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Saturday, August 21, 2021

In ‘Record of Ragnarok’, Historical Figures Go Mano-a-Mano With Mythological Deities in One, Giant Tournament Arc

If Record of Ragnarok is to be described in a nutshell, it’s Mortal Kombat between historical figures and mythological deities to determine the fate of mankind – whether they will be allowed to go on existing or should be wiped out.  That’s a pretty cool premise, and if that doesn’t sell you on the show, I don’t know what will.

A more detailed description goes like these: during their meeting, the gods come to agree that humans have become so wicked and corrupt that they deserve to go extinct.   However, before the gods can act on their decision, the Valkyrie named Brunhild crashes the meeting and goads the gods to give mankind one last chance to save themselves through Ragnarok, where humans send 13 of their champions to go on one-on-one, fight-to-the-death matches with 13 representatives that the gods select from among themselves.  If the humans win the best-of-13 tournament, humanity will be spared.  Amused and scandalized by the idea of mere mortals challenging them, and confident of their utter superiority, the gods agreed.
Of course, a human has no chance of ever lasting – let alone, winning – a straightforward fight with a god.  Still, Brunhild selects 13 distinguished humans from across history that possess the appropriate and unique skills that can pull off the upset.  Moreover, each one is going to be partnered with a Valkyrie, who can transform into a weapon that befits the human’s fighting style and grants him the power to go toe-to-toe with a god.  On the other hand, the price of this technique, which is called “Volund”, is that the Valkyrie also dies if her human partner dies.   But Brunhild and her sisters are willing to risk this, for the sake of protecting humanity and humiliating the arrogant gods.

So far, the 12-episode first season featured three matches – Lü Bu (Chinese warlord during the Han dynasty) vs. Thor (Norse God of Thunder), Adam (from Genesis) vs. Zeus (king of the Greek gods and the chairman of the gods’ council), and Sasaki Kojirō (Japanese master swordsman during the Azuchi–Momoyama and early Edo periods) vs. Poseidon (Greek god of the sea and Zeus’ older brother).  Also, the fourth match was revealed in the season finale to be between Jack the Ripper and Heracles a.k.a. Hercules (we’ll have to wait for season 2 to see that battle unfold).
Like every worthwhile anime tournaments, the battles are being witnessed by an audience, which consist of humans that lived throughout history and various gods and mythological beings.  Prominently shown cheering for human fighters are their respective (and also historical) associates, peers, friends, and family.  Meanwhile, some of the notable gods identified watching from the bleachers and balconies are Odin, Hermes, Loki, Ares, Aphrodite (by the way, this anime’s sexually charged but hilarious portrayal of the Greek Goddess of Love deserves acknowledgement), and Vishnu, and it’s implied that some of them are going to be their side’s representatives for upcoming matches.

I had a blast with Record of Ragnarok.  It’s as trope-y as a tournament arc can be, and the storytelling and structure seem to be repeated for each match.  However, it has solid execution, which when paired with the inherent appeal of its inventive premise allows it to overcome any sense of repetitiveness that may arise.  Hence, I found each battle perpetually fresh and engaging, both in concept and delivery.

As for which battle is my favorite so far, I have to go with (SPOILER) the second one, Adam vs. Zeus.  It’s the battle that I really found the most hard-hitting, exhilarating, white-knuckled, and emotionally investing.  The following match was also great, but Adam vs. Zeus, in my opinion, is Record of Ragnarok at its peak (so far).
I also need to mention that Record of Ragnarok reminded me of Drifters, visually and conceptually.  While looking into it, I couldn’t find any connection between the two productions.  But for me, the former really gives off the same vibes that the latter had.  And that probably also helped in making me like this show since I really like Drifters.

The animation, however, is not that spectacular.  For a fighting anime that has a premise that needs hyped sakuga, it does look limited in this area.  I can’t blame you if ever you find it aesthetically underwhelming.  But for me, even though I would have also preferred it to have superior animation, its imperfect animation isn’t detrimental to the point that it made the show awful.  In fact, the limited animation somewhat gives it a quaint 90s anime look.  Hence, if you treat it like it was an anime made from the 90s or 2000s, you will probably get over any turnoff you feel about the animation.
In the end, Record of Ragnarok is not the most remarkable anime out there.  But if it had a bigger budget for more fluid and dynamic action sequences, I believe it would have easily been one of the year’s best.  Nevertheless, again, I already had a blast with what it turned out to be.  For in terms of pure dumb action fun, it delivers and satisfies.

Can’t wait to see the remaining ten matches.

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