[Analysis] Black Butler & Aestheticism
By: Peggy Sue Wood | @pswediting To be honest, after completing my Master’s thesis on Oscar Wilde and aestheticism, I never thought I’d revisit the concept of aestheticism again in my life. Yet, here I amâdrawn back into it and overlapping it (much to my dismay) with the world of Black Butler, a series I’ve loved since middle school. With another arc now adapted into … Continue reading [Analysis] Black Butler & Aestheticism
[Commentary] Media Literacy: Dangers Of Romanticizing Other Cultures & Recognizing Soft Power
By: Peggy Sue Wood | @pswediting This is a topic that feels a little hypocritical to be writing considering the fact that our content seems to be all about romanticizing stories from other countries as an anime blog, but that is exactly why it is important to discuss. In our “Welcoming 2024” message, I posted on anime going from niche to mainstream, and how fans are … Continue reading [Commentary] Media Literacy: Dangers Of Romanticizing Other Cultures & Recognizing Soft Power
[Theory/Analysis] Musical Literacy Between US and Japan + [Review] Solo Leveling’s Album
By: Peggy Sue Wood | @pswediting I participated in choir for close to six years, but despite that lengthy involvement, I must clarify that I lack musical literacy. Sheet music remains a mystery to me, and I’ve lost my ability to carry a tune. The instructions from my choir instructor have faded from memory, except for the general notion and knowledge that I somehow allowed … Continue reading [Theory/Analysis] Musical Literacy Between US and Japan + [Review] Solo Leveling’s Album
[Demo Review] Spirit City: Lofi Sessions
By: Krow Smith | @coffeewithkrow During the first week of February 2024, Steam was having a celebration of upcoming games where they showcased hundreds of demos and many hours of developer live streams. They called it âNext Festâ and it was exciting to say the least! Playing all of the different demos was fun and my wishlist was much more bloated after it was all … Continue reading [Demo Review] Spirit City: Lofi Sessions
TAV Return! We’re back~
We’re back! Over the last two months, we intentionally stepped back from our writing pursuits to focus on editing our backlog of a few hundred posts. This hiatus provided an excellent opportunity to revisit our editorial guidelines and revitalize our creative sides! Now, the backlog was large and no one does this full time, so we’re still a bit behind on older posts and transferring … Continue reading TAV Return! We’re back~
[Analysis] [April Fools] Fullmetal Alchemist: A Glance at Alchemy
By: Peggy Sue Wood | @pswediting Welcome, fellow alchemists and (humor) enthusiasts, to a lighthearted exploration of the wild world of chemistry history using Fullmetal Alchemist as the base for our discussion because today we’re diving into the notion that alchemy was basically chemistry before they decided to ditch all the woo-woo shenanigans. Grab your philosopher’s stone and let’s embark on a journey through the … Continue reading [Analysis] [April Fools] Fullmetal Alchemist: A Glance at Alchemy
Anime To Look Forward To â Spring 2024
By: Peggy Sue Wood | @pswediting It is now the start of the Spring 2024 season, and weâre finally returning from our long hiatus. As we return, I thought it would be nice to start off with something a little easyâlike a few quick recommendations for those watching things this season. In upcoming/ongoing works to consider watching this season, I (Peggy Wood, Editor of The Anime … Continue reading Anime To Look Forward To â Spring 2024
[Anime Review] Dragon’s Dogma: Compare And Contrast
By: Krow Smith | @coffeewithkrow
Dragonâs Dogma: Dark Arisen is a game I hold near and dear to my heart. It is a Japanese action RPG in a high fantasy setting where you fight Harpies and Ogres, with the end goal of slaying a Dragon who has stolen your heart (literally). Is the story the best? Not really, but there is definitely something there to make you think and it is serviceable with a fantastic class system that keeps me coming back to replay it over and over again. In fact, throughout the years it has become one of my obsessions! This is why I viewed the release of the Dragonâs Dogma 2 showcase with such excitement, as I thought about what could be improved for the series. So, with my growing anticipation, I decided to finally watch Netflixâs Dragonâs Dogma and compare it with the game it is based on, which is what you are about to read below.
Before that though, some notes: I will be rating each episode on a scale of 1 to 10, depending on visuals, storytelling, and my enjoyment of the episode. I will also be referring to the works being compared as âthe gameâ and âthe animeâ respectively, for the purpose of brevity. I wonât be making any comparisons or references to Dragonâs Dogma Online, as that is a Japan-exclusive MMORPG that I am not able to play. Lastly, as I go through and review each episode and talk about the game, I wonât be worrying about spoilers for either of them. You have been warned!
Episode One: Wrath
In comparison to the game, I can see where the story team is going with the plot. Not everything is going to be an exact copy story-wise, nor should it. Some things work better in the medium they were created in and need to be redone in order for them to fit into another form. Especially when, in the game, you create your character and go on a quest thatâs the same for everyone who plays. With Netflixâs Dragonâs Dogma, youâre now following Ethan, who has his own past and his own path that is very different from the game.
For example, both settings for the game and the show start in a small fishing village named Cassardis. Yet, Ethan is in the forest when the dragon arrives rather than your character in-game being in the village as it happens. This is to coincide with Ethanâs backstory as a hunter in the forest rather than as a fisher, like every other person in Cassardis.
However, both have a key moment, wherein the protagonist picks up the sword and attempts to attack the dragon. This is vital to the Dragonâs Dogma story as it is the sole reason why the dragon chooses to make them (Ethan and your character) an Arisen. However, the reasons for taking up the blade are different between the gameâs protagonist, player, and the animeâs protagonist, Ethan.
In the game, your character is doing it to protect your home and its people. This results in the mitigation of greater harm to the village due to your courageous sacrifice. For Ethan, it was an act of wrath, while focusing on the loss of his family and home.
This difference brings me to my next comparison: the naming of episodes for the storyâs progression. When I saw that the episodes are named after the seven deadly sins, I was quite perplexed. This is not a concept in the game. I mean, you can attribute some characters to certain sins, but itâs not an overt, overarching theme when it comes to the story. This idea ends up weighing down the show as they try to shoehorn the sins into each episode, mostly unsuccessfully.
In terms of judging the first episode on its own, one thing I noticed immediately was the CGI, which does not bode well when it comes to first impressions. The animations are stiff and often appear to be emotionless, making it difficult to relate to the characters. Meanwhile, the dialogue doesnât help with this problem eitherâin fact, it makes it worse. With repeated uses of trite lines, such as âbreakfast is the most important meal of the day,” itâs hard to take it seriously.
There were also some awkward moments, such as Ethan and Louis (an orphan Ethan and his wife had taken in as their own) having a conversation with some guards while walking past them at a considerable distance.
Overall, I give this episode a 4/10. In terms of story, it wasnât terrible but it wasnât special either. Also, at this point, the CGI and stale dialogue had me quite dubious of what was to come.
Boy, was I rightâŠ
Episode Two: Gluttony
This is where Netflixâs Dragonâs Dogma strays far from the game in terms of geography and story. In the game, there are only 2 towns: Cassardis and Gran Soren.
I know, I know, it sounds ridiculous to have only 2 towns in a fantasy game, but a lot was cut out of the game during production due to budget constraints. So, I understand adding more villages for the show to make it more interesting. However, in terms of the Pawn, Hannah, they do stray quite a bit compared to the source material. This change is less understandable.
Her vocation, or what you might call âclassâ are significantly changed between the anime and game. There are nine vocations in the Dragonâs Dogma: Dark Arisen game, starting with the base classes of Fighter (sword and shield), Strider (dagger and bows), and Mage (staff). Then you have the upgraded versions of those vocations with the Warrior, Ranger, and Sorcerer. Next are the mixed classes, such as Assassin or Mystic Knight. Hannah is very obviously a Magick Archer, she uses a bow and magick (as it is spelled in the game). This is an issue conflicting with source materials because Pawns canât be any of the mixed classes, only the Arisen have this option.
Not to mention the writers decided to make her detached in a way that is heartless and inconsiderate. While Pawns in the game lack a true will of their own, they simply follow the Arisen wherever they go and are always trying to help the Arisen regardless of the quest.
Anime-Hannah, on the other hand, doesnât care to help anyone and only wishes to commit to the quest of finding and slaying the dragon. A stark contrast to Pawns in the game as they give advice on current quests and donât complain about wasting time.
Returning to the episode, my judgment is that it is very bland, with more predictable dialogue and obvious story beats. For example, there is a corrupt mayor who is starving the townspeople and using a Cyclops as a tool to seize all of their belongings and food in order to satiate his gluttony. It was simply a classic case of âEvil, just because.â
The mayor was so comically evil that it even caused an eye roll or two and the âtwistâ at the end didnât fare much better. I sighed in disappointment as the townspeople became the embodiment of gluttony. This episode is a taste of the template that the show follows throughout the rest of the season:
Something bad is happening â Main characters help â Someone or something represents the sin the episode is named after â âtwistâ â character(s) for the episode die or is/are afflicted â the end
There are very slight variations to this format depending on the episode, but this is what it all boils down to, and it becomes redundant almost immediately.
I give âGluttonyâ a 3.5/10. Itâs definitely worse than âWrath,â but the narrative structure hadnât quite hit me yet with how repetitive itâs going to get soon after this.
Episode Three: Envy
Disclaimer: MATURE CONTENT WARNING â This episode review contains content that we at The Anime View do not think is suitable for everyone. Possible triggers or subjects include sexual assault and suicide. By clicking âRead More,â you understand that you may encounter such content. Reader discretion is advised.
Continue reading “[Anime Review] Dragon’s Dogma: Compare And Contrast”[Recommended Watch] The Apothecary Diaries
By: Katherine Cañeba | @kcserinlee We are well into the winter anime season, and a certain show called The Apothecary Diaries (Kusuriya no Hitorigoto) should be on your watchlist if it isnât already. I saw the poster for it on my Crunchyroll homepage back in January, and I recalled seeing the trailer being unveiled at Anime Expo 2023. It left a lasting impression on me … Continue reading [Recommended Watch] The Apothecary Diaries
Happy Hearts & Matching Outfits! #3
By: Peggy Sue Wood | @pswediting It’s that time of the year again when both lonely and love-filled hearts come together to celebrate the Valentine’s holiday this coming week. Having engaged in this tradition of presenting matching outfits that make me happy for two years now, I’ve decided to make it a lasting ritual! So, here I amâposting while on break. After another year of … Continue reading Happy Hearts & Matching Outfits! #3