The first episode of Suikoden: The Anime drops us right in the middle of the action with Riliu and Jowy finding themselves being chased through the forest by a group of armored men shortly after graduation from the Unicorn Youth Brigade. Despite succeeding in their daring escape, the two young men are separated from one another. It doesn’t take long for the two to realize that they have each ended up in the territory of the City-States, the ones they believed to be behind the attack on the Highland Kingdom’s Unicorn Youth Brigade. However, Riliu and Jowy start to notice a contrast between how they were taught to view the people of the City-States and how the people act: The young men both have their wounds cared for, are given good food to eat, and are treated with kindness. Throughout the episode, the story alternates from past to present, slowly revealing the characters’ hidden motives and plans.

This opening episode does an excellent job keeping the original feel of the Suikoden II game. Though it could be criticized for the story being somewhat cliché, a more accurate description would be “classic.” The animation, character designs, and voice acting are all very well done, making the anime both beautiful to watch and listen to. Taking place in a fantasy world, there are a variety of different creatures, including a cameo from the cute but deadly CutRabbit. There are also many characters, something the Suikoden series is known for, that I am very excited to see further fleshed out as the anime goes on. Something else to look forward to is the magic system, “Runes,” which was lightly touched on in the first episode along with the world’s origins. This series has a lot of potential, and I am looking forward to seeing if the same passion given to the games comes through in the anime.

Suikoden: The Anime can be streamed on AniOne Asia.

— Written by BtT Discord mod, Joli