I'm slightly bored right now so might as well start working on my series review backlog.
In a world of violence and bloodshed—where the sounds of blaring firearms and steel clashing is an everyday occurrence—being an arms dealer is neither an easy task nor laughing matter. It is not a position where honesty and justice prevail, but one where deception and cruelty run rampant. But despite the bad reputation and dangers that come with the occupation, there is one individual who has made a name for herself in the business. Her name is Koko (Hekmatyar)... and she is loco. With the help of her talented comrades, the story of Jormungand follows Koko and co. as they travel around the world doing their work. Now, let's see how big of a splash this series has made in the vast body of water that is the world of anime.
Art (7/10)
Fittingly enough, the notable grainy appearance of the visuals matched the overall theme of the series quite well. It illustrated the "get down and dirty" aspect of the arms dealer job and the dusty battlefield of the wilderness. However, on a more subjective note, the character designs barely appealed to me at all. For the most part, virtually all the characters had many similar physical traits, making the minor characters hard to remember. It even got to the point where I had at times asked myself, "Where did this character come from?" before realizing they had been introduced earlier on. As for the battle scenes, the animation was generally fluid and not hard on the eyes to watch. A decent job overall.
Characters (6/10)
Here is where the score for the series takes a hit. Aside from Jonah, and possibly Koko/Valmet, all the other characters seemed rather bland. Sure, they had their own little distinguishing characteristic/story to set them apart from each other, but other than that, they were barely developed. On the other hand, I do understand that with only twelve episodes to work with, the story might be prioritized over the characters. That said, what's to say you can't use the story to help develop the characters (i.e. give a character screentime during which they not only develop the story but also allow the viewer to understand more about them)?
Sound (8/10)
Sounds in general are usually a hit or miss in most anime; either they really help one get into each episode, or they stick out like a sore thumb. For Jormungand, it luckily fell into the former. While the OP, ED, BGM, and voice acting weren't outstanding, they were definitely not bad. The OP was upbeat, and despite the Engrish, quite catchy too. On the other hand, I personally didn't really like the ED that much as I felt it didn't fit the theme of the show. The show's BGM was probably the best of the four aspects; high-octane tracks matched to hot-blooded action is never a bad combination. No comment on the voice acting, which was more or less average. Lastly, who can forget about the epic episode preview track? That alone, factored in greatly to this section's score.
Story (7/10)
One's first impression of Jormungand's story might be that it's just a bunch of people killing each other with guns. While that's partially true, there is also some dialogue and informative content as well. To be honest, I wasn't really too into the whole arms dealer idea. However, I do admit that by watching this anime, I learned a bit about tactical strategics and arms dealing (assuming they're depicting the job accurately). The story had its ups and downs—from being downright boring to keeping me at the edge of my seat for the entire episode. With that being said, I'll give this season's story the benefit of the doubt by assuming that having to also add in character introductions might have hindered the story's potential. However, I won't be so forgiving when season two rolls around.
Overall (7/10)
Although it wasn't a memorable series by any means, Jormungand was entertaining for the most part. It's not an anime where a lot of thinking is required; just kicking back and watching Loco Koko's adventures is enjoyable in and of itself. Anyone with an open mind will probably enjoy this series so feel free to give it a try if you have the time and haven't already. As for me, I'll be patiently waiting for season two, which starts airing in Fall 2012.
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