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| Overall | Art | Animation | Character Design | Music | Series Story | Episode Story | Reviewer | |
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| Unevaluated |
 Stretch
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[series:3349#628] | ||||||
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(Ten episodes watched): I recall that the original Bahamut series was a so-so show, with some colorful characters and good touches, but also somewhat confusing and as a result I have almost completely forgotten the plot. It wasn't the sort of show which one remembers for the rest of your life. Episode one of Virgin Soul left me with an uncomfortable feeling that a simplistic plot of very bad villains who must be defeated because they've done some very bad things is possibly being fed to us without much nuance. I was largely lost until I recognized Kaiser, one of the Genesis characters. In the next couple of episodes a halfway decent plot has come together, however. Rather than the usual good guys versus bad guys tale there is some sophistication here: Kaiser is a good man serving a bad cause, namely the cruel and repressive king Chadiocre. The 'Rag Demon' is violent but arguably fighting for a good cause. It makes the story much more interesting and believable, even if there's a girl who sometimes transforms into a dragon involved. One thing you can definitely say for this show is that the action scenes are superbly animated. A dragon breathing fire, archers shooting arrows, magic being employed--all are exciting and seem realistic. Character designs are distinctive and cool. Quality all around is good. Whereas the plot of the original series seemed unfocused, here I find myself able to keep track of what really matters. Azazel/the Rag Demon fights for an insurgent movement that represents terribly mistreated Demons (the very notion that a demon could possibly be treated worse than it deserves is foreign to Western culture). Nina can transform into an awesome dragon under certain circumstances, and Azazel wants to use her as a weapon. Kaiser is torn between his sympathy for Azazel and Demons and his duty to the cruel King (and is under suspicion for that reason). And King Chariocre is pleasingly complex rather than being just a sadist and two-dimensional villain. He's a bad guy but he honestly believes that what he's doing is right, which is the way most villains actually think, and he's courageous to a fault. It's that simple--not simplistic but not overcomplicated either. That's one of the tricks in keeping an anime fun. I also appreciate the sequence at the start of each episode which quickly brings us up to speed regarding where the plot stands at this point. The identity of the dashing robed man who thrilled Nina in episode one or two was not who I had been expecting, which was kind of neat and intriguing. A web of relationships between principal characters has formed, and what they know and don't know about each other is bound to lead to conflict and crisis. The afro dude, I forget his name, shows up around two-thirds of the way through the story, and he does so in a surprising but believable manner. But once Nina goes on a sabbatical or something to her homeland, the lull in action led to what remained of my interest rapidly draining away. I was unimpressed with the way the first season of this show had concluded, and felt little motivation to watch a second one as well. Last updated Friday, August 03 2018. Created Thursday, April 20 2017. | ||||||||
