Ever wanted to go to a Knight school. Ever wanted to have sanctioned bouts and kick some ass? This is exactly the feel you get from Chivalry of a Failed Knight and it does it well. Welcome to another session of First Impression reviews, this is your boy Nico Nico Eldries and we’ll break down the PLOT, ART STYLE, INTEREST and the give the anime an OVERALL RATING based on what we have seen thus far.
First up, PLOT. The story revolves around Ikki Kurogane, a student at one of the most prestigious High Schools for Blazers. In a world where there are humans with supernatural powers (Blazers) and harness that power through a Device, a weapon made from the person’s soul, Ikki is labeled as Failure Knight and is a F Ranked Knight. Despite this he remains cheerful and works hard. It is as he is on his morning run that he encounters a half-naked Stella Vermillion in his room. It turns out Stella is the princess of the Vermillion Kingdom, and his new room mate. Overcome with fury, Stella demands that Ikki take responsibility by killing himself, but after much debate, it is decided that they will settle it with a duel. Should Ikki lose, he has to leave his room and become Stella’s servant. Should he win, he gets to stay and Stella will become his servant. I wont spoil what happens, even though its pretty obvious what will happen, but the story develops from there and follows Ikki’s goal of winning the Seven Star Sword Art Festival and become a Mage Knight. Pretty interesting isn’t it? And depending on your preferences, it gets better from there. Personally, I don’t like fan service, but more on that in another article. I love the plot, but I just feel that there are a lot of times where it is drowned in the Ecchi aspect of it. If you’re into that, its a bonus for you. If you’re like me and don’t really like it, I would say its slightly worth breezing past it for the plot. Characters are likable and relatable (especially Ikki) and the development is great to watch. It’s a 4 out of 5 from me.
Second aspect is the ART STYLE. To be very honest, the art style is very familiar. Looking at it from a studio aspect, Silver Link anime do have a common style. If we compare it to another Silver Link anime like Strike the Blood, it seems very similar. With a plot like this, however, it’s very easy to distinguish the difference. The style maybe common, but the costume design, the character design and the fight scenes make this a joy to watch. A few episodes deep, you cringe as Ikki gets beat up, which is the effect that you want really. Fight scenes give you an ‘on edge’ feeling and it makes you wonder how they will overcome the fight/situation they are in. I will give it about 3.5 out of 5.
With INTEREST in mind, I will give Chivalry of a Failed Knight a 2.5 out of 5. The reason for this, it just seemed like other anime. It doesn’t have too much of a ‘flair’ that reels your interest at first. Watching it, however, it is quite interesting (once you get past the fan service). I would recommend to watch it for the much older audience. For those that are a bit young, I would stay clear from this one completely.
With all those points mentioned, the OVERALL RATING I would give for Chivalry of a Failed Knight is 3.5 out of 5. The plot is great, fight scenes are also great, however It just feels like the plot is drowned in fan service. I honestly feel the story would be great even without the Ecchi side of the anime. However, great work. I would recommend it to those who are a bit more seasoned in the anime scene. For those starting out, it might be a bit too much all at once; don’t turn to the dark side just yet…you’ll get there =P.
With that said, I hope you enjoyed the first impression review. I am seriously contemplating doing videos and such. Might add to the flair of the blog. If you would like video reviews coupled with these written ones, please feel free to comment at the bottom. This is as much for you, my audience, as it is for me XD. I just love reviewing anime and sharing my opinion. Hopefully we can share our love for anime with the rest of the world, one step at a time. This is your boy, Nico Nico Eldries, signing out.
PEACE
sit. stay. play. 