THE LEGEND OF HEROES: TRAILS OF GOLD STEEL – NORTHERN WAR — FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Hi friends! I totally forgot how hard it was to write about shows that are boring or uninteresting ever since I stopped blindly reviewing manga. Especially when it’s not just one show or two but at least 1/3 of the season. So excuse me if I’m not as spirited about some of the series I’m reviewing. I will see my first impression list through, so bear with me a little when I whine about it.

It’s only now as I’m writing the review I found out that The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Gold Steel – Northern War was originally a video game, I had no idea. The adaptation is handled by Tatsunoko Production which goes way back, but a couple of their more recent works that are well-known include PSYCHO-PASS 2, Ping Pong THE ANIMATION, PriPara, or Gatchaman Crowds.

Did I know this series beforehand? First time hearing about it.

What is it about? Leaving the happy memories of her childhood behind, Lavian joins the army to prove herself useful and that she is not like her grandfather, who is a traitor to the revolution. Lavian is fierce and talented, is acknowledged by her superiors, and is the object of her peers’ jealousy. Her days are rather peaceful on the surface until something has started to stir in one of the fractions of the army.

What to look out for? Nothing to note.

What do I think? Uhhh… I think the very first paragraph gave you an idea, but I shall try.

When the episode ended, my first thought was “What a shame,” because this seems like a show that should work for me. A young girl whose grandfather is deemed a traitor to the empire joins the army, she is very talented and driven. The setting of the anime draws inspiration from Soviet Russia I believe, so the plot could get interesting further down the road.

Unfortunately, it’s so bland that I couldn’t even write more than a couple of sentences on my notepad when I first saw the episode.

The Legend of Heroes looks… OK. I couldn’t make out whether the enemies the army killed are magical beasts or machinery with some sort of superpower. They look wonky and the way they explode looks more funny than impressive. The “boss enemy” the army came across while traveling makes it obvious that not much of a thought is gone behind the enemies because after all the bullets did practically nothing, all it took to slay it was a stab in the forehead by Lavian. I wasn’t impressed by what I saw in general, but I did take note of the soundtrack. I found it pleasant!

Another point that frustrated me was Lavian’s expression because she comes off as blank. Being serious, closed off, a person of few words, or stern are all different than just staring emptily around so while I guessed they might have been going for the former, she ended up as the latter.

The highlight of the series for me was the two soldiers used for exposition at the beginning. They are a bunch of chatterboxes and I liked the fact that they provided some comedic relief toward the middle of the episode.

Will I continue watching? I won’t be sticking around unless I read an exciting review with points that I failed to see and decide to give it a second chance.

Was The Legend of Heroes a series you were looking forward to? Are you familiar with the video game? What did you think of this series in general, if you have seen it? Let me know and I’ll see you tomorrow with more isekai! Yay!