Unlimited Fafnir

This anime is pretty cliche, as a Harem/Romance/Action/Supernatural anime this is very typical its really lacks pop and most scenes are pretty predictable that you'll know what will happen next. So dont go expecting a whole lot out of it mostly a standard Harem/Romance its similar to Infinite Stratos if you have seen that before, but less ecchi. Plot: 6/10 A fair plot, similar to Infinite Stratos, but Magic > Mecha. You have supernatural abilities only commonly available to girls. In Juuou Mujin no Fafnir the ability is known as Dragons "D" who attend a school far off on a distant island, but with our male protagonistMononobe, Yuu is an acception together his classmates fight against dragons that come around periodically to rampage around the world. Humans and dragons are connected by marks that are located anywhere on their body that give them their powers. The schools students use their powers to fight against the monsters, rinse and repeat while incorporating a little bit of back story for some main characters. Characters: 6/10 Nothing really stands out about this group of girls you its pretty much the standards of any harem such as (tsundere, sister, loli, etc...) Art: 6/10 General art style nothing out standing no vivid colors, it really lacks the pop though the monsters look poor and dull, unless you like CGI monsters then I guess you'll enjoy it. The action scenes aren't particular amazing, but its descent. Sound: 6/10 Voice acting is fine nothing out of the ordinary. The opening is catchy same with the ending. The BGM fits with the action scenes decently, but still doesn't make up for the action scenes. Enjoyment 6/10 I enjoy watching harem genre and anyone else who likes harem, romance, and fantasy this anime is it. If you like this genre you might as well watch this. This is the pretty much the doppelganger of Infinite Stratos difference being 1 is mecha other is supernatural though I would have to say this is 6/10 while Infinite Stratos is a 7/10. I would recommended this anime to anyone who enjoys harem, romance, and fantasy if you have already watched most previous harems and like them then just give this one a go nothing to spectacular yet, but still worth a go.

Harem anime is always a tough genre to judge because it all seems to follow the same formula with slight variations to separate one from another. However, the anime adaptation of Unlimited Fafnir does not present itself in the way a typical harem anime does. This show had a different feeling; one that if I had to describe it, would be that it feels emptier. That does not mean the show doesn’t have it strong suits, because it excels in other areas. ------ STORY - From a story standpoint, the premise of the show outlines what appears to be a classic harem foundation: a boy with "dragonic"powers specifically reserved for females enrolls in a school full of girls with similar powers. This group of people are known as “D.” The purpose of this school is to train the students to combat dragons that threaten the well-being of the female students. Aside from the harem underpinnings, the story is rife with fantasy and science themes. From a technical standpoint, the show is split up into mini-arcs surrounding a specific character or dragon and does a fairly good job of moving from one arc to another without leaving open a lot of plot holes. However, Unlimited Fafnir loses me with the characters and the lack of development they truly deserve. (7) CHARACTERS - I feel the need to address the character issue in this show and this may seem like a rant, so excuse me if I seem to be heavily biased. Typically when you watch a harem anime, you find that one character that you really connect with that you root for to "win" (even though most times the status quo is intact by the series end and no one truly wins). The difficulty I faced with Unlimited Fafnir is that it presented no characters that I wanted to win. When that happens it does not feel like a harem anime and becomes just a show that has a hefty female to male ratio, which isn’t a bad thing, but when a show is billed as a harem, it leaves you a bit wanting. Additionally, throughout the series it felt like only a small portion of the group actually WANTED to win. The main class is split up between the male protag a group of seven or females. The series run focuses mostly on the male protag, Yuu and four of the seven females: Iris, Tear, Mitsuki, and to an extent Lisa. At least that’s how it was observed. Broken down even further, only two of the main four actually seemed to be “going for it,” or in the harem pool at that. EVEN FURTHER, both of those characters had the same character traits – both were exceedingly clingy and child-like to the point of annoyance. This would be fine if there was another character that provides a sort of foil to these characters, but it never happens; at least not in this series run. By the series end there were hints that a character would provide that foil, but way too late in the series to really matter. Aside from the criticisms regarding the characters within the harem, this show does a disservice to the characters by providing them with the absolute minimum development that they could. While the show progresses pretty well from arc to arc, aspects of the characters are introduced but not expanded upon, or outright abandoned. Other aspects of the characters are not resolved until they are just dropped in at the end of the series. It all feels really clumsy and unorganized compared to the main plot. Furthermore, outside of the four primary characters mentioned above, the three remaining classmates receive very little moments to reveal themselves. In one episode, one of the three has a moment and she reveals more about herself and looks like she will enter herself into the equation. By the next episode, that interaction is completely abandoned. This is excruciatingly frustrating. While one of the remaining two, gets small, but noticeable dialogue and is integral to the story, the other is completely invisible. Literally the only thing we know about this girl is that she’s shy and likes computers. I understand there is a deviation from main and supporting characters and that not all characters can be treated equally, but I feel like this show did not do a good enough job to properly portray the characters. When you have a class size that small and you have every class member on the cover art, there should not be a character that is completely ignored. (4) ART – This is where I find the show to excel. Quick, picture a dragon in your mind. I guarantee you that this show presents dragons in a completely different light than you are picturing. The dragons deviate from the preconceived image of what a dragon is. Some are bipedal, some are quadrupedal, some can fly, some walk, some swim. They are all different and have different skills and abilities. They are not just different in shape, but size as well. They are enormous, overwhelming creatures that provide you with the idea that they are a viable threat. They are far different from any dragon I have ever seen portrayed outside of YuGiOh cards. It is unique and shows originality. The scenery is also quite above average. The character designs are pretty well done as well. When an anime is set in a school, one thing I look for in the character design is the uniform. Some shows will try to make their uniforms too unique to a point where they are too flashy and distract from the character design rather than accentuate it. Unlimited Fafnir provides us with a basic black and white uniform for the ladies with a built in shawl that drapes over the upper torso, hiding the bust. The characters also have, for the most part, standard hair-color. It makes them look more realistic and human, aside from Tear who has horns and pink hair. In this aspect, Tear’s character design is very reminiscent of Eco from Seikoku no Dragonar. Yu, the male protag rocks a rather badass looking black suit with white accents, black dress shirt, and white tie. It’s a clean look that accentuates his character design, which would be rather bland and generic without. (8) SOUND – It’s a pity that the characters are done so poorly because the voice cast is excellent. Yoshitsugu Matsuoka continues to be every male protag in a harem series, but in this case it fits really well. His very soothing voice is a welcome change of pace to the sometimes loud and obnoxious voices used by some of the female cast. However, I think this was more of a sound mixing error than the voice actors’ fault. The female voices are all recognizable names if you’ve watched a good share of anime, but they show great range; deviating from the voices they’ve used in notable roles they were cast in the past. The voice acting is rather well done and fit each character rather well. The music is pretty good too. The opening track, “Flying Fafnir” is a nice, driving but mellow song with a pretty stellar piano/vocal lead in. It sets a good mood for the show. I also have a serious soft spot for voice actors adding to the musical track, so the ending, “Ray of bullet” is very welcome, especially episode 12 which includes all seven of the female classmates. Why they didn’t do that for episodes 1-11 is beyond me. (9) ENJOYMENT – Even with all the criticisms I have over the characters and how hollow I feel they are; the show is still enjoyable. This was one of the shows I was looking forward to this past season because of the premise and the voice cast. Despite my disdain for how the characters were handled, the story was very good, albeit rushed in some spots (this is a commonality in short run series, so it is to be expected). There is a very good dynamic in this show between fantasy and science. It combines fantastical themes where the D use weapons like spears, bows, hammers, etc. with new age tech where the military uses airships and hi-tech doomsday devices. The combat scenes were nothing special, but got the job done. Unlimited Fafnir does have its spots of predictability, but also has a few swerves that you won’t see coming. Another aspect of this show I really enjoyed was the general lack of fanservice throughout. I mean it's there in spots, but not overwhelmingly there. In many harem series, there is an abundance of fanservice that is supposed to rile up male viewers. Aside from Iris’s low-cut nightgown, a steamy hot-tub scene, and some bikini scenes, it is pretty barren of that aspect. The female uniforms also hide the bust so there aren’t humungous boobs in your face. All the female characters are badass warriors who fight dragons and not sex symbols, and I find that exceptional and refreshing. If you want boobs, panties, or fap material, this show is not for you. (8) ------ I would assert that if you are a fan of harem series, you might want to shy away from this series. You’ll likely be disappointed. There isn’t a huge contest for the male protag’s love amongst a throng of women, nor is there multiple character types that appeal to various different viewers. If you like super detailed character backstories, this show will disappoint you. If you just want to watch some cute, badass girls fight some dragons, then yes watch this show. Perhaps a lot of this show’s shortcomings are the fact it is a short run show of 12 episodes. It is pretty common that in these short series, the creators try to jam pack as much as they can. Sometimes it works, but sometimes it doesn’t. This show falls right in the middle of that where they are able to keep an organized story, but fail in providing sub-stories and creating and resolving character development. I have a feeling if they had a longer series run, the adaptation could have been better and maybe a second season would help close the gaps the first season created. Will it get that chance? (7.2 Overall)

(This has been adapted from my blog/reddit thread. Spoilers ahead!) Juuou Mujin no Fafnir is an anime that places some emphasis on the ethereal entity known as memories. Memories aren’t facts learned or knowledge acquired; they’re events, precious happenings that we remember and look back on with glee. At least, the good ones. Because everyone has a couple of memories that really aren’t worth bringing back up. Imagine, then, if you had the capability to trade your memories for more power than you could ever dream of. Would you knowingly lose random memories to gain newfound strength? Or are they an invaluable part of your lifethat made you into the kind of person you are today? Fafnir doesn’t ask itself these questions. In fact, it should be forgotten as quickly as is humanly possible. STORY Fafnir stars Mononobe Yuu, a boy who is the first male “D” – a person who has some connection to the Dragons that have popped up across the world. Attending an all-female academy designed to train “D” people and their powers, Mononobe works to protect the girls who have befriended him. It’s really hard to start anywhere with Fafnir, because it barely manages to do anything at all. Luckily (unluckily?) there is something worth investigating: Mononobe’s power. But that may be the incorrect way to describe it, for it isn’t technically his power. For some context, the anime follows the “monster-of-the-arc” formula, with each set of episodes aimed at eliminating a Dragon because they just have to. There isn’t a reason given for this; the Dragon’s just exist and the motivations behind defeating them are nothing more than having to do so in order to make sure nobody dies or, very awkwardly, causes the Dragon to “mate” with the person it’s seeking. The unexplainable nature of the show isn’t the worst part, though. It’s what Mononobe does to win every single fight that’s the most asinine. And this is enacting the most blatant “deus ex machina” possible. He calls upon some godly figure to provide him with some overly massive weapon to kill the enemy in one hit. It doesn’t make sense: there is no pretext for why he is given the opportunity to do this, having prolonged battles is pointless if he can just call upon this device, and he’s completely useless as a soldier if he never uses this ridiculous ability. The only caveat is that, in order to call upon it, he must relinquish memories that he owns. Which would seem to provide some outlet with which to explore, but Fafnir falters once more. It’s true that Mononobe, after each battle, seems to lose a memory or two – this really doesn’t start becoming apparent until much later in the series. But the problem is that, while this does happen, it doesn’t serve anything to the narrative whatsoever. In other words, his loss of cherished memories doesn’t affect anything that happens with the plot. It doesn’t tarnish his relationships both old and new; it doesn’t prevent him from using the same heavenly summon to vanquish his foes; and it isn’t even relevant thematically to what goes on within the anime. It’s only purpose is to make it seem “fair” in its usage. But Mononobe’s minimal characterization doesn’t allow the audience to “care” for his well-being so losing his memories means nothing. And the only important memory of his is one related to his sister. Meaning the show places very little focus on memories – despite it being a crux of the show – which in turn devalues the anime overall. ANIMATION Fafnir has some of the worst art and animation in its repertoire. It’s kind of amazing how bad the art can get within the show. And what’s sad is that there is little to no variety in the locations visited; everything is either a room with a bed, a few chairs, or the edge of the beach. So there is almost no reason for these separate areas to not contain as much detail as possible. Instead, the show presents each environment as entirely boring – it all starts to blend together the further it is watched. Worse than this are the Dragons. They’re entirely CG and equally horrid to see. The blocky textures, the unappealing color schemes, the way in which they heavily contrast with the already bland backgrounds; it’s quite difficult to witness them on-screen due to their general ugliness. But Fafnir’s biggest errors come in the form of inexcusable oversight. For example, characters will magically disappear during scenes, colors will be applied incorrectly, and even mistiming sound effects in accordance to whatever is occurring in the moment. It’s absolutely unwarranted for an anime to have such blatant grievances, especially when little attention is paid to everything else around it. The character designs aren’t even worth mentioning. The girls each wear the exact same outfit, with their only defining feature being their different colored hair – that is, when it’s colored correctly. Some have big eyes, some have large breasts, and Tear even has tiny horns to make her a bit cuter and dragon-like. Regardless of what is done to make them different, though, they all end up looking identical to one another in looks. As if it needs to be said at this point, but the anime’s actual animation is grossly below average. The combination of the Dragon’s terrible range of motion, reused ability sequences (most characters have mysteriously one move in his or her arsenal), and other rudimentary movements regarding facial expressions, special effects, and general actions make it clear that being an anime was an afterthought. CHARACTERS A glaring issue with the characters is in Fafnir being unable to provide any kind of attention to most of the cast involved with the narrative. There are approximately seven characters that are “vital” to the happenings of the anime. However, three of them aren’t given a morsel of screen-time let alone an equal opportunity to be deemed worthwhile. Firill, one of these three, does manage to express her emotions once regarding her friends, but that’s the extent of her character. The other two use their abilities here and there and contribute nothing at all. Lisa has some semblance of characterization in her tense relationship with Mitsuki and her motherly one with Tear, but she, too, does nothing more than react to these other girls from time to time. As the ladder is slowly climbed, rung by rung, Mononobe is found next. Besides his amazingly unfair ability to gain power whenever he feels like it, he is given tiny references to his background. Having worked for a military-esque group known as NIFL, a lot of what he knows is loneliness surrounded by violence. This is a trait that many of the girls at the academy find themselves in as well, giving Mononobe the chance to connect with them on a more personal level. But these characteristics are minimal, and in fact, considering the amount of memory losing he undergoes, he in essence regresses as a character since what made him into the person he is today is essentially lost. Iris is one of the first people to connect with him because her past is somewhat similar – losing her parents to the Dragons, she found herself alone and afraid. She gains the courage to fight thanks to Mononobe’s protective ways, allowing the group to gain a member whose newfound strength is invaluable. Her character plateaus quite early, with her becoming nothing more than a cute voice for the majority of the anime. While the top of the ladder is never reached, there are at least a couple of semi-decent characters provided. Mitsuki initially grew up with Mononobe. But when she was discovered to be a “D,” she was removed from society like the others and subsequently separated from her brother. There, she befriends many but during one cruel incident loses a close friend, forcing her mind to take on a more guilt-filled role. That is, she begins and even wants to accept all of the blame for anything that happens. Specifically, she tries to take the burden of eliminating those students who are themselves about to become Dragons so she doesn’t have to see those close to her succumb like her good friend did. This makes her distant and hard to work with, since she feels that all of the responsibility falls on her. When in fact, it falls on everyone. Tear’s arc helps her to realize this; that the people around her aren’t there because they have to be, they’re there because they’re her comrades and friends, who also don’t want to lose those close to them, Mitsuki included. Speaking of Tear, she receives about the same level of focus. Her past is mired in abuse, flames, and brainwashing, so her arrival at the academy shows just how delusional she is. Gradually, though, she acclimates not only to the society she never knew but also to the people who would become her mentors and family. While she relies heavily on Mononobe to make her understand that she alone has the power to choose where her life leads, she heeds his words and does something she’s never done before: make her own decisions. Tear’s character also helps to highlight something that the anime does with the Dragons themselves. There are a range of them, but Fafnir only showcases three: the White Leviathan, the Blue Hecatoncheir, and the Red Basilisk. The blue one doesn’t actively seek out any of the girls, and is there as a (huge) nuisance only. The other two, though, are symbolic of the characters they are after, namely Iris and Tear. The White Leviathan utilizes a “repulsion field.” Iris had, more or less, the same: she was isolated away due to her inept style of fighting. For Tear, the Red Basilisk was capable of seeing the future. And as we see for her, the future wasn’t as set in stone as it was made out to be. Tear’s future was altered – instead of becoming the Dragon she was always “destined” to become, Mononobe and the others gave her a much greater fate to follow. SOUND The opening theme takes on a rather “float-y” feel, being grander in scope than initially perceived. Perhaps due to all of the flying and fantasy elements that the show contains, it takes on this more romanticized stance. The ending theme is wholly generic, a poor piece with nothing going for it: not the singing, not the instruments, and certainly not the beat. The rest of the soundtrack follows this same trend. “Irisu Fureia” is slow and almost jazz-like in its presentation that doesn’t really fit with the anime’s overall mood or direction. “Hadaka de Dokkiri” is a fun song, with playful guitar and resounding trumpet, but once again, due to the “darker” atmosphere and more dramatic elements at play, it doesn’t necessarily have a place within the anime outside of a scene or two. “Midogaruzuorumu” is the only track that’s memorable; here the simple beat, combined with the ambient effects, is a tension builder that works in the show’s favor considering all of the tense moments it attempts to generate. The majority are like the first two, however, as nothing more than background filler. Voice-acting for Fafnir is about average. Special shout-outs are in order for Rina Hidaka as Iris for her quiet yet squeaky voice and Ayane Sakura as Tear for her childlike way of speaking. ENJOYMENT I wasn’t too fond of this one, but it was a little fun from the get-go. Iris is a cute character because of how sweet she is to Mononobe and everyone else, but she alone wasn’t always able to bring about smiles and laughs. When Tear came along – who likewise did her best to inject some entertainment into this stale show – it allowed Iris to have a bit of banter with her over their “boyfriend” and “husband.” In other words, some classic harem antics were had, which are always good for a chuckle time and again. But outside of Iris and Tear, the rest of the cast, either due to their incredibly lame characterizations, non-focus, or both, couldn’t do anything at all to inject some life into this one. And not just on an individual basis; their interactions between each other were very dull throughout much of the series. All of this says nothing of the boring fight scenes with hilariously bad animation, the particularly awful antagonist known as Kili, and the show’s inability to make anything even remotely worth investing in. There are a bunch of events that involve variables other than Iris and Tear, and when those were in the equation, the result was never good. Juuou Mujin no Fafnir is an anime with a nonsensical narrative, ridiculously poor characters, and awful art and animation problems that, in unison, create an unwieldy show with no sense of direction. This one shouldn’t just be forgotten; it should never have had the chance to be remembered in the first place. SUMMARY Story: Terrible, deus ex machina plot progression with zero focus on memories, despite them being pivotal to the show’s development Animation: Terrible, inexcusable artistic errors, lame character designs, and below average actual animation Characters: Bad, many are insignificant, Mononobe and Iris are very weak, Mitsuki and Tear are sub-par, and the Dragons aren’t entirely meaningless Sound: Bad, mediocre OP, bad ED, bad soundtrack, average VA work Enjoyment: Bad, Iris and Tear could be cute at times but the rest was dreadful Final Score: 1/10

The harem genre became a popular demand these days, which we can say they are the most "overused" genre every season, and every season we get 2 to 4 harem anime, and in most cases, are shit and trash that must be avoided. Juuou Mujin no Fafnir is NOT one of that. But why do I give such a high rating for a harem? Because Fafnir(that's will I call it from now on) is a pretty good one, yes, maybe its elements are generic and overused but some of its aspects are done right and pleasing to me. The story is somewhat similar to otherharem animes out there with magic school setting and a main guy surrounded by many girls, guy MC gets stronger with his "exceptional" powers and BOOM! Lots of cliche events like pantyshots, peeping and changing clothes, and hotsprings. What makes this good is the concept of "D's" and dragons, but it's kinda waste because the dragons don't even look like actual dragons at all, I expect something more like dragons that fly, not just dinosaur wannabe breathing fire dragon. For a harem the plot of this anime is just average, nothing special. The art is pleasing to the eyes though, the background designs were cool like those in video games and characters look like CGs from video games and eroge. The dragon designs was disappointing and bad because of 3D effects making it look so out of place in the scene. For the animation, I can say that it was average, the way they used magic was good but some movements look awkward and unnatural at times. Music, soundtracks, and overall themes were pretty good and nice to hear, you can feel the mood of the scenes through the music. The opening "Flying Fafnir" is one of the best this season I think for being catchy, and the ED "Ray of Bullet" was just cute for its moe vocals by the two main seiyuus, Iris and Mitsuki. The sound effects is just there, contributing to the mood of the atmosphere but still gets the job done. Characters may be found in other animes out there, but some of their traits are sort of unique and their personalities give the perfect chemistry for the whole cast and present a nice character interaction. Although rare for harems, this anime has little character developments to the main and some of the supporting characters. Mononobe is just as cool as usual, Iris overcame her jealousy, Mitsuki changed, Tear and Lisa gained trust to their fellow classmates. Some side characters were unnecessary though, for example : -the chick with the magical book (Fyril) -redhead loli (Ren) -brown-haired girl (Ariela) They just exist as if they're just there to add a collection to the harem, but they have really minor roles and don't even get 5 minutes screentime. The enjoyment factor is surprising, because I found myself enjoying this kind of harem although I don't care about the genre itself. I think this is one of the good harems this season along with Saekano. Some my become bored and turn-off after knowing this is harem, but this is decent and worth watching. Overall, I give this anime a sweet 7 because of its unexpected pleasure, one thing I can say for sure is that Fafnir is a great harem, it's solid from start up to the end, and is one of the better harems out there. Story - 6 Art - 8 Sound - 8 Character - 7 Enjoyment - 7 Overall - 7.2=7