Ultimate Survivor Chagum

I should probably watch Kaiji before I make jokes about it, but episode 10 of Seirei no Moribito cried out for it.

I’ve only seen a few more episodes than when I last talked about Seirei no Moribito but the more I (slowly) watch of this series, the more impatient I am for Scholastic to release the novel series over here. It’s the exact kind of story I’d like Western YA fantasy novels to have more often. I have the feeling, from watching the sedate and soft-feeling anime, that the novel itself will be excellently written in the kind of style I like. I know what I’ve come to like in books, and Seirei no Moribito certainly fits the bill.

On the anime side of things, however, it’s clear even now that the action-filled first several episodes was merely a prelude to the actual content of the series: that of Basla becoming a mom. It’s interesting seeing what’s happened since Balsa fulfilled her promise to avenge the deaths she inadvertently took by saving an equal number (I think it was 8), even though we’ve only seen her since she took on the job of protecting Chagum. Despite being about mundane daily aspects of life in fantasyland, the series manages to be thrilling. Whether it’s Balsa hiding in the closet of a blacksmith, or, in this episode, Chagum defeating corrupted gamers with his imperially-trained wits, this anime never really fails me. I wish I had more time to watch it, but I think savoring it slowly is the way to go (I think savoring it slowly is the way to go with a lot of anime but that’s just me).

Further updates as events warrant.