Nov 1, 2023
This review is written in 2 parts, the first being my review as someone who didn't know anything about the Sakura Taisen series, and the second being my review as newly made fan of the series.
This review is honestly pretty hard to write, because the Sakura Taisen anime is a pretty decent show all things considered, but it's the first anime I ever watched that made me feel like I had to do homework in order to get the full enjoyment it deserves. Being a spinoff loosely based on the games, they take advantage of this and assume that the viewer has already played
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at least the first 2 games in the series (Sakura Taisen & Sakura Taisen 2). If you watch the show with no prior knowledge of anything about the series (like I did), characters are only half introduced, or sometimes not given an introduction at all. That's not to say that the characters are bad, but there's just this major feeling that the show is assuming that you already know about these characters and the setting, etc. The first half of the show is spent trying to give some depth to the main characters but unfortunately I wouldn't consider it sufficient in any way. It just comes off as filler-y, which is such a waste and is really what kills this anime. If the show just spent the time to properly flesh out characters to an audience that knew nothing about the series this show would be an easy recommend. That feeling of needing prior knowledge nagged at me so much that I decided to sit down and play the first Sakura Taisen game to acquire some of that knowledge the show wanted me to have. But as you might imagine, it's hard to recommend a show that makes you do homework to enjoy it, especially when that homework is playing 2 entire video games. For that reason, unless you're willing to commit to becoming obsessed with a series you've never heard of before, or willing to watch what will turn out to be a hugely mediocre show, or you seriously just have nothing better to watch, it's probably best to skip this one.
With that being said however, as a newly made fan of the Sakura Taisen series I actually enjoyed the show quite a bit. It's simply a very fun spinoff of the games that was enjoyable to watch. The main story, despite being only loosely based on the game's story, is still fairly good. Unfortunately there's no ignoring the mediocrity of the first half though. Even if you played the games already, they don't introduce any new information about the characters, so it is still is very filler-y, and at best it comes off as just playing in service to the fans, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. The whole show definitely plays in service to the fans and it's part of what made it so enjoyable to watch. The music is all rearranged and rerecorded versions of music from the game, including the opening theme which is just the main theme of the whole series, and there's quite a few easter egg moments but they don't beat it over your head and it doesn't feel overdone. The first 3 episodes even act as a short prequel to the first game even if the show technically isn't cannon with the games. The show as a whole definitely could have been better, especially if it was more streamlined, cutting out all the filler, making the ending feel less rushed, and of course doing a good job of introducing the characters to a new audience. Even still, I think it's better to see the show for what it really is, which is just a spinoff show of an anime game series. It was never going to be a 10/10 masterpiece because it wasn't made to be one. This show was purpose made for fans of Sakura Taisen, which is why I felt like it needed the two separate reviews. But in that respect, I thought it was a good show and was enjoyable to watch.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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