Akashic Records of Bastard Magic Instructor is, in many ways, the perfect example for the importance of pacing and consistency in a story throughout a series.
After a fairly mundane episode 1, ARoBMI began opening up, with character development and world fleshing becoming prevalent components of each episode. Characters began to develop personalities with mostly coherent backstories and
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Akashic Records of Bastard Magic Instructor is, in many ways, the perfect example for the importance of pacing and consistency in a story throughout a series.
After a fairly mundane episode 1, ARoBMI began opening up, with character development and world fleshing becoming prevalent components of each episode. Characters began to develop personalities with mostly coherent backstories and goals, and while a bit generic, a fairly lovable cast began to form. In particular, Glenn Radars, the titular Bastard Magic Instructor, transitions from fairly unlikable bum to an admirable and competent protagonist to get behind.
For the first seven or so episodes, I found that, while not entirely original or groundbreaking, this series had enough positive aspects working in its favor that it would be a standout 4-4.5 star series from the season. However, a fairly botched and questionably executed series of episodes near the tail end of the series made things a bit more complicated...
From episode eight onwards, the story begins devolving in a rapid manner. Plot points are introduced and never resolved or barely ever mentioned of again, characters begin displaying characteristics which make no sense, and any world building or story-fleshing takes a complete back seat to action and incoherent set pieces.
It seemed like the first half-ish of the show was handled with care, as a far more character-focused and story-centric product can be observed. However, the last half of the show feels rushed and confused. It seemed almost like everything which had occurred during the first seven episodes were for naught as characters display no consistency and very little story progression is made.
Also, as a bit of a personal note (!!!AND POSSIBLY SOME MILD SPOILERS HERE!!!), I genuinely did not care for the villains of the show. The debatable 'best villain' often operated behind a veil of shadows and was rarely seen, in-spite of being the most stereotypically 'evil'. This didn't make the character any more mysterious or threatening however, and just seemed like a bit of a missed opportunity to pose a real threat. The other villains of the show feel forced into the story and are extremely easy to identify, making any suspense and mystery practically nonexistent.
I gave this show a 3/5 stars because, realistically speaking, it was a tale of two halves. The first half was entertaining if not a bit unoriginal, but enjoyable enough to make overlooking the overused tropes possible. The second half of the show is a hurried mess that feels incomplete, with an ending that makes the entire season feel like it was pointless, as 'possible second season/go read the source material' bait is dangled above it.
As a whole, ARoBMI is a flawed series which shows promise only to pull the rug out from under you with shabby writing. Cute girls, cheesy rom-com elements, and magic battles are plentiful in this show, so if that's your cup of tea, then there is certainly enough to compel a watch. All in all, it didn't feel like a complete waste of my life watching the 12 episodes of this anime, but I don't know if I can rightfully say I'll remember it moving forward either.
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