Seirei no Moribito MAL Review

If Studio Ghibli (Hayao Miyazaki's movies) and Avatar the Last Airbender (ATLA) had a baby, this series would be it. If you like both of those things, this might be your new favourite. 

But if you're looking for a light-hearted anime that doesn't make you think too hard, or can't stand supernatural / spiritual journeys, you're probably not going to like this.

Full review:

I wasn't sure what to expect before watching. Truthfully, I came here for Tanda's voice actor (Tsujitani Kouji), the muted color palette didn't seem very appealing to me. What could be that exciting about old people in palaces, forests, and herb gardens? I even planned to skip through it if I didn't like it. 

- Characters:

Then the first episode came on, and Balsa captivated me. She's everything I could want and ask for in a strong female hero who thinks on her feet. Someone who is respectful as she is dangerous. It's a pretty rare combination to come by these days. 

I think most media portraying female warriors make their characters appear overly masculine in personality or appearance (e.g. Dragon Prince, Legend of Korra), as if to compensate for the "masculine role." But Balsa is not like them, and I'm incredibly thankful for that. Balsa is beautiful, and her facial features are gorgeous. Her physique is more muscled than an average woman's, but she isn't bulky. Actually, everyone in this show was drawn to accurate and realistic proortions. It was very, very refreshing.

There are moments in the series where her actions don't seem to make sense, but her intelligent reasoning is often explained in the same episode, or immediately after. It's not frustrating to watch.

Going onto our second main character, Chagum. This little prince is the CUTEST - though I also love "rich kids suddenly uncertain of the environment around them" scenarios. His quest for fairness and kindness towards others is what makes him so endearing. He isn't afraid to speak his mind, even if his opinions cause controversy. It's both both hilarious AND charming to see him tell others off, no matter their age.  He has so much depth, and really handles his hardships well.

Third main character / supporting character is Tanda. I'm in love with his voice, and his pitch from Blood+ carried over here too. The relationship between him and the heroine aren't touched on until quite late into the series (which makes sense, it's not a romance of any kind). But, given the increasing number of hints towards the end, I thought the anime could've done a better job at solidifying their relationship status.

Other characters that were fantastic (everyone, really): Old lady shaman, Star reader Shuga (very attractive in personality and looks!), Chagum's older brother. I could've done without the emperor, since that was the only person who didn't seem to change or improve over time, but I guess someone has to be a good villain.

- Storytelling

The anime had very rich storytelling throughout. The only thing I didn't like was how they explained the different worlds they live in - or rather, failed to explain them. It wasn't clear at the start, and now that I've finished watching, I'm still not sure... are there 3 worlds? 4? Just how many cities and provinces lie outside of "Shin yogo",  how many dialects are there? 

They didn't provide the audience with enough information on the beautiful world they built. Should've showed a map of kingdoms in the beginning or something. If you prefer very straight forward plots, these spirit realms will not be your cup of tea, and it's best to skip the series. 

In case it isn't clear, this is also a fighting anime, there's a fight almost every episode or two. There's excellent martial arts and fight scenes. I rewatched several parts just to play the moves back - and I'm not even into sports or most action stuff. The animation was flawless, it was very easy to watch. 

Music was 10/10, a lot of the same traditional instruments and soundtracks similar to ATLA. Really made an impact.

Personal bias: 

I was very happy to see Chinese influence throughout it. It's not common you get to see this kind of clothing and culture in anime. I think anime tends to show Chinese culture in a negative, stereotypical light, and that was not the case here. It was truly a visual and cultural masterpiece that portrayed the historic heritage beautifully. 

The original review on MAL: View here

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