Review : Hitsugi No Chaika

Created by the author of Scrapped Princess and Outbreak Company, this light novel adaptation is part of Studio Bone's trio of shows in the Spring 2014 season! So, I went into Hitsugi No Chaika without any high expectations as it was one of the least hyped shows airing at that moment, And as it turns out that it was also one of the most underrated!

Story

The story of this anime may not look particularly original if you only read the synopsis! But, if you get into it I guarantee you that it will provide a really satisfying adventure-filled romp through various places. Also, I didn't find the story either to simple or to complex, it was just filled with the right amount of twists and turns and it didn't over-complicate itself with overly wordy explanations! Though, you'd be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't pay it your full attention, as it's full of little details. Now for the actual story-line, Toru Acura is a 20-year-old retired soldier meandering through life now that the war has ended. When, he encounters Chaika Gaz, a 14-year-old sorceress carrying a coffin, and he follows her in hopes of finding meaning to his life again. The two travel with Toru's adopted sister, Akari, who is also the employed member of the group and thus Toru's only source of income!

Characters

The cast of characters I thought were phenomenal and we had three main characters - Chaika, Toru and Akari. The interactions between the main characters were funny, sometimes adorable and always somewhat believable. Akari was obsessed with Toru, but it was a running gag that this show never overused. Therefore, it also never came across as something needy or annoying. Also, they both had an actual personality to support such gags! So, Let's go into specific details, Toru, is the aforementioned main character of the series. As a sabetour, his main job was really whatever his employer told him to do, which ranged from killing people to not killing people. I find him to be an interesting character due to the fact on how seriously he takes his job. Also, he is calm in any situation with only the goal in mind, Toru is a character that I find to be a pleasantly different main protagonist than the ones in recent years. Akira, is the other sabetour of the series, bearing a similar personality to her older adopted brother. With the same sort of emotionless personality! Apart from that, she has a rather obsessive personality with her adoptive brother, essentially cock-blocking him in any situation with any other girl aside from her regardless of what the situation is. Chaika, this character that is more or less the main focus of the show. She is also a very interesting character for several reasons. One being, her speech pattern. Chaika speaks in a broken pattern where every "sentence" she speaks is spoken with only the important words said out loud, meaning that every conjunction, adjective, adverbs, and everything but the subject and predicate is missing. From what we do see initially, Chaika is a naive character with a singular goal in mind! But, as the series goes on, her character gets both explored, as well as not gotten into any deeper at all. Yeah, that sounds contradictory. But to me, that's actually pretty interesting! The rest of the cast is split into two categories. The first, is the "Good Guys" featuring cavaliers and people who wish to maintain the peace of the country. They don't get explored too much as characters, more or less playing the role of an "opposing force" to our main protagonists! The second, is of the "Side Characters of Post-War", these characters are directly affected by the ending of the war and for the most part, these characters are only revolved around their own war stories.

Animation and Sound

The animation and artwork might not be standard, but were original and refreshing. Also, It looked really nice in HD as the colors were fitting. Like, it got dark and gloomy when the mood called for it, and also got lighter neutral when needed. I also enjoyed the fact that Frederica was not animated in 3D as that could often look clunky and out of place in this anime. Also, The 3D animation that there was in the air ships and some of the magical effects, actually fitted in nicely without detracting from the anime at all. The fights were also really well animated and the anime instead of going for a more attractive style went for a more believable style, which I liked very much.

For the sound, The OP "DARAKENA" by Iori Nomizu was very catchy and setted the mood for the anime quite well. The background sounds within the anime were also fitting and the mood was also set by little piano parts and the punchier music. The characters' voices were excellent and matching for their characters. Also, they could have made the mistake of making Chaika too "moe", and although her voice was pretty high pitched it never seemed to fall into that trap, at least not for me. It portrayed her apparent innocence very well. I also liked the fact that Akari's voice was a bit more mature sounding, as often in anime now even girls in their 20s sound like they are 10, which is pretty frustrating.

Enjoyment

The first episode of this series really felt un-fulfilling and I was slightly boggled by what was going on due to the horrendous pacing. But, as I continued watching, I started enjoying it and the initial thoughts that I had of the series became more and more positive. I was very intrigued by how the series was being played out due to the sort of plot twists were coming as the series progressed! 

Overall, Coupled with interesting mechanics, excellent action, effective humor, well-rounded characters, and a high-staked conflict, Hitsugi no Chaika easily stands out as one of the my favorite fantasy adventures to come out in recent years. From personal enjoyment to critical appreciation, this show delivers, and increase my thirst for more! If you are interested in an anime that focuses on magic and an overarching mystery, then I would definitely and highly recommend it to you, It may not blow your mind away but I can guarantee you that the hours spent with it would keep you entertained and would be well spent!

4 STAR ANIME.

Click to view my ratings guide.