Ragnarok the Animation

Fantasy anime is a bit of an odd genre at times. One would think that, with all the great ideas and influences out there, the fantasy genre of anime would be exceptionally strong and, most importantly, original, and would turn out some cracking shows season after season. Unfortunately this isn't the case, and more often than not the viewer is subjected to episode after episode of mediocrity, genericism, and poor storytelling. One such example is Ragnarok: The Animation. Based on the MMORPG, Ragnarok Online, which itself is based on the Korean manwha Ragnarok by Lee Myung-Jin (who also took on the role of chief director for the animeadaptation), the series follows the exploits of a young band of adventurers as they travel through the world of Rune-Midgard, the same world in which the game takes place. On the surface the story seems remarkably similar to that of Slayers and several other fantasy anime already available (i.e. save the world from the demon lord), however one's early expectations are rapidly scuppered as the anime gets into it's stride. The plot develops in a rather haphazard manner, partly because there was an effort made to merge the manga with the game and turn it all into a TV series. Unfortunately, the approach taken to mesh everything together into a new shining whole failed miserably, and both the plot and story are, at best, only slightly above par. One of the other reasons for the lacklustre plot development is purely based on the fact that unlike many other game adaptations, Ragnarok was adapted from a game that essentially has no real story, and the lack of anything coherent meant that the writers had to rely heavily on Lee Myung-Jin's manwha for inspiration. Add to that the fact that Myung-Jin was effectively in charge of the anime (although the series was really directed by Kishi Seiji, of Seto no Hanayome fame), and one has a recipe for confusion at the very least. In truth, the lack of an in-game storyline should have proven a boon for the anime adaptation, as it would have given the writers a great deal of freedom in an already developed imaginary world, however this was not to be, and the story absolutely reeks of genericism and formula because of the attempt to tie it into the manwha. In terms of looks and sound, the series isn't bad, however it's also not that great. The characters are designed with the MMORPG in mind, and athough there is some individuality in certain aspects of their design, one must remember that they were made to appeal to fans of the game, rather than to the average anime viewer. In terms of animation the series works fairly well, however while the characters move in a decent manner, there is a certain "woodenness" and repetition to their actions. The backgrounds and settings are also on the formulaic side, and no real effort has been made to make the world of Rune-Midgard more "real". This also, unfortunately, counts for the sound effects, many of which are reasonably executed but lack any real depth. The series also drops points for its choice and execution of music, as quite often the atmosphere of a scene is thrown off by the track playing, whilst on other occasion one is subjected to a barrage of sound as speech, music and effects clash to produce a veritable cacophony. That said, it should be noted that the majority of seiyuu performed reasonably well, but in an effort to further sabotage itself, the series, like many others, resorts to using strange or high pitched voices for its bad guys, especially in scenes that are supposed to be filled with tension and action. As far as the characters go, Raganrok: The Animation proves once more that genericism isn't the best option when it comes to fantasy anime.The two lead characters, Roan and Yufa, are, at the very least, two of the most annoyingly juvenile leads in fantasy anime. Roan, for example, is a ponce of the first order, whilst Yufa is glibly stupid. The series charts their growth through the course of several "adventures", however their, and the other characters, development is overblown and overly dramatic, so much so in fact, that any growth that occurs is overshadowed by the inane, stupid and downright idiotic events that lead up to it. In truth, the only character who actually develops in any meaningful way is Maya, and while her story is suitably over dramatic, she is far less annnoying as a character later on in the series because of the changes in her personality (unlike Roan and Yufa). While I can understand, and even appreciate, the reasoning behind Ragnarok: The Animation, in particular the where and whyfor of the plot and characters, I have to say that this series is way down on the list of what I would recommend with regards to fantasy anime. The series has several major flaws that no amount of plausible deniability can hide, and many of these stem from the fact that the creators didn't treat this adaptation as a completely new tale. In all honesty, if you want a good fantasy anime, then watch Slayers, Kemono no Souja Erin, Guin Saga, Tears to Tiara (which is also a game adaptation), Seirei no Moribito, or shows of that calibre. Whilst Ragnarok isn't a bad show, it also isn't a shining example of the genre either, and even though it does have it's good points, these only serve to highlight the problems. Given that the world of Rune-Midgard was already developed to quite a large degree thanks to the manwha and MMORPG, I can only consider this series to be wasted opportunity.