There are five races in the land of Edthea, a continent surrounded by the territory of the Four Lords of the Dark Beasts. Legend has it that a hero, given a special weapon by one of the races, will defeat them. And so thirteen heroes, chosen by a king and armed with his weaponry, encounter Clevatess, the Lord of the Dark Beasts—and he is far more powerful than they even considered he would be. Clevatess, for his part, recognizes that the humans, once like insects to him, have grown in strength. And thus begins a journey between hero and demon lord involving humans good and evil, demons, a seeking after of power and weapons, and an infant whose character may save or destroy the world.
Now this is how you do a double-length opening episode! Although it begins with a focus on Alicia, a young girl who grows into a young woman and intends to become the hero who will destroy the Demon Lords, the real path of the story isn’t revealed so quickly. And that’s great, because the first half of the episodes allows us as viewers to just enjoy the creative storytelling and wonderful production of Clevatess. For instance, the world-building seems to be strong and not just another copycat fantasy anime, with potentially deep lore and interesting character designs. It’s particularly worth noting that the mood developed in the attack sequence that starts the series and preceding it as the heroes approached their destination is constructed with care, even if the ultimate point of these scenes is to create a visceral feeling of terror. I was also impressed by the use of sound in the series; splatters, wisps, clings, and more ring through the air loudly and confidently, showing that when used well, sound adds a really powerful element to a show. The artistry and direction are likewise excellent—dynamic movements, great details (like dust flying up during fights), and expressive and detailed faces fill the screen. The combination of a very vivid medieval setting and some advanced sci-fi technology works really well, and it’s both stunning and “just right” to see soldiers being tossed around by what’s best described as demon ESP. Oh, and there’s a zombie too.
The final 15 minutes of the episodes are a little less interesting as they advance the plot forward, both in the responses of the humans at demonic devastation in the world and the trio that comes together as the central players in the story, but the rest of the episode was so intensely creative and fun that I’m giving the more “regular” storytelling a bit of pass. I should note, though, that there appears to be the possibility of this being a truly epic story in scope, with this initial episode pointing toward a long journey for the main characters and hinting that each of the kingdoms will play a heavy role in the politics and warring that is to come. Here’s hoping that Clevatess can handle the storytelling as well as all the other artistic elements; if so, this could be the anime of the year.
Clevatess can be streamed on Crunchyroll. And don’t miss the after-credits scene in episode one!
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