REVENGER — FIRST IMPRESSIONS – IT'S YOUR FAULT THAT I'M NOT POPULAR!

Hello friends, how are you today? I personally have some adulting to do today so I’m not exactly enthusiastic, but you gotta do what you gotta do, right? I’m taking a one-day break from talking about isekai and switching to a historical anime with samurai, some cool murder gadgets, and characters that I could swear I saw in a local, indie coffee brewery.

REVENGER is an original story written by Gen Urobuchi, and the character designers are Jirou Suzuki and Yuushi. Ajiado is behind the production, a studio we might remember from their recent series such as Ascendance of a Bookworm, Kemono Jihen, or Kakushigoto.

Did I know this series beforehand? I didn’t see any trailers or read summaries.

What is it about? Usui Yuen, upon the request of local people who were concerned that a seemingly dangerous samurai was wandering around, finds out that it’s a man called Kurima Raizou from the Satsuma clan. He had to assassinate his fiancé’s dad upon the request of the clan’s head for betrayal, but now that he made up his mind to go back, he’s ambushed by the very people he risked his life for.

These events and some other pieces you should find out for yourself are the elements that ignite Raizou’s eagerness to team up with Usui Yuen and his group of people who do odd jobs and go on a path of revenge.

What to look out for? Blood, violence.

What do I think? I’m totally positive about REVENGER. I mean, how can I say no to a series that opens up with a super cool assassination scene?

Really loved the pace and the amount of information we were given. Just enough to be compelling, understandable, and to make sense of each of the character and their drive. I’m guessing throughout the season we’ll delve deeper into each of the members of this quirky group’s pasts, and the setting of the first episode does REVENGER justice by keeping it interesting and clean.

While it is a historical series, REVENGER doesn’t strictly stick close to accuracy and incorporates a lot of anachronistic elements in the characters’ designs or exaggerated details into their individual fighting styles. The bigger part of the episode is composed of characters sitting and/or talking so it’s generally still, but when there’s movement, the animation’s done competently. The backgrounds are highly detailed, and enclosed spaces do not lack character or feel empty. I can feel that there is a lot of thought that went into this series and it brings a pleasurable experience. Except for the parts where the camera insists on lingering on the faces of people being assassinated, those parts are uncomfortable. As they should be.

Overall, I should say that this whole thing is not the most original idea, especially if you’re a seasoned anime lover, you won’t be finding twists or turns in this premiere that’ll have you jump out of your seat. Nevertheless, the execution is solid and Gen Urobuchi‘s name can be enough to put some faith into thinking that it’ll at least stay that way till the end.

Will I continue watching? I will! I love stories that focus on groups of people who come together for pragmatic reasons but are quite individualistic and different from each other.

I don’t follow Urobuchi closely, although series he’s written like Psycho-Pass or Puella Magi Madoka Magica have left an undeniable impact on me and become my ultimate favories. Any fans out there who’ve seen REVENGER? What did you think of his new series? Or you’re a more casual appreciator like me? I’d like to hear your opinion in the comments. This is all I have for today and I hope to see you again tomorrow!