Master of Epic is really recommended for all the MMORPG-fans out there. Basically, it’s just one huge parody of nearly all aspects of a MMORPG. Things like fighting monsters, shops, reviving, clothes, haircuts, quests, dungeons, cooking, weapons and item-collecting are just a small collection of all these things it pokes fun at. Heck, most of the characters have some sort of recycled clone with different hair-colour of themselves running around, in true MMORPG-fashion. Oh, and let’s not forget the sentai-team parodies.
Master of Epic definitely is a unique anime. If you’re looking for a continuous story, then you should stay far away from it, as every episode is a collection of the most random sketches. No overall story is present, even the final episodes don’t introduce some kind of dramatic element for the show to close on. The best you’ll get in terms of a storyline has to be the Waragecha, who return in nearly every episode and do something random. Apart from that, other sketches feature former characters returning, but an overall storyline is nowhere to be found.
I’m probably the only one who thinks so, but I found these sketches, with a few exceptions, very funny. They either made an aspect of MMORPGs look ridiculous, or they were just plain random. Certain sketches also were just plain wrong (imagine a couple of tough guys doing silly dances, or a male orc-like creature dressing like a female), while others were too cute at times. My personal favourites were the sketches which featured Bukotsu and Chuu. The first episode already starts them off with Chuu eating a live bat.
In terms of animation… well, Master of Epic was produced by Gonzo. With Gonzo-anime, the animation either is incredibly good, or incredibly bad, and this is the same with Master of Epic. Some episodes have some great animation, while others look horrible. (Small note: especially the earlier episodes feature bad animation, while the latter showcase the better animation, unlike most other anime which feature beautiful animation for their first few episodes, only for the rest of the episodes to look horrible). The soundtrack features a selection of J-pop. It’s not really my taste, but it does fit the mood of the anime well enough.
Aired in the winter-season, Master of Epic quickly became the black sheep. I’ve seen very few people who actually gave it a chance. While I did see this coming, (after all, it’s based on a MMORPG, and it has all looks of a cheesy moe-show) the fact does remain that this is another one of those neglected anime which doesn’t deserve it. The MMORPG- and moe-elements are perfectly parodied throughout the series, and a good balance is kept between male and female fanservice. Another interesting note is that this is one of the very few anime without a main character. The closest person you could call a main character (the orange-haired girl who shows up in the centre of all the promo-art and the OP) never really has a major role in any of the sketches. Heck, she appears in probably the most sketches of all character, but her only role is that of a random passer-by. She’s got like 3 seconds of airtime at most, before she disappears again.]]>
Master of Epic Review – 89/100
Seems pretty good. I bet if it was SAO people would be ranting and raving about how great it is. I’ll check it out and tell you how i like it since no one else will.