Summer season is already here! This year is going too fast and a new exciting season is upon us, serving up a fresh batch of anime titles for us to add to our never-ending anime watchlist (mine is already long enough). I didn’t think I would be watching another version of Fairy Gone, but apparently I have a thing for Dark fantasy action right now. The similarities between these two series are there: instead of fairies we have beasts known as Incarnates.



To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts trailer sold it for me and I wnet in with no expectations. Oh … The premiere episode certainly was a great surprise. It did exactly what I wished Fairy Gone had done for its introduction. The storytelling was on point and I was squirming with happiness!



Oo, this series has started off badass already!!



Japanese Original Title: かつて神だった獣たちへ





Plot

100 years after immigrants settled in the land of Patria and uncovered a sustainable source known as Somnium, two opposing factions who wanted to control the substance started a civil war that divided the country into north and south. The North had the upper hand using their secret weapon, the ‘Incarnates’, a group of soldiers who can transform into supernatural creatures. They won, and with the war over, the Incarnates had become dispensable. The series focuses on the former leader of the Incarnates, officer Hank, who was betrayed by comrades and childhood friends Cain and Elaine who tried to kill him and left him for dead. Hank finds out all his former subordinates have gone berserk and are causing chaos. To honor a past promise, he makes it his mission to hunt down the survivors and kill them off one by one.

Episode Highlights

Introduction Spot On: Fairy Gone and this series are very similar in the aspect of fantasy action, and its themes of altered or experimented on humans. Sadly, from the get-go Fairy Gone’s storytelling was appalling, leaving you confused about where things were heading. But this series’s introductory episode was spot on. I just wish it was the same for Fairy Gone. I am so thankful for this series doing this part right because I’m invested over here.



Incarnate Family: This first episode surprised me a lot, especially with how quickly I became attached to Hank and his comrades. I loved the scene after the battle where everyone was winding down and interacting with one another. There was a warming, natural atmosphere among the group that quickly made me feel attached to this group, and that attachment only grew as the episode went along. When one of Hanks comrades lashes out in battle at not just the enemy but his fellow soldiers, it made me sad seeing him losing himself. This group’s sole existence was just to fight. When they were disposed off after the war, I felt for this group big time. I couldn’t believe how much this series has sucked me in already.



Ace Ventura Hair: Hank is a likeable protagonist. He cares a lot about his comrades and seems like your average nice guy, but we have to mention the elephant in the room here: THAT HAIR! In anime, there are some questionable character hairstyles, but soon as I saw it, it reminded me of the Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls 1995 movie. There is a scene where Ace’s hair… looks exactly like Hank’s. It’s going to be a laugh every time. I don’t know what the creators were thinking (probably Ace Ventura).



Mappa Slaying: I am LOVING the designs of these mythical creatures. Some looked cool and others grossed me out. Studio Mappa’s animation I find is stronger in this than in Banana Fish. Everything was gorgeously detailed during the fight scenes and the dark color contrast bounced off beautifully. You have done good here, Mappa.



Action Mm.: Riveting action in this series; I loved it all!!



We Don’t Like Cain: You don’t get to know Cain for long but I didn’t like him from the start. I suspected something shady and didn’t take long for the jerk to reveal his true colors. But I can tell he’s going to make a great villain.



For Love: It was a great idea to have Hank change his last speech to his comrades. Facing their last battle which would see them victory, Hank starts an all soldiery speech from which no one seemed moved, but when Hank stated that after the war he will declare his feelings to Elaine and he wished to celebrate with them, they all got hyped!





Themes And Trivia

Manga: Currently is ongoing and being published by Vertical Comics



Guilt: I can’t condone Elaine’s , the creator of the ‘Incarnates’, reasons for shooting Hank. She supposedly did it out of guilt and because didn’t want anyone to lose themselves. Elaine cared about them all, saw them more than just beasts but as humans still. Shame she met such an unfortunate end.



Comments

To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts first episode made me so happy!! It’s storytelling was everything Fairy Gone should have done. This series was simple and clean, and that totally caught me off guard. I didn’t expect it to be so good as it was. It managed to combine some amusing scenes with the tragic events that followed towards the end. The premise sounds pretty straightforward but the execution was pristine and I’M HERE FOR THIS SERIES NOW!!!.



I can’t really fault much on the first episode expect Hank’s questionable hair style but everything else was good! This is a series that I feel was going to fall under the radar and I think I was right to pick this one. I’m hyped already for the next episode!!





Fairy Gone Could Learn A Thing Or Two Here

To The Abandoned Sacred Beasts slayed this first episode, stomping over Fairy Gone. I think people are going to like this one. Twitter fans were surprised by this anime. The last few seconds when Hank smashes the wall and looks incredibly angry were damn good!! Oh Studio Mappa, you got me excited here!!



Let us know what you thought of this first episode? Don’t forget to check out our other Summer 2019 review coverage!! Bookmark our previews tag to be the first to see the screenshots and read a summary of the next episode!



Next Time: The Dragon’s Daughter ( 竜の娘)

To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts

Summer 2019 | Anime Info | Simulcast