Anime 30296 Rakudai Kishi No Cavalry Reviews Filter Check 1

I'll admit at first glance I also noticed it to be both visually and story related to Asterisk wars however as we all may know by now that Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry has more of a erotic, romance, ecchi genre's in it. While watching I found myself to be highly engaged into the action and battles scenes more than the story. I felt bad though because I personally felt that the story was weak. What I mean by that is I felt like there wasn't much of a "wow" or "oh my god how intense" moment in the story for me. I did however like ... the romance between our main characters. Personally depending on what genre a show is, especially in the genre's of action/adventure/fantasy I feel like every guy needs a woman who is either equally or soon to be be equal in strength. A good example of what I mean would be Kirito and Asuna from Sword Art Online. The character relationship no, let me start with this, the archetypes in the story were pretty generic, nothing too unique or special. I feel like we have all at some point watched a show like Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry with the same characters and personalities. I was not too surprised to Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry turn into a bit of a harem-ish type show based on the elements in the story along with characters. Especially since in most anime's the weakest characters are usually the ones who will become the strongest both psychically and mentally. They are also the ones most girls in anime usually fall for. The BGM and soundtrack didn't really stand out too me as much. I didn't really notice the music playing unless it was one the intro and outro songs or if a battle is going on (I would highly recommend you watch and see for yourself.) To contradict myself for a minute, the fights are indeed intense, so just ignore what I said earlier. The art style was your generic mid 2010+ style so lightly drawn face, simple shadows and different highlights in hair, that sort of thing. Overall I give this show an 8/10 because to me it really did a good job of breaking the barrier of similarities it shares with other shows just like it!

Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry - after reading the synopsis and seeing the cover, doesn't it make you think it's yet another uninteresting and low quality light novel adaptation about a "worst" student and his harem, taking place in a magic high school?
That's not exactly what Rakudai is.

The start might not be so convincing, but already after the first episode I knew I would stick with this anime till the end. What makes Rakudai stand out, is that it's really trying to be a little different. And the outcome is pretty good. At first, this is something we know very well already. We get our protagonist, ... Ikki, who is known as "the worst one" and has no magical skills. The main girl is a pink-haired tsundere, Stella, who is an A-rank student and princess of another country. How do these two meet? Of course, he walks in on her in her underwear, yet his reaction was not something you usually see in Your Typical Light Novel Adaptation. And this isn't the only scene when Rakudai does that - it uses well known schemes but does it in a pretty refreshing way. I wouldn't call it the most unique anime ever, but does it really need to be very original when it can still be somewhat refreshing and very entertaining while relying on a base we're familiar with?

What is also worth mentioning is that this is not a harem show! Yeah, really. After the first 2/3 eps there were people making sarcastic comments about it, but they could shut their mouth after a little while. The development of main characters' relationship is sweet to watch and adds to this anime. Rakudai doesn't focus on romance that much, but it's there, it's noticeable and it is nice to follow. More female characters appear, but Ikki isn't their love interest (there is one exception, which is his little sister, but no worries, this aspect is also handled well and shouldn't be found annoying even by people that dislike this kind of characters).
Characters are likeable, they aren't unique but they're still fun to watch. Also opponents are more interesting than they usually are in Your Typical Light Novel Adaptation!

Okay, so since this is a "sword action" anime about magic knights, there must be a fair amount of battles. There are battles and they are really well done! They aren't short but don't feel too long. The animation is smooth and the battles are full of details. They are really exciting and great to watch! You might even find yourself rewatching some fight scenes - so did I.
Not only fight scenes are so well done. This show offers really neat art, there are many details, it's rare to see noticeable deformations in the background, the animation is always smooth and also the authors sometimes used different styles of animation - which turned out really well imo and is yet another thing about this anime that makes it stand out.

Another thing that makes Rakudai better than Your Typical Light Novel Adaptation is the fanservice! I found it splendid. Sometimes Rakudai goes where most series of this kind don't have the balls to. And the expierience is even nicer because of the great art. It might not have that much fanservice, but it is of incomparably better quality than it is in most shows of this kind! And it mostly focuses on our beautiful Stella (who is not only good looking, but can be also sweet, supportive and seductive).

The soundtrack doesn't stand out that much but it doesn't disappoint either. It's just good. The opening song is really great though! Fresh and catchy. Definitely one of my personal favorites. The ending song is by my beloved Ali Project so I obviously enjoy it too. For those that don't like Ali Project's music, there is a beautiful and fanservicey animation.

This anime does the same thing its protagonist does - it might be labelled as bad since the beginning by some, yet it really tries and the outcome is very satisfying. Sometimes you might even feel like they tried too hard (example: episode 11) but don't you like it better when they try very hard than when they don't really care?

Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry is a well done anime. Even if it might look generic at times, there are things about it that make it feel more fresh and stand out. As a fan of this kind of series, who appreciates interesting fights, good art, quality fanservice, a bit of originality and actual effort put into the show, I enjoyed Rakudai a lot.

If you expect good action, smooth and detailed animation, a bit of romance and some high quality fanservice and don't mind a harmless amount of well handled generic tropes - you might really enjoy it. It's also worth mentioning that Rakudai gets better with time, the beginning is just slightly above average but in later episodes I just fell for this anime!

If I weren't a fan of this kind of anime I'd give it a solid 7, but since I am and every aspect that I like in anime was handled really well in this one, I'm giving it a 9. It was real fun and if another season ever comes out I'll be the happiest.

Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry feels to me like an almost desperate attempt to be different. It intentionally utilizes perhaps the most overused setting and premise in the anime industry as of late, and then tries to put its own spin on it in order to make it stand out from the crowd. I say "attempt" however, because unfortunately it never quite lives up to its own potential due to having a tendency of not focusing on its own strengths properly, and thus indirectly making it somewhat generic in the end, even though that's exactly what it's supposed to try its hardest to avoid.

The story takes ... place in a magic academy, and it only takes about 2 minutes and 30 seconds into the first episode before the MC, Kurogane Ikki, walks in on a girl, Stella Vermillion, in her underwear. Yeah I've never seen that development before. One thing leads to another, and the two of them eventually end up in an official duel where the loser has to become the winner's "slave". Ikki promptly defeats her in style, and thus immediately scores himself a sexy girl as his personal servant before the end of the first episode. Or at least that's the official verdict, but in reality the two of them are quite friendly with each other, and it doesn't take long before a full-blown romance begins to blossom in-between them.

And this is how Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry aims to be special. By this point we should all know what a typical action/fantasy/ecchi/harem magic academy light novel anime adaptation looks like, not to mention how absurdly many there are of them. This series however tries to kick out the harem aspect, and replace it with romance. Like an actual established romance from very early on in the story. That's an incredibly rare thing to find in any anime, let alone an action-oriented one, and it's a quite refreshing thing to see.

As far as the characters themselves go, Ikki is supposedly the weakest student in the entire school, nicknamed the "Worst One" by the pupils. However, this is strictly because he lacks magical skills, but on the other hand his prowess with the sword is second to none. And sadly that ends up being a mostly negative trait as Ikki thus ends up being an incredibly overpowered protagonist anyway, and there is so much plot armor throughout the fights in this anime that it really doesn't have a whole lot of tension in them. That aside he's an all-round good guy who has a lot of fans and supporters. In that sense he reminds me a lot of Shiba Tatsuya from Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei, and I can't really consider that a good thing. However, the way he normally acts towards Stella is very respectable I think, and that probably has to be considered the most important thing in the end. Stella herself on the other hand is not only one of the top students in the academy, but also a fiery redhead who is light on the tsun, heavy on the dere. She's a bit too submissive to be my type personally, but I know many people who like her a lot, and she's also got a pretty stunning body. My one problem with her as a character is that she seemingly falls head over heels in love with Ikki in a split second somewhere in-between episodes 1 and 2, but for no apparent reason. As cute as their romance is, I can't help but feel that it started off awfully unnaturally. It almost feels like the author was impatient at getting his dream pairing up and running, and thus he kind of just forced the two of them together in the beginning.

Of course those two aren't literally the only characters in this anime, and this is where we find the first of two problems I have with this anime. Namely, why are there so many other girls in here that are not only prevalent, but also in love with Ikki? Like really? First you make such a big deal about how this is a pure romance anime and not a harem, and then you *still* insist on having a bunch of other girls ogling the MC with lustful eyes? What's the point? We already know with absolute certainty that Ikki x Stella is the established main coupling in the story, so why do you have all these other girls as well? Are they there just in order to cater to certain target audiences, despite the fact that those people would know that their favorite girl has already lost the love game before it's even began? Make up your damn mind already; is this supposed to be a harem or not? It's like it's pretending not to be a harem but it actually is one. You can't just both have the cake and eat it, seriously. I mean if they were just there as friends, classmates or whatnot it'd be one thing, or if their feelings towards Ikki are just there in order to create some light love drama and make Stella jealous or something then I could understand it, but that's not the case here. Instead it's literally just for harem romcom shenanigans, which ought to be the last thing Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry should have in it given its premise.

My second issue with this anime lies with the action elements. Taking place in a magic academy, naturally there is a lot of dueling going on in-between the students. In fact... there's too much of it. Let's be real here, the one thing which Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry has going for it in comparison to other anime with the same setting is the romance. And yet despite that I swear it's spending more time on magic duels than romantic progression. Furthermore, there's still the simple fact that we got a pretty seriously overpowered protagonist in Ikki, so there's very little excitement in the duels themselves since you always know how they're going to end before they've even began. His abilities oftentimes feel like asspulls too as there are numerous special moves of his which are brought out seemingly out of nowhere in order to turn the fight around. There's also this one scene where at one point he's lying nigh-unconscious in a huge pool of his own blood, only to be in top tier fighting condition and kicking ass a minute later. Like really, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that that's simply impossible. The few times where we get to see fight scenes where Ikki is not involved however, then it's actually a lot better. Especially the magic duel in episode 10 was a treat to watch.

Anyway, the point is that the entire action/fantasy part of the anime feels almost meaningless a lot of the time. It's predictable and most importantly it doesn't really add anything noteworthy to the romantic part of the story at all. It just drags the romance down rather than complement it. Similarly, like mentioned earlier, the pseudo-harem elements are equally pointless, and does nothing but distract from the one thing which you're probably watching this anime for to begin with.

So if you put all that together, what can you conclude? Well, like I said initially, Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry is an attempt at taking the most overused premise in modern anime and adding a real romance plotline to it. And that's pretty much what it is. But there is no real sense of compatibility in it. The one thing which makes it worth watching is the romance. Almost everything else in it is average at best. So then I can't help but ask, was there really any point in using this setting to begin with? Why do the action, fantasy and harem elements even exist? Why is it taking place at a magic academy in the first place? Because seriously, this story could just have been an ordinary school-life romance anime taking place at an ordinary high-school with no dueling, no magic, no villains, nothing like that. It could just have been a realistic romance story between Ikki and Stella. That's all it's worth watching for as it is, and there'd be so much more focus on that in an everyday setting compared to what we got. It's like the anime is focusing on its own weaknesses more than its strength in its current state.

Originality is an admirable thing, and I highly respect Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry for trying to be different. But being unique doesn't always mean being better, and in this case I really feel like it wasn't entirely successful. Sure, it's still definitely better than your typical magic academy anime, no doubt about that, but it's definitely worse than what it could have been if it was rewritten into a dedicated romance story in a normal setting. Or if you want a graphical representation of it, then:

Pure romance > Romance + battle harem > Pure battle harem

I.E: mixing good with bad certainly makes it better than just bad, but still not as much as just good. So to speak.

On the other hand, you can say what you want but the ending is pretty satisfying.

As clichéd and by the number as Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry presents itself, it also seems to be an anime that challenges its own status constantly. By looking at its plot summary and art direction, you would be forgiven to toss this series along with the generic crap that piles the charts of every season. With that in mind, what could be then a valid reason to give this show the merit of a review?

Well, I’m glad you asked, little voice in my head, let me explain.

Story and Characters

From any angle you look Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry (this one is quite the mouthful, I’m gonna ... call just Rakudai for short) is following the clichés of the Sorcery School genre so strictly it seems as if it has a checklist of the tropes required. We have:

-the hardworking but underestimated protagonist who happens to be somewhat oblivious to girls affections;

-the pink-haired upstart tsundere, largely known for being among the most talented and powerful on the student body;

-the Imouto character, whose main purpose is to give the series its incest undertones;

-the playfull and not-at-all subtle homosexual side-character who just so happens to be someone you should not underestimate;

-the one-off enemy that is going to be discarded for the sake of raising the protagonist;

-a setting based on a school with modern aesthetic, that teaches its students about the handling of magical abilities;

-a tournament centered plot were the main characters bet their academic future and pride.

Now, what makes Rakudai an interesting beast to tackle is how it seems to be at odds with its own clichéd nature. The series displays a weird brand of self-awareness where it doesn’t necessarily belittle or parodies such tropes, but seriously plays them to the best of its abilities. Mostly. You can see this manifested in how the characters are presented and treated, going back and forth between the predictable instances of their archetypes and legitimately thought-out character moments.

Starting with the easier one, Ikki, the protagonist and Failed Knight of the translated title, who starts as an underdog but reveals to be actually pretty strong. Surprised? Neither am I. Granted, the series doesn’t make him simply a powerhouse for poorly established reasons or goes out of its way to avoid any kind of tension during battle, it shows him as a deeply hard-working individual who struggles against tough enemies, even showing that his strongest moves have their limitations, so a Kirito he isn’t, thankfully. In some instances the writing even makes fun of how quickly he becomes popular among his schoolmates. Personality-wise, he was given a sense of humour and empathy, enough to make him likeable and play well with the other figures.

Following is Stella, the resident tsundere. Now, even being a staple of anime, the tsundere archetype is a tricky one to write. Doing it right, the tsundere can develop into a well-rounded and likeable figure, in the molds of Taiga or Meryl Strife. Doing it wrong though, the results add the potential extra-damage of being not only a poorly-written character but also an awful individual as a whole, ruining the chances of the audience connecting or growing to like the character.

So how does Stella fair? Let’s take a look at the first episode before anything else: for once, after the obligatory accidental peeping scene, she is introduced in a comedic sequence so that it’s easier in get accustomed to her demeanor. Following that we’re shown her motivations for being in the story and the episode ends by displaying her kinder side towards the protagonist, while not in his presence mind you. Now, I think this is noteworthy effort, because far too often writers only worry about introducing the tsundere by her aggressive traits. Introducing Stella in this manner helps to understand that all the traits presented are natural sides of her personality that don’t conflict with each other. Later, when in her tsun-side, she acts more flustered than abrasive, making the transition to her dere-side natural.

Now, one common practice to make the tsundere likeable to the audience is to give her a quirk, so what would it be for Stella? She’s horny. No, really, the majority of the initial sexual tension between her and Ikki comes from her desire for his body.
--[Minor spoiler ahead}--
This later takes a different form when their relationship develops and leads to their most interesting moments as a couple. Being Stella a more sexually forward individual than Ikki, the two have to work out their expectations in regards to the relationship, strengthening their bond and ultimately providing better understanding of where their morals lie on. All that aside, it's unexpectedly refreshing to see a light novel adaptation having teenagers deal with such a strong subject like sex in a tasteful manner.
--[Minor spoiler end]—

The Imouto in the series is also played in that strangely self-conscious manner. Usually this archetype is used to give incest undertones to the anime, here it’s not at all in undertones. She starts her role by kissing her brother in front of other classmates, openly declaring her love so that everyone can hear it and playfully talking about sleeping together. I realize this might be a problem to some, but as long as it doesn’t devolve into tasteless pandering I appreciate when a series cuts the bullshit and plays with a trope.

Now and then, Rakudai has these strange moments that handle plot points in a way that could be classified as meta-humour, although this might be a dangerous statement to make. I say it can be seen as meta-humour because they play with expectations the viewer creates after having already seen similar situations. We’ve seen new characters end an episode talking about fighting the protagonist, so we expect them to be a future threat, not the punchline for a joke (which, you might notice, was a wasted opportunity for more effective build up, not gonna lie), and we’ve seen countless anime feature pool/beach episodes, so we expect them to have pointless fanservice and dumb hijinks, not legitimate character development.

Around episode 6 you’ll probably notice that this series is more focused in interactions than in any on-going main conflict. While the interactions are nice to watch and even charming from time-to-time, it leads to one of the main problems with the series: it introduces characters that play their arc but might get forgotten in the long run. Some adversaries, for example, become throw-away characters and might as well be classified as filler. Being this only the first season, Rakudai might be trying to pull a “Index” and stack up in characters that become recurrent in the long run, which is a better option but comes with issues of its own.

Presentation

This I’d say is the anime’s most glaring weak-spot. Rakudai uses the style that is by now a given for light-novel adaptations of this genre, which in some instances can make the series indistinguishable from other titles: figures use futuristic-looking uniforms in white and black shades with minimal variant details, scenarios are mostly light colored, with the exception of battle stages, presented in dark tones of green and blue, powers are undetailed but given noticeable lighting, etc.

The same goes for character design: Ikki is thin, has dark and spiky hair; the tsundere has pink hair tied in ponytails, large, soft and bouncy breasts (I won’t complain about that!); the Imouto is flat-chested and carries a uniformly bland color pallet; the supportive gay friend is fabulous. Being a Silver Link series, though, it’s nice to see it was done by the side of the studio that understands contrast, so we luckily don’t have a Chaos Dragon this time. Seriously, that show looked awful!

On action sequences there are issues with framing: a lot of attention is given to the special powers, but they take too much of the scene, and adding it to the manner in which those sequences are cut, makes for somewhat disjointed and hard to follow action. On a plus side, when the focus is on character movement it’s very fluid and pleasant to look at, mainly during swordfights. Wow, here I go being boring again!

The opening is interesting because the visuals have a slightly gritty vibe to them, but the song sounds not really upbeat, but energetic and stimulating, possibly to evoke a competitive thrill going into the anime. The ending is a slower, somber piece accompanied by some… enticing visuals. Can’t go wrong with that.

Personal ramblings

Rakudai Kishi no Calvary was a show that played constantly with my expectations. At many points it seemed like it was going into shit-territory with its setup, just to pull it back and make a fool of me by presenting a legitimate good and entertaining moment. I can say I had an equal amount of enjoyment from watching the show as well as I dissecting it.

There are many factors that can make a work for me, but hardly ever break it. One that is fundamental to me and can easily do both are the characters. Bad characters can sink a series with good premise and waste solid potential, as well as good or even great characters can help a work with a tired premise to rise above mediocrity, even if it doesn’t mean becoming a landmark for its media, but just a solid piece of entertainment.

The saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” seems to be getting increasingly meaningless as it has become easier to spot a generic, effortless and vapid cash-grabs in the current anime scene, so it’s really pleasant to find once in a while a show that throws you for a loop and is worth looking at and analyzing.

To my loving father and family,

I’m sure you're well aware of what transpired yesterday, and I am deeply aware you're eager to know what up to that moment. I understand you, all miss me, and want to know what my life at school was like so far.

Despite what a lovely time I am having, it did not begin this way. When Ikki and I first met, it was embarrassingly rocky for the two of us, even upon getting to know what we each strive for. Some embarrassing incidents occurred that did not help our situations, especially when I met his sister for the first ... time. She’s an adamant one, I'll tell you. Not everyone has the gall to openly insult royalty so consistently, and entirely out of jealousy and overprotectiveness. I understand her situation, however, as learning what she and especially Ikki went through during childhood, even to the small extent I did, disgusted me. Even with how much she irritates me, I’m almost embarrassed about a majority of my early interactions, as I was never as ladylike as my upbringing. I'm still trying to fully get over that aspect of myself.

She wasn't the only one I met thanks to Ikki. For one, there's Alice, who not only has fantastic fashion sense, but is by far the most mature out of all of us. She even got me hooked on a video game once. There was this really energetic newspaper club member named Kagami who even helped me overcome a major anxiety of mine. A shy but talented girl named Ayase, daughter of the now obscured icon “The Last Samurai” even hung out with us for a while. Even other people I didn't get to know for too long as in writing this, were fun to hang out with, such as the student council. I did have run-ins with a few despicable ruffians, but not only did we take them down, but one of them turned out to be somewhat interesting with a crazy weapon and mindset. Of course, I handled myself pretty well against these clowns whenever I had the chance, and so did everyone else.

The fashion is wonderful here, about as much as back home. Alice knows how to get herself and Shizuku into some trendy social clothes and even Ikki has some great fashion sense. The school uniforms are nice as well. The cars look horrible though, but I don't drive yet so that is of little concern to me now. The music these people listen to, while a tad bombastic in places, is fantastic. I love hearing it whenever Ikki and I go on a morning jog. The culture here is rather inviting, all things considered. I'm glad I chose to live here, even if I had to bear witness to these strange and brutal encounters that Ikki in particular had to endure.

I can only imagine what he felt like during some of these epic fights. Given how much fun he had occasionally with these, I can almost see him purposely distort the view with interesting colors and whatnot to accentuate the intensity of these battles. He likely did that whenever he was being tortured, like he was throughout the past few weeks. I can just imagine him pouring his strength, his eyesight, imagination, and soul into this final battle you no doubt witnessed, after all the pain and suffering he went through during his life and especially recently, just to get this far. The whole world was stunned at this final confrontation, as well as the exchange we had afterward, and it was one of the best moments of my life. We may have rushed into things, and we may have been a little blunt to each other, but I am having a wonderful time with Ikki and all of my new friends. I hope to hear what you think of me now, and what you think of us after what just transpired. I give to you, my fondest regards, as I wait for the day I see you again.

Your precious and capable princess,
Stella Vermillion

This anime is a weird one for me. I mean on paper, it is not all that. It has generic story and generic characters. Nothing is new! There is also another similar anime that was airing at the same time, Gakusen Toshi Asterisk. Now, Gakusen is... umm to put it straight... bland. But I really can't pinpoint why Rakudai Kishi is at least twice as good than Asterisk.

My enjoyment level was so high that even I was surprised. If One Punch Man wasn't airing this season, I really would put this anime as my number one in pure enjoyment, not story wise, characters ... or animation/sound but just in terms of enjoyment.

The story is really not that difficult to grasp. You can sit back without having to think too much and get the general idea of where it is headed. The love story is also the same. You have a generic tsundere princess but she is so much more likable than the norm. She is tsundere done right! Our male protagonist is also the same old. He has personality traits that I probably have seen at least 50 times in male leads but again, he is so much more likable than the norm! Besides, he is one cool son of a... yeah. And for once, he isn't indecisive and settles with one girl even though it can be seen as a harem series which is a breathe of fresh air.

Animation was something that was impressive for an anime of this level. I mean with their budget, I think the studio did a damn good job especially at those action scenes. They added few interesting animation tones here and there that I haven't really seen other anime do. It just feels like the creators actually enjoyed creating this and put in extra efforts to make it awesome.

Overall, I am still confused to why I enjoyed it this much. But whatever, with what it had going for itself, it did a damn good job. And I sincerely hope it gets a season two.

PS. ITTO SHURA! is probably one of the coolest moves I have seen in a while.

SHITTY REVIEWS
-shamelessly presents-
Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry(sub)
**SPOILER FREE**

I decided to watch this as the director and the studio were the same that my most fav anime.

Story-The story is not very generik in my opinion.for example the MC is definitely sure whom he loves.The setting is interesting.the pacing is good in my opinion.but the story iself is little waek

Art-Nexus/silver link has done really good job on art.the fight scenes were great.the characters design is also nice.
...
Sound-The music is by the composer of Code Geass so it is really GOOD.The OP is really catchy.and every character's voice fit there character good.

Character-I really loved the characters of rakudai.They were generic but had enough originality in them.my fav character was shizuku as she is really cute imouto.

Enjoyment-It was very enjoyable.

Overall-
Recommended for-
*looking for some action with some romance in it.
*looking for a good imouto character
*looking for good music and visuals

Not Recommended for-
*looking for 'deep' story
*hate OP MC(it you only dislike may give it a chance)

Word Count: 1735 words (5 pages double spaced)

*Spoiler Free*

[Why should you watch this?] Because it’s the biggest breath of fresh air to the high school battle harem genre in quite some time.

[What should you expect?] Awesome fights, a romance that actually goes somewhere, a very likable and respectable MC, a fantastic red-hair tsundere, a great cast of characters, a straight forward story, some decent villains, and some good fanservice here and there.

[Where can you watch it?] You can watch it legally on Hulu (I wish they could have shared it with Crunchyroll or even Daisuki, but oh well!).

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Introduction (skip this section if you just want to get to the actual review): Honestly my feelings won’t be hurt if you stopped reading the review after the short intro above or if you saw the word count and was like, “No way in hell am I reading that much!” That is why I put it there, to give you context of what my review has in store and how long it actually is. It’s your decision if you want to truly want to commit to reading whole my review or just get the highlights. Either is fine.

Now my reviews aren’t going to be how you normally find reviews on MAL. I don’t score everything individually, my review talks about everything in unison with no specific structure and I sure as hell will not being doing a recap of the synopsis. The synopsis is right there at the top of the page, you don’t need me to regurgitate that for you (ha!). Now since you know what to expect, please, consider giving my review a chance! If I convince at least one person to check out this show because of my review, I’ll consider it a success.

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The Actual Review: Chivalry is special title for me this season. Looking at the surface, it has everything that western anime fans usually despise nowdays: a high school battle school setting, a redheaded tsundere, an underrated MC that’s actually really strong, and what looks like a stereotypical harem in the making. However, Chivalry uses all these tired and true tropes in such a way that is not only refreshing, but also bold.

Let’s start with our main heroine, Stella. Stella has got to be one of the best tsunderes to come out of a battle harem show in some time, actually I’d go as far to say, probably one of the best tsunderes out there. Definitely not as deep as tsunderes like Rin Tohaska (my personal favorite) and Asuka Soryu, but she is developed nonetheless. More so, it’s her personality that really draws you in. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a tsundere that has balanced tsun and dere so well (Lucia from Rewrite would be a good contender however). Stella has a lot more dere than tsun and it will make your inner self squeal like a little girl at least more than once from the cuteness. Stella really grows a lot from the first episode and it’s great to see. Our stuck up, hotheaded princess learns to care for other people and opens her heart to our hero. Stella is never a helpless damsel, but an equal, and is treated with respect. She can stand on her own two feet and does not walk behind our MC, but with him, shoulder to shoulder.

Now onto our hero, Ikki. Ikki is not your average battle harem MC with “undeniable” morals who is cowardly to anything sexual and is annoyingly over-powered and is even modest to his strength acting like he’s some weakling when he’s the strongest there is. No, Ikki takes those horrid tropes and turns them into something that makes sense and maybe even relatable to some. Ikki is a true gentlemen: very honorable, respectful, and kind. In a way, he’s almost like a traditional samurai or knight. Though, in many ways he is still an average guy with the same urges any male would have and that’s what makes him stand out in a good way. Now let’s just get the elephant out of the room here, Ikki handles fanservice moments very well and has some good reactions to them that shouldn’t make you roll your eyes like so many other animes do. It boggled my mind that he was just so normal in his thinking and actions, and that he is also very upfront about his feelings. He is very genuine and true, he never once felt out of character, even in the fanservice moments. Ikki is also not the perfect gem that is just too good to be true. He is someone that is both extraordinary and ordinary, making a good balance without one overcoming the other. In terms of his power, well, I won’t go too deep into that but Ikki works hard for his victories. You learn plenty about his training and what he had to go through, and seeing him fight just makes you want to root him on. He is confident in his strength, but is aware of others’ strength. He doesn’t underestimate his opponents, but he also doesn’t underestimate himself. He is determined and treats each fight with care. Ikki’s goals are a bit complicated and what he’s fighting for is something most people can get on board with. Instead of a MC that seems to be portrayed as some weakling and yet seems to win his battles with added cheap suspense, when we all know he’s going to win, we are instead given a MC that we know is strong despite his title and has to give it his all each battle to win. Each win feels completely fair and deserved, I never once thought Ikki won because of a cheap plot device. Ikki earns his wins and he earns his respect. As I said before, Ikki is not a perfect butterfly and has a few demons of his own that get looked upon in an excellent way. Ikki has great development throughout, just as his female counterpart does, and it’s a great to watch it unfold.

Now onto the actual romantic relationship. Ikki and Stella are my favorite couple of the year without a doubt. It’s so rare to see such a normally depicted teenage relationship in any anime these days that you tend to treasure the animes that do get it right every now and then; Chivalry is definitely one of those rare few. Despite Ikki and Stella having such different backgrounds and personalities, they complement in each other in so many different ways and find the best out of each other. I don’t want to give away too much, but this is a romantic relationship that goes places. It doesn’t have a kiss at the end of the series, and it doesn’t have a kiss and then suddenly all development beforehand is disregarded. No, this show goes far beyond the first kiss and develops the relationship in such a manner that is both realistic and respectable. I’m the type of guy that almost demands sexual contact in a relationship and it drives me nuts when I see so many relationships in animes disregard it completely. Ikki and Stella develop as a couple and the two of them learn from each other how exactly to convey their love. They’re teens that are interested in all the sexual things that every young couple are interested in and worry about the same things young couples would worry about. The fact that they are able to open up to each other and discuss matters that wouldn’t as far as be alluded in other animes is a triumph, considering how rarely it happens. I couldn’t believe how many things the relationship did right, I feel like someone was going to pop up on screen and be like, “Nah, we’re fucking with you! It’s all fake!” No, this show, despite having harem aspects, focuses on one couple and that said couple actually becomes a couple and acts like a couple (I know, weird isn’t it?). It is so simple, but yet so compelling. I can only hope to dear god that more battle harems in the future follow Chivalry’s lead because at the end of the day, most of us just want to see a solid romance without the endless gimmicks.

The fanservice I believe is also used quite well. Fanservice isn’t a sensitive topic for me like it is for so many others it seems. I usually enjoy it, but because I tend to like it, I can also tell the quality of fanservice as well. Yes, there is different qualities of fanservice: good fanservice, semi-good fanservice, average fanservice, bad fanservice, etc. Some people don’t want to believe this and just think all fanservice is bad, but that’s not the case! Anyways, there was some good sexy moments and they never felt overdone, it felt just right and I believe it fit the context of the moment/scene. The character reactions also makes it a lot more bearable. You should like it and find it assuming, there is especially one scene a little later in the series that was just such a damn good and sexy. It’s hard to explain it without actually saying it, but when you get there, YOU’LL KNOW.

As far as the other characters go, I’ll try to be brief as to not completely ruin it for you. They are all very good characters that you’ll care about. Alice is great secondary male, and the other three girls that get major focus all have their different motives and are interesting. They all have their quirks and are quite entertaining. I liked them all very much and thought they were nice additions to the cast. Shizuku cock blocks every now and then, but even those moments can fairly funny. For the most part, I think you’ll enjoy these characters.

The villains can be quite despicable. I wouldn’t say they’re cardboard cutouts that we’re used to in so many other harem shows, but they are quite nasty. But some of them actually get development and we see another side to them that will make you think twice about their characters. This show has decent villains, not phenomenal, but definitely above average I’d say. You’ll hate many of them, but you won’t hate them so much because they’re annoyingly evil but because some of them are just true scumbags.

As for the story, honestly, it’s pretty straight forward. There’s definitely some family conflicts on the side, but the story is very focused on its one setting and that may be for the best. This is character driven show, the story is gives it direction and that’s all it needs to do at the moment.
The art and animation are amazing. They’re so crisp and fluid, Sliver Link didn’t hold back on this one. It’s clear which anime got the better budget this season between the two Silver Link shows (sorry 35th Platoon!). The fight scenes are especially well crafted with such intensity in the animation. Legit, this show had some of the best fights I’ve seen all year. The choreography is fantastic and the animation never falls behind. The character designs are also very high quality and I think they look great.

All and all, Chivalry is a great show and a fresh installment in a genre that is extremely stagnate. It’s so rare do we get such likable main characters in a show such as this and it’s even rarer that said characters actually progress into a developed romantic relationship. Some of you may think I’m giving this show too much credit, but I believe this show deserves my admiration. It didn’t blow minds with being incredibly unique in its setting, story, or characters. Rather, it excelled in its familiar, yet very different approach. Showing us that this genre still has some potential hidden deep inside if writers truly wished to look for it. Chivalry simply takes the tropes we know and loath, and uses them in a way that is both recognizable and new. It doesn’t strive for the extraordinary, but rather using the ordinary in a better way. That my friends, I believe is worth praising.

9/10 (Excellent)

I will be honest when we had an incestuous moment with the main lead's sister early on I rolled my eyes, but, after that, I was shocked at how quickly this anime cut the bullshit on the normal "will they won't they" crap you usually get from anime. It's nice to see a functioning relationship in anime for once between the leads.

The female lead Stella also seems like a rational human being, rather than the quirk-filled characters we usually get. She is the princess of a country and thus carries some regal bearing but surprisingly is not stuck up nor a pushover. IT's a ... nice change of pace it allows her to able to support Ikki the male lead with all the shit his family throws his way.

The male lead Ikki comes from some prestigious samurai family, but due to the fact Ikki has got no magical talent ( yes in this anime they are not just knights, they are magical knights) they have basically disowned him.

Later on, in the series, you get to see his father disparaging him too. It's mostly due to the patriarch of his family who gave him some encouragement once that has kept him going to when the story starts. Seeing him weather this throughout the show is pretty rough but like I said the support Stella gives him to soldier on is touching at times.

All in all, if you are looking for something fresh as far as anime romances go with a few cool action sequences give this one a try.

Looking for an insanely well animated anime with an underestimated, very strong MC with serious romance going on where the MC actually gets together with the girl he loves? Then this is THE anime you MUST watch!

Every episode is filled with a 100% guarantee of enjoyment! Every episode is also a continuation of the previous one, which makes understanding the story very comfortable. That, combined with the super high quality animations is a sure joy to enjoy!

The MC has been through a lot, which shows during the entire anime. The MC has shown incredible feets but also not so incredible ones. Why is a strong ... MC called the Worst one? Well, you'll understand when you watch the anime!

You could say that this anime has an harem going on too, but is that really true?

There are plenty of side characters, but the ones that really stick to the MC are easy to see, yet not so easy to figure out, nor understand. There's been put thought into that and due to that, some of the side characters might even seem more powerful than the MC himself! Also, there are a few totally mysterious characters which are kind of hard to figure out due to them being unexpectedly strong yet, they show their strength barely in public.

The romance part plays a big role in the story as it really connects viewer to what the MC actually thinks.

Too bad, I can't say much more than this otherwise I will spoil you too much.

Enjoy the watch!

P.S. This was my first review ever, so please be generous with me :P

Amazing anime. Enjoyed it to the fullest.

My top anime, 10/10 would watch it again.

My favorite character was fuckin' uhhhh...
Kuraudo.
I think he was pretty badass, although he could've been a whole lot nicer to the main characters.
Nevertheless he's insanely strong, so he does have the right to do whatever he wants.
Cuz it's 100% proven Ikki beat Kuraudo based purely on luck. If it was an official match, Ikki would've gotten his ass handed to him. On ALLAH.
And to be honest-
... if you had mad bitches, hella guap and unmatched strength-
you'd prolly be an asshole as well vro.

By far the underdog of this season, Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry exceeded my expectations. The weak and generic start can put off a lot of people. Where as many will simply discard it as another addition to the list of ever growing bad harem anime.
But that will be a grave mistake, because amongst the bad shows the good ones get disregarded.
Such is the case with Rakudai Kishi.

Story wise, it does not do much different, a school setting where students are called Blazers and they battle in selection matches to be selected in the Nationals. Nothing new here, the change arrives with the introduction of ... our main leads.
Stella Vermellion, an A class top of the class Knight and Ikki Kurogane, a failed F rank knight.
The character personalities is a common share, what keeps them fresh is the interaction between them.
The main is not some dumb, dense, perverted idiot, but a super strong, knight who can take on any opponent. Throughout the show, the characters evolve and change with clear personality development.
The harem tag is immediately dropped as the two main develops a relationship in the fourth episode further solidifying it in the last.

The plot twist and the epic battle scenes make it a must watch show. It is a product of great battle scenes, breath taking moments and situations where you start rooting for the main as if you are in there.

No words about the sound, its very well done.

Overall, Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry came out to be a show that despite a weak start with generic setting and characters, picks up the pace and continues to evolve till the end.
It could have been better and more well received, if it was not for the drag the first 3 episodes were.

8/10 - Recommended

Here's my review of Rakudai Kishi no Calvary. I tried my best to make it short, had to actually cut a lot of stuff out (it's still kind of long) but I didn't want to drag it out.
Story {8}:

The concept of Rakudai Kishi no Calvary is not unique. We've seen it a thousand times before actually. It's a magical school series where students fight against each other in an elimination round style to prove that they're the best in the school. Main Character, who always has a crowd of girls around him for some reason, is labeled one of the worst fighters but is ... actually one of the best, etc. etc. Just the usual. But something that separates Rakudai from every other series is the actual content in the story; the execution of it. Hidden underneath the introduction of the series is a fantastic anime that makes it more than the typical shounen.

Art {8}:

The art is a little unique. It doesn't look like your typical anime art, though that doesn't mean it isn't good. The character design is average; the backgrounds are beautiful, and the way it's overall drawn is pretty nice. The art rarely ever falters as well. And in the last six episodes especially, the colors play a unique feat.

Sound {8}:

The music and overall soundtrack of Rakudai is pretty good. The opening is very catchy and won't leave you disappointed. I can't say the same for the ending (the ending sounds like something in a horror anime tbh. It reminds me of Another's opening) but it isn't too bad either.

While we're discussing about sound, I should add in that most of the character's voice actors/seiyuus voices really fit their characters. You know those characters who look super badass and mature but their voice is super squeaky like a loli or a child? That doesn't happen in this anime.

Character {8}:

The main characters are pretty good. Their personalities aren't original or anything and there's definitely a lot of recycled tropes and cliches, but the characters are still enjoyable and nice.

Both the male and female lead, Ikki Kurogane and Stella Vermilion, are both nice characters. They both trained very hard to get to where they are today, and neither of them are dense. They might be annoying in the beginning, but both of them get character development over the series, making them lovable characters.

There's some other characters as well, like Ikki's sister, Shizuku, who can be very, very annoying in the beginning of the series but becomes an enjoyable one, and Ikki's friend, Alice, is mostly there to give him support throughout the show. There's also a whole bunch of other side characters too.

Enjoyment {9}:

As for enjoyment, I thoroughly enjoyed this anime. It was quite the pleasure watching of. I loved a lot of things about it; the amazing choreographed fight scenes, the lovely soundtrack, the fact that it's NOT a harem, the extremely cute romance in it, etc. I don't have too much to say as to why I liked this anime, but I just know that I was anticipating for the next episode every week as it aired. In my eyes, it was a totally enjoyable anime and I honestly hope that it gets a season 2.

Overall {8}:

Overall, I'd give it an 8. Personally, I rated this as a 9 on my anime list (since I rate mostly on enjoyment) but if I added in all the other factors such as story, art, etc. then it'd become an 8.

Rakudai Kishi no Calvary is a fantastic series, and though it's concept is pretty cliche and overused, the execution of the show is amazing.

I was going to give this an 8/10 but those last 5 minutes i had to give it a 9...HAHA one of the best of the fall.

Also i am happy to see so many comments saying that this series is far better than they thought it would be ...even those who find it bad admit..it is far better than most other battle tournament, ecchi, romance series.

The key ingredients that makes this series far better than the rest are: The Romance Development, The Character Development and breaking a lot of the genre's cliche.

I am doing my part and getting this when Sentai releases it...i hope it ... does get a S2 but if not i am happy with this as it ended a lot more conclusive than most other Light Novels adaptation even if they ended just before the actual tournament starts....i mean cmon you have LN that take the whole course of the series just to have them hook up...let alone a proposal. at the very least i hope the LN gets official translated.

9/10 i would give it the Title of Greatest Dark Horse of 2015. this is my opinion ok.

First of all, why i liked the anime: I watched it with my father and both of us enjoyed it, great animation and outstanding battles, the characters may be a bit cliches and i dont know, i've seen a lot of animes that have a lot of swords but i specialy liked this one, the light novel has great art too thanks to Won, Stella and Shizuku are so cute and Arisu is a great charachter too, the opening theme is epic and its 3 different versions made you hype while you watching it, the ending theme is a bit weird it gives me a ... strange feeling so i literally skip it just to see the great art made by the fans and cool illustrators. the fights have 10/10. I've just read 2 volumes of the Light Novel but i want to see more about it, great anime.

Greetings fellow Otakus! :3 I'm Marik and this will be my spoiler free review of the Fall 2015 anime: Rakudai Kishi No Cavalry, I'm going to split this review into Five sections: Story/Plot, Characters, Art Design/Animation, Music/Soundtrack and then my overall thoughts on this anime. Let's go ahead ;P *Disclaimer* This is my opinion on the anime and as such if you don't share the same thoughts as me on anything within the review feel free to let me know and we can discuss and share our opinions in a civilized fashion, also I'm open to any constructive criticism but please no negative comments or ... uncalled for hate and show respect to one another :3

- Story/Plot: Rakudai Kishi No Cavalry or Chivalry of a Failed Knight is an anime set within a world where gifted humans can materialize their souls into weapons which are known as devices and each device has unique ability's that give these humans incredible power, these gifted humans are known as "Blazers" and they are the equivalent of modern day knights/magicians. These Blazers attend various schools around Japan to hone their skills and become strong knights, then they graduate from these schools and go on to protect Japan from any threat the world may impose as official Magical Knights/Blazers. In these schools there is a ranking system based on how talented of a Blazer you are and from lowest to highest it goes rank F, D, C, B then A. As you attend these schools every year there is an annual competition called The Seven Stars Festival in which Blazers from seven schools all over the country compete in intense one on one matches until one knight is deemed the most powerful Blazer in the country. (That's attending school) The story revolves around Ikki Kurogane, an F ranked Blazer who is widely known as "The Worst One" or "The Failed Knight" as he has no talent/aptitude for magical ability whatsoever, in fact he has a tenth of the average magical power of a regular person. He attends Blazer school in the hopes of proving to everyone around him that through hard work and determination and winning The Seven Stars Festival, even a "Failure" like him can become a knight as powerful as any other. At the start of a new year at school Ikki encounters a half naked foreign princess called Stella Vermillion who is changing in his room and this fateful encounter will change his life forever. :3

My thoughts on the Story/Plot: Overall the plot to this anime is good, it's not to complicated as to where you struggle to understand/keep up with it but it's not to vague as to where your wondering what the anime is about in the first place. It has a clear setting and a clear direction as to where it wants to go and the main character has a clear goal that he wants to achieve. The genres of this anime include: Action, Ecchi, Fantasy, Romance and School. Also the plot is never "Tossed aside" and replaced with fan service so if your worried about that happening you can relax and cast your fears aside ahah :3

Characters: As the story progresses a huge cast of diverse characters are introduced/added into the mix.
Ikki Kurogane: Ikki is the main character and is voice acted by Ryota Osaka. Other notable characters he has voice acted include Vali Lucifer from Highschool DxD, Staz Charlie from Blood Lad and many others. Ikki is from The Noble Clan: The Kurogane clan, which had produced generations of extremely talented magical knights, however when he was a child he was very ill treated and ignored by his family because he had no talent for being a Blazer, which was a fundamental requirement in a family such as the Kuroganes. When he was a small child he had had enough of his mistreatment and as a result ran away from home during a blizzard, as he was walking through the snow he came to the logical conclusion that he was going to die being a waste of life, however miraculously he was found by his grandfather, who is known as the most powerful magical knight in history, his Grandfather then saw his situation and took him in, saving him from certain death, and then Ikki grew up living with his Grandfather. However his Grandfather could not train him personally as he was to old and rugged, however he gave Ikki all of his wisdom and kindness and as a result Ikki developed a strong will and resolve and trained by himself tirelessly everyday of his life, honing his skills in swordsmanship and the way of the Samurai, while he had no aptitude for magical ability, his physical ability was superhuman, conditioning his body with intense exercise and training for years on end, this became his greatest strength as a magical knight and is shown throughout the series as the source of his backbone. Ikki's personality is very interesting, he is kind and disciplined to a fault, never resorting to violence and never shows any feelings of hatred or contempt towards others (Unless they deserve it), he is hardworking and has amazing resolve and determination in anything he wants to achieve, he is also very decisive which is a much appreciated trait for a main character :D unlike some mc's ;P he is very inspiring, he inspires others in a way that no one else could, often showing to others that talent isn't everything, including a certain someone ;P he is also very compassionate and able to relate to others very well, and finally he is very likeable, another awesome trait for a main character to have. Overall he is the definition of a Samurai and is a very good main character, he is everything you'd want in a main character and offers a very unique perspective on things. His chemistry with Stella is very genuine and awesome to watch and gets better and better as they become roommates very early on in the series etc. :3

Stella Vermillion: Stella is the main heroine of the show and is voice acted by Shizuka Ishigami. Other notable characters she has voice acted includes: Ayame Kajou from Shimoneta to Iu Gainen ga Sonzai Shinai Taikutsu na Sekai, Ellis Fahrengart from Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance and many more. Stella is from The Royal Vermillion Family, a family of royals of a small island nation, she is the daughter of the Emperor of this island nation and is a princess as a result. Since she was a little girl she has had amazing talent for being a Blazer and as such she had never lost a one on one match in her life, as well as being talented she also works extremely hard, honing her skills since she was this little girl. Although her mother told her she didn't have to become a Blazer if it meant going through all of this tough training and hardship. However she continues regardless, emphasizing that if her nation wanted to truly prosper and grow she had to become a strong Blazer and be a shining role model to her subjects.
I'll be frank and say that Stella's personality is that of a Tsundere's xD (If you don't know what a "Tsundere" is it is a Japanese term for a character development process that describes a person who is initially cold and even hostile towards another person before gradually showing their warm side over time.) Although she is a very likeable Tsundere, she is very kind and compassionate at heart and is very distinguished since she is a princess after all, however she is very arrogant and pompous at the start of the show but has amazing character development in which she grows and matures into an amazing young woman, she's quite childish and since she is a Tsundere but not in a bad way, she is very cheeky and as such is very cute as well :3 she is a very strong independent woman so she has a hatred for those who assume that her life is a walk in the park since she is so talented and a princess of a nation and as such is very misunderstood. Overall the best thing about her is her amazing chemistry with Ikki, as this anime is fundamentally a romance between these two very different yet similar people it's very genuinely enjoyable and an awesome experience seeing these two grow closer together and do cute romancy things together, which does happen! thankfully haha :3

Shizuku Kurogane: Shizuku Kurogane is Ikki's little sister and is introduced fairly early in the show and is voice acted by Nao Touyama. Other notable characters she has voice acted includes: Momo Kawanagare from Ai Tenchi Muyou!, Hikari Senami from Busou Chuugakusei: Basket Army, and many more. Shizuku is the daughter of The Noble Clan: The Kurogane Clan, which as I mentioned before had produced generations of extremely talented magical knights and Shizuku is no exception unlike Ikki, she is a very talented Blazer and is especially adept with magical ability, she is a treasured member of the family and as a result got all the attention she could desire and had a very affluent lifestyle growing up, she had no worries at all and overall was very happy, she had a very close connection to Ikki and loved him dearly, as she grew older she realized how badly her own family had been treating her older brother, especially her father who despised Ikki because he had no talent for being a magical knight, she then relinquished her place in the Kurogane Clan, ashamed of being apart of such a cruel and inhumane family. She then decided that when she met up with Ikki when she began attending his Blazer school she would give him the love of a sister, a mother and a girlfriend/wife etc, which he had never had growing up. I was a little nervous about the shows quality when I found this out as I was afraid that it would be a weird "bro con" relationship between them but thankfully although she does occasionally be quite intimate with him in terms of hugging etc, she doesn't have a love for him based on lust, she genuinely cares about him and his well being and as such is very protective of him and just wants him to be with someone that makes him happy. Her personality is very unique, she's kind and very open with her friends however she is at heart very shy and conservative, often shying away from social activities etc, she is very mature for her age but since she's still a teen she's also childish and has hilarious conversations with Stella as they passive aggressively fight each other when they disagree on something, her chemistry with Ikki is very believable and genuine and as such she is a very good supporting character in the cast of characters this show has. :3

Nagi Arisuin: Nagi Arisuin (Aka "Alice") is Shizuku's roommate in the show and is voice acted by Shintaro Asanuma. Other notable characters he has voice acted includes: Takumu Mayuzumi from Accel World, Crow Hogan from Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's and many more. Not a lot is explored about Alice in the show in terms of backstory etc, he is Shizuku's roommate and is a very interestingly quirky character in the series. He has a very unique personality and quickly becomes Shizuku's best friend and closest person she knows besides Ikki. He is a very flamboyant character, often wearing very eccentric outfits/clothing and likes to do a lot of things that would be deemed "girly" such as gossiping, going shopping at the mall etc. Even though he is biologically a male he considers himself to be a woman at heart and as such acts accordingly xD this is definitely not something I'm against as he provides a very distinct diversity within the cast of characters and offers a unique perspective on things that occur within the show, he is kind and caring, very cheeky/funny and always enjoys teasing the other characters on the show, he is also a very strong Blazer and is always there to support/give characters advice when they need it, in a sense he's like the mother figure of the group of characters, always making sure everyone's okay and offering help whenever he can. Overall I'd say he is another very good supporting character in the cast of characters this show has. :3

Those were all of the "main" characters of the show, as there are many other side characters who get fleshed out and introduced, and there are two villains within the show that I won't spoil as this is a spoiler free review :3

Art Design/Animation: The Art Design/Animation within this anime is very good and should be acknowledged, from the characters to the scenery, to the action/fight scenes, everything is crisp, colourful and overall full of life, and also very dark/bland when it needs to be, nothing seems out of place or can be seen as a questionable decision when it comes to the design/colours. It definitely sets the standard for 2015 anime and does not disappoint. :3

Music/Soundtrack: The Music/Soundtrack in this anime is awesome, from the opening, to the action scenes, to the dramatic/emotional scenes, to the comedic scenes, to the sentimental scenes, nothing is out of place, the music is definitely well thought out/made and the director definitely payed special attention to what music should be played when etc. :3

My Overall Thoughts: In conclusion this anime is definitely a cut above the rest in the Fall 2015 season, with great action, romance, comedy and drama, along with a few sexy moments ;P this is a must watch anime for any magic school/romance fan, or even action/ecchi fan, although more action than ecchi I'd say ahah. Positives for this anime include: Great characters, Great Art Design/Animation, Great Music/Soundtrack, a believable and genuine romance, it doesn't "beat around the bush" and gets to the point, has an easy to follow but not simplistic plot, a clear goal that the main character has and a great ending that definitely sets up a season two well. Negatives include: Sometimes the fights are over a bit to quickly/seemed a bit to easy for Ikki, only sometimes however, and one or two characters aren't really fleshed out as much as they could be. I'd rate this anime an 8 out of 10, thank you for reading my review (If anyone did xD) and this has been Marik and I'll see you in the next review :3

Keep in mind this review is my first review in a long time, so bear with me please. Anyway let's start my review of an anime that is completely underrated, and wrongly compared to another anime this season known as Gakusen Toshi Asterisk.

Story(8)
Cavalry tends to come off as an anime that'll be your typical magical school, harem "Romance". But Cavalry breaks that mold, and creates a real romance. One that doesn't leave you upset by the end *cough* *cough* Asterisk *cough*. The story follows Kurogane Ikki(MC), as he struggles to prove to his family, who constantly attempted to sabotage him, that he can do anything ... if he works hard at it. To prove himself, he competes in the school's tournament in hopes to represent his school in the seven stars sword art festival.

Art/sound(8)
This art is soo vibrant, the colors just blend so well. The character designs are ok, the animation did take a dip in quality but by the end of the series i didn't even care. I don't pay a lot of attention to sound but i'm in love with the opening.

Character(8)
Kurogane Ikki- Known as the "worst one" due to his magical power being so low. He is considered a failure by his family. But through hard work, he succeeds in showing how badass and OP he can be. He repeated his grade because of his family's influence ffs. This mc also earned my respect by actually picking a girl, i mean really, have you really ever seen that in your typical harem...
Stella Vermillion- The heroine, the princess of another country, and Ikki's girlfriend. I also forgot to mention she's a badass on her own. People want to refer to her as the tsundere, but i think she's just extremely shy. By episode 3 she already realizes her feelings for Ikki, and even attempts to ask him on a date.
Kurogane Shizuku- The only character i hate, really if you watch this you'll know why. Her only redeeming quality is how strong she is tbh. I really don't want to waste too much time or words on her...
Nagi Arisuin or Alice- He or she is like the advisor for the small group. He or she gives off an older sibling type of vibe. It's somewhat pleasant to have a character like this as it keeps our characters grounded. Did i mention to say that he refers to himself as a woman so it can get confusing on how to address him or her.

Enjoyment(9)
The fight scenes are great, the characters are lovable in their own right. This series can be cute/nice one minute, and be epic or badass the next. It takes a lousy critic to judge an anime based off 1 episode, it takes a good one to look at the series as a whole. But it takes an anime fan to look at a series for its enjoyability. Rakudai has that factor.

Overall(9)
This i one of my favorites of 2015, definitely top 10. I wouldn't say this is a masterpiece, but it's surely something to check out. Btw for those of you who aren't fans of ecchi anime, try Asterisk, less ecchi scenes with more or less better fight scenes.

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INTRO
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I entered this series expecting it to be just another generic harem school battle anime. Needless to say, my expectations were pretty low.

After finishing the final episode, I ended up really enjoying it.

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THE REVIEW
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...
Despite having a harem atmosphere this series is so far from being one. You would think that the MC is a dense gary stu just like any other Harem Battle MCs but Ikki is really AN ALPHA MALE. He has a purpose, he knows what he wants, and he works hard to attain it even though he has no talent. No bullshits, no excuses, and no melodramatic moments. HE JUST DOES IT. Because of that attitude he gets the girl early on in the series.

Stella, the heroine, is also pretty great. Don't let this big breasted pink haired tsundere deceive you. She is strong, she can handle herself, and she is in love with Ikki. The dynamic between the two is really enjoyable to watch. Their dialogues are well grounded and do not insult the audience' intelligence.

Aside from the little sister and the daughter of the sword master, the side characters are a little weak. Little background information were provided which I found a little irksome.

The overall plot is also something we have seen countless of times. MC is shunned and is considered weak, enters a school and a tournament ensues, and slowly wins until he reaches the top.

The fight animation was pretty good to be honest. The movements were fluid and when coupled with some nicely placed artistic touches, were some of the nicest fights that I've seen with this kind of show.

Overall, Ikki and Stella were the stars of the show. Their interactions are pretty sweet and fun and I had a great time watching the two of them.

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VERDICT
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What should have been a mediocre show turned out to be a nice surprise. Although it might not be talked about for months to come, everyone should at least give this a chance and just enjoy it. So I'll give it...

7.4/10!

The two leads really carried the shortcomings of the show. Surely, a contender for anime's best couple of the year. Although the flaws are glaring, most viewers would find enjoyment if they stop criticizing and just watch the show for what it is.

(This review has been adapted from my blog/reddit thread. Spoilers ahead!)

Holding the door open for others. Pulling the chair out for your date. Saying “please” and “thank you.” Common actions that you (hopefully) do for others. A code of conduct that the Medieval knights originally created.

I am talking about chivalry. I am talking about chivalry because I am talking about Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry. (Yes, “cavalry” and not “chivalry.”)

I try to be as courteous as possible to others, and I do not usually get bothered when others are not. Except for one example: holding doors. More specifically, when I am behind someone and he or ... she walks through a door in front of me, and he or she does not look back to try and keep the door open, I get slightly irked. No doubt trivial, but I cannot help it.

In Cavalry, holding doors open for others is not a motif. Still, the anime keeps its own doors open for others to witness just how strong it happens to be.

STORY

Cavalry’s tale is one that has been told many a time in the medium. Ikki, a “loser” compared to his peers, is looking to prove himself in a high-school battle royal. Perhaps obviously, it turns out he is not a loser but actually the strongest dude ever. But rather than having himself a harem (the usual direction), the narrative takes a different route: he forms a romantic relationship with Stella, the (albeit stereotypical) tsundere, fire-based transfer student.

This romance is primarily what the events of Cavalry revolve around. Their initial duel. The arrival of Ikki’s sister. The hostage situation. The start of the tournament. And the public pool trip. For approximately five episodes, the anime slowly builds up the romance into not just a believable connection but also a natural one.

Simultaneously, the anime interlaces these episodes with other welcome additions. The introduction of characters, building the world (the system, the society, and so on), and various battles are included alongside the romance, giving the audience even more out of the narrative.

All the while, Cavalry has relevant sexual and comedic content. For example, Stella wanting to wash Ikki in the bathroom is sensual and funny, but it also serves as more romance. And Shizuku straddling Ikki and slowly inching her face towards his face is (again) not just sensual and funny but also demonstrative for how she generally acts and where her scenes proceed.

Where Cavalry dips slightly is in the middle set of episodes. The romance-driven narrative does continue. Ayase’s arrival sparks jealousy in Stella, getting her worried that Ikki may be taken from her. The thigh-touching scene was a tad unnecessary, but the intimate moment Ikki and Stella share that night quells her “insecure” feeling and makes her trust Ayase.

The problem is that these episodes are too much of an aside. Ayase receives attention and therefore development, but these events and even Ayase herself are barely referenced again and hardly impact the overarching plot. Hence, they come off as pointless despite the continued exploration of the romance.

Thankfully, Cavalry finishes as strong as it possibly could. Episode nine and ten serve two purposes. The first purpose is to (once again) continue the romance. The vacation gives Ikki and Stella time alone, but it is the sultry scene in the cabin that foreshadows what is to come. The second purpose is to get the final villain ready. Todo’s power is proven twice over – taking out the rock golems and defeating Shizuku – setting up the stakes for the final battle.

The last two episodes, however, steal the show from itself in stunning fashion. The events of episode eleven happen the way they do because Ikki wants to prove how much “he cares about the relationship” he has with Stella. (The anime’s words courtesy of Shizuku.)

But more than this, the episode builds up so much tension. So much drama. So much emotion. The events may be laid on thick – Ikki’s conversation with his father, literally being put in isolation for days on end – but they instill that sense of unfairness to the max. As a result, the audience is pumped and furious and ready.

This is all expertly executed. But the mastery occurs in episode twelve. Ikki battling through a figurative snowstorm, subsequently full-circle framing the narrative, is nice. Everyone arriving outside to support him one last time before the final fight is nice, too.

But these moments are not what do it; it is the final fight itself that does.

The audience expects this to be an amazing fight with swords flashing and bodies flying and techniques flurrying. But no. Instead, the entire fight is condensed into a single second. It cannot be said enough how absolutely satisfying that one second is. All of that tension and drama and emotion that had been built up for an episode and a half? How all the unfairness was stockpiled onto Ikki? Gone. In the span of a miniscule moment, Calvary brings euphoric relief.

Yet the show continues to deliver satisfaction. Ikki wins it all, the bad guy is wrecked by Stella, and the two announce their betrothal to each other (the aforementioned foreshadowing followed through), capping off the entire season on as high of a note as it possibly could. Thus, the ending ends up being one of the strongest in recent memory.

After all of these episodes, what is it that Cavalry is trying to tell its audience? What story did it create? What messages did it try to impart?

The answer is in the narrative: love. Love motivates people. Love for a lover motivates that person to always be there for the other, to always do whatever he or she can for the other. But it is not just love between lovers. It may be love for a friend that motivates someone to reach out a hand. Or it may be love for a sibling that motivates someone to give it their all. Love is this weird and amazing and unique emotion that motivates people in ways they never thought possible.

And, as Cavalry shows time and again, love can always be relied on.

ANIMATION

Calvary generally sticks to drab colors. This includes both its art and its character designs. The former is usually dark greens, whites, and blues, and the latter is usually browns, blacks, and purples. In tandem, they keep the anime grounded, realistic in its presentation.

Speaking more on the art, the static setting unfortunately keeps the backgrounds boring to look at. This boringness is caused by the buildings, rooms, and recreational areas missing extensive details. As for the character designs, the only two that (literally) stand out are Stella’s and Shizuku’s. Stella’s tsundere-symbolizing hair, sexy figure, and different outfits give her an edge over the others. Shizuku’s icy-symbolizing hair, cute looks, and different outfits give her an edge over the others, too.

Lighting is similar to the coloring. Except for a few instances, like a sunset on the hill, a hot summer day, or the different battles, Cavalry keeps its lights low-key. This has the double effect of keeping the anime more serious and highlighting those moments when shining does make an appearance.

Where Cavalry shines brightest is with its cinematography and animation. Most of the time, the anime does not do anything too fancy. Up-close lips forming words, focus on the lewd, bouncing breasts, and shots of closing fans and floating petals are quite standard. The exception is episode eleven: The grainy effect and black-and-white depiction amplified the downcast feelings.

The battle scenes, however, step it up and then some. While Ikki is in the vast majority of the battles, each one involves a vast array of abilities. As such, Calvary employs a myriad of different camera techniques and perspectives. One example is a top-down view of Ikki falling into a stream of bullets that changes into a view that follows him in a circular pattern. Another example is Todo using her “Raikiri” that simultaneously shatters the black bars used for the wide-screen view.

But, perhaps obviously, the best example is the final fight. The harsh wind, the lightning effects, the slow-motion; the intense expressions, the draining color, the bloodshot eyeball; the floating blood, the back-and-forth camera, and the minimally drawn “extreme moment.” The entire scene does not last long, but it is unquestionably captivating.

CHARACTERS

Arguably the worst character writing-wise is Stella. In the beginning, the anime reveals bits of her past. Within, the audience learns (albeit heavy-handedly) how she had only been looked as strong for her inherent talent. Nobody would take into consideration the hard work and dedication she put into training and getting better. Ikki is the first one to notice this, and his noticing is the catalyst for her romantic feelings towards him.

Unfortunately, beyond the first episode, her character is placed almost exclusively on the wayside. Most of the events have her in a secondary role: supporting Ikki, quarreling with Shizuku, and so on. Because of this, she very rarely directly affects the outcomes of the events and comes off as too passive despite her importance.

Cavalry instead uses Stella for sexual purposes. Indeed, some are admittedly obtuse. Her leaving the shower and losing her towel and her getting forced to remove her clothing in a mall sexualize her more than necessary. However, the majority of her sexual scenes are designed around her romance with Ikki. Straddling Ikki in bed, bathing him with her breasts, and asking him to sleep with her is sexual but purposeful since it highlights how deeply she cares for Ikki.

And it is not out of character. The only other time where she receives heavy focus is episode five. This episode is all about Stella and her “naughty” feelings. Obviously they are not naughty; they are natural. She did not know that, so she, with Ikki, comes to understand that what she felt and what she wanted is absolutely normal for someone in a romantic relationship.

Ikki comes to understand this too, but, contrary to Stella, he goes through a lot more – as he should, considering he is literally the main protagonist. Ikki’s whole shtick is how much he is “inferior.” Because of this, his family disowned him and he had no friends to speak of. He is alone, and he is lonely.

Despite being ostracized, Ikki did not let it get to him. Instead, he channels this inferiority of his to become the knight everyone said he could not be. He trained by himself. He honed his skills. And he bided his time. When Stella shows up, his life finally starts to improve. She becomes his girlfriend. Shizuku, his sister, arrives as well. And along the way, Ikki makes friends with countless other people while also demonstrating his latent potential.

At times, the writing surrounding his character can be a bit too obtuse – one too many long-winded explanations (telling over showing). And while he continually deals with conflict, his character rarely extends beyond being a super-nice dude, helping others with their problems.

Even so, what Ikki represents, what he exemplifies is the notion of perseverance. The idea that, even when the odds are seemingly insurmountable, it is not worth giving up. He may get flustered before his fight with Kirihara. He may be forced to abandon his friendship with Ayase. And he may have been heartbroken after his talk with his father. Still, he persists, and the story explains how: the love he had from the people around him.

The other characters, while obviously not to the same level, channel this theme too. Stella perseveres to keep her promise with Ikki. Shizuku perseveres to support her brother. Ayase perseveres to uphold the tenets of her father. For all of them, including Ikki, there are highs and lows, wins and losses. And for all of them, what matters most is trying to persevere. Because then, and only then, can one become “strong.” Strong of body, strong of mind, and strong of spirit – as Ikki may put it, persevering is the only way to “sharpen” one’s soul.

Speaking more about side characters like Ayase and Shizuku, they have strengths of their own. Ayase gets a considerable amount of attention. She represents the lengths people will go to get what they want and how people should not be afraid to ask for help. Shizuku represents that, sometimes, there are limitations to what people can do and who people can be.

The best side character – and arguably the best character in the entire anime – is one that is not even designated as such. Alice, Shizuku’s roommate, is a part of the main gang, but he never takes the spotlight from them. Instead, he, like his “Hermit of Darkness” device alludes to, acts like a shadow: He is always around watching but not doing much.

Only until he needs to step in to provide words of wisdom. For Alice, his best trait is how he is the lens that the audience uses to view the characters in a new light. Be it words of encouragement or digging deeper into their thoughts, Alice always shows up to support his friends (most often Ikki and Shizuku) when they need it most, giving the audience a new glimpse of those he helps.

As for the antagonists, they tend to be one-offs. Bishou is the random bad guy that exists for less than half an episode. Kirihara is the comically cruel villain who bullied Ikki in the past. Kuraudo, the “Sword Eater,” is Ikki’s biggest rival. Mamoru is the tyrant who practically broke Ikki. And Todo is the kind yet formidable student council president.

Besides Todo, the anime does not go into much depth with the antagonists. Surprisingly, having many antagonists works in the context of the show: Cavalry is a tournament-style anime, so constantly switching between foes only makes sense.

Overall, given its length and its scope, Cavalry did more than all right with its cast.

SOUND

The opening track, the effects, and the original soundtrack are the best parts of the music within Cavalry.

Starting with the OP, the trumpets elevate that triumphant feeling, matching the same feeling that permeates the anime. The vocalist does not have a lot of range, but his way of singing – skipping and lingering with the lyrics – fits nicely alongside the dropping effects and quick beat. The English lyrics are admittedly silly – “It’s time to take a top” – but the rest of the OP still manages to exude a strange brand of cool.

Furthermore, playing the OP during the final fight against Todo was fantastic. Using it enhanced the scene beyond where it already reached.

Besides the silly “Let’s Go Ahead” announcement, the effects during the fights are also top-notch. Arrows shooting, swords colliding, and water flowing, plus a myriad of other effects, turn the battles into spectacles that the hears cannot help but listen to.

Also (and as if more needs to be said about it at this point), the final fight deserves extra credit: Ikki’s blood vessel’s pumping, his and Todo’s auras radiating, and the wind building perfected the scene that much more.

Then there is the OST. The tracks mostly exist to ramp up the battles with lots of pianos, drums, and violins. The instruments are accompanied by resounding choirs as well halts in the music that increase adrenaline. Outside of the battles, Cavalry goes softer with more pianos, acoustic guitars, and bass guitars that contrast with the other tracks and keep the mood happy. And it even includes a piano, instrumental arrangement of the OP that is quite peaceful, rounding out the OST.

Voice acting performances for the anime are a toss-up that generally lean more positive than negative.

On the one hand, Shizuka Ishigami’s voice for Stella was cute and, more importantly, sultry, seductive in its delivery. Nao Touyama as Shizuku gave the adorable sister a cute yet stern way of speaking. And Yoshitsugu Matsuoka as Kirihara made his character into both the bully and the crybaby that he was.

On the other hand, Yuu Kobayashi’s voice for Ayase ranges from shy to nice to evil to sad, but it does not fit the character all that well. Shintaro Asanuma as Alice uses an effeminate voice that fits, but he does not demonstrate range. And Ryota Osaka as Ikki does nothing special, but, given the character’s self-insert status, it works.

Lastly, and arguably the biggest blemish on Cavalry, is the ending track. The ED comes off as an almost haunting composition that one would hear at a masquerade ball in olden times. This tone is weird because the anime’s mood does not match whatsoever. The vocalist does what she can, but the mixture of instruments and the all-over-the-place lyrics do not mesh well together.

ENJOYMENT

Have I made it clear yet that I love that final fight?

Because I love that final fight. I watched it again a few times in order to analyze it here, and each time I was still impressed. Ikki and Todo simultaneously saying their internal monologue is yet another factor that makes the final fight nothing short of incredible.

The other fights were also awesome. My next favorite is Shizuku versus Todo because of the length and the cool (pun intended) and electric (pun intended) abilities. Ikki versus Kirihara was fun, too, just to watch that smug dude get what he deserved.

There was more to this anime than just the fights, though. Stella being so sexy and cute all of the time was more than welcome. And if you know me, then you know that the romantic developments made my heart skip more than a few beats. Stella’s and Ikki’s initial confession, their “fight” at the pool (this one was priceless), and their hand holding at night were each heartwarming and precious moments that made me stupidly giddy.

I also found Shizuku to be a pretty fun character. Her cuteness around Alice made me smile. (They need to end up together; I am shipping them.) Her bold advances towards Ikki were eyebrow raising. And her banter with Stella – like in episode two where the music cuts away to make room for their insults and in episode six where Shizuku’s comedic portrait pushes Stella’s comedic portrait to the side of the screen – was hilarious.

Even the other, lesser parts were entertaining. The running gag with Yuuri, the blood-barfing teacher. Nene, the short, carefree “instructor,” always abandoning her commentary post and getting teased by Kurono, the Director. Ikki saying his two signature lines: “With my strongest…” and “Itto Shura!” (His use of it in the final fight was just way too cool.)

It goes without saying that I was entertained from start to finish.

Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry may be another high-school-magical-tournament-ecchi anime, but it is more than that. The story is focused. The characters are purposeful. And the visuals, music, and entertainment have their own, respective strengths. Basically, chivalry or no, this anime definitely deserves to be treated courteously.

SUMMARY

Story: Good, a romantically-driven narrative that starts strong, dips slightly in the middle, and ends superbly

Animation: Good, the artistic direction is interesting for the fights, with okay character designs and backgrounds

Characters: Good, while Stella is too passive as a character, Ikki, Alice, and the others have clout, with everyone involved in the theme on perseverance

Sound: Good, good OP, bad ED, nice effects, nice OST, generally above average VA performances

Enjoyment: Great, amazing romance, awesome action, and a lot of laughs

Final Score: 8/10

Rakudai Kishi no Calvary is part of the sea of fantasy/school anime out there. Good news is, it's not part of the mediocrity we've come to expect from this genre. Some anime, such as Asterisk War and Tokyo Ravens, definitely made me realize why this genre is so popular nowadays. OP male MC who eventually attracts a harem of archetypes- check. High school setting so you don't feel like too much of a perv for enjoying said archetypes- check. Magic and fight scenes that only temporarily distract you from the lack of character development-check. So little work to appeal ... to a shounen/seinen audience. Now that I've significantly bashed the genre, I can tell you that Rakudai Kishi no Calvary definitely stands above that. Ever wanted to see a school/magic anime done correctly? Look no further.

Story- 7
Starting off with a... cliché. Nothing new here. MC meets princess, tournament, and battles ensue. So why did I give it a 7? Mostly the pacing. The show's pacing felt just right, now rushing (Tokyo Ravens) or dragging (IS) too much. Other than that, nothing significant.

Art- 9
The best part of the show for me. The characters are detailed and the backgrounds are more than sufficient. The fighting animation was exceptionally fluid and never dragged unnecessarily (think Kara no Kyoukai). And some scenes were, uhm, "exciting".

Sound- 8
Nothing to say 'cept that I liked the OP and OST was above average.

Character- 8
Ikki Kurogane isn't your everyday main character. Imma say it- he has personality. *GASP* He works hard for his goal, as he wasn't born with natural talent, and feels like a person. His interactions and emotions are all at least somewhat realistic
Stella Vermillion, our other lead, isn't nearly as unique. Standard red-headed spoiled tsundere princess, although she's not so spoiled as the series goes on. Oh well, at least she's honest about her feelings (more than I can say for a lot of main female characters).

One other thing- you may notice that this anime is tagged as "romance" and not "harem". Surprisingly, Rakudai Kishi no Calvary has a fully fleshed out romance that develops past the "first kiss". Nice job, Rakudai, nice job.

Enjoyment- 8
This show, while not original, was damn entertaining at some times and the romance really helped it feel more complete than a lot of others. The way it ended way was awesome.

Overall- 8
Give it a try. It's only 12 episodes, and even if you don't like the characters, at least you can enjoy the fight scenes.

Here's to season 2!