Isekai stories have become somewhat of a tiresome genre as of late. There have been many stories of people being transported/reincarnated into other worlds where they shed their once pitiful exterior and become some legendary figure in another world. In most cases it’s trit, balant childish wish fulfilment and the stories often become tiresome when the protagonist gains a level of power that could never be challenged. Enter Youji Senki(Saya of Tanya the evil) where in a HR manager from Japan is tossed into a alternative world WWI by god in an effort to teach him piety. Tanya’s first episode may not win over many but if you check out the second episode you will be taken for quite a ride. This series is the first work by Studio Nut and while it pushed them to their limits it remains a impressive piece of work. Animation and art could be shaky and character designs took a hit for what looks to be for making animation easier. Tanya has some truly impressive set pieces and boasts the largest number of war scenes I have seen in a single anime.
There are shows which advertise themselves as action packed but are anything but, however Tanya is not one of these shows. Though when Tanya takes it slow that can be some of the more interesting parts of the series. Tanya and God’s interactions make for some of the best parts of the show and show a underline of Theism vs Atheism symbolism. The show doesn’t pick a side and admittedly any meaning gathered from this would be shallow level speculation at best. This aspect also becomes less prevalent in the second half of the show as God stands aside in favor of a more human antagonist. It didn’t delve into the concept as much as it could have but it nonetheless makes for a great hook to keep the viewer interested.
In regards to this series flaws the big thing is that it is Tanya’s show through and through. What means is that Tanya gets the bulk of the development, Tanya gets the glory and she gets every moment of badassery. This leaves a large majority of the supporting cast rather underdeveloped and I am certain you won’t remember most of their names by show’s end. In the same way Tanya is to a degree rediculously overpowered and a good amount of the shows second half is dedicated to her steamrolling her opponents. If you don’t find Tanya’s character compelling or interesting, I doubt there will be much here for you besides an alternate take on World War I. Still it’s hard not to like Tanya when she is a beautifully made anti-hero whose motivations are understandable but exceedly malicious. The series can be humorous at times with the after credits sequences taking on a more joking tone than the series normally goes for. The way in how Tanya’s actions and intentions are misinterpreted make for some really humorous scenarios.
For history buff this series provides some meat as well in how the war proceeds in the anime mirrors that of real history and while magical aspects are present, a lot of the equipment used is true to the time. Music is decent with the main theme having enough to get you pumped during an action scene. The opening is different and might not be to everyone’s tastes but the ending is great and closes out each episode perfectly. I applaud Tanya for being one of the few anime to not make use of fanservice as Tanya is in no way fetished at any point within the show. Considering that she is a lolita you would think that’s a given but believe me in that hasn’t stopped many shows before. This show remains a remarkably fun watch throughout, though it loses some steam in its second half but makes a comeback with it’s final two episodes. I say this is well worth any anime fans time and certainly deserving of a second season if being X is merciful.
“Tanya and God’s interactions make for some of the best parts of the show and show a underline of Theism vs Atheism symbolism. The show doesn’t pick a side and admittedly any meaning gathered from this would be shallow level speculation at best.”
Given that atheism is non-belief, the fact that the show features an entity or character that could conceivably be referred to as god, it falls firmly on the theism side.
Tanya does not wish to worship god, did not believe in god before his death, and following his death does not believe in a benevolent god, but that’s not what atheism is. Even if we accept at face value the initial denial that god exists, we’re forced to come to grips with the apparent existence of a supernatural being with power over life and death who reincarnates the MC as a young girl in an alternate universe. Once acknowledging that this is what has happened, continued denial of god’s existence is basically a lack of support for god from Tanya’s part; she is not under the impression that she is experiencing a hallucination– to say nothing of the scenes that feature god but do not feature Tanya and are therefore not shown from her perspective.
Atheism is the non-belief in deities. While being X is something with a large amount of power, it does not make it god. Atheism is not denial of the supernatural, there seems to be a number of variants of it.. Even Being X in episode 2 acknowledges that he may not be the existence known as god.
When I first heard of this show, I had finished Izzetta the Last Witch, which I liked, but which suffered from some issues due to the young age of the protagonists. So enter this show that actually has a kid,one billed as a sociopath, as the protagonists.Also a wizard, and in Izzetta magic was very powerful, which worked for the Izzeta but could blow up in other shows.
I approached it worried about all the ways this could go wrong. The first episode was ok. The action was good, and the characters childlike form did not interfere. Then came the second episode, and I was JA! JA ! DAS IST! I was hooked. Tanya worked perfect, exactly because of the child-like form. Also while she has sociopath tendencies her strong rationality kept them in check. In another name she was a believable example of the kind of mix of anti-social and social tendencies that go in being successful in the bureaucratic part of business(and in bureaucracy in general) worlds.
One thing I liked about this show was that the creators had done their homework. It was not Gunka no Baltazar levels of satisfaction, but it was done enough as to make the history buff happy. I also liked the fact that while magic is indeed a powerful weapon, it is not an overwhelming weapon. Instead its efficiency depends on its proper use at the strategic level, and thus on combining it with mundane weapons. Magicians in Tanya are closer to commandos and elite special forces (or aviators in WW1) than to the ridiculous super WMD of many other shows.
You are right that Tanya steals the show, but she does have a co-protagonist in the series. That is the Imperial General Staff, which is a collective character. I always found funny the fact that the series has Tanya declare her faith to the GHQ as the bastion of rationalism, and then we see how much that rationality is bounded.
Tanya is definitely a good first production and here is to a next season. PROSIT!