Reign of the Seven Spellblades

The show has one massive problem — it's trying to be too many things at once. It aims to be a magical school like Hogwarts, with a sprawling dungeon akin to DanMachi. Then there's a revenge plotline reminiscent of "eminence in the shadows," all while juggling the classic clichés of another generic magical academy with slightly stereotypical characters. With numerous characters and even more plotlines, only a few of them really go anywhere in those fifteen episodes. Despite these issues, I found myself enjoying the series. The writer clearly has quite the imagination, understanding what's important for viewers when delving into a magical world. There were constant surprises, from the peculiar to the intriguing aspects of the world-building. I liked many of the show's ideas, such as the protection of magical creatures here. I particularly appreciated the plotlines centered around Vera Milligan and Ophelia Salvadori. They felt well thought out with satisfying conclusions. It's a shame that these were likely the only parts that truly went somewhere, especially since the revenge storyline, which was the most interesting, felt so sidelined. In essence, if the series had taken each idea gradually, allowing them to develop, it could have been fantastic. There's so much potential here, with many interesting aspects of this magical world. Everything the author presents is elevated to a higher level, like the flying brooms that have their own personalities and pride, so they are more like creatures than magical objects, akin to Potter's Hippogriffs. A run-of-the-mill fantasy light novel from a special academy wouldn't have come up with such intricate details! Sadly, despite my enthusiasm, the lukewarm online reactions make me doubtful about another season. I probably won't get around to the novel either, which is a shame because, unpopular opinion incoming, I'm more intrigued by where this series could go compared to another "Potter rip-off" from last season. To me, this series feels more original, interesting, magical, and well-developed than the whole Mashle, even if it loses to the second season of The Ancient Magus' Bride when it comes to authenticity and characters. It also falls short in animation quality which is average at best, with noticeable effort mainly in the first and last episodes, as well as the opening sequence. The music has its ups and downs, with some motifs fitting perfectly while others feel a bit off. Considering the rating, I wrestle with giving it a higher score, especially considering how it's been received thus far. However, I don't like adjusting scores based on what others have given, so I'll stick to my own judgment. This series isn't a 4-star for me; it's more of a hodge-podge of various ingredients — some of which intrigued me enough to warrant a 6/10. (13/10/2023)