Title Assassin’s Pride: Complete Collection

Director: Kazuya Aiura

Screenplay Writer: Deko Akao

Music: MONACA

Studio: EMT Squared

U. S. Release Date: Nov. 24th, 2020

U. S. Distributor: Sentai Filmworks, Section 23

Format: Blu-ray / 12 Episodes / 300 Minutes

Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Magical Powers

Age Rating: 14+

Overall Personal Rating: B+

Synopsis:

Against the savage monsters that lurk outside the glass walls of Flandore, the last remnants of humanity have only one defense: the mana magic wielded only by members of the Noble class. When Melida, heiress to House of Angel, fails to manifest her magic upon reaching majority, the half-vampire Kufa is sent with orders from her own Grandfather to resolve the issue… and if Melida cannot manifest mana, Kufa is to execute her for the crime of impure blood.

But when Melida fails the test, Kufa can’t bring himself to kill the spirited young woman whose only fault was to have an adulterous mother. And so, instead, he commits the crime of giving Melida some of his own mana. Now, bound by magic and a deadly secret, the two must work together in order to stay alive!

Commentary:

In the cacophony of magical romantic anime made over the years Assassin’s Pride doesn’t really stand out as a top series, but it does manage to come out on above average. There is a lot to take in with this series and in many ways the writer tried way to hard to make Melida a pitiful sympathetic creature. With Melida being plagued with a lifetime of disappointment and a family that fails to care except about appearance and power, she has the very typical lack of any self confidence and an over poor view of herself.

As the viewer you are set up right off the bat being expected to sympathize with Kufa and his plight. At first I wanted him to follow through with his job, but as the series progressed I began to care more about both Kufa and Melida. This change of heart made the series much more enjoyable.

Overall Grade: B+

Assassin’s Pride does find a way to make me want to follow along, but it did take several episodes for me to get there. I found the writing to be a little flat and overly simplistic at time, but in the end it managed to come through for me.

The overall animation production was solid and a tad above average for a small series like this. At least I understand why Sentai put the money up to have it dubbed. The voice action also managed to provide a reason to like the series even if it didn’t stand out as outstanding.

Once all the parts are put together Assassin’s Pride manages to get a B+ just for an overall solid series. There is my obvious weakness for these simple romantic series that takes a cold heart and helps it find humanity for the right reason.