Legend of the Legendary Heroes - Episode 03

This episode actually takes a very serious turn into exploring not only the war itself but also the true extent of Ryner's powers. I think what is very interesting about his powers is that they seem to be an entity completely different from his conciousness, a voice telling him to activate them and tempting them rather than his own concious decision to activate them and use them. Ferris's brother, the guy who always has his eyes closed, is now introduced as more of a psychopath than a savior or do-gooder of any kind.

Don't look at me Ferris. He's YOUR brother.

This episode was also very well done in that it gave legitimate reasons for all the characters to be in the positions they were shown in at the beginning of the series. For example, Sion, having been the only survivor of the battle besides a traitor and a 'monster', gained considerable publicity and power as a celebrity. This undoubtedly played a large role in him gaining the title of king as it drove him into the limelight and probably garnered him a lot of respect. Meanwhile, Ryner became even more misunderstood and his rampage only proved to many that bearers of the Alpha Stigma are monsters. As for Ryner's girlfriend there... yeah.

Estabul Magic Knights: biggest douchbags of summer 2010.

Mostly, I'm interested in where the series goes from here on out. Will it continue this surprisingly mature turn of events or will it go back to its fantasy antics? Only time will tell. For now it is certainly obliged to return to exploring Ryner's powers once he has another breakdown somewhere along the line.

Overall: 8.5/10

Legend of the Legendary Heroes - Episode 02

In this episode of Legend of the Legendary Heroes, (or DenYuDen which we will be calling it from now on), Sion Astal is severely beaten, watches his mother die, and has his murdered puppy's corpse sent to him in a gift-wrapped box.

Asides from that, the entire episode is focused on revealing the past between Sion, Ferris Eris (good god) and Ryner. While Ryner and Sion are poor members of society forced to be trained for military use, Ferris is part of a rich noble family.

But man oh man, they really forced out the tragedy of Sion and Ryner's childhoods. They seem intent on making these guys have the worst lives ever. Although Sion's goals stem from his experiences as a child who was prejudiced against because of his social standing, Ryner on the other hand has learned to not give a fuck and so he just tries his best not to stand out.

This episode had some of the most heavy-handed characterizations with these characters' backstories. Oh yeah, and those other characters who aren't even named? They were MADE to killed off after Ryner loses control of his Alpha Stigma in the next few episodes (its inevitable).

I thought it was interesting how Sion acted very similar to a villain, and if a few of his goals had been tweaked he would have been one. He has the tragic backstory and his goal is to become king of the country, but instead of wanting to conquer it for his own selfish gain he instead strives to end the current age of corruption on the country. Had it not been for his mother's kind words and eagerness to do good, he probably could have been the villain in this story.

Would look more menacing if the text wasn't blatantly in front of his mouth.

I'm also likin' Ferris more and more, because of her great deadpan personality and the fact that it doesn't fit in with her looks at all. Her long blonde hair and blue eyes are a refreshing difference to set her apart from the quiet, serious girls with glasses and hair of the black/white/purple variety. Even though her facial features are nothing out of the ordinary she is still manages to set herself apart just with a little color changes. Now how 'bout that.

My other main observation for this show: the ending theme reveals the major aspects of this show: sad children, and fanservice for every type of person. Ferris for straight guys/lesbians, Ryner for straight girls/gay guys, and Sion for everyone except straight guys. There's also a lot of Ryner/Sion gay innuendo. If you're into that sort of stuff.

Sion later remembered that he actually wanted Ryner for his penis.

Overall Score: 8/10

Summer Anime 2010: Debut Reviews VI

Densetsu no Yuusha no Densetsu (aka Legend of the Legendary Heroes)

I'm not going to be typing out the entire repetitious title of this thing every time, so we'll call is Denyuden from here on out. That's what the kids are callin' it these days, right?

Even if the title is long and tedious, the show was surprisingly fun and interesting. It made me eager to learn about the "Heroes' Relics" and the characters, although pretty stock so far, definitely have room to improve. The flashback at the very end of the episode was probably the most intriguing scene out of all the new anime I've seen this season, and it really got me interested in the show as a whole. Though of course there were some disappointments.

For a character named Milk she really doesn't live up to expectations, does she?

However, this episode was really heavy-handed in its messages. The king, although attractive, seemed boring as shit throughout the entire episode. Even though he obviously has kingly duties to attend to, he stops what he's doing and helps an orphaned kid find his sister. If that isn't just the lamest attempt to make him seem like a good person, I don't know what is. At least he wasn't born to make people happy. *cough*shukufukunocampanella*cough*

Most of the character designs are uninspired, to say the least. But honestly, I really didn't expect any better and at least they're mostly simple. Take the female lead for example: blond hair, blue eyes, laid back and calm... Wait, is this sounding familiar to anybody else?

LEICESTER-CHAN

The main character, Ryner, is also interesting with his "Alpha Stigma" ability. Not only do people openly exclaim that he is a monster when he uses it, but it also seems to be the root of the massive devastation shown in the ending flashback. The fact that Ryner has a sense of humor and isn't a cardboard box means that his potential conflict is automatically ten times as exciting as the conflict in Nura: Rise of the Who-gives-a-shit Clan. Also, the female lead Ferris has a big appetite for dumplings. Any female character who likes eating gets a thumbs up in my book.

She can eat my dumplings anytime.

Overall: 8/10 (though you might want to take into account that the last fantasy series I tried to watch was Arad Senki: Slap Up Party. Anything looks like a masterpiece when compared to that shit)

Densetsu no Yuusha no Densetsu is available streaming legally (!) at funimation.com under the name Legend of the Legendary Heroes