Plenty of flash, but not much substance.
Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.
Tales of Zestiria the X was produced in honor of the Tales of 20th anniversary, but this first episode doesn't offer much to celebrate. I haven't played the game, but I was hoping to learn more about Zestiria's world and characters though this anime. Unfortunately, after watching Tales of Zestiria the X's premiere "Age of Chaos," I can't say I'm all that eager to return back to it.
In "Age of Chaos" we're introduced to Alisha Diphda, the princess to the Highland empire, as well as her loyal band of companions Clemm, Bolta and Ganette. We get to know very little about these characters over the course of the premiere, so when a terrible storm seemingly kills all of Alisha's friends, the tragic scene lacks any sense of emotional impact.
Welcome to the Highland empire
A couple of weeks after Clemm is sent out to investigate a strange mist that's forming in the sky above a neighboring town, Alisha, Bolta and Ganette set off to check in on her once the situation appears to worsen. While viewers are treated to an action-packed fight in the woods along the way that is well choreographed, little time is spent on the characters. Aside from the fact that Alisha is quite skilled with a lance, I know virtually nothing about her.
It's almost as if the writers knew the deaths of Alisha's underdeveloped friends wouldn't be enough to impact the viewer and tacked on a last-minute tragedy in the hopes of generating an emotional response. During the storm that took the life of her friends, Alisha watches helplessly as a young girl is sucked into a tornado. Instead of making me more empathetic toward Alisha, the scene came off as a cheap trick tossed in entirely for shock value.
Alisha wielding her trusty lance
That said, I love the character designs, which are gorgeously drawn with fine lines and a fair amount of detail. Sadly, that complement comes with a caveat, as the characters clash with many of the environments—especially when studio ufotable (Fate/Zero, God Eater) incorporate its signature CGI effects. When a storm breaks and the ground begins to crumble, the show takes on a computer-generated, realistic look that’s too stark of a contrast to the hand-drawn characters. Likewise, the cloud-filled skies and whirling tornadoes were a bit jarring when sharing the screen with Alisha on horseback.
Alisha and Clemm attempting to escape the treacherous storm
I also found it a bit problematic that the only character we meet of any true significance in this episode is Alisha. The game centers around a young man named Sorey, who will presumably have a large role to play in the anime as, you know, he’s featured front and center on the X’s promotional art. However, he is nowhere to be found in this episode. "Age of Chaos" mentions the Holy Sword Festival, during where the Trial of the Sword is held to determine if anyone is worthy to pull the Holy Sword from its stone, much like Excalibur. Ancient stories tell of the Shepherd who can pull the sword from the stone, and Sorey will almost certainly come into the picture next episode to do just that.
I can understand waiting to introduce the character in service of fleshing out the world and other members of Tales of Zestiria's cast, but "Age of Chaos" completely wastes that opportunity and only manages to establish that the storms are dangerous. After finishing the episode, I didn't feel as though I had a good sense of the Highland empire or any meaningful attachment to Alisha, whom the entire episode was focused on. Likewise, the mystery behind the strange weather effects and the evil forces likely instigating the chaos weren't all that interesting, and left me confused rather than curious to learn more.
The Verdict
If Tales of Zestiria the X’s premiere is any indication, this game-to-anime adaptation won't likely be winning over anyone who isn't already heavily invested in the franchise. While the characters are beautifully drawn, the inconsistency in the art and animation make the entire visual package a mixed bag that is only dragged further down by its uninteresting characters and poorly-delivered plot.
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