it wants to be. The character designs, while again generic, are done well enough that they really pop! The colouring on them is very eye-catching and appealing. The backgrounds for this show really shine when in the outdoors, with absolutely breathtaking vista shots peppered throughout. The colour and contrast are, simply put, beautiful, and really a joy to feast your eyes upon. Many anime lately love to go the bland, washed-out, but very efficient look; while such a look is quite clean, it doesn't feel as warm as Rakudai's style. The stylization that pops up a lot is very interesting as well, and really fits into the look and feel of the show. It makes the last couple of episodes especially quite unique looking. Honestly, I don't think they could have gone with a more suitable art style for Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry, so props to Silver Link for that. I also have to give a shout-out to the animation for the OP of this show, which is just a work of art. Best opening animation of the season for me. The animation for many of the fights has been absolutely mind-blowing as well, and they have been a real treat when they show up periodically in the show. There have been some Ufotable-level particle affects going on in some of the later episodes as well. Episode 10 especially had one of the best fight scenes of 2015 imo. Sound (8/10) - Another strong point of the show is its sound. Whoever mixed this show is really, really good. The OP song choice catches you immediately and pulls you into the fun adventure you're about to go on for the next 20 minutes. It's definitely going to find a place on my mp3 player. The soundtrack throughout the show is very well adapted for what's going on visually, from the quirky tracks during the moments of levity, to the epic and hopeful tracks during the well-choreographed action, to the light string and piano compositions during the touching romantic moments and heroics. The sound team really did a top-notch job on this show. It's a pleasure to listen to. They also but a decent amount of work into the Foley for this show, which is subtle, but very engaging. The only unfortunate complaint I have with the sound is that the ED feels really out-of-place with the rest of the show, and honestly just isn't that good, so I can't really rate the sound any higher because of it. Characters (8/10) - As I mentioned above, the characters are based around generic archetypes. Considering the amount of red-headed tsunderes that permeate anime lately, that should really not come as any surprise. However I have to give credit where credit is due for Rakudai changing it up a bit to make the characters feel like more than simple cardboard cut-outs and like something truly their own. The main male lead right off the bat is immediately subjected to a common "walk in on naked girl" trope in the very first episode, but rather than go the blabbering, terrified-of-the-female-form route that MCs traditionally do, Ikki decides to take it upon himself to make it even with the girl in probably one of the funniest laugh-out-loud moments of the season. I'll spare the spoiler, but it really immediately makes Ikki stand out from the pack of his generic cousins and tells you the kind of show you are in for right at the outset. Ikki comes off as a much more personable and confident human being as a result, and he is quite affable for most of the show, making it easy to root for him. Stella as well breaks the currently standard trope of tsundere and opts to be the good kind, more dere than tsun. While initially adversarial, their relationship quickly becomes one of mutual respect that is so dearly missing from anime romances as of late. Their interactions are truly heart-warming, especially in episodes 4 and 5. Stella also has a truly stand-out moment in episode 4 that really delivers on the emotional aspect and makes her character seem like an actually relateable and kind-hearted person. The VA earned her keep for that speech. Likewise Ikki has a few solid humanizing moments as well despite the rest of his grandeur. Their relationship progression is definitely something unique in this sub-genre and is a real pleasure to follow along with. Of course you have the rest of the character cast which is interesting as well. They all do their part in adding to the general feel and aesthetic of the show. Alice (an actually normally portrayed transgender person, unheard of, I know) is great fun to watch and has some genuinely cool pep-talks, the antagonists do their part to seem genuinely distasteful but human, and of course Ikki's sister has done a fairly admirable job of growing beyond the traditional bro-con mold and actually become a character I don't fully understand, but respect. Overall the characters do a great job of bringing the show to life and their interactions are truly appreciable. The romance especially in this show is very, very well done and heart-warming beyond anything I've seen from the sub-genre in a little while. Enjoyment (9/10) - I can't in good conscience give this show anything less than top marks for enjoyment. I can't give it a 10 because honestly there are a couple points in the show which are just cringe-worthy to the extreme (episode 2 was a particularly low point you just have to trudge past), but the positives of this show thankfully overshadow those lesser moments, especially once you hit episode 4+. The show doesn't necessarily start out strong, but it was definitely one of the most rapidly-improved shows I've seen over the course of a season. The humour is light-hearted and fun, the ecchi for the most part is tolerable and occasionally fits in context, the characters are just such a joy to watch, and the art style is just absolutely stunning, especially during some of the absolutely breathtaking fight scenes. It's quite a satisfying and fulfilling show if you can get past its gen…

Hey guys, like always this is going to be a pro-con-review. I will use few spoilers and keep things general but on point. ;;;WHO MIGHT LIKE THIS SHOW?;;; This anime has an almost identical setting to Gakusen Toshi Asterisk. So if you like Asterisk you probably like this show as well. Though Rakudai Kishi got a darker and more depressing atmosphere especially towards the end. Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry should be popular with people being favorable towards: swords/magic/action/romance("progressing relationship")/harem/school/ecchi ;;;NOTABLE THINGS ABOUT THE PLOT;;; - The plot is pretty much generic being centered around Ikki Kurogane also being called the "worst one" who is actually a real monster (cause hes such a hard worker on his training) despite having no magic ability which is an "unsightly" thing in his society. - The romantic relationship develops which I call a big plus no matter the direction ;;;MY OPINION;;; ALL characters in this anime are generic. It's pretty much the same with the story which basicly consists of Ikki always having to overcome some hardship laid out by his cruel and unfair past. Thus he coincidentally expands his harem for which he actually got no need cause he got Stella. The characters sometimes lean into the melodramatic but sometimes they get into REALLY depressing situations which mostly find their ends in somebody shouting something embarrasing to help the character in need. I actually hate that stuff. Even though the characters are all static character types and very generic they are still detailed and sooometimes deviate from their stereotype. Being overused does really not imply being bad. Despite having so much generic stuff Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry is still capable of captivating you. The tension is real. The art is nice. The music fits. The fights got style and action. The romantic relationship is not completly new but definetly not overused and it feels nice. And I must say that the last two episodes really got to me and were worth the depressing athmosphere which they conveyed. I overall enjoyed the show. ;;;TO-SUM-IT-UP;;; If you can take the melodrama, appreciate the few lovely details which lift the anime above average and you enjoy progressing relationships then you will alltogether have spent a really good time with the anime. Althought its far from perfect its at least above average. If you've come this far I thank you for taking your time to read and you are welcome to tell me your opinion.

My Rakudai Kishi No Cavalry review. Story: Mediocre 5. Art: Good 7. Sound: Fair 6. Character: Very Good 8. Enjoyment: Fair 6. Overall: Poor 3. Ok, there nothing much interesting than watching another harem based anime for this winter season, so without anymore BS, here are my judgement to this anime. Story (up), I've given it a 5, since its plot and setting was the same as another anime namely " Gakusen Toshi Asterisk," but let cut there, since this isn't the portion for that,........however, in this anime they focus more on the suffering of the male MC where he was treated like shit by his family. But as I've watch this anime up it's 11th episode, understanding why was he treated like shit by his family is pretty much unclear, let's not forget, his otosan actually recognizes his abilities and knew that he is a force to be dealt with, but why treat him like that, which is another reason why I can't give thsi anime's story category a higher score. Art (up) ok so there were a lot of fanservice in it particularly when it comes to the panty shot, but unlike other harem based anime with ecchi, here the fanservices were a bit moderate, so it still a "GOOD." Sound, I gave it a 6 cu'z I jaz don't have a lot to say about it, I have no fuss about the VA's who did the character's voices, I just can't stand both the opening and closing theme. Character (up) the score was meant for Ikki whom at first was treated like shit both at home and at school, basically he's situation was like Cinderella, when Stella arrives she basically becomes his inspiration and his source of strength, that has provided this anime such sympathy for the guy, but I can't ignore this anime's double standard on Alice, usually guys aren't allowed in the ladies shower room , one might wonder as to why he is an exception, also it was rather ambiguous Alice Nagi is a he or a she, enjoyment (up) so far I only enjoy watching this anime to a certain extent as to simply want it to get over with, thought the fanservice did provide some spice,it probably wouldn't be enough for them pervers to ponder on it, so overall, this anime may have a harem genre, but it can't be classified as a true harem since the only competition for Ikki's affection was between Stella and Shizuku, and if Alice is a guy , it's kinda unfortunate that he can't have a piece of the harem pie, so basically this anime basically has such "POOR" taste when it comes to treating the MC like shit, frankly this anime basically relies a lot on Ikki's struggle to battle such misfortune. So season 2 anybody??????Don't even think about it, jaz leave it as a manga. PEACE ESSSE and Merry Christmas!