Review of The King's Avatar

Real Score:7.5\10 After the great success of the Novel Quan Zhi Gao Shou(The King's Avatar), the Anime adaptation finally came in Spring 2017, i won't lie, i had my doubts, from the setting to its Chinese nature, but i was surprised and i think this is the best example of why Chinese Anime shouldn't be judged by their language alone, these works are Art and Legitimate Anime just like our everyday shows Story 7.25 The Story is down to Earth, almost a realistic take on the Professional Game industry, and it keeps itself really basic, but basic doesn't mean it can't be enjoyable, and it is a loveletter for all MMO fans and everyone that ever played at a competitive level, and at the same time can be enjoyed by people who never played an MMO in their life. The problem lies with the number of episodes of the Show, in fact in 12 episodes we have what's basically an introduction to the real story, a prequel to the real Quan Zhi Gao Shou, and this is the show's biggest problem:it has a lot of potential and clever ideas in it, but this first season is an introduction, nothing less, nothing more

Characters 7
The Characters suffer the same problem of the story, the have good potential and they're not your typical stereotype of Anime gamers, they all have a realistic trait or mark that make them feel way more human and relatable:From the noobie that just started playing to that annoying friend that's always here for you, but just never shuts the hell up;Despite all of this, they are just shells of something more, they're not explored enough and their development lacks or its equal to zero. The main character, Ye Qiu, is a good lead,well written, he has 10 years of experience and is basically a walking Encyclopedia: he's funny, charismatic and, most importantly, you can actually believe he's good at games, you can believe he's a natural leader and you'll find yourself rooting for him in no time in his quest to take back his former Glory(Ironically that's the title of the Game too). Something really done well is the relationship between Ye Qiu and his friends, there's a love interest yes, but there are no signs of a Harem, instead the bond between this group is just like a group of friends all trying to reach the same goal, and the relationship between Males and Females is almost like a Brother\Sister one

Sound 7.75
The music is great, if you can get over the Chinese language, which is perfectly fine, you'll appreciate the beauty of some tracks, especially during the action scenes. The Opening and The Ending are good, but nothing remarkable, they do what they have to do and get you pumped for a new episode and a little bit Melancholy at the End

Animation and Direction 8
The Art is great, and i never expected to actually like a combination of well-drawn scenery and CGI, it looks bland at times but most of the times it looks surprisingly astonishing. The character's models are extremely detailed and well-done and some of the landscapes, in game, are absolutely awesome, and some of the bosses designs are pretty cool, a lot of references have been made. The problems are in the direction of the action scenes, the normal scenes are quite good, with thoughtful cuts and positions of the camera, but the action scenes, despite being well-animated, look clumsy and shaky at times, it gets better at the end but, especially in the early battles, is mediocre at best

Enjoyment 8
As a big video game fan and a player in MMOs, i loved this Anime, from the settings, to the game mechanics and the party gathering. I believe that i would have enjoyed this the same way even if i never touched a console in my life, the characters are relatable, the game seems genuinely fun and the story, notwithstanding being nothing original, was captivating and even funny at times, especially with the character banter. The mood-killer was the fact that this season is nothing else than a container for future occurences, and the fact that the main protagonist is loved by everyone could annoy some people, it's not that bad, but it can be a little bit forced at times

In the end, Quan Zhi Gao Shou(The King's Avatar) is a really nice experiment, and a bait for further improvements, there is great potential here, if it's done well, if the pacing continues to be done this way, and if the characters get the development they need, this could be the greatest Video Game inspired Anime i've ever seen; for now, though, it stands as a good show and a nice take on the genre, but nothing else, we'll see in the future what GLORY awaits us, if it's a perpetual GLORY, or an ephemeral one. Thanks for reading this review, May our Sweet and Merciful Madoka be with you and be proud, GLORY awaits us!