Owari no Seraph (Seraph of the End): Season 1/ Episode 1 “The World of Blood Legacy” [Series Premiere] – Summary/ Review (with Spoilers)

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Overview

A vampire population releases a virus which wipes out the majority of the human race, who are over 13, and those left alive become blood banks. Though it seems one young man, given a severe reason for vengeance, maybe the one who turns the tide.

Studio: Wit Studio

Trigger Warning(s): Image of Plane crash – The World of Blood Legacy

Review (with Spoilers) – Below

Characters & Story

Yu, who we meet as a child, was forced into an orphanage after the suicide of his mother, and his father attempting to murder him. Luckily though, in the orphanage he was sent to, he found some semblance of family. Whether it was the kind Mika, the sweet Akane, or the various other new siblings he inherited, he had the option of accepting them as kin. Something he refused to do as years, even after the vampire forces arrived, wiped out teen and adult population, and took nearly every human being underground.

Though, one day, after Mika long sacrificing himself to Lord Ferid in order to get food, a map, and a gun for his family, things change. For, over the course of an hour or two, hope and freedom come to Yu and his adopted family. Though, with hope, comes the possibility of despair, something Lord Ferid presents to them as he stands in their way.

Praise

The foundation set in the premiere episode is certainly interesting. Yu seems to be a complicated character who isn’t some an unbeatable hero, there is a good amount of loss established to show that the series maybe willing to kill off characters, and while it did shy away from showing anything too grotesque, the battle scene in the first episode was definitely a wakeup call.

Criticism

For me, the main issue of the premiere episode is that it speeds through Yu growing up so much that it makes the major turning points in his life not have the impact they are implied to have. For between being taken from his parents, to what happens to his adopted siblings, everything happens so fast. Which is a shame since with the show having a 24 episode order, you’d think they would have taken some time to develop a deep unyielding hatred in the boy. For really, as much as Mika and Akane are likable, it feels like just as quickly as we get to know them, they become simply memories of Yu’s past.

Overall: Stick Around

Owari no Seraph certainly has potential, but a part of it got wasted by rushing through Yu’s backstory. Though I remain hopeful about the episodes to come, and based off the battle of the first episode, and willingness to kill of characters, I plan on sticking around. Now whether I do so in vain, or to my own benefit, only time will tell. But I got my fingers crossed for this one.