Anime Hajime Review: Grenadier

***Warning, the following may contain spoilers for Grenadier. Reader discretion is advised.***

Series Synopsis

The world has fallen victim to endless violence. There are many who seek to eliminate such strife. Most who do believe the only way to do that is through force.

Then there are those like Rushuna Tendou (voiced by Mikako Takahashi). She is a gunslinger who travels the land without killing her opponents. Instead, she uses kindness to remove their desire to fight.

Though nonviolent, Rushuna is more than capable of dominating any foe. A skilled sharpshooter, she that can disarm dozens of enemies with ease. She is a superb tactician and a seasoned warrior.

While on her journey, Rushuna meets a swordsman by the name of Yajiro Kojima (voiced by Kazuya Nakai). Accustom to the ways of conventional warfare, Yajiro finds Rushuna naïve. Upon witnessing her skills, he decides to give her teachings a try.

Rushuna’s quest turns complicated when she becomes the target of the capital city. Having done nothing wrong, she heads off to correct this gross misunderstanding.

Series Positives

First impressions are important, but they are never a guarantee. In the case of Grenadier. I wouldn’t say my initial thoughts were correct. Although they weren’t inaccurate either.

The first episode didn’t instill a lot of confidence and a slew of other problems arose as the series continued. Needless to say, there was plenty of disappointment. Yet there was also something else.

This show did a lot of things well. This wasn't one giant mess.

The Fights

The animation and action were nothing special. However, they were still exciting on pure conception alone.

Conflicts were big, over the top, and imaginative. The things people were able to do, particularly Rushuna, were ridiculous. That was what made them so fun.

Marksmanship has always been a fascinating feat to me. Adding to that, Rushuna was the best at what she did. She could pull off incredible, albeit ludicrous acts and it didn't compromise the show.

This was true for every fight, and it was especially true for the climax. While not a spectacle like Kill la Kill or Blade Dance, Grenadier didn't waste its good ideas.

The Heroes

The three main leads, including the unmentioned Mikan Kurenai (voiced by Yuki Matsuoka), were the best things about this show.

Showing up at episode five, Mikan was the weakest of the three with development. Yet there was one scene that made up for this.

Mikan's backstory was sad. She was quick to distrust people and had a bleak outlook on life. Through Rushuna words, Mikan came to terms with what happened to her. The moment she decided to not take her revenge was when I felt the most invested in the show.

Yajiro was great because he wasn't useless. Compared to how amazing Rushuna was, he could have been a wimpy comic relief character. Since this show's comedy wasn't that reliable, it was a good thing he held his own in a brawl.

Adding to that, Yajiro didn't accept Rushuna’s thinking out the gate. He was open to her ideas but would challenge them when there seemed to be no peaceful way out. He had to see why Rushuna's philosophy was correct.

You may have noticed as I spoke about Mikan and Yajiro, I couldn’t help but Rushuna. There’s a reason for that.

Rushuna

She was great. Without her, Grenadier wouldn't be worth mentioning.

Appearance wise, Rushuna looked like a stereotypical air head with a large bust. She was aware of this and used it to her advantage. Thus, when she would turn the tables, it made it all the more epic when she made short work of her opponents.

Rushuna was a fantastic lead character.

She was confident, but not arrogant. She was easy going, but not a pushover. She was optimistic, but not unrealistic. She always had a clear understanding of what was going on. For the nonsense this show tried to pass off as a story, Rushuna was the only constant. She was the only one who had a purpose.

For a series so paint by number, how did such an amazing character wind up here?

Series Negatives

Where do I even begin?

The most obvious would be the show's ecchi elements. Grenadier falls into the category of “why bother”. The fanservice added nothing to the series. Never mind the fact it was almost never used. And when it was, it was more awkward than anything.

 

Making matters worse, Rushuna was often the target of this kind of sloppy fanservice. She filled many of the same roles as any dull, big boobed character would. First off, this is not the same as characterization. Second, shows that do this to the extent Grenadier did try to aid characters with no other personality traits. Weird since Rushuna wasn't that kind of character. She didn't need this type of boost.

I shouldn’t get this heated over this. There are other things I can get more annoyed over.

The Villains

I put great stock into the idea that any hero is only as good as their villains. In Grenadier’s case, it’s a good thing Rushuna was awesome. These villains were boring.

This show had such a sorry excuse for antagonism. These "bad guys" weren't the least bit intimidating. They were nothing but talk. I'm convinced no villain in this series had ever done anything close threatening.

They existed only so the heroes had something to do.

The Story

Events, conflicts, problems, obstacles, none of these things made sense. They were only around because others shows have these elements. Except Grenadier didn't get why.

Many of the fights, though cool, should never have happened. The story always needed to nerf Rushuna for a second. That way an enemy could have a moment to actually throw a punch. That was only one recurring instance of stupidity.

A more moronic example came from one of Rushuna's opponents, Touka Kurenai (voiced by Mami Kosuge). Touka showed incredible skill and experience. All while suffering from some kind of sickness. So, she wasn't in top condition. Despite that, she proved to be Rushuna's equal.

At one point in the show, someone fires a giant cannonball at Touka. An act she could see coming. Rather than getting out of the way like she has demonstrated she could do, she decided to stand there like an idiot. This took her out of the fight.

Then in the SAME episode, Rushuna needed to stop Mikan from doing something she would regret. Except Rushuna was unable to catch up. Mikan was way too fast. Strange since Rushuna managed to be faster than Mikan no less than a few scenes prior.

This series ran rampant with these kinds of inconsistencies. Most of them were blatant. Others were flat out annoying. Like when the villains of the show revealed their master plan. The series treated this like a massive reveal. You know what? It would have been too. If not for none problem. The show already told us what the plan was back in episode three.

One moment I found particularly funny was when the main villain unmasked themselves. It was outstanding. I was all like, “Oh my God I can’t believe it. Who the f@#$ are you?” No one had ever uttered this character's existence. Except the series expected us to know they were a big fricking deal.

Grenadier had a happy ending. Never once, though, did it feel like anything was ever at risk.

Final Thoughts

There were some definite problems. The story was a joke. The villains were beyond dull. Things happened with little rhyme or reason.

That said, I'm still recommending it.

The fights were cool. The ideas were interesting. The heroes were entertaining. Rushuna alone is worth the price of admission.

Grenadier is not perfect. It's nowhere near perfect. Yet the sheer amount of ridiculousness makes it a fun ride nonetheless.

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