'Grimgar Of Fantasy And Ash' Anime Episode 1 Review: The Guild Has No Money

Episode 1 "Whisper, Chant, Prayer, Awaken"

"Sword Art Online" set perhaps an unconquerable precedent with its action packed pilot and spectacular characterization and interesting concept. As a result, the idea of being trapped inside an MMO immediately begs the comparison, as there has yet to be anime series that takes place inside the same realm to get close to the strength of the series' concept.

However, "Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash" may have adjusted its concept just enough to reveal a story and set of characters worth considering on its own merits. The key change is that the characters wake up in the realm of Grimgar and have no knowledge of what their lives could have previously been. This removes the somewhat vital comparison to "reality" that is often explored in "Sword Art Only" but then opens itself to a different question.

Does it matter to know what is reality if the task at hand calls for something else? Would Kirito and Asuna behave the same if SAO was all they knew?

One immediate negative about "Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash" is that initially, there is not one character that feels particularly interesting or well-developed. There's a moment of depth involving self-image and self-esteem with Shihoru, but it feels easily dismissed and unexplored with a quick joke. I sincerely hope that the series can continue to explore certain emotional concepts.

Overall, the first episode of "Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash" was yet another introduction into a fantasy world with one key difference, dramatic irony, that could lead the series to uncharted ground. Unfortunately, without an initial anchor of a strong lead character, I wonder how far that fresh change in plotting can go.