Hai to Gensou no Grimgar

Boring. No other word encompasses the entirety of Grimgar than this word, a show that is incredibly slow, full of dull characters, lacks any interesting world or mechanical exploration, and brings up nothing new in the MMORPG anime genre. It's quite unfortunate as the trailers and first impressions of the anime advertised the opposite. Grimgar's story is the same as the other “trapped in an MMO” plotline that follows. A number of people are brought to the world of Grimgar with no memories of their previous lives and they are brought forward to become adventures to survive. The story promptly ends there as Grimgar then focuses on a party of characters, how they interact with one another, and how they cope with their sudden thrust in to hunting monsters to make a living. Unlike other shows that try to focus on a plot, game mechanics, and the world, Grimgar instead chooses to focus on the main characters and how the harshness of being thrown in to something you have no knowledge about. The idea is fine. There is no problem with the direction that Grimgar attempts to go. The reason why the focus falls apart is because the characters are excruciatingly plain and boring. The main characters have no defining personalities. They lack any depth to their characters. Even halfway in to the show I can barely explain a character to someone who asks me about main cast. “Hey, can you tell me about that mage girl?” “Err... Well, she's kind of shy. And uhh... Umm... Her name is Shihoru.” “Okay, what about the the large guy with the big sword?” “He's a warrior. He uhh... doesn't talk much. And I guess he likes to carve wood.” “Well this is lousy. What about the MC? You should be able to tell me something about him right?” “Err... He... Uhhh... is the MC. Yeah.” The characters of this show are like white paint drying on a wall. Even as tragedies befall them and they cry to show some semblance of emotion, you end up not caring for them nor do you really empathize. When they speak the dialogue that follows is a jumble of generic interactions. Even Ranta, the character that is suppose to be the loud high-energy guy with his perverted jokes and shouts ends up just being another obnoxious character you can't care for. The few words or tropes you can ascribe to them, and the few character development they go through are marked by cliches. I could go to a local coffee shop and listen in on to two people and their conversation would be more interesting than this show. The core problem of Grimgar is that it fails in what it tries and forgets about everything else. The story abruptly ends in the first episode, the skill system and game mechanics are only ever briefly mentioned, the characters never go out of the town they reside in and fight goblins for half of the show. The only praise that I can give Grimgar is the first party encounter against a goblin where the fight is executed well and manages to convey the difficulty of trying to kill a living being just to steal its loot. After that the show takes a beeline in to snoozesfill.

This is how you make an Isekai. That's it. That's the peak of the formula. No overpowered MC. No "tragic gooner past" used for cheap drama. No cheesy harem, just normal mfs like us thrown into an uncaring world. The characters are raw, fearful, and their progress is painstakingly slow. Everything they gain is earned by sheer training or hard worked money. They struggle with doubt and grief, like we all do if realistically we were thrown in world like this that's why it makes their small victories feel monumental. They try. They doubt. They fail. But they prevail. If you are tired of generic Isekai shit, this series is mandatory. It makes us relate more to the main characters Except of you're a D1 gooner

Oh, it'll be a hell of a ride. So fasten your seatbelts and enjoy my review. This review may include some mild spoilers; be warned. 1. Concept The first thing must be said for Grimgar is it may be the best "being thrown into a game" story after good old Jumanji. Grimgar nails on details no other anime series of the same concept didn't even bother to mention. The best (in my opinion) detail Grimgar is the feel of being in an alien land. Our heroes and heroines have no idea about where they are and what they are supposed to do. They have no clue about their pasts except some bleak words whom they can't remember their meanings. And after being guided to the start of their adventuring career this feeling of being in an alien land reflects itself as inexperience; they make fails, they have coordination problems when fighting as a party, they struggle to survive, they seriously live the stress of earning enough money to buy food (they even can't buy new pairs of underwear for quite some time and had to wash their underwear every day), and hell; they even hesitate to kill a living being since THEY ARE TEENAGERS WHO HAVE NEVER SWUNG A SWORD, SHOT WITH A BOW AND ABSOLUTELY HAVE NEVER, EVER LIVED IN A HIGH FANTASY MEDIEVAL-ESQUE WORLD! This amount of detail is so astonishing that with every passing second, you love this series more and more and more. 2. Story As I mentioned before, the story is about a group of teenagers struggling to survive in a "land of ash and fantasy". They know nothing about their past lives except some bleak, distant words they use subconsciously (like "phone"), whom they can't comprehend their meaning. So, we know that they are hailing from our world and from our time but their reason to be trapped in Grimgar remains a mystery to be revealed. In the first season, we won't have much clue about it, though. The first season is about their struggle to survive in this world and being adapted to it. And this aspect of the story is handled amazingly well. We see some real struggle while they are trying to be the characters they've intended to be and failing at it, since it's actually really difficult to survive in a world full of monsters and magical things (Tabletop RPG players will understand me and speaking of which, I salute all of you fellow Pen & Paper players!), especially if you are some teenagers from a high-tech world; ours, in particular. This level of authenticity is amazing. On the other hand, I don't know how they will handle about the mystery part of the story but I'm sure that in next seasons (if there will be next seasons, of course) they'll handle it as well as they did in the first season's story. 3. Characters The number 1 reason I really like Log Horizon, another "being trapped in an MMORPG" anime, is the authenticity of its characters; we have some kids who have hard time to adapt, some adults who lost their sense of sanity because of the event and some other adults who try to stay calm and do something to prevent people from going mad. Grimgar's characters side is also strong at the aspect of authenticity; we have a group of teenagers who have a hard time while trying to adapt to an alien world. The series lets us see clearly what characters think about the situation via dialogues and monologs. We see their doubts, fears, sorrow, sense of being lost and amnesiac. But on the other hand, they are still teenagers; they are exploring themselves like any teenager who hit the puberty. Boys, for example, make dirty jokes, make comments about the hotness of the girls in the party, they even subconsciously take a peek to their breasts. The only one out of this puberty drama is Moguzō; the oldest guy of the party and he shines like a lighthouse of sense in a band of puberty hit teenagers, just as how it should be! 4. Gameplay Mechanics & Fights As I understood; Grimgar is a game closer to tabletop RPGs' style rather than MMOs'. In my opinion, it's a huge upside. I like Tabletop RPGs' handling gameplay elements like spellcasting, fighting, adventuring, leveling up etc. I'll mention some things about these. For example; in Grimgar, you need to pray for a spell if you are a priest or read invocations and make ritualistic movements if you are a sorcerer. If you want to make your characters stronger you need to find a trainer and spend some time with training. You should allocate money to food, survival gear etc. (Also; you should wear your helmet if you have one since arrow shots to the head or head traumas are fatal things. :D ). "Skills" used in combat are not some flashy and non-practical moves but tricks and techniques derived from real medieval warfare (mostly, even though not completely). And the last thing I've mentioned makes Grimgar's fight scenes awesome. There are no flashy movements, melee fighters are careful about their footing (which is an important element of real life melee sword fighting), they try to parry or dodge the attacks (since being hurt and in pain are huge disadvantages), ranged fighters and offensive casters tries to make their shots count via having the high ground and reading the battle carefully. And Haruhiro; the ace and the rogue of the party is always moving, seeking the weak points while staying in the shadows and protecting his friends' backs since they are busy with fighting the enemy. Now this is how fighting should be! 4. Art Art is awesome. There's not much to say; hand-painted backgrounds are awesome, character designs are awesome, almost completely authentic design of weapons and armours are awesome. 5. Final Words Grimgar is not perfect, I know it but it still has the potential of being the best "being trapped into an MMORPG" anime ever. The story is not complete, there's only one season but I hope the sequels is going to be made. I trust this series' potential with my whole heart. It's a must watch if you like this concept.

I will start with this, there are people who will say that this anime's pacing is too slow. I simply say they're morons who didn't understand what they are watching. Now with Hai to Gensou no Ketsu (no Yume) people immediately think action adventure and when they do they think the pacing is horridly slow. However, too those who actually understood what Hai to Gensou no Ketsu is - which is a slice of life in a adventure fantasy setting btw - then this glaring problem is gone. Well in fact it didn't exist in the first place, because again, if you think this is an action anime you're a moron. Again repeat after me. SLICE. OF. LIFE. Story is unique: it's the emotional behind the scenes of every RPG you've been through. Shelter, food, sleep, finances, emotional and mental strength, all those things that you have to go through in an adventure but skip to the good action bits: that's the focus of this anime. I think the best line from the anime that best describe's the whole anime is when their Leader, Manato says that "we and the goblins are fighting a battle... no living thing wants to die" Art: Animation it's quite fluid. Fight scenes are fast, and things move accordingly, especially Yume's butt. There have been a lot of bloopers in scenes: people magically wear things and not as the camera cuts to them back and fort. But background and locations are drawn spectacularly as if you're watching a painting. Sound: I'll be honest most of the time I don't notice the BGM, but then comes the feels train and suddenly you hear great songs... it's like they choose the soundtrack specifically so your face is always in the same look as the feels guy meme. The OP and ED aren't extraordinary but they do keep and reinforce the overall feel of the anime, so kudos to that. Character: There are some interesting characters in this anime. However for a Slice of Life anime it has some misses in the growth on some character, lovable as they may be. Overall it's an anime you could watch if you want to take a break from all the action animes out there while still being able to take small doses of it[action].

Fantasy is a genre that can take on a number of forms. As fantasy can only be limited by the imagination, a whole variety of shows and mediums exist to satisfy the endless fantasy craze. And so, to go back to the dungeons and dragons kind of fantasy, we have Hai to Gensou no Grimgar. A show that would focus on the boring math and/or rules part of a D&D game more so than its actual fun, fantasy part. Story: The world of Grimgar is wrought with danger. Upon being summoned to a a new world, a group of newcomers find themselves in a new world where goblins, dragons, and demons exist. In order to survive in this world, they need money. And to get money, they have to kill monsters. These people are told to become part of the volunteer army to help aid in saving the town from monsters. It is here where we meet Haruhiro, a young man who with the help of some other otherworlders, begin their quest to try and survive in this unforgiving world. Great setup, right? Outsiders looking in, a story where we can see our main character grow and prosper? Good stuff right? Except we don't get that. Oh no, no we don't. At its core, grimgar is what I would describe as a story wrapped around style over substance. While the story does follow the concept of 'becoming an adventurer' like many similar stories of this nature, it has far too many problems with its execution to even make it seem worthwhile to even watch. The biggest culprit to the story is Grimgar's complete and utter lack of proper pacing. A story involving adventuring usually comes with a balance of reward and defeat. Moments where the characters succeed and get rewarded for winning, as well as moments of defeat where the loss is so severe that it impacts the characters greatly. Grimgar does one, but not the other. The show has a lot of moments where we do get to see the characters fail. Very often do these characters fail more than they succeed, and that really hammers in the point that they are beginners and are learning to survive in this society. Personally, I find that to be a more realistic point of view, since generally, it is seen that you lose more than you succeed. The problem is, we never GET to see them succeed. Often times, the show uses monologues and montages to show that they're doing well. In total, this only takes up a small fraction of the runtime in comparison to the gigantic amount of suffering that these characters have to endure. Because there is a lack of balance in this regard, it's very hard to even sympathize with them because there're no happy moments to relate to whenever things are going bad. And this is only the tip of the iceberg. They're always in this perpetual traumatic state and it just gets annoying. Pacing also has an impact on the overall structure of the anime. Grimgar wastes a lot of time. And I mean A LOT of time. There are many cases where the anime runs circles around itself to keep shoving its philosophy and hardship of life down your throat constantly in addition to spending entire half episodes to show nothing but soundless moments where the characters do random shit around town with happy music in the background. There are a few choice moments in the anime that I think really are great moments, but all of that glory is just wasted potential amidst a slew of the show constantly flitting away its runtime with worthless pieces of scenery. Another smaller, but still present aspect of the story is the supposed romance. It's a lot of back and forth with this topic and I personally would've preferred if they didn't even try to hint at it altogether. They showcase 'feelings' from one character to another, and it really just doesn't make any sense. It's subtle, but it's still present, and I wish it wasn't there. And then we get to the philosophy. God, it's annoying. Post episode four, the show really tries to drive home how important people are and how hard the idea of loss is. The show wants you to pity these characters, and it's understandable; they've been through a lot. For the REST OF THE SERIES?! The ending also doesn't really do the anime many favors because the show just sort of gives up and makes these still would-be beginners, especially the main protagonist, into these plot armor covered characters where apparently, killing off more than one person in this series would be a sin. In short, the story had a lot of potential, and had many different ways to go with it, as the series clearly had the 'evil mobs' form their own societies, making you question the moral qualities of killing creatures that never hurt you, but no, it's just trying to make you feel pity for these characters and that is just not good writing. Overview: + Great story potential - Too much suffering, not enough reward. (Even though it was clear that they were doing well, they just choose not to actively show it.) - Wasted too much time - Unneeded supposed romance aspect - Stop shoving your goddamn philosophy down our throats Characters: Oh boy, where do I start? The characters in Grimgar are made to never grow up. From the very start of the series to the end, none of them really show any form of positive growth due to their inherent traits and constant turmoil of pity. This time, I'm going to group them all into one big pile. Because honestly, there's nothing really interesting about any of them. Haruhiro is our protagonist with basically no qualities to him. Yume is the ranger who's half-tsun (sort of). Shihoru is the busty shy girl whose timidness is infuriating to watch. Ranta is that one asshole you want to beat the shit out of cause he thinks he's better than anyone else. Mogozu is the big teddy bear tank guy who lives carving wood and cooking. And really...that's about it. All of these characters have some irritating trait about themselves that make them unlikable. What's even more annoying is the fact that the show doesn't even try to break them out of their shell. While there is still noticeable differences from the beginning to the end, they don't grow out or move on with their lives, or even remotely change as characters. More or less, they just know and/or tolerate each other more to the extent that they seem different, but they really don't change overall. The people that do have special mention however, are the healers Manato and Mary. These two are more or less the equivalent of plot devices for the series, as they are the causation for the irritating and constant philosophy and the person that they shove said philosophy onto later in the series. They are more or less the reason as to why or how the series is the way it is, since the show puts far too much focus on them more than anyone, and as a result, takes away from what the show could've been. The side characters are pointless. There are a very small amount of them, and none of them have any grave significance that makes the show better or worse. Overview: - Completely unlikeable cast - Healer characters hinder the plot to become what it is - Side characters are completely pointless Art: Now the art...the art is something I can get behind. Produced by A-1 Pictures, Grimgar has a much different style of art than most anime. The characters are simple enough to look aesthetically pleasing but also detail who and what they are. (I.E. Who is the mage, the thief, etc.) The effects and the overall fluidity of the animation is also relatively nice, so much so that I really don't have any complaints to the series in that regard. But the one thing that stands out to me about the artstyle are the backgrounds. The backgrounds are made out to be this beautiful watercolor style that just looks so stunning. It made any moments where they wasted look SO much more worth to watch in comparison to the series's complete lack of ANYTHING happening at times. Overall, the art is by far the best part of this anime, just simply because of how unique and how well done it was made. Overview: + Simple but well made character designs…

This is my first review, but i had to say how bad this anime is. I guess the theory is true that if you see A1 pictures with "light novel" its bound to be trash. This is as generic as it gets. First the story was absolutely dreadful, an RPG setting which was not explained at all, and an other old isekai. Half the series they were killing goblins and crying over Manato. The other half was all about Mary and her cliche bad generic story. There was no driving point for the story, theres no point for the story to even happen, no villain and a plot that was not explained at all. They were put in Grimgar, why?, How?, from were? and goes on. Non of these questions were explained. The characters were just boring as hell, it had some good moments but that's it. It had some pathetic fan service, A1 pictures really failed on that part. The world building, never seen such garbage in my life. We dont even know if Grimgar is an island. We only got to see some places that we got to see 40 times over and over in the series. The other group of people that were supposed to be strong we got to see them 2 times. What hapend to them?, were did they go?, we didnt get those questions answered either. Conclusion: Waste of time, dont watch this

Hai to Gensou no Grimgar (Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash) is significantly different in comparison to other fantasy/action RPG-esque anime. Although at first glance it appears to be your generic "trapped in a video game" type premise with an either fresh out of the boat overpowered or limitless potential main character, the show strays away from the archetype and tells a different story based more upon it's characters and how they react and change to certain situations, rather than using the "action" aspect as it's focal point. It also has a genuine focus on telling a more "realistic" fantasy story by having our main characters battle the weakest monsters and still failing as the very first step, which is definitely scarce in the medium and is a welcome change of pace. (8/10) The plot, while weak in general direction and lack of urgency at the start, is compelling when you grow attached to the characters, and begin to follow their motivations and goals. However, as I say this, it must be noted that this kind of story may not be for everyone. It's rather slow at the beginning and may deter viewers from continuing due to the previously mentioned "lack of urgency and no clear storyline". However, the show certainly does pick up later on as the plot attains that "urgency" and action it had been previously missing. The pacing of the show is done well and there are no immediate time jumps or episode rushing. For those who find shows with rather slow moving episodes unbearable, I'd still give this a shot considering things start to get moving quite quickly. Also, if you absolutely hate the characters and don't give a flying turd about their goals, I'd say avoid this one. (7/10) Although the anime ventured into relatively creative territory with the fully watercolored backgrounds, the same couldn't be said for the characters themselves. There are animation errors on multiple occasions, the animation itself was jerky and jittery at some points (notably the short action sequences), and it just felt drab and just plain average in general. Although this is an easy oversight, I kept finding myself noticing mistakes and frequent lacks of detail all throughout. The fact that this aspect of the show is lacking in comparison to the rest is certainly not a reason to not still watch and enjoy it though, as many could watch it and not even have noticed that the art was subpar. (8/10) The sound and music throughout was done very well in my opinion, although there were a few very strange and hilariously out of place music choices later on. However, these choices didn't take away from my enjoyment of the story at all. Sound design was done well and there were no immediate discrepancies to the casual viewer. (9/10) The characters are where in my opinion the show really shines. There are a total of seven main characters, all refreshingly varied and didn't seem to follow a particular immediately recognizable archetype. - First, we have our super perfect gary-stu kind of leader character Manato, who, granted, isn't our protagonist. While this might look like a huge red flag, this character isn't just perfect for no reason. His involvement and impact on the story helps develop other characters to a great extent, and becomes an important symbol and inspiration towards the end. He displays constant heroism and bravery as a priest, being selfless and kind to his group members. - Then we have our actual protagonist, Haruhiro, who at first appears to be the most average of the bunch and has no immediate quirk or interesting personality. However, as the show continues, Haruhiro himself develops largely as a character and soon learns that he has to change in order for himself and the rest of the group to stay together and survive. Although I want to say that I actually liked his character a lot at the beginning even though he was devoid of interesting qualities because of how laid back and cool he seemed. It was and continued to be a very human quality which I found captivating. - Moguzo seems to follow a general "gentle giant" kind of stereotype, which is a reoccurring connection that can be made when looking at his personality as a whole. He's caring, soft spoken or just quiet, good at cooking and wood carving, etc. Just by looking at these few points, it could be said that his character ain't very interesting or have any real contribution to the plot. And I could agree with you, but I find that his character on multiple occasions redeems himself and really starts to improve in the latter half. - Many could agree that Ranta is the worst character in the show by a landslide. I would beg to differ, simply because the character has a lot more depth than what is shown on the surface. He's essentially a male tsundere, a very persistent one at that. Although he constantly makes fun of his group members, has a massive ego, and is generally a dick to everyone, it becomes increasingly evident that he genuinely cares about his friends but is simply too embarrassed to show it. - Shihoru is a short, well endowed mage girl that is very shy and even more quiet and soft spoken than Moguzo. She seemed to be a somewhat hopeless and unorganized character at first, which was particularly evident in battle. Like all the other characters, she improves and opens up little by little to the group as the plot continued, which was rewarding to see through. I found her to be uninteresting as a whole but grew to like her much like I did with Moguzo. - Yume is a great character that's aloof and lovable. She brings a sense of peace and relaxed attitude to the group when they're not in battle, and proves to be a valuable teammate when focused. She cares about her group members, which she makes evident quickly, and bonds with Shihoru as they are the only two female party members at the beginning of the show. - Mary is a character that's not introduced before later on but quickly joins the main cast as she becomes a necessity. She's cold, distant, and just flat out mean when she joins the party at the start, but inevitably warms up as the plot reaches it's conclusion. I think she's a great character and develops at a realistic pace, which is evident by the lack of clear "bonding" situations that other anime use. Without having seen the show, it's difficult to imagine the kind of relationship these characters would have, which is why you'd need to watch it in order to understand that there's a real layer of realism and just general human quality that can be appreciated here. (9/10) The conclusion was done well. It left with a satisfying and relatively conclusive note, while leaving the show very open for a second season. Considering there is a large amount of source material to go through, I'd say that a second season is very much welcomed and wouldn't harm the show at any stretch. As for my overall enjoyment of the anime, I finished it having been thoroughly entertained by each episode, even the slow moving ones because I really loved the characters and their growing bonds and relationships, how they dealt with tragedy and desperation, and eventually how they learned to accept hardships and found ways to overcome them. Overall, I'd say that you definitely need to check this one out if you're a fantasy/action fan that enjoys a large amount of character building and deviation from the mainstream fantasy RPG style shows. In contrast with other popular fantasy anime, namely KonoSuba which was currently airing at the same time that Grimgar was, it has a much more serious tone that is easily appreciated when you need your fix.

I am normally very critical of shows I am reviewing, and I go into depth on the issues the anime faces with production, pacing, artstyle, etc. None of that applies to Hai to Gensou no Grimgar, which has exceeded my expectations in every manner possible. I usually hold reservations and judgement for after I finish the show, unless it fails in obvious manners, but it was hard to not be excited moving into this show given the reputation it has in the culture. From the execution of its premise to the unflinching brutal reality faced by the characters, this show feels nothing like a conventional story / anime. We are taken along for the ride, able to witness how survivors manage to scrounge by, in a manner which I have not seen done this well before. My only gripe with the show is that the show ends so soon. It feels as if a disservice has been done to the audience by the industry as a whole, since there is currently no news or plans for a second season after 9 long years. Fans of this show are disappointed for good reason -- this show manages to do everything an Isekai should given its focus, and do so with such style, flair, and realism that it remains unparalleled in the genre. I genuinely was devestated when I found out that there was no S2, and there are only a few shows that have dissapointed me in this way before. Let me be clear, this show will hook you in and keep you present for the entire cour, and you will feel just as disappointed afterwards. Definitely a first world problem, but nonetheless it is frustrating beyond belief.

I will admit, I fell for this one because of the art style, which is gorgeous. And if it were an art book, I would definitely recommend it. But it was not an art book, and you need more than pretty pictures to make a good anime. The story was very simple, but it lacked conviction. I think they humanized the enemies a bit much with cute little eyecatches of baby goblins being adorable, or monsters chilling out at home minding their own business when they are suddenly attacked by our main characters who need to kill them for...money. I was not convinced that the characters in the show were even justified in fighting or killing the enemies, and often found myself rooting against them. The show also felt like it dragged on a lot. Many of the episodes involved discussing the characters' feelings for the billionth time, and awkward, overly-emotional music was a frequent occurrence. It was also sortof cringe about the fanservice. Overall, I did not enjoy watching this anime, and the only thing that saved it in my opinion was the art style.

Grimgar: Ashes and Illusions may seem just like another cookie cutter isekai at first glance but underneath the surface is a unique work with realistic aspects and beautiful art. Most Isekais use the same gimmicks, lame mc gets transported or reincarnated into fantasy or game-like world and becomes OP in the span of 20 minutes, gets all the babes for no reason, never loses even when he does lose, and has the personality of a crab. What makes grimgar different is it's focus and pacing. Although the lead main character is Haruhiro, Grimgar spends it's time fleshing out all of the characters as a group. They don't just rush into things in this new world, they're scared, don't know where they are or even who they are. A lot of Isekais have the MC be a bit surprised at first but then just run straight forward with no fear and start their OP life, Grimgar doesn't do that. They have to get to know each other and learn of to cohabite and get along to survive in this new world. The characters in Grimgar start from the bottom like anyone would if they were just thrown into the wilderness. As they were made "volunteer" knights, they were exposed to new dangers that they had never experienced before, they got hurt, sometimes they failed, they were weak but like anyone who repeats the same task again and again, they improved. These characters had to learn how to cope with strategy and learn how to trust each other and those outside of their group. They grew close bonds but had their fights as well. The dynamic each character has with each other is much like a family. They learn and they heal and grow closer with outsiders as well. A new character joins the party. Cold and distant from the loss of her old party, the MCs struggle to connect with the others, blaming herself for the death of her old friends. However, in the end, they all accept the new lives that they have and that death is another part of life.

(no spoilers) I havn't seen as much anime as many people here, so i'll give a different perspective. To me, it seems this series was meant to a trial of a few different ways of anime creation. 1. The art The art, in all but the characters, was closer to water colors rather than traditional animation. This turned out beautifully. There were other minor changes as well such as smoothed panning in certain scenes, but these were much less noticeable. 2. The genre (?) This series combines a fantasy with slice of life elements. I haven't seen series that has done this well before. Instead of focusing only on action, this series spotlighted character development as well. It did a fantastic job balancing these. Characters: 10 All had faults and strengths. This made them interesting to watch interact. The interactions were superb as well. Story: 9 Could have been better. This is where the slice of life elements retracted. However, I get the feeling this was only set-up for the main arc. Sound: 10 I enjoyed the op and ed every time i watched an episode. I watched the dubs and they weren't bad nor good. The other sounds were clean and added to the series overall. Art: 10 As I mentioned before, this was something new. Turned out beautifully in my opinion. IF YOU READ NOTHING ELSE IN THIS REVIEW, READ BELOW MOOD: 10 Most reviewers missed the mark. The other parts were fantastic, but the Mood is the real reason you should watch Grimgar. THE MOOD WAS PHENOMENAL. Mood such as this is formed when all other elements compliment each other perfectly; it's how you feel when watching a show. For being only twelve episodes, it was better than most long running others who have time to build mood. I can't explain it more, but I'm sure you've felt good mood before. Give this show a chance. You'll regret not doing so.

I think that this Anime is pretty underrated. It's set in a different world, and a group of teens are sent to there, nobody knows how or why, and they have no memories of their "past life". They join a group of soldiers, like all other people who were sent to the different world, kill monsters, earn money and live. Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash resembles the RPG game world. They need to hunt monsters and pick their teeth or things, like in RPG games and sell it. Also, there are classes and skills: Mage, Thief, Priest, Archer, Dark Knight, Warrior. On one hand, it's a great concept, and the classes ideas are great, but on the other hand, the skills are awful. They aren't anything special, no huge blasts and expolsions, maybe a small enhancing of a weapon, or a weak shadow that binds them. The story wasn't that great, it just showed their normal lives fighting Goblins or Kobolds, which falls off in comparison with many other RPG anime. The monsters aren't really great, weak, and boring. Story:6/10. The art was beautiful, it seemed like it was an oil painting. Art: 10/10. I don't resemble any special soundtrack, except the Opening song which is catchy and nice. Sound 8/10 About characters- Many of them didn't develop anywhere, and remained the same, but those who did develop, developed well. 7/10 in character. Overall enjoyment: About 8-9/10. Recommended for those who seek the beauty in art, but the story and fighting lacks. So, if you search for a full action anime with many fighting scenes, keep looking :)

Myanimelist won't let me shove this entire show in a couple of sentences, so, i'll be as brief as I can. The story is okay, starts off slow and makes you think the show is going to be terrible and then starts rapidly throwing you emotional scenes and dialogue out of nowhere making you interested. Then slows down again and picks back up. This process repeats itself multiple times. If you can't stand that, don't bother with this anime. There's no real end-goal or quest, and kind of wants you to take it as it is. But due to the ending, there's a lot of open questions and some things aren't wrapped up. Namely the entire beginning premise of the show hasn't been addressed. The animation itself is kind of inconsistent. It tries to go with an untraditional art style for the background only to sometimes forget itself. It doesn't come off as overwhelming or nice to look at at times, despite what the producers probably thought when making it. It just leaves an "Eh," impression. Nothing special apart from looking slightly different background wise. And even then, the high-motion scenes are certainly interesting, but don't come off as amazing when compared to even some other shows. The sound is debatable, for a couple of reasons. And this ties into story a bit. This show LOVES, montages, and I don't mean just "love", I mean it will lick the sound bytes off the floor just to put one together and get its fix. While the songs were pretty nice to listen to, when there's a montage or two EVERY EPISODE when someone or something dies or they have an emotional moment, it gets insanely repetitive and kind of forced. Hell, they even sometimes play for 3-4 minutes of straight montages, that's forever in anime time considering they could be progressing in the story through dialogue. Characters are kind of cut and paste. None of them are noteworthy but three who have gone through a bit of development. Those three went from misunderstood or whiny little kids, into pretty recognizable characters. But its hard to say I will remember any of them after about a year after watching. They just don't stand out. Overall I'd say I enjoyed the show. The show definitely shined in some areas, especially presenting the life of monsters and what they will do to defend themselves. They use it as a way to establish an emotional connection to their actions and the actions are definitely conveyed to the viewer. It definitely helps give some variety and life in the world the show presents. And compared to other anime, it uses the monsters as somewhat of a moral "wall" rather than a physical one that the protagonist just has to mow through (looking at you Sword Art Online).

With the anime ending today, I couldn't help but want to write a review for this masterpiece. Everything is 10/10. Hai to Gensou no Grimgar is an anime adapted from the LN. It's about a number of people awakening into a fantasy type world, not remembering anything but their names. The strange red moon didn't help their uneasiness either. The rest of the synopsis speaks for itself. However, as stated, the leftover team that was formed couldn't even defeat the weakest of monsters. Adapting to the world they were living in was a struggle as well. But that's what's so great about this anime. This anime greatly displays realistic interactions, the differences of each character, their strengths and weaknesses, etc. They take each character at the beginning and show you what they're like, then throughout the series you gradually see them improve and by the end they're a whole new person. It shows that not everyone agrees with each other, has a different view on things, and some may not like others. They're not going to be crazy strong in the beginning. They're not going to go along with everything. Another thing that this anime displays is that not everyone survives. I'm not going to go into detail about that since it would be a spoiler, but as I've kept saying so far, the great thing about this gem is that it's so realistic. However, if you don't like slow-paced stories and would suit in for something more like SAO where the MC is overpowered in the beginning for no reason, then this anime isn't for you. And for everyone that keeps saying that there is no ''point'' in this anime, well of course they're not going to have any sort of goal in the beginning. Their goals are thought of later on as they perserve through the world of Grimgar. Another good thing about this anime is the fights. It's not just them fucking people up for no reason. Each fight tells the ups and downs and the characters train of thought on how to deal with it, along with how they feel throughout the whole thing. The music is great. In episode 11, the music was one of the things that got me so hyped besides what was happening. The music is fitting in this anime and goes along well with the scenes. Overall, this anime is quite enjoyable if you don't like bullshit reasoning and like slow-paced anime where the characters aren't some OP bad ass, but rather a human being that's trying their best to adapt after being thrown into a world with no memories of where they previously were, and how they deal with it along with what's to come and improve throughout it all. Story: 10. Art: 10. Sound: 10. Character: 10. My favorite is Ranta, despite everyone hating his guts. xD But Ranta is one of the greatest characters that has a number of flaws, but well written. Enjoyment: OUT OF THIS WORLD. Overall: Do I really have to state this? This anime is a masterpiece, that's all I'm gonna say. In the beginning when the anime hadn't aired yet, I wasn't expecting much. It seemed cool and I decided to watch. I don't regret my decision at all. While watching this anime, it's inspired me to make more realistic characters and unique plots. This anime is both an inspiration and a masterpiece. I hope others enjoy it as well.

Grimgar is not for everyone. While the setup is your familiar Isekai story, similar to Sword Art Online (SAO), the plot is anything but SAO. The story follows a group of friends, working together to adapt and live in this new world. And boy, do we really follow the characters' journey, step by step. Hence, patience is first required to get used to the slower than expected pace which we are familiar from Isekai Action Fantasy animes. With that said, why do I still rate Grimgar as Good? It's because the payoff comes after you manage to sit through the slower pace of the story. The key thing that was unique about this story is how it makes our main characters to be very ordinary. They are sort of like the "leftover" ones in the game world. Like any RPG rule, the group of six have clear roles within the group and skills that'll help them progresses to Boss level fight. While the plot of "underdogs turning the strongest" is favored by some, the characters really take a long time to even clear level 1. And we audience, are shown this part of the effort and journey. It's more than 3 episodes before the group of six learn how to work together as a team. Heck, we are even shown their mundane day-to-day living of cooking, shopping, hanging out, getting to know (and tolerate) each other etc. when they aren't busy fighting monster. So if one is expecting a lot of cool fight scenes and adventuring of the game world, Grimgar is not that show. Another thing that's different is the concept of death - both killing and overcoming them. Grimgar takes its own sweet time to show something that is not very sweet. It fleshes out how difficult it is for the characters to hurt the monster. Even if our characters have the resolve to kill, the monsters would fight back ferociously. Giving up is not the solution here because their survival depends on it per RPG rule. I also like how Grimgar shows the contrast of characters coping with it - some put up a strong front, some don't question it, some are outright anxious and make elementary mistakes that allow the monster to have upper hand. That's a very real world take on a topic we generally avoid facing. What's truly gold about this show is the characters. As you follow the characters' step by step of figuring out the world and their mundane life, you start to care about them at some point precisely because of the time you have to know them. While there are some key traits highlighted to us about the group of six at the beginning, you get to see their growth along the way - some more than others. Our main character, Manato had the most growth and maturity when he is thrust a responsibility he couldn't escape - and you'd definitely root for him for his self doubts, confusion and then facing it head on are very relatable. In short, Grimgar is a story that feature real life in RPG. It only uses RPG as a backdrop. But everything about the plot, the story, the characters, the dynamic and interactions, feels more like a slice of life story.

I really loved this anime. The reviews aren't great but I feel there is a context with this anime that people aren't fully understanding. It has a very realistic approach for an isekai. It's slow but it's supposed to be. The characters don't go from 1-100 in just a few episodes, they slowly build themselves up. I especially enjoyed how they gave the monsters a bit of character to where you can even empathize with them. The relationships the characters have with one another is also very wholesome. They all try to figure each other out, find the best way to talk to one another. It gave a great deal of depth to the anime. I found humor, sadness, enrichment, and action all packed nicely into one season. My only complaint is that there is no S2 on the horizon because I'd love to see this pick back up. Would recommend this to anyone interested in fantasy or isekai anime.

NO SPOILERS* Animes watched: 300+ mean Anime Score: 5.56 Because of other anime that share similar backdrops/setting, this show gets a lot of viewers expecting action/adventure and a classic hero saves the day motif. I wrote a review of this anime because I felt it gets a lot of undeserving low ratings from those people whom were expecting SAO and got salty when they realized this was something very different. Myself: I love getting something different, I love being surprised. Which is partly why I keep reviews short (+Lazy)... Anyway, For those that want to know more; I will say, the real value in this show is in its character development, not so much the development of solving some overall problem, It is in a fantasy/RPG-world (hence the genre confusion). In the end it kept me very interested, looking forward to each next episode, did all the things that keep me watching anime. Moreover it breaks trends and was pulled off well.

Hai to Gensou no Grimgar, or Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash isn't your typical "trapped in a game" anime. Behind the magic, combat and fantasy of Grimgar lies the simple everyday struggle to survive and adapt that other anime of similar genre neglect or skim over. Those who immerse themselves in this slower paced anime and pay attention to minute details will find a complex and thoughtful work of art that is Grimgar. STORY I can write ten pages about this. I'll keep it as short as I can. While other anime of similar genre focus on a main character becoming the best/strongest/smartest player out there (e.g. SAO, Log Horizon), this one takes the other direction, and focuses on the underdogs. One of Grimgar's main criticisms is that the plot doesn't move fast enough. It's a valid complaint, and I can see why some people would be put off by it. However, I personally enjoy taking my time and being immersed in the atmosphere of the world of Grimgar, and it's refreshing to be able to do this without having the plot constantly at the forefront of the episode the entire time. There are also a few continuity flaws, but the story is largely consistent and believable. In addition, the pace picked up considerably near the end in order to wrap up the season due to its 12 episode length. Whoever made this design decision needs to rethink their priorities, as an anime at such a slow pace coupled a short 1-cour season can never go well together. 9/10 ART The watercolour art is superb, almost to the point where I find myself calling almost each scene in Grimgar a visual masterpiece. There is a lot of detail and foreshadowing behind the art, complementing well with the story and character development. 10/10 SOUND Not much to say for this one. The soundtrack is amazing, and fits the show perfectly. 10/10 CHARACTER A lot of emphasis is placed on character development in Grimgar. Each character is filled with personality, intrigue, strengths and flaws, and Hai to Gensou no Grimgar make an effort to show this, whether it be their hobbies, recreation, their likes/dislikes, their feelings etc. Character development is very closely tied into the story, making Hai to Gensou no Grimgar not unlike the animes in the Slice of Life genre. This is not necessarily a bad thing. However, I did find the characters' personalities hard to believe at times. Ranta, for example, should've been put in his place a lot more often. Shihoru, while not as bad, sometimes lacked reason behind his judgement. This is, of course my personal opinion and other people will probably think otherwise. 8/10 OVERALL/ENJOYMENT Despite some continuity flaws and a couple unrealistic characterisation, I largely enjoyed Hai to Gensou no Grimgar. However, this is not everyone's anime. If you enjoy instant gratification, action scenes and more traditional shounen anime, you probably won't like this. But if you're willing to take the time to immerse yourself and notice the finer details, this is a gem that you will appreciate. 9/10

"I pity the fool..." This quote encapsulates everything Grimgar is about. It's a poor attempt at engaging an audience with oversaturated "emotions." Anime as a medium is known to depict emotions that otherwise would be impossible in live action series or tv shows. It's through the artwork and animation that gets through to the viewer, not overly dense scenes. Dense is somewhat of an understatement for this series, as EVERY scene seems to take AGES for it to progress because a group of what I assume to be adults can't move on from a certain scene. It's incredibly cumbersome to have everything revolve around this one scene and doesn't improve the characters or the story. Actually it stagnates the story while keeping the characters as bland as ever. There are some ill advised scenes too, that are so boring to watch that you may finish a game of solitaire before the scene comes back to characters interacting. An incredibly poor attempt at creating a mellow atmosphere and setting. Pity is a strong word for this series, mainly because if the viewer either feels this or doesn't will change everything. One of the many problems with Grimgar is it's point of origin. Y'know it's common for MMORPG settings for anime to create a how and why for characters in a brand new world. Here everything is wonky and decides we're here because. Cool? Then it decides to have INCREDIBLY slow pacing. Scenes that are meant to develop the world e.g boring music playing in a slide show do not develop it. Showing different parts of the city doesn't help with knowing what it is sorry to break it to ya A-1. While the story moves on slowly, so do the characters. Grimgar has the slowest first two episodes I've seen to date. Unfortunately, the main cast of characters can't seem to move along the story because every interaction is one looking at another for 20 seconds thinking about what to say, and then "never mind." As if the story couldn't be slower, one scene comes through and everything falls apart from there. Characters become awkward and stiff, interactions are at a standstill, story goes nowhere, and all the viewer can do is either pity the characters or shrug it off. Whether you fall into one or the other will determine how you feel about the series in general. The show tries to hard to get the viewer to make you feel some type a way. To center the story around emotions is NOT how you grab and maintain a viewer's attention. To make it worse, the introduction of a character increases the slow pacing, with trying to you guessed it, create a sad backstory that makes us pity the character. There really is no plot so to speak, more like separate character arcs that take time to solve. Time is Grimgar's biggest enemy, and I mean it's allocated time to certain scenes, certain arcs, and the uneven screen time of it's main cast of characters. On the surface level, the characters of Grimgar have good characterization and distinct personalities, but the way they mesh together is awful. I mean there is a hole between the male and females that they can't even interact with each other because their some uncomfortable. "but it's realistic" may seem like an argument for this, but when the story takes itself seriously with the kill or be killed aspect of the world, having these failing relations is not very feasible in these circumstances. But anime fans are weird, whenever heart wrenching scenes happen, they eat it up and claim that the respective anime is great. These poor character relationships continue until the very end of the show, so expect a lot of arguing, disagreeing and trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist. Everyone has a chip in their shoulder and everything comes back to "the scene." Ultimately, characters depend far too much on one character and everything is stagnant until the final arc, where the characters take a 180 degree turn in terms of resolve and personality. Essentially, the pacing is the issue which hinder the characters from being good. The animation is good, action scenes aren't so abundant but they are nice choreographed and smooth. Transitions are good, settings are vibrant, gore is okay, and they add to the tension whenever there is. More often than not, there was no music playing but when there was it's okay. Nothing good, nothing bad per se but again, there were lackluster scenes with just music playing that tried to create a calm atmosphere. Grimgar was a boring watch. It didn't have anything going for it besides a few characters and it was a mix bag even then. One could argue half the cast is good, the whole cast is good or bad, but ultimately the stagnant nature of the story and characters creates no attachment to them. Their dependence on one character stopped them from passing the threshold of good. Emotions also doesn't make a show good, it's okay to make the viewers feel bad for the characters, but doing it the point where it stunts the growth of them is a poor way to handle them. Deus Ex Machina doesn't help the show either. It may have been foreshadowed, but it was a weak attempt at it and the conclusion was ultimately a let down. It's just another one of the "MC is super awesome" moments where apparently the conflict is solved due to some BS nature of the MC. Overall, I didn't feel any pity towards the characters due to their lackluster interactions and thought process, none towards the "sad" story of Grimgar, and none towards whoever likes this.

Okay, first of all, let me resume the whole series with a few sentences: What would Manatto do in this kind of situation... I'm a good leader? I'm sure Manatto would do this. I don't know what to do... Manatto... Manatto, Manatto, Manatto, Manatto..... And also, let me resume for you the most of the conversations in this anime with an example: A-Are you okay? *Silence* *Randomly thoughts of philosophy that any one wants to know because they're boring as hell* B-Yes... A-I see. *Thoughts about the past while he is watching the infinite* *Also, asks himself what would Manatto do here* *MORE PHILOSOPHY TIME!* Are you serious? I can only see a pair of fools looking at the infinite without talking a bit!