Nanatsu no Maken ga Shihai suru

'Reign of the Seven Spellblades' is a fantasy action series about teenage wizards at boarding school. It has a lot of ideas and it tries to do a lot of things, many of which could have worked: after all, it's basically 'Harry Potter', only darker and more violent. Unfortunately, every part of it is rushed, forced, and underdeveloped, practically perfunctory: watching an episode feels like reading a plot synopsis. It's an awkward mess from start to finish, entertainingly bad at times, but mostly just boring. It is immediately clear that the series is drastically abbreviating its written source material, and whatever appeal the original may possess, little has survived this brutal treatment. It's like ordering a pizza and receiving a ball of dough, a slice of processed cheese, and a squashed tomato. Scenes play out as if the writer or the director were checking off plot points scribbled on a sticky note, with no added detail or depth. It's difficult to discuss 'Spellblades' without rewriting it scene by scene, because it does practically everything wrong. I will try to avoid doing that, but — well, for example, if you want to establish that a magic school is dangerous, you can introduce what we think is the protagonist of what appears to be a general fantasy action series, then subvert our expectations by having a magical plant devour him five minutes in. It's a bit more entertaining than having someone state that magic school is dangerous. A relatable protagonist is a solid foundation for a story, which is why 'Harry Potter' begins at home with Harry Potter. 'Spellblades' begins by rushing no fewer than six main characters into a fight scene. It makes the most important character less relatable by relegating much of his personality to a mysterious backstory to be revealed at some later date, which is problematic in a point-of-view character. Also, it's difficult to create a sense of mystery when the setting is so underdeveloped: we can't tell if a scene is intentionally confusing because of a mystery that hasn't been solved yet, or unintentionally confusing because the adaptation is missing some important detail. Having met on the first day of school, the main characters quickly become close friends. Anyone who ever lived in a college dorm can understand this formative experience of young adulthood and how the series has failed to capture it. I am not asking for literary realism: I am asking that they bond in a way that feels credible. Real life is often unrealistic. Real students can build a close friendship on a chance encounter in a stairwell at one in the morning, because real students are notoriously stupid. Wizarding students, on the other hand, are too busy self-seriously collecting plot points to have any formative experiences at all. I think one night of bad behaviour would go a long way toward humanizing them. Didn't Harry Potter use a cloak of invisibility to sneak his friends into bars? Let the edgy wizard boy date the goldfish-brained samurai girl. It doesn't have to be dark and mysterious: it can just be fun. As it stands, the tone is inconsistent: the series often attempts to be whimsical — easily detected in the soundtrack — but the characters, the setting, and the plot are really too dark for that. 'Harry Potter' meets the minimum threshold for whimsy because Harry Potter and friends are basically normal kids, not child soldiers; none of them has a death wish, not even Ron; and the Slytherins are bullies, not murderers. As for the violence, action scenes are fundamentally about character conflict; they are not necessarily violent. (The potato chip scene in 'Death Note' is a good example.) Violence without conflict is just spectacle: another pointless tournament arc. 'Spellblades' has plenty of violence but little conflict: many of the fight scenes serve no purpose, as the students are continually challenging one another merely to show off. The plot is practically impossible to spoil because it includes practically every fantasy trope and treats each of them with about as much detail and depth as a plot synopsis. None of its ideas are inherently bad: every good pizza begins with a ball of dough. The plot, the setting, and the characters could have worked: just rewrite every scene. Make the goldfish-brained samurai girl the protagonist: her backstory, her struggle, her growth — all of it has potential. I know you can make any story sound stupid by describing it in a stupid way, and I have tried to avoid doing that. So an elf and a troll fight bees with a werewolf: so what? 'Hamlet' had a ghost and a pirate ship, and it turned out fine. In every case, it is the execution that counts, and in this case — I mean 'Spellblades', not 'Hamlet' — the execution is perfunctory, wasting its potential. On the positive side, the series is morally inoffensive, exalting friendship, courage, traditional martial arts, and the ethical treatment of animals; in that respect, it's better than 'Black Lagoon'. I liked the kissing scene, the severed hand, and the barbecue guy. The last arc was watchable. The voice actors did the best they could with the material. All in all, 'Reign of the Seven Spellblades' is unfortunately quite bad. At times, it was entertainingly bad; looking back on the season as a whole, the edgy wizard kids, the goldfish-brained samurai, the slightly improved final arc, etc., I can even say that it was endearingly bad, so long as I do not have to rewatch any of it. I can recommend it as a case study in how not to tell a story, but I cannot recommend it as a fantasy series.

Nanatsu no Maken ga Shihai suru (2023) Overall, it is like a 7 but it has a massive issue. This isn't supposed to be the power of friendship and slice of life, it is supposed to be dark, gritty, and full of revenge. It was supposed to be deep but in the end, it is Harry Potter with more selfish characters. People hide their powers when it matters and you get a deep set of allies everywhere but they basically do nothing. One minute you get a deep backstory, see the targets, and get ready for some revenge and it was great but then suddenly it goes back to the power of friendship and slice of life and nothing particular happens again. Even the finale builds up like it is going to be an epic battle but in the end, nothing really happens which is a real big shame. The art is average, the sound isn't bad and the characters are somewhat interesting just sort of lacking. If a season 2 came out with more of the dark stuff it hints about like it tries to in the final episode for all of a few seconds then fantastic. If not then it is just a fake story premise just like every other show in a school. 3/10 in its current state.

Nanatsu no Maken ga Shihai suru, or Reign of the Seven Spellblades, if you prefer, is a great show that takes its time to develop itself. As an adaptation of the LN given a runtime of 15 episodes, it did a pretty nice job at what it was trying to do. That being said, it wasn't able to be as indulgent as the LN but what it does provide is enough to satisfy what it does cover in the story without leaving too many things undeveloped. That being said, the "3 episode rule" many people follow does this show a disservice. The suggested minimum episode count for this show is 6 episodes. Watch that far and then make your decision, but it's definitely worth giving it a shot. Each of the members in the main group have their strengths and weaknesses. This becomes apparent as the show goes on and they have to solve various problems that come up. Everyone relevant gets enough background and definition in a timely manner before they become relevant, providing the proper introductions in ways that feel fluid to the narrative and doesn't break it up too much. The scenery and world leaves a lot to be discovered. There's a good amount of varied locations that the show visits despite being placed at a single academy. Many places get familiar, but not stale when returning to them multiple times throughout the duration of the show. It doesn't take long for the show to introduce one of the biggest reasons why there's so much for the students to explore, and leaves no doubts to them and the audience that exploration might be someone's downfall. They aren't afraid to pit peers against each other, and they talk about the school's 20% rate of mages being "consumed by the spell" which is a nice of way of saying that someone died from magical circumstances. That's also not something they treat lightly, the show has a dark undertone to start and without getting into spoiler territory, it doesn't go away and makes sure it's known to be there. They try to cover it up with the day to day circumstances but it still lingers on the edge of perception. The score is fantastic and at all times provides a proper atmosphere to the content being shown on the screen. Combat? Appropriately balanced brass and drums. Maybe some whirring strings in the mix. Minor mishap in class? Not overly dramatic yet still urgent flurry of notes. Day-to-day student interaction? Calm and collected background track. Both the opening and the ending songs are absolute perfection in musical composition for evoking the right feelings of wonder in both cases. Active curiosity and reflective pondering. The animation of the show is very pretty. The characters are expressive, the choreography is well done, and the motions of characters feel fluid and dynamic. The colors blend nicely, things don't stick out unless they're meant to, yet nobody fades into the background outside of the nameless characters that are part of the background. Even the actions taken by things like brooms and plants sfeel fitting and real. With all the very beautiful animation to see, it's a shame that this didn't particularly carry over into some of the magic. The spellcasting itself is great, the magic circles that appear around the wands and such blend nicely and fit into the scenes where they're present. After the spell cast though, most elemental spells and other adjacent categories feel rather mundane to see. There's a lot of effects for more specialized spells and even some of the spells that aren't orientated around combat feel "magical" in their own ways, yet some of the more common spells used that are still magic to the audience and should feel magical, just don't. It's not a particularly major thing, but it is somewhat noticeable. Unfortunately, on the more critical side, they did bite off a bit more than they could chew. 15 episodes was enough to get all they needed in, but it sits on the border of being too indulgent and not indulgent enough. This story is one that wants to be a 24 episode long haul so badly but it doesn't get that chance, and it's not often that a show ever comes out of the blue with that opportunity these days. Almost all of the shortcomings of Reign come from how the structural format of a show airing in 1 cour doesn't take well to the way a story like this wants to be paced and built up over time. If this show gets a season 2 then it will only benefit overall as it will have that time that it really wanted to shine. Overall, the show is a lot of fun and a balancing act of dark tones and day-to-day life in the magic academy. There's a lot to love here but still something to be desired. That being said, the 15 episodes that we got are satisfying on their own while still allowing for a continuation in the future. It's worth giving it a shot if you're not one for reading, get to episode 6 and make the decision. If the show doesn't cut it, the LN doesn't have to follow the limitations the show has to deal with, and gets to be exactly what it wants to be.

This series is a bit of a mess as it lacks focus and isn't sure what it wants to be The Harry Potter comparisons are apt, but clearly in an attempt to avoid those comparisons the series tried to add in all these extra elements and became an even bigger mess than Harry Potter is. It's a magical high school romp, except they are either skipping class a lot or the school just doesn't do more than two classes a week. It's a revenge story, except the MC doesn't seem to have much interest in carrying out his revenge In an overall story premise that makes little sense The school is dangerous because magic is dangerous and can consume the person, but its also made even more dangerous because the teachers and other students are actively out to harm all the students for no real reason other than 'they can' So you see where everything breaks down, its a mass of ideas, but the worst thing is, they aren't all mixed together in a blender, its like the ideas are all put into a tombola and then drawn out one at a time, focusing on whatever has been drawn out and forgetting about pretty much everything else. This is why I say it does not know what it wants to be. One big issue is the cast, it has a cast of six 'main' characters, and yet that cast is often just stripped to two or three of them, and they are just painfully dull It's actually some of the characters that aren't the main cast that are some of the most interesting and are given some development, backstory and also quite crucially, personality Thing is, there is clearly potential here, somewhere amongst everything else, and it is not an outright bad series, but nor is it a good series, it does have some good moments, but those good moments aren't enough to elevate it.

Simply awesome and divine. I enjoyed this anime from start to finish. Keep in mind I found out about it only recently and binged it right away. I'm fortunate for not caring about reviews/spoilers or what social media is chirping about until I finish the story. I don't allow "group think psychology" to get in the way of my personal taste and enjoyment of art - not before, during or after the show. That type of thinking belongs at work, at schools, in public because that's the purpose group think serves. This show was great at showing the duality of each character. Whether good or bad as a medium of choice, you are presented with the dichotomy for every character they focused on, obviously not for certain one's because we didn't get there in the story yet. Also for some characters it's subtle yet still well presented; obviously the story isn't complete and people forget that if all questions are answered, the next addition is then a sequel and not a continuation. A first season of an anime is just the beginning of the story and the plot hasn't started rising yet. Sure there's a secondary full plot to clearly have a start and finish... that's writing in a nutshell. But this one is going to get intense and only better with more seasons. Definitely not a waste of time for most who will watch and I've seen other magical school anime's, this one is great compared to its peers. You want Harry Potter? watch that... or read it even. I get it; magic school. Like every movie with an elf, dwarf, humans and a wizard reminds them of Lord of The Rings. Pepsi? Coca-Cola? blah blah blah.

< concise review > Verisimilitude: The "lifelikeness" or believability of a work of fiction. Well, in Seven Spellblades, this is not the case. Something just feels "off". Character interactions feel forced and cliche. The script is boring, idiotic, and campy. Character expressions fall flat. And thus the show fails the believability test. This is sad, because on paper this should have been a fantastic show. But the people who put it together just didn't know what the flying f**k they were doing. The worst part of the writing is the transitions. Switching from grimdark to happy-go-lucky friendship slice of life time is entirely possible to do well, the caveat is that to do this there needs to be something in the plot that logically ties the two together giving each more suspense. Things that hint at something more going on with one side of the story when you are watching the other. Seven Spellblades fails to do this, or to be more accurate it doesn't even try, emphasizing its verisimilitude check failure even further. It almost feels like you are watching two different shows that just switch between each other at random with no connection whatsoever, like a drunken fever dream you can barely remember. 5/10. Wasted potential.

Another cliche magic school anime with boring characters and the cliche of the power of friendship that resolves any problem, the premise had potential, "a school that is possible die inside while trying graduate", no one died, if died I can't remember because the characters are boring and irrelevant to have any memorable moment. Art syle is good and was the thing catch me, definite above medium, it can sustain the quality in moments of fights, some episodes with a lot dialogues looks like a good PowerPoint, animation doesn't disappoint much when necessary and music was tasteless to be noted. Story was very predictable as always are in cliche animes, lack of trying new things, lack of killing important characters to make it more intense, verry irrelevant.

Anime that will get you hooked from the very first episode. Before the anime was announced I had read my first 3 chapters of light novel. Then dropped it because I don't read light novels. But just to see what is popular nowadays. And then the announcement came, "Haha I knew they would make anime from this 🤣". Opened Discord and wrote to my friends "I won this bet 👍". What is good about this anime: I loved peacing from the start, not slow nor fast. The action scenes are looking nice and are quite engaging. The art and animation style is quite good and enjoyable. It's not the "Let's not kill anyone" type of anime. Which is always a good thing. Mc has a good backstory. No spoilers here. What would be better? I want to see more things like the redo of healer or Isekai Meikyuu de Harem wo in animes. Or just a little hint of character having you know what with them or not being a total jerk when it comes to basic communication with girls. Very solid 8/10

Nanatsuma is one of the most well thought out and detailed magical worlds in anime and is the closest thing to Harry Potter anime fans have ever got. The magical school of Kimberly is a dangerous and unpredictable place where every day is a fight for survival. Death is an ever present concern and the teachers aren’t going to watch over and protect you. Choosing your friends wisely is essential. Perhaps the coolest part of Nanatsuma is just how scary Kimberly is in contrast to Hogwarts from which it takes inspiration. It’s really a magical battle royale to see who’s strong enough to survive in the magical world where even the teachers don’t have your best interest. While the anime doesn’t go into quite as much detail as the books, it does establish the treacherous nature of the school and it’s palpable in each episode. As a huge fan of the light novels, I’ve always envisioned the immense world-building and amazing characters in this story being brought to life and I’m very pleased with the job JC staff did on this one. While not without its flaws, it captures the magical essence of the story. The pacing is very well done, allowing the audience to appreciate the depth and intricacy of the world. Yes, that means at times the story feels slow, but I’d much prefer that than to have the generic fantasy story where the MC is weak one episode and then the strongest in the next episode. I’d urge patience when watching this and to actually pay attention. Yes, there’s not a fight every 5 minutes, but that doesn’t mean “nothing happens”. Speaking of the MC, one of the biggest criticisms with the modern fantasy genre is one dimensional overpowered main characters. What sets this one apart is that Nanatsuma’s MC is far from the strongest in his universe. As a result, he’s forced to rely on the other characters in the story. Every single one of Oliver’s friends play a pivotal role and the story wouldn’t be the same without them. The story is obviously heavily influenced by Harry Potter, so imagine those films without Ron, Hermoine or one of Harry’s other companions. The magic system in this series is also one of the best you’ll see in anime. There is a ton of complexity to the spells, magical creatures and techniques. While the revenge quest, characters and world-building are my favourite parts of Nanatsuma, at times it does play out like a battle shonen. There’s a lot of action in this one. JC staff did a great job with the battle choreography. They employ a rotational camera movement that adds a level of depth to the fights and makes them feel so intense. The animation is straight up gorgeous for the big fight scenes and it honestly surpassed what I had in mind. The only real complaint I have with the anime is how the final volume of this season, volume 3 was handled. I feel that too much time was dedicated to volume 2 and some slower episodes that could have been condensed for the emotional climax that should have been episodes 14 and 15. It is what it is though, in these types of adaptations of slower paced stories you’ll always lose out on something. If you appreciate good world building, plot twists, dark fantasy and well written characters, Nanatsuma is a must watch for you. While it can feel slower at times, it’s to help you get acclimated with aspects of the story. I’m glad one of my faves finally got animated and here’s to hoping for more 🙏🏾 Nanatsuma gets 9 out of 10

A slow burner, that takes you through serious plots, while still keeping the characters natural. The show is based on a group of students that has just started at a very famous, but also dangerous school. It builds up slowly, showing us the characters and seeing how they start to form a group. It then follows the group that has to work through different situations, where they don't shy away from showing more serious solutions. There is a serious tone throughout the show, which makes it clear how dangerous things at the school can be. It also has some more wholesome moments which strengthens the bound between the characters. This combination really helps to build a connection to the group and thereby make you more invested in their problems. Fights in the show are generally great, since they show a good combination between sword fight and use of magic. The fights vary between being high intensity, showing off cool fights with impressive moves, and more strategic fights, showing a more calm battle where every strike matters. They also uses these moments to explain more about the world and show how characters have evolved The show also gives off a feeling that there is always something going on in the background. Which can make you more aware of what's going on, and sometimes help you with getting a better understanding of the characters and show. Overall would I recommend this anime, if you would like a more serious magical school anime.

The Story was less than average and confusing we spend 5+ episodes still learning new charcters that hardly matter to the story Also the focus on Katie and Nanao is not needed and same could be said for almost all of the charcters its to much to focus on and remember, the main focus should be on Oliver instead of these other background characters who play slight roles in the show Back to Katie who if couldnt handle the treatment of the magic fauna should have been removed from school and with Nanao who just wants to be unalived there is just points where it cuts from one moment to another with hardly no context adding to the confusing story all in all its just meh compared to what other shows you could watch

“Reign of the Seven Spellblades” is what happens when a mediocre idea is combined with incompetent writing. This is one of the worst written shows I’ve ever seen. Not only it uses cliché ideas You’ve seen a million times before, but it butchers those ideas by not understanding why they could work. The plot is so basic that there is not a single unique point in it. Well, that is not true. There is one, ONE rather original sex based idea (at least I haven’t seen it in many anime, from the top of my head I can only think of 2, but if I say the title it would be spoiler territory), but it’s treated like background for most of the time. The one time it could have been made an important plot and even story point it’s just not. Like the writer forgot he created a situation and a character that should play off one another in a perfect way. Before we start I would like to explain something. I will be talking about “plot” and “story”. Many people use those terms interchangeably. I’m not one of those people, so to make sure everyone is on the same page… I use the definitions for “plot” and “story” as Lisa Cron describes them: “What happens in the story is the PLOT, the surface events.” “STORY is about how the things that happen affect someone in pursuit of a difficult goal, and how that person changes internally as a result”. So the real story is hidden in the beginning and revealed in a very dramatic, court of owl sort of way, in episode 6. A bit late if You ask me but that is the least problem with writing. The main problem is that “tell not show” is the name of the game here. A lot of things are told and only proven right, if even that, a good time later. Case and point — the very beginning of the first episode. The first thing we hear is that the school has a 20% mortality rate aka 1 in 5 students die. Just who in the right mind would enlist their children in such a place? Is there no alternative to this school? Probably not, because the writer is incompetent and people allow children to go there. But, the first thing we see is a magic flower chatting to people being kind of an ass. Oh, yeah. Totally the same level of drama. It’s insulting how little the writer thinks of the audience. Speaking of treating the audience as morons, just how moronic the whole school is? It’s stated that not only do they have a 20% mortality rate, but the faculty doesn’t care much about what happens to the students. They are only interested in results. Just how moronic is that? Let me get this straight, there could be a student with a damn IQ over 9000, skill with everything and charisma enough to organize students into actual proper teams, but if he gets killed by assassination or equipment malfunction everyone will just think “Oh well, c’est la vie” and go on with their day? What is the point of that? No one will gain anything from that. It’s just a dangerous environment, for danger’s sake, nothing logical or organic in it. It’s just a testimony of the writer's ineptness. The main cast is just atrocious. For starters, the main group is too big. We get 6 characters for 15 episodes. That’s too many. Because everything is rushed and devoid of stakes, the characters are just predictable, flat and basic stereotypes. As a result a lot of characters are left on the side lines and not utilized. There is no real reason for two of them to exist. One has a function as a plot device but the other has none. Not only that, this show is guilty of one of the most lazy thing in writing allied / friend groups — they become “friends” almost immediately. They know each other for just a few minutes and somehow they are all friends and spill their guts to each other. Because everyone tells their backstory to people who they just met in a school that just begs for students to organize a battle royal and use personal information against each other. Eff off. Not only the main cast, the people that get their assess handed to them by the main cast also suddenly feel the need to tell a worthless sob story about themselves. Of course that doesn’t apply to out MC — Olivier, because of course it doesn’t. The one time someone even theories about his past, he makes a face like he’s considering ending her on the spot. From the very first episode, the amount of amateurish, cliché and just plain pathetic writing is of the chart. To the point the first episode ends in a true edge lord, cloak and dagger fashion. A pathetic, pseudo-dramatic monologue that sets up the MC as “more than meets the eye”. Shame it does so in this superficial way. I get second hand embarrassment just thinking of that shit. The worst part is that the level of amateur writing sticks for all 15 episodes. I don’t think there one episode I would call competently written, it’s like watching baby’s first screenplay. It makes watching this show really difficult and I was close to dropping it at least once every episode. Believe it or not, it’s actually impressive just how bad the writing in this show is, to the point I can’t defend it enough to call it mediocre. It’s just bad. If for some reason You hold on to hope that this show might have any kind of stakes, then episode 6 should destroy that completely. Oliver is shown to have powers to see variants of the future and just choose which one he likes (and never uses it for the remainder of the show, even if doing so could probably save a lot of time and at least two lives). The fuck is this shit? After that there is no point in watching this show because You are aware that nothing will ever happen to him or people he deem worthy of his assistance. The writer is also stupid enough to have the MC monologue that his opponent is much more skilled and the show wants me to take that as any sort of stake? The mofo is able to choose the timeline with the outcome he wants, just how is this even a stake? It’s just so effing amateurish, boring and insulting. How badly You want to destroy this show? Speaking of Oliver… yeah… he’s the worst kind of protagonist You can imagine. He has no equals (despite what he monologues), has more knowledge than anyone else about everything, can use rare skills and can never make a bad decision even if he’d try. In episode 5 he even acts like a mentor / teacher figure and saves a few students from their mistakes. For fucks sake, there is nothing in him that would make an interesting protagonist. Everyone knows that in the end the hero will save the day, evil will be punished and the sun will shine, but the real meat of most stories is that it’s more interesting when the hero struggles. If he’s perfect in everything then there is no point in the story. Oliver has a goal but does close to jack shit towards achieving it. He just goes with the flow and if once in a while he gets to check a list of his kill list, it’s just a nice bonus. He has nothing to gain being in that school or even making friends. His goal is simple and there isn’t given a reason why he couldn’t achieve it in a more direct way. But I guess that would require adding world building to the show and with the quality (more like there lack) of writing on display I am 100% sure the writer would have a brain aneurysm trying to think of something logical. Now, because this show has some nice shining lights and really, really badly written bonding, some people can find this show attractive. The same people probably think that Ubisoft and Nintendo are consumer friendly companies so let’s not be too harsh on them.

A rather decent anime with a good budget. Enjoyable to watch, but ratings seem to be rather conflicted due to many upset novel readers. Overall, as someone who never read the source material, the show did fine in terms of storytelling even if bits felt rather fast. Ultimately, one of the downfalls of this story came down to pacing issues which was much to do with covering too much too quickly. It was fun to watch and made me invested enough to start reading the light novel. I wouldn't consider the negative reviews too heavily when deciding upon this as the animation quality is rather high and seems to have been completely ignored.

"Reign of the Seven Spellblades" But the main cast is six characters. This is how I knew what to expect from this story. In all seriousness, it was an interesting enough show for about the first four episodes. You had all of the interesting and exciting world building and character/relationship establishments occurring. Lots of seemingly nuanced combat and power systems that would later be explored or explained. And more! What caught my attention was how they described their swordplay in tempos since only people who have actually done sword sports will have probably ever heard the terms before. I was waiting for them to start describing the difference between probing actions and committing actions, and utilizing multi-tempo or chained actions into dynamic distance situations in off-tempo manners, but they never delved that deep into the swordplay. And that made me sad. Everything they seemed they seemed to be building up to got tossed to the wayside to make space for crap. So much crap in fact that they had to extend the show by 3 episodes to fit it all in. I had high hopes when it seemed like the writer had done their research and built an interesting enough world and cast. But by the halfway point it became apparent they had done just enough research to make it seem interesting and sophisticated but not actually be anything more than a somewhat poorly written fantasy story with plot lines pulled seemingly at random to whatever sounds good at the moment. An over-arching plot line is created along with some possible interesting character interactions and relationships, and that gets shoved to the side for a crappy generic plot line that cant seem to even keep it's story elements properly in place. I'm more disappointed in how good this show and story could have been if the writer had spent more time developing the main storyline and combat system than chasing shit storylines and characters that really only serve to distract from how poorly crafted everything actually is. I'd still watch it since I can pretend the last 11 episodes never happened, but that might not be what everyone else will enjoy. 6/10 since it is entertaining at times, but honestly deserves a 3/10 for poor execution and crushing my dreams of having an anime with well-explained swordplay

Reign of the Seven Spellblades was something i honestly didn't have that many expectations from ,so that's probably one of the factors of why i actually enjoyed this damn show so much.But that's hardly all there is to it. What surprised me most about this show was the writing.It's a honest to god good story. It's nothing that would make you say "wow" with the depth and intricate plot or anything,but it's more then enough.Not every story has to be.Of course a good story would never be able to function without good characters.And they don't fail to deliver.One big bonus is that characters don't just have their arc where they are relevant and then they fall off the face of the Earth.This is a huge step above most stories.And they aren't usesless background characters either.Perfect example for that would be Milligan. Of course the mvp of this series has to be Hibiya.But the MC Oliver is also a good character.I enjoy the approach that was taken with his revenge as well. Im tired of gloomy emotionless loser MCs that view everybody ,even geniune people who want to be their friends as tools for their goals.It was intresting once,not all the time. And it also makes sense ,since what the people they take revenge for would have wanted (especially in Oliver's case) is for them to be happy. He ain't just taking revenge,he's building himself a new life as well.All in a day's work i'd say. Also,what this anime does that most others do is they stick to the spells and what they do.Other weaker shows would've made one spell have 50 different effects by now.Oh and the power levels of different characters stay consistent.And there's the obvious levels.Of course all these are bonuses of solid writing. And since it's all praise for almost everything this anime does i gotta give my complaint as well,and the reason i can't give it a 10. Animation's mid af.And it matters when there's alot of battles to be had in this show. They clearly had a very good artist on deck from the samples.But the animators failed him.Or the budget did.Or both. All in all i can easily recommend this show,especially when i've recently watched easily the worst anime has to offer.You have my blessings.

I honestly, in good conscience, can't recommend this to anyone. Even my enemies (if I HAD any..). I don't know if it's just me being an idiot or if it's actually the show itself destroying my poor brain cells one by one. The art is ok, kinda generic but not horrible by any means. The world feels like it was ripped from a stale book. Some things they'll explain in a two minute segment like it's important for later but will never come back to, and others it'll just sorta be there and you're left wondering why it is the way it is, but not in a good "I wanna know more" sense. More like if you found an open, half eaten stick of butter in the fridge and must now sit through talking to your blandest roommate to figure out who bit a chunk outta that sucker. The characters are your run of the mill group. Noble girl who is wise and beautiful. Cute girl who's super kind and horrifically weak to the point you wonder why she's at a MURDER SCHOOL (why the hell is this place still open??). Friendly, over the top country boy. Book nerd with interesting plot point that is only remembered when it's convenient. The rogue swords girl that transferred in with "OP" powers and is supposed to be a cold-hearted killer but is kinda just goofy samurai girlie pop (and fails horribly at being OP). And MC... The biggest mystery in the entire show and the only reason I'm still watching... The pacing is also garbo. Like, one second "we must do this thing! It is of up most importance! And we MUST be violent about it!" and the next it's "omg but we were besties a minute ago, be my fwiend again~". It's not even talk no jutsu, it's just "remember this villain in the making? Nah, they lost once so we made em friend shaped". There's no real consequences either, because they either conveniently forget until it's "optimum" time to remember, or just walk away from it unscathed anyway. THERE'S NO SUBSTANCE!! And it can't decide what kind of plot it wants, dark and gritty, really turn up the shock factor, or playful sunshine and rainbows and omg did you know we've been friends this whole time??? I'm rambling, I know, but hoLY dude... If there is a season 2, I will not be watching. I'll freaking Google who the MC really is if I have to..

This was technically my last anime of 2025. I watched it on 29 to 30 December 2025. First, the rating is around 6.5 in many places and not many people have watched it. But in my opinion, it deserves 8 and your attention. I am a big fan of the Harry Potter universe, and this anime is also set in a magic school world. Some students become friends on the first day. Each one has different abilities. One character is not good at magic but is very skilled with a blade. You will see why he is in this world and how he fits into the group. Watching the group’s adventures is fun, especially if you like magic school settings. Characters and Story: The protagonist Oliver Horn is calm and intelligent, but he hides a deep revenge plot. Nanao Hibiya is a samurai, and her chemistry with Oliver feels unique. You can call it a Japanese version of Harry Potter, but it is darker and more brutal. The genre is mainly Fantasy and Action. Here, mages use both magic and swords. Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 and recommend that you watch it once. Content Type: Anime Genre: Fantasy, Action, Magic School Writer/Director: Based on the light novel written by Bokuto Uno and illustrated by Ruria Miyuki. Directed by Masato Matsune. Series composition by Shogo Yasukawa. Animation by J.C.Staff.

My expectations for this anime certainly was not high so this may lead to a higher rating than I would if it was the opposite. So, yes I was pleasantly surprised how entertaining the show was and would recommend it. But be warned that the show is not without its issues so don't expect a masterpiece. While I would recommend watching up to episode 6 to see if you enjoy it, that is quite a bit of commitment. And quite frankly, what you will see in episode 6 is not going what this season focuses on. But perhaps you may want to give the LN or manga a try if your interests was piqued by that point. I gave it a list score of 7, but if I were to be critical, it is more a high 6 for me. Characters: The first thing the anime introduces to you is its main cast. While some anime series slowly build up the main cast and let it grow, this one establishes them all as close friends from the start. So let's start with characters. The main cast, or rather the entire cast are all unique relative to each other. Most of the characters(not all) may fall into certain archetypes but aren't too tropey to be considered cliche in my opinion. While they may be introduced with certain tropes in mind, they aren't dictated by it after the first few episodes. No two characters are the same here and thus feel like they are irreplaceable in the narrative. Damsel in distress and generic MCs often can feel like they are replaceable but in this case none of the characters ever give off that impression. This is all important as the cast do get some character development. However don't expect huge changes since this season covers 3 volumes out of the 12 light novel volumes out so far. But for the parts it did cover, the cast definitely did grow and develop to varying extent. Despite the characters having a strong start, they aren't explored too in depth as of yet. We only get a broad but shallow understanding of the main cast. Some of the side characters get deeper development if they are the main focus of the story arc. However due to how the story arcs are structured, we get their back story in one big dump and usually right before the climax. This often feels forced and doesn't leave any emotional connection compared to development that is spread out over time. This also applies to the developments for the main cast. It is often quickly revealed and quickly resolved leaving little time to actually relate with the characters' struggles. An example of this is Nanao, one of the main characters. She has a twisted world view due to the environment she was from but thanks to Talk no Jutsu, she immediately concedes. This happens to some of the minor antagonists too, although they are often defeated legitimately first. And these antagonists aren't actually evil, just a bit of a douche at times. So the talk no Jutsu is not too self righteous but it does happen, mainly by Nanao. Which leaves me to say Nanao sometimes feel like a Mary Sue. She has some flaws but nothing really meaningful. Some of the main casts are kind of useless in combat with a very niche support/intellectual specialization. However unlike other series, the weaker members of the main cast aren't just cheerleaders and offer non-combat support. They also know when to stay out of the way. They are rarely a burden during combat which is nice. Story: Which leaves me to the next point; the story. The pacing, especially at the start feels a bit rushed. The viewers won't feel left behind, but there will certainly be moments where things seem to progress too quickly. Like the main cast being close friends by the end of the first day. Or "You aren't acting like yourself" sort of lines despite knowing each other for only 3 days. Secondly, there isn't any overarching plot tying these story arcs together. The story arcs rarely even affect one another and if they do, they do so minimally. There is a reveal on the main plot but it only ever got focus for one episode with it being teased again right at the end. In other words the main plot if (you can even call it that) never got any progression after its introduction. The rest are more like side stories in relative importance but takes up most of the time. By all means, these are interesting but they feel disconnected from one another. It is kind of unfortunate because the main plot has the potential to be even more interesting yet it gets little focus. The Fights: That said, I mainly wanted to write a review because the fight scenes are surprisingly good. It is well animated, and the pacing are never too slow to be boring. There aren't too much unnecessary dialogue or side kicks describing every move. This means little interruption and we get a continuous fight. The fight also however isn't super "fast paced" where you can't make out what is going on (see punch barrages that is so common in shonen fights). The fights have a good amount of intensity to them but is mainly elevated by the fact most of them requires some strategizing. In fact the tactics and teamwork is what allow the main cast to win most of their fights. The fights showcases each team member's individual unique capabilities, teamwork, and intelligence to adapt and overcome their enemies. Despite the tactics and strategizing; they rarely bog down the fight with long explanations. This is really the highlight of the series in my opinion. I only learned that this was the same writer who wrote Aldermin on the Sky after finishing the series. This explains why the tactics and team play are integrated to the fights so well. Animation and Art: As mentioned, the fights have some really good animations. There isn't a fight that's boring. It's actually sad when they skip through the minor fights because that's just how good the fights are. There are better actions scenes out there but considering the rather mid art quality and animations outside of the fights; they did a good job where it matters most. So yea, the art and animations is not bad, not great. It's good enough most of the time and becomes great during the fights. Music: The music score is pretty decent. I liked the opening and ending. Some tracks did stand out to me but nothing made me go look for them. However this doesn't mean it is bad, sometimes you don't want the music to stand out. If it blends with the scene as one; such that you didn't notice, it may be because they don't it to overtake whatever they want your focus on. It is hard to judge the music without listening to them on their own, but it is also important to keep in mind of its proper context during the episode. Unfortunately, I didn't focus on the music and am not musically trained to break it all down. So I'll just leave it at that.

"Reign of the Seven Spellblades" ventures into the mystical realm of magic and intrigue, but unfortunately, it struggles to break free from the shadows of its more iconic magical predecessor, Harry Potter. The echoes of J.K. Rowling's world are too apparent, making it challenging for the series to establish its unique identity. The animation quality, while acceptable, falls short of achieving exceptional heights. The visuals lack the innovative flair that could have elevated the series to a higher standard within the anime genre. Though serviceable, the animation fails to leave a lasting impression. The central theme of a dangerous school promises a dark and gritty narrative, but the execution falters, leaving viewers yearning for a more profound and immersive experience. The show fails to deliver on the potential intensity of its premise, missing opportunities to explore the darker aspects of magic education. One notable drawback is the protagonist's overly encyclopedic knowledge, which diminishes the tension and stakes of the narrative. A well-rounded character should face challenges and grow, but when the lead character already possesses an extensive understanding of the magical world, it limits the potential for character development and the sense of jeopardy. The inclusion of themes such as animal cruelty, transgender issues, and class inequality attempts to add depth to the narrative. While commendable for addressing important societal topics, the execution lacks finesse, often feeling forced and disconnected from the main plot. These themes, rather than enhancing the story, seem like checkboxes that the series aims to mark off without delving into their complexities. The show's ultimate downfall lies in its failure to achieve the darkness it aspired to convey. The tone remains insufficiently somber, preventing the narrative from fully exploring the consequences of its characters' actions. This lack of depth robs the series of the gravitas needed to distinguish itself in a genre that often thrives on complex and mature storytelling. In conclusion, "Reign of the Seven Spellblades" offers a glimpse into a magical world with potential, but it struggles to break free from its influences and falls short of delivering a truly captivating and dark narrative. While the series has its merits, it leaves viewers wanting more depth, originality, and a greater commitment to the dark tone it initially promised.

At first I thought it was a mid magic school thing which is not great but not terrible, then it took a turn with a revenge plot that was very engaging and promising, and then it went backwards to not even mid but worse; it was disjointed, underwhelming, and overwhelming all at once. I really don't know what to say about the latter episodes other than they were bad. All else was, again, mid or above average. I guess to sort of break it down, the animation was so-so, the soundtrack was eh, the characters were eh (minus Oliver, but he was fairly sidelined), the plot was too all over the place to get a bead on, and the pacing was eh... Yeah, in general I wouldn't recommend this since it shows promise and then disappoints, which can be worse than just a bad show that doesn't fluctuate or forget itself for what it is.