Hai to Gensou no Grimgar is beautiful. From the very first second, I knew, if nothing else, Hai to Gensou no Grimgar was going to be a feast for my eyes and, after watching the first five episodes, the splendid art and animation is, sadly, one of the few things Hai to Gensou no Grimgar has going for it. And, before I lasso my thoughts and put them into this preview, let me tell you right here and now that there will be spoilers, so, keep that in mind and don't act like I didn't warn y'all.
Hai to Gensou no Grimgar is based on a light novel and is yet another story about people waking up in an unknown world with no memory of how they got there--hints that they're in a video game, like Log Horizon or Sword Art Online are present. I may sound like I'm not a fan of this growing trope, but, being a gamer and all, I actually enjoy such stories when they're well done; the problem is, Hai to Gensou no Grimgar has, in the first five episodes, revealed very little and, since it is only a 12-episode season, I expected more story development than barely any at all at this point. In the first five episodes, the party has killed some goblins, eaten some food, bought new clothes, and, oh yeah, the leader just died, and he was one of the more interesting, developed characters. Have there been any answers about what's actually going on? No. Have the characters themselves been asking questions about what's going on? Not really, not as much as they should be. As of right now, there has been little progress and nothing, story-wise, is drawing me in and making me want to watch more.
That said, I don't need a strong overarching story if I love the characters (or only love some of them)-- Utawarerumono: Itsuwari no Kamen is a great example of a series where the characters make up for the lack of a strong story--but no one in Hai to Gensou no Grimgar has much of a personality, except Ranta, who has the personality of an annoying horny puppy that just won't shut up, minus the cuteness. Every other character just kind of does this or that and doesn't seem to care too much about anything important, which leaves me wondering why I should care. Now, I don't hate any of the main characters--Ranta is often annoying, but not overly so--but they're just very forgettable and, when I've been given little to no story to latch onto, I need at least a few strong characters to grow attached to and none exist in Hai to Gensou no Grimgar, not yet.
As much as the story left me wanting something, anything, and despite the characters feeling rather flat, I'm still going to watch Hai to Gensou no Grimgar for one reason: the art. As I said right from the start, Hai to Gensou no Grimgar is beautiful and may just be the most beautiful new anime of the season. I love watercolor and Hai to Gensou no Grimgar uses the medium to great affect in each and every background, giving life to the world and even, at times, the characters as they occasionally become ever-so-slightly transparent and blend together with the backgrounds; it's a constant delight for my eyes and every frame is worthy of being framed. On top of the beautiful backgrounds, the characters, monsters, and everything else is detailed to such a degree that I often found myself pausing an episode just to take in a moment for more than, well, a moment--e.g., when the hunter, Yume, is hanging upside-down from a tree branch, she holds onto her ponytail with one hand so it doesn't fall into the water and details like that can be found throughout every single episode.
Will Hai to Gensou no Grimgar turn things around? I don't know, but I can't see it going downhill from here--and, honestly, "here" is nowhere near as bad as other shows this season--so I will remain hopeful that the story, characters, and everything else can reach the top of said hill where the art is patiently waiting. One final note: as a partially dyslexic person, I appreciate any anime where the characters don't talk so fast that I can't read everything they say and the characters in Hai to Gensou no Grimgar speak at a very manageable pace and, I know that may be a weird thing to make note of, but it matters to me (and may matter to you, too).
*Hai to Gensou no Grimgar (Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash) can be streamed on Hulu or Funimation.