
Score: 6.15/10
Assassins Pride [DUB]
Synopsis
On the brink of extinction, mankind has downsized and now solely resides in the city-state of Flandore, living in cities encased by glass domes. Beyond the domes exist vicious lycanthropes who thrive in the darkness; among the citizens inside, a clear distinction between the nobility and commoners is in place. The blood of nobles enables them to utilize mana, granting them abilities that exceed human limits and greatly assist them in defeating lycanthropes. Already 13 years of age, noble Melida Angel has yet to manifest her mana, and attends an elite academy where she is mistreated for her lack thereof. In order to help her, Kufa Vampir is ordered by the Angel family to become Melida's tutor. While Kufa seems to be a mere mentor, an ulterior motive lurks behind his job—he is to assassinate her if he confirms that she does not possess mana. Kufa's investigation eventually leads him to determine he must eliminate Melida. However, Kufa is struck by her unwavering determination, spirit, and belief in herself when he witnesses her in a fight, choosing instead to offer a way she can manifest her magic. As Melida learns to use mana with the help of Kufa's teachings, Kufa forsakes his mission and jeopardizes everything to keep his discovery of Melida unknown to the Angel family and his own guild. However, both Kufa and Melida will soon realize that hiding their secret will not be the only challenge they face, as unforeseen trouble is waiting just around the corner. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Assassins Pride is a strange and somewhat lopsided production. Based on a light novel, there were many elements of this premiere that felt so goofy, it was a little hard to take the story seriously. The two main characters are named Kufa Vampir (the titular assassin, dressed all in black) and Melida Angel (the girl he’s guarding, all in white). The episode ends on a confession in a rose garden, where Kufa refers to Melida as “my little lady” in english as red petals shower around them. At one point, Kufa dramatically intones the show’s title, before heading off to perform his, well, Assassins Pride. If you have a low tolerance for chuunibyou theater, this episode will likely put you in a giggling fit.
And yet, this episode is also so sincere in its chuunibyou nonsense. The relatively inexperienced director Kazuya Aiura actually seems like an ideal fit for this material – in the same way that the narrative is hokey and overwritten, the direction is melodramatic and infinitely embellished. There are constant slow pans and soft focus shots, along with closeups intended to convey far more emotion than these generic character designs and underwritten narrative could possibly evoke. The slow pacing and gentle, orchestral soundtrack give this charmingly silly narrative an odd sense of false grativas, as if everyone involved in this production is trying to believe in it hard enough for it to actually earn the seriousness it aspires to.
Sincerity counts for a lot with me, and Assassins Pride’s gleefully melodramatic approach ultimately won me over. It certainly helps that the show looks pretty good. No one is phoning it in here – Assassins Pride looks polished from start to finish, with only the mediocre digital backgrounds really undercutting its visual effect. This episode also opens and closes on some impressively animated action cuts, and I enjoyed what details we received regarding its novel setting – a world within a lantern, where electric lights can only partially counter the perpetual twilight. Assassins Pride feels both underwritten and over-directed, and yet somehow, those two wrongs seem to make a right, resulting in an undeniably silly but endearingly heartfelt production. It demands a fair degree more suspension of disbelief than many anime, but if you can meet it on its own terms, there’s a lot to enjoy here. You can also Assassins Pride anime free watch online and download.
Comments