Legend of Mana: The Teardrop Crystal (2022)

[聖剣伝説 Legend of Mana -The Teardrop Crystal-]

Director: Masato Jinbo
Studio: Yokohama Animation Laboratory
Starring: Nobunaga Shimazaki, Yuichiro Umehara, Kaori Nazuka
Episodes: 12

Synopsis:
A young swordsmen finds his fate intertwined with the dying race of the Jumi, who have been driven to the point of extinction for the power of their jewel cores.

Impressions:
While Secret of Mana (Seiken Densetsu 2) is one of my favorite games of all time, I didn't actually like Legend of Mana when it came out. Nevertheless, I was willing to give this series a shot. The nature of the game it's based on, being a collection of disparate mini-plots, works well for a series of this length, focusing on just one of those mini-plots rather than rushing through a much larger narrative or leaving the story unfinished. If you've seen many video game adaptations, you'll know what to expect. There are some nice bits of fanservice and it is neat seeing a game adapted to animation, but the experience is ultimately underwhelming and pales in comparison to the game. Our protagonist Shiloh disappoints as he never quite grows to meet the challenges he faces, leaving him largely worthless in battle. It's made worse by poor staging that makes it look like he just idly stands by as people are killed to the point where it's practically a running gag. The story being told isn't that great either and the twist at the end is fairly unconvincing. About the best thing I can say about it is that I really liked the OP sung by Saori Hayami (who also voices Shiloh's female counterpart Seraphina). If you're a fan of the source, there may be just enough for you to get out of this experience to make it worthwhile, but for me, it's just another disappointing game adaptation. Take it or leave it.

Rating:
50/50