Hi and welcome back to yet another Anime review – yes I am still going strong too! We are now mid-August, man has time really gone by! The summer goes by pretty fast when you’re always working on something that is for sure.
Today we’re going to be discussing the Anime; Jormungand, this is an Anime that is also classified as an Action, Adventure, and Seinen. Without further ado, let’s get on with the review.
Story
To be honest, this is the type of show that can make any fan of action genre glued to the screen with its blood packed spilling, rapid violence, and gun dominance at first glance. The first episodes kicks off already with some full throttle road war and those bullets fly across all over the screen. It wastes little time in conveying the hazardous occupation and brutality of being an arms dealer. At the same time, it also finds ways to make the series relaxing through some heartwarming moments and comedic scenes.
The story is set in the modern eras so if you’re looking for mecha action, futuristic weaponry, or of the historical theme, then you’re looking at the wrong place. Fear not though as the story is easy to understand and not one of those mindfucks that leaves the viewers going “HUH?” Speaking of stories, Jormungand has a smooth pace focusing on the crew’s teamwork and abilities to accomplish tasks. Each arc focuses on professionalism and it’s up to Koko and her crew to work together in the end to deliver the result. Although somewhat one-sided and predictable, the story is still smooth and to the adult-oriented audience, can be appealing.
Characters
One of the aspect that engineers this series is the colourful cast of characters. Koko Hekmatyar assumes the role of the female protagonist who is amusing, entertaining, and dramatic to watch. Despite the real dangers of her occupation, she makes fun out of most it and can literally be seen as a troll at occasions. Her character brightens up the gloom and doom of the crew and gives her job a new light that some future arm dealers may find appealing or maybe strange. On the other hand, there is Jonah, the child recruit soldier. Like the opposite side of a coin, he has a more stoic mind and says things that can sometimes be interpreted blunt, sarcastic, or too brutally honest. Yet he is an interesting character if we look at him more carefully for his ability to balance out the seriousness and fun mood of the story and her crew.
Speaking of the crew, there are some a few prominent characters to look at. One of them is the one-eyed ripped girl, Valmet. Her priceless expressions throughout the episodes towards Koko are those of a puppy like a crush and silly to watch. Yet behind that eye lies a dark past, one which changed her life forever and made her the person that she is today. There are some others worth to mention namely Lehm that resumes the second in command of the crew, Kasper Hekmatyar (Koko’s elder brother), and Chinatsu from one of the earlier episodes. While all of them have contrasting personalities, it is easy to see that they share the theme of having a dark past whether playing the role of the good or bad player.
It is because of these themes and histories, the crew and the characters of this series are quite unique in its aspects.
Art
Like Steins; Gate, Jormungand is handled by White Fox. They are a relatively new anime studio who are more into the traditional background. At first glance, that’s nothing worth to talk about. Yet, if we look carefully, we can clearly see that the studio creates the realism of the story and into its characters. The weapons, the military backgrounds, the settings, the outfits, the visuals. It retains its ability to create the atmosphere. Koko’s mischievous expressions on her loco face show it all through the lashes and those slippery grins like a serpentine. That can also be said to the same for her bodyguard, sidekick, and friend, Jonah.
The series also tries to bring out humour through some of the more comic scenes with the black-ringed eyes in the form of priceless expressions. While not too appealing, it brings out the comedy side of the series and shows that while the job of being an arms dealer is dangerous, it can also be fun and to make most of it.
Sound
I’ll say this once and once only. The music and soundtrack of this series is pure epic. The music director behind the scene (Taku Iwasaki) puts the epic its beats and techno trance-like music that will make you wish you’re part of the series. The OP song, “Borderland” sung by Mami Kawada is also quite catchy. Known for her work from the popular Shana franchise and the Toaru Majutsu no Index series, she brings her latest work to life through this song. All in all for nothing else of a reason to watch this show, the soundtrack of the series is one of them
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One response to “Jormungand | Anime Review”
I really enjoyed Jormungand. The characters are fantastic and I loved slowly getting to know the members of Koko’s group. The action works and the story keeps moving forward. Its just kind of fun to watch. Thanks for sharing your thoughts on it.