Alternative titles: Shingeki no Bahamut: Genesis
Card Battle/Smartphone Game Adaptation by MAPPA.
Streaming on Funimation.

Premise

The ginger-haired Dandy-like Favaro is a bounty hunter in a world where it isn’t that weird to summon giant demons and murder other people. Demons are also a big deal, and apparently there’s this big dragon that wrecked some stuff in a time gone by. It’s kind of hard to tell, there was no dialogue in the opening.

Euri’s verdict: App Anime of the Day

It’s very hard to get excited for an anime that has been adapted from an app. Perhaps that’s my fault for not giving the mobile marketplaces more credit, but after some genuinely awful shows based on everything from pachinko to Korean MMOs, it looked like a pretty safe bet to go ahead and disregard this. After all, even if the game itself was fun, it is a card battler. If you’re not going to default to kids slamming cards in worlds where people only play card games, you better have some good lore. Apparently, Rage of Bahamut: Genesis has that.

Actually, I’m lying, because it’s far too early to know what the lore even is. The opening sequence which seems to show a catastrophic event from the past is not explained. But there’s time for all that lore and information – having a silent flashback at the beginning of the episode was a fantastic way to kick the show off. The dragon looked like something you’d expect from Dragon’s Crown, and the majority of the shots looked like they were ripped straight from an animated movie. The effects, the character designs and the overall atmosphere was all there.

We soon meet Favaro, an apparent womaniser who makes a living from being a bounty hunter. This is followed by a scene that would fit rather well in any live-action film, and as silly as it was, it served as a great introduction to what look to be two of the main characters. We also get to see a little bit of that card-battler source material by way of the bad guys summoning demons, and while it doesn’t turn into a summoner versus summoner situation like I imagine the game actually is, we get to learn a bit more about Favaro. He seems smart but cocky, and he seems to be a bit more capable than he’s letting on.

Honestly, this show took me completely by surprise. The art style is pretty good, the character designs are great and so far at least, the dialogue from the characters seems to be good fun. It’s hard to say how the story will meander its way to dealing with the dragon (or at least that’s where it looks like it’s going) but I’m also way into that. Too many shows deal their full hand in the first episode to their own disadvantage. I feel like Rage of Bahamut: Genesis has shown just enough to keep people interested, and if it keeps it up, this might just turn out to be the sleeper hit of the season.

Iro’s verdict: Surprisingly Fun

Knowing this was based on a free-to-play mobile card game, I was expecting the worst. Then, the first scene after the prologue involved two mercenaries having a swordfight on horseback, leaping across the city rooftops. Swashbuckling action, musical motifs straight out of a Western (I loved the trumpet sting), unorthodox character design, talking ducks, and women beating monsters into submission with their bare hands? I’m pretty much sold, assuming they can keep up the charm and energy as things move forward.

Zigg’s verdict: Adventure Time

This wasn’t just ‘surprisingly good for a mobile game adaptation’, it was just great all around. Impressive visuals in a rarely seen style, a funny, action-packed rivalry to kick off our story and just enough hints of a greater plot to draw us in. The fights were fantastic, both brilliantly choreographed and extremely amusing, and the dialogue is sharp, witty and well acted. The entire thing feels like an old school pulp adventure, with slight hints of Indiana Jones roguishness blended in with some Trigun and some traditionally fantastical anime elements. It’s an attractive mix, and this first episode executed upon it brilliantly. More like this please.

Gee’s verdict: Sleeper Hit

Beyond its impressive looking PV, none of us really expected much from this mobile app adaptation. Between low expectations and a genuinely well-crafted first episode, Rage of Bahamut: Genesis is a wild ride on its way to being the surprise hit of the season. With interesting designs, likable characters, exciting action, and top notch production values, it’s a surprisingly enjoyable piece of entertainment, even if it doesn’t do anything particularly unique or new. But what it does do, it does with aplomb and splendor. It’s not enough to just have a swordfight, it has to be a swordfight on top of a spinning wheel careening through the city streets. Because of its source material, Bahamut benefits from letting its writers do anything. Conversely, that means they could take it conceivably anywhere, for both good and ill. I’m personally hoping it’s the former because I’m having a ton of fun with it.