Rage of Bahamut Genesis Review (Anime)
I had close to no knowledge as to what Rage of Bahamut: Genesis was before watching it but it managed to take me by surprise and made for an enjoyable, grand adventure with a likeable cast of characters, outstanding animation and thrilling battles accompanied by an excellent English Dub.
Rage of Bahamut takes place in the world of Mistarcia where humans, Gods and demons live together after the dragon Bahamut threatened to destroy them all, and the only way to seal him away was to band together against a more powerful force. It follows bounty hunter Favaro as he spends his days chasing down bounties and then spending his money at the end of each day on booze whilst his childhood friend, Kaiser, is always tracking him down as a knight who was previously humiliated by Favaro.
Favaro is quickly overwhelmed by one of his bounties when a mysterious woman, Amira, appears and uses her demon powers to protect him, and Favaro then finds himself owing her and begins his journey to help her find her mother. What he doesn’t realise is that she’s being chased by all manner of people as she carries half of a key that could allow Bahamut to be freed.
Rage of Bahamut surprised me with its engaging cast where great strides were taken in giving each character a suitable amount of development over only 12 episodes, and I find myself missing the cast now that it’s over. Favaro and Kaiser’s rivalry is humourous but once they cross swords, it’s clear that both are formidable combatants who are fighting to win. Amira comes out of her shell over the course of the series and I grew fond of her and was invested in her journey to find her mother which is all she’s wanted, but events keep playing against her and it seems like she’ll never reunite with her mother again. Although the overarching story is made clear, there are sub-plots which are equally intriguing and I found myself enraptured by the sad tale of Necromancer Rita’s story in the first half of the season.
Rage of Bahamut is visually gorgeous and is among studio MAPPA’s best works. Due to its setting and character models that are a lot more realistic, Rage of Bahamut could pass as a Western animation with anime inspiration and would make for a great anime to introduce to people who aren’t familiar with anime. The epic scale of the story is reflected in the grand-scale battles where intense 1-on-1 battles take place regularly whilst it culminates in a battle between hundreds of people – and a massive dragon. The ED is absolutely beautiful and quickly became a favourite of mine, along with the shows wonderful and unique art style.
Rage of Bahamut features one of those outstanding English Dubs that even the most hardcore of sub-purists will struggle to fault it. Ian Sinclair perfectly fits the smooth, cheerful Favaro whilst Chris Rager brings the proud Kaiser to life in a way that I just love. Tia Ballard helps Amira to be the lovable, energetic character that she is too. As stated earlier, the ED features a song that’s as catchy and peaceful as the visuals, and the soundtrack as a whole seamlessly blends into the show whether it’s action or humour.
Rage of Bahamut: Genesis took me by surprise and I know very little about the card game that it’s based on, and very little about the anime itself before watching it. However, I found myself really enjoying the anime and it makes for an easy recommendation for those looking for something with a solid story and character development, and something that’s a great blend of action, comedy and fantasy. A season season has been confirmed and now I get to happily join those who are looking forward to it!
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