Campione!

To expect an elaborate storyline, unexpected plot twists, and incredible character development from an ecchi harem show would be one of the greatest you mistakes you can ever make. I came into Campione with no expectations at all. I merely came to watch an ecchi harem and you know what I got? An awesome show that understands how to make a story despite having fan service and a harem. Campione is a story about a guy named Godou Kusanagi who ends up killing the Persian God of Victory, Verethragna. As a result, he receives Verethragna’s power and the title of God Slayer. After that, hebasically goes around killing out of control gods no one else can take care of. The story may not be refreshing, but hey, it’s a still a story and a coherent one at that. You’re not going to gasp at anything or cry, nope, you’re just going to enjoy the action and smile at the romance. Campione actually does have one unique aspect to it. The way he defeats the Gods is through an ability known as Warrior. In a nutshell, if he has sufficient knowledge of the enemy, their defenses begin to crumble and eventually they become mortal, thus making it easier to kill them. What makes it so interesting that he doesn’t just say he knows a lot about the God then proceed to kill him, he actually tells us what he knows. Regardless of whether or not the information about the Gods is valid, I still found it to be one of the best parts of the show. Even if the information isn't true, I felt like I learned something and it was information that actually fascinated me. There’s just something enjoyable about hearing about the origins of Gods of all cultures. I’m sure you’ll love this part of the story too. Action speaks louder than words, so obviously the whole show isn’t just talking on and on and on about some God’s life. Godou has plenty of other abilities. He has a group of 12 incarnation abilities known as Verethragna’s authorities. To be more specific, he can summon a bull that rivals Hercules’ power or a white stallion with the power of the sun. Each one has a chant, so whenever it felt like he was about to chant, I was always excited and ready to see which animal would come out and how much damage it’d do to the opponent. However, they also have a condition. For example, the bull can only be used on people with inhuman strength and the stallion on people who have committed great sins. So there are those times, when you realize a condition is fulfilled, and you’re like, “Oh, damn, he’s going to do it!” Now, now Godou. Don’t try to take all the spotlight. The girls need a piece of the action too and luckily, they do. They don’t just sit back and pray for Godou. Nope, they fight. All of the heroines are some of the best to ever exist in the harem genre, simply because of that. It’s always a pleasure to watch both, the male lead and the heroines, provide the action. Now the romance part of Campione is just satisfying as hell. Funny thing is, if the girl is knowledgeable about the enemy god, she can transfer what she knows through a kiss. The Gods have a long history, so you know what that means ;) The kisses last a good 10, 20 seconds. If that doesn’t satisfy your need for romance, then I don’t know what will. All of the heroines know about some god that the others don’t, so don’t worry, they’re all part of this ever so pleasant romance. The show is not going to look like the inside of the Sistine Chapel, but it’s definitely good. The art should not have a negative influence on how you feel about the show. The sound isn’t exactly memorable or catchy, but it’s not that bad. Plus you can always skip it, so if you end up really not liking the opening and ending, just skip it and go on with the show. Making yourself listen to it, then calling the show mediocre because you didn’t like the opening and ending, wouldn’t be a wise nor friendly decision. Also I didn’t find any of the character’s voices to be annoying, so you shouldn’t have a problem when it comes to the sound department. The characters aren’t ones you’re going to relate to or see as well-written, but they certainly do have good character traits that led me to love all of them. Lets start with the main protagonist, Godou Kusanagi. He is a great male lead. He says he’s a pacifist, but when it comes down to it, he’s willing to kill. That is one of the greatest qualities a protagonist can have. Kind, but not the most forgiving. Watching villains get spared is pretty annoying and it’s nice that Godou understands. As for the female characters, they’re great. None of them are overly violent or annoying. Not to mention, they’re not princesses waiting to be saved. They’re knights who will protect the citizens of their country at all costs. God, isn’t that just splendid? To have girls who aren’t fragile and emotional train-wrecks. I, Zeroskye, swear on the River Styx that you will love the protagonist and surely find the bestest girl out of the heroines who just all happen to be best girls. Campione is an anime that delivers. Nice Action? Check. Awesome Protagonist? Check. Likable Heroines? Check. Romantic Progression? Check. They even decided to educate you about the entities of many different places; from Greece to Persia to Japan. Campione truly is one of the greatest ecchi harem shows to ever exist.

"She must submit to me, and act to ensure my victory!" Ah, how fitting, this quote essentially sums up all of the action fight scenes. Expect a lot of girl/guy interactions at all times, especially during the fighting scenes. On top of that, do you like well-designed girls, magic, and an MC who isn't a enfeebled, useless, chump? In other words, if you have expressed some interest into watching this show you must be into the shounen/ecchi genres, so this review will be how adept this anime performs in being a worthy shounen/ecchi action anime. This is a review, so I'm just tryingto be helpful in judging whether or not you will like this show—this is some insight without any spoilers to give a hint of the overall gist of the story. ===== Basic Info ===== Campione! is set in modern-day and begins with a normal, somewhat lackadaisical main protagonist, Kusanagi Godou who is ignorant to all of the magic present in the world. One day, while unknowingly delivering a precious magical artifact as an errand for his grandfather, he encounters a Great Knight, and gets caught up in the world of magic. In an overwhelming series of events, he defeats a god using his magical artifact, and thus begins Campione! ====== Characters: 7.5 ====== Kusanagi Godou He typifies the dense MC archetype, the lucky chum loved by a variety of females, and a character done many times before. Nothing special can define him: he is your typical shounen hero who girls fawn over due to his exhibition of such a righteous sense of ethical altruism, though his character design/voice isn't unlikable unlike some other harem characters (cough* Makoto cough*.) He can actually be a decent character that can actually be badass, uhhhh sometimes. The girls ostensibly think of him as someone who is very 'different' and 'worthy' compared to all of the other gods, and this is their basis for their feelings for him. The Girls(The good girls) Each of the girl has errrr say a realistic looking body size, bust and everything. No abnormally flat-chested girls, or the girl with the gigantic cow udders. This is actually a positive thing for this anime/genre. This show, often compared to The Familiar of Zero or Shakugan no Shana actually offers a fresh set of WORTHY(not saying the Shana or Louise are bad characters at all! ) girls who all get a decent chance at the MC. I found myself rooting for a side character I got personally attached to, not the main girl at times due to the fact that all of these girls' personalities are not entirely clichéd. Like real life, the girls have unique in the way they act towards the MC, but at the same time, they possess similar tendency and disposition in that they all, in someway, feel for the MC. I felt like most of the girls had a real chance with the MC, which is fresh and a welcoming harem aspect, from other similar animes where the harems are so obvious that we facepalm at every new girl that interacts with the MC. Needless to say, the interactions between the girls and the MC are quirky at times and are overall, designed fairly well. Antagonists(See second paragraph of Story Section) ====== Story: 6.5 ====== Straightforwardly, Campione! is an uncomplex, linear, story that typifies the bash-em-up shounen/ecchi anime with set in the premise of Greek and Roman mythology; the story may be a weaker component of this anime, but that doesn't make the anime a 'not watch' for any reason. The plot is driven through Kusanagi Godou and his onslaught of various gods. As you can probably already tell, Kusanagi Godou is a God-Slayer, higher than a god (an overpowered character), so the results for each fight is practically predictable. In almost every other episode, there is always a sense of imminent danger to the highest degree, god scaled world threatening situations where the puissant protagonist is always thrown into. However, unlike other animes, the way that the show goes about this is . . . an edification of greek and roman god knowledge. WAIT, what, the plot moves forward through history lessons? Yes, as implausible as this sounds, this is the defining factor in this anime, it is whoever knows more about the true identity of the deity triumphs. As Godou learns more and more about Greek and Roman mythology, he taps into his otherworldly power. However, the only way for him to gain this knowledge is through kissing (no joke). Learning = kissing = power. This is how the MC wins, every time he learns new 'history' about Greek and Roman deities through and punishes the enemy 'gods', who are often 'messing around' because they are bored. "I used to think that they were these mighty, omniscient beings. But now that I've actually met them, gods seem more childish than anyone." —Kusanagi Godou. This quote is in actuality, a very accurate representation for the motive behind the misbehaving of the gods(the antagonists); it displays why these gods are all antagonistic. These gods, like children, just want to have some fun because they are just THAT bored and carefree. Watching gods mess around might sound interesting, but this leads to the clichéd 'The world will end if we don't defeat the enemy theme' in almost EVERY episode, starting from episode one. This anime is not spectacular by any means but does not fall into a pit of inferiority due to its strong cast and really catering to people who love kickass-shounen at heart. It is an anime without a deep intricate plot. Uncomplex and simplistic, the story revolves around how the main character literally runs around his unraveling the history of gods, which defeat the enemy, all while gathering more girls to be a part of his troupe. Rinse and repeat this. This archetype of an anime has been done many times before and is therefore not a high priority must watch, but is a fine-dandy anime if you find you have some desperate time to dawdle—it's solid watch for shounen/ecchi fans. ===== Art: 9 ====== No squabbles here, the characters, all of them are well-drawn. The girls are distinctly different from each other, without being too blatant. This show does a wonderful of keeping the girls' appearances realistic, avoiding the all too common geeky super smart nerdy girl with zero tits who is actually a surprisingly talented fighter, or the ironic innocent, big breasted girl who has had no experiences with males. The anime had a decent budget, and thus the art for the time was pretty good art. Watching the show in HD actually makes a difference as the art is fluid and natural with well-animated fight scenes. ===== Sound: 8 ===== Not much to comment about here. The opening and ending are standard upbeat j-pop songs with nothing too special. The music really sets the mood for this anime. Other background tunes are unobtrusive and to a certain degree, somewhat enthralling, but there are no 'standout' must listen to soundtracks. Right off the bat, it can be easily observed that this anime will be a lighthearted ecchi/shounen flick with a developING(never fully develops) romantic subplot. Voice acting is superb with a talented cast, no annoying characters/voices here. ====== Enjoyment: 7.5 rounded to 8 /Final Note ====== Overall, an enjoyable shounen/ecchi built on its solid cast, gorgeous girls, refined artwork, and fluid animations. Do not expect to expect to be too immersed into a deep story here. Watching this show is effortless; don't think too much on the simplistic plot, but indulge yourself into the other elements that were well executed. I quite enjoyed this show due to the attractive, realistic looking characters, and their quirky interactions they had with the MC. The ending for was quite lackluster, par at best, but there is always the completed (translated) light novel that continues the story if you are left craving for more.

Do you love tales of gods and mythology ranging from Athena the goddess of wisdom to Osiris the Egyptian god of death? Well, Campione, revolves around slaying gods and making their powers your own. Story-8 It's a truly fascinating story. Kusanagi, a boy steals a gods power and continues to slay gods. However he's no ordinary god slayer. He does as he wishes and tries to avoid slaying and fighting. Instead of slaying gods for their powers, he becomes a traditional kind hero and gains support. Beside him are a priestess princess and erica, a "red devil", who counter eachother's ideals and both try to make kusanagi theirideal campione. Art-9 The art is lovely. It has great modern 21st century art. Just looking at it makes me proud of how far the world has advanced. The battle scenes are absolutely fantastic and the background on every image makes you go woah, amazing ( well it made me say that ;P ). Sound-9 The music fits the scenes very well. For example the battle music helps you get excited and the background music helps you focus on what is happening, rather than distract you from the show and I can hear all the dialogue very clearly. The voice acting is great and lets you get into the mood. The opener and closing songs are fit the show and are quite nice. Character-9 No character really pisses you off too much and the characters are not monotoned robots. They all have their own personalities. Personally I prefer heroes willing to kill but everyone has their own tastes. There is a harem which may be a little bit annoying but I personally think Godou ( the main character) deserves it as he earned them and boost the fun in the show and lightens the show up after a fight scene or whatever. I also really love the character's interactions with cute jealousy and funny humor. There also isn't that much fanservice and gets straight to the point. Enjoyment-9 The series is really enjoyable if you're looking for shounen hero powns everyone show. This is one of the best in my opinion with the great art, nice plot without holes, fantastic music, fun character interactions and more. This is shounen. Overall-9 The show seems very promising but a bit rushed as many things are skipped ( I didn't read the light novel but it's quite obvious). This isn't a "genius against genius" show like Death note or code geass but it is an enjoyable show, very similar to bleach or naruto but god slaying instead of ninjas or shinigami. It has a few flaws but the fantastic quality makes up for it and makes this show worth watching. I personally think everyone should at least give it a shot to see whether or not you like it.

Haven't you always wanted an anime where the main character has a giant golden sword, but instead of using it like a sword, fights by stating facts about various mythologies?! No? Me either. How about one where the protagonist gains knowledge by tongue kissing girls? Only if it's a full on hentai. This is anime is just bad. Sometimes it seems like its goal is to just give the viewer a history lesson, but even then some of the facts from myths it says are wrong. There are so many problems with this anime that it's difficult to choose a placeto start criticizing. All you need to know is that it is bad. If you like saliva, poorly explained mythology, and lots of standing around, then give it a whirl. The only reason it isn't lower than 2 stars is because the animation didn't suck and you need to save lower stars for true abominations. I was able to finish this one, but it was difficult. It's not worth anyone else wasting time.