Review of Akashic Records of Bastard Magic Instructor

Real Score:7.25\10 Rokudenashi Majutsu Koushi to Akashic Records, one of the most popular Anime this season, does it deserve the popularity it gets? Yes...and no. It is a really nice and enjoyable show, with a good MC, a really nice satire on the usual tropes of the Magical High School genre and an amusing side and explanation of magic. But the same Clichès that the show makes fun of in the first episodes come back to bite the overall enjoyment and flowing of the story, some of the characters lose a lot of steam and, of freaking course, it doesn't end, making the entire season abait for future adaptations and for the Light-Novel Series

Story 7.25
The story is surprisingly good, it builds the characters, the world and the villains really well, it has a great variety of situations and the characters actually develop throughout the story, and because of the story only, there are very few flashbacks, the story continues and unfolds not because of a mere FlashBack , the 101 method of all storywriters to develop the story, but because of the story itself, as it evolves the characters adapt to it and respond in many different ways. The short arcs, they're around 3-4 episodes long, may bother someone, i'm not a big fan too, but i found it quite enjoyable: maybe the reason is that the pacing is astonishingly good, is not slow, but not that fast either, is a weirdbalance that may throw someone off, but that captivated me. The problems reside in the overuse of the same old Clichés that we see all the time in the last 2 arcs, granted they aren't that bif of a problem, but after setting up a nice satire in the first 5-6 episodes, it's a shame seeing RokuDenashi fall in the same hole as the other Anime of this genre. The biggest problem is that the story ends too quickly, just when things started to get interesting, this is the same bait, the same method as every light novel adaptation out there, the ending does not exist to make the viewer feel good, or simply to applease it, it does not end with a good cliffhanger too, it just ends, like that, PUF!If you want to see more, read the freaking Novel you dumbass! Listen, i'm not against supporting the producers, we must support them if we want to have constant and quality content over the years, but there are better ways to do it, i should be incline to buy products because it genuinely intrigued me, because i want to know if this show differentiates itself from the Novel\Manga, because I decide to support it; this is forcing viewers to buy the Source Materials. Sorry for the little rant, it is not an attack to Rokudenashi, i enjoyed it and i will definitely read the Novel, i just wanted to say something about this horrible strategy that Publishing companies are using nowadays

Characters 7
The side characters are simple, yet effective, they all incarnate the same guidelines for High school characters, but you can actually get behind them and believe them sa a single class, unity, mainly because of the well-done Tournament Arc, that creates bonds between the class, something that should be done more in School Anime; however it's cut short and they never go any further than that. 2\3 of the main Trio is interesting, but nothing more: Rumia has the most interesting story and has a really nice character, not so naive as it seems, a lot more profound than you might think, but quickly becomes a damsel in distress that has to be always saved by our main character, what a pity. Sistine is, too, an interesting character on paper, and is not your typical Tsundere, but she never has that leap, that breakthrough needed for her personality, it may happen in S2, but here, it doesn't happen. Our main character, Glenn Radars, is hands down the best part of this show, he's got a really amazing and cool backstory, in fact i would 100% see and even support a prequel that follows the adventures of Glenn before going to the Alzano Magical High School Academy, they are build up incredibly well and add a lot to Glenn's character without flashbacks. He's a funny, charming, charismatic and secure protagonist, he's a breath of fresh hair, he's a reliable and secure guy, you can genuinely cheer him up and get behind him.

Sound 7.25
Suzuki Konomi is always awesome to hear and her songs fit the scenery pretty well, they are energetic and pump you up for the viewing. The music is good, never goes out of his way and never becomes something more. The music in the action scenes is well-done and gets its point, that is make them more comfortable and interesting

Animation and Direction 6.75
The art is good but nothing special, the character models are solid for the majority of the Anime, but some of the frames are rather clumsy and superficial, as are some of the textures and details in the backgrounds, who look bland and sloppy at times. The action scenes and the magic scenes are where the animation and direction really shine the colourful spells, the detailed runes and good choreography are really good. Too bad the direction is, well, normal, it doesn't stand out in no manner whatsoever but, at the same time, it's not bad, it's in the middle

Enjoyment 8
I really liked the entire Anime overall, the comedy is really well executed at times and Glenn's personality was just so entertaining. I liked all the Arcs, even though they were short, and i liked the way the story evolves with the characters. The character banter was really good and enjoyable, and i loved the different take on magic, a down to earth and bloody take on magic. I'm totally in for a second season and for a prequel for Glenn's story, a prequel that the character deserves.

I won't lie, this was a disappointment for me, after 6 episodes, i really thought that i would enjoy this a lot more, and maybe give a lot more than 7.25, it's a real shame that the same clichés that it makes fun of in a clever way, brings it way down. The way that it ends may be infuriating but, however, it kinda works, it builds curiosity and makes you wonder what might happen next. It's a nice, i would recommend it this season, for the amazing main character, the interesting take on Magic and interesting story, that doesn't get too tiring, i have high hopes for a future season 2 if they correct their mistakes. Thanks for reading this review, May Our Sweet and Merciful Madoka be with you and don't wander in this Fool's World, and remember the face of our Sweet Lady