Seraph of the End (Action and Horror Anime Review)
An anime that caught my attention while in Tokyo this past June, and also recommended to me by several people, was Seraph of the End, which premiered in April 2015. You can see a billboard for series that was in Akihabara in June 2015, on the right side of the picture below.
The story is a complex post-post-apocalyptic story where entire human race over the age of thirteen dies off due to a reportedly man-made virus. While the children attempt to fend for themselves they are quickly taken by vampires, all unaffected by the virus, who decide to look after them as a food source. Many of the children form families where the eldest attempt to raise the young ones of the group. The majority will give their blood to the vampires freely in exchange for this protection in the form of standard blood donations, but some of the young humans make deals with elite vampires to let them drink from their bodies directly in exchange for extra food and supplies. This exchange is where the story of Yuichiro begins.
Yuichiro dreams of standing up to the vampires, so that he may free the remaining humans from their rule, but his bold statements and loud rants often end with him being hurt by vampires who happen to overhear. Part of Yuichiro’s new family, and closest friend, Mikaela offers an elite vampire his blood, and even offers to visit the vampire directly. This allows the rest of their family, to enjoy additional food, which they find to be a luxury, but Yuichiro refuses the food because he is against giving into their captor’s desires. Later that night, when Mikaela returns he and Yuichiro fight over Mikaela’s decision. However, the fighting comes to an end when Mikaela reveals that he has stolen a map and a gun so that they can attempt to escape with their family. However, when the children are close to the gate that would lead to their freedom, they are ambushed by vampires. All of the children are seemingly killed, with Mikaela sacrificing himself to allow Yuichiro to escape.
When Yuichiro appears on the other side of the gate, he is saved by member of the Moon Demon Company. This company, which is an extermination unit of the Japanese Imperial Demon Army, takes in Yuichiro. Four years later he joins the company that saved him and dedicates his life to killing the vampires. The story takes many twists and turns, which allows the drama to escalate. Every episode seems to add something new to the supernatural and paranormal world of the show. This along with the short bursts of romance and comedy, keep Seraph of the End fresh during each episode.
At the moment this is one of my favorite anime of 2015. The art, along with choice in color scheme for the characters’ outfits and weapons is far above average. Likewise, the music is phenomenal. The background music, opening, and closing songs add that little extra that really helps this anime stand out from other 2015 series. As the second half of the series has started, the first 12 episodes ran this past summer; it will be great to see where the series goes. If the second half keeps with the formula that made the first great, the ending will be very interesting.
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