I must be honest, I haven’t watched an anime series in what seems like a very long time. I feel like I have to say this, because I used to and still do love anime, but they can go on and go for ages and I simply don’t have the time or energy to dedicate myself to it (aka, Attack on Titan which I still need to finish!). Anyways, while I was on holidays I decided to finally watch The Seven Deadly Sins as it kept popping up my screen. So without further delay, here is my review. Enjoy!
The Plot
The story takes place in Britannia, where the King and her daughters have been overthrown taken hostage by the Holy Knights, making the latter the new tyrannical rulers of the Kingdom. The youngest of princesses, Princess Elizabeth, manages to escape the castle in order to seek help from the Seven Deadly Sins, who are a group of disbanded Knights after they supposedly plotted to overthrow the Liones Kingdom ten years ago.
What is Good?
I can see why this anime got the attention it did as it is the perfect introduction to someone who is not familiar with the genre, or like me, has been out of the game for some time. It has all the ingredients that make a good anime:
- A likeable Hero
- Badass side kicks
- A mistress in distress
- Over the top action
- Humour
- Good graphics
There are only 23 episodes and they only last about 20min each (when you skip the credits) so you can easily finish the series in about a week.
It is also engaging from the first episode. Most anime series are notorious for building the back-story in as much as in 20 episodes, but here you are basically hooked from the first episode. The action starts right from the start.
The different characters and their personalities also make for an interesting balance, and you are likely to find a character you like best. For me it has to be Ban, because who doesn’t like an anti-hero! They all complement each other, turning dark moment into humour and vice versa.
What is not so Good?
Well, there are a few things that come to mind. They are not necessarily things I hated, because at the end I did enjoy the series, but there are things I wish could have been done better.
- The Hero, Meliodas, is too perfect. He never really confronts any one who is an actual challenge to him, and even when you think he has met his match, it ends up being him pretending to be weak. He never breaks a sweat! His only somewhat challenger is Ban, and so, they spend a hell of a lot of time fighting for now reason at all (maybe to show us how strong they both are?!) Meliodas is this perfect, happy-go-lucky guy who just happens to want to save the Princess. There is also no real depth about his past (unlike with Ban or King who get some back story) which is a real shame.
- Princess Elizabeth!! Oh how annoying she can be!! Too weak, too emotional, crying all the time, talking all the time, and just being there as some sort of eye-candy with no actual likeability. Her character slows the story to an almost unbearable point.
- The weird groping scenes. As a women maybe I am biased, but even my husband was a bit disturbed at those scenes. They happen sporadically throughout the series as Meliodas is a bit of a women’ man, but it is not only done in the most random of ways with no link to the story but also Elizabeth just sits there not complaining! I guess it is meant to be seen as humour but it was strangely done.
Final Thoughts
Overall I would say that this is an entertaining series, which has some very good elements, and can easily be watched in no time as the story does grab you. It is predictable in some parts, but there is real comfort in that. I think if you are new to anime, you would love this, and if you are a die-hard anime fan but want a lighter watch, then this is up your street.
Have you seen The Seven Deadly Sins? What were your thoughts?
A Sense of Clarity 