The Seven Deadly Sins (2014)

[七つの大罪]

Season 1

Director: Tensai Okamura
Studio: A-1 Pictures
Starring: Yuuki Kaji, Sora Amamiya, Misaki Kuno
Episodes: 24

Synopsis:
A princess seeks out the legendary criminals known as the Seven Deadly Sins to help her defeat the Order of Holy Knights that has usurped her kingdom.

Impressions:
A while back I was browsing potential series to watch and this show caught my eye. The art style is so reminiscent of Akira Toriyama that I actually thought it was something he contributed to like Blue Dragon. Turns out that the original mangaka Nakaba Suzuki is a Toriyama fan and the influence is clear. Now, if you're a fan of Toriyama, that's a good thing, but even if you're not, chances are that the things you don't like about Toriyama's style are either downplayed or absent. I've seen a number of comments comparing this series to Fairy Tail, but I wouldn't know personally how it stacks up. Besides having a generally appealing aesthetic, I was drawn in by the character dynamics (particularly among the members of the main cast) and liked how the revelations of the story developed. While the Seven are wildly overpowered, so is just about all their antagonists, so you get lots of large-scale fight scenes. I worry about the scaling going off the rails further on down the line, but within the context of this season, it's fine. Some viewers may object to certain elements such as multiple cases of mayfly-December romances and Meliodas' constant perving on Elizabeth, but I don't think it's much to get too up in arms about. (Actually, the way Elizabeth handles Meliodas' antics is such an aversion to what you normally see that I found myself intrigued by that aspect of their relationship.) While there are scenes of drama and a few tearjerker moments, it's mostly lighthearted fun, so if you're up for a fun action-packed fantasy romp, give this one a watch.

Rating:
Watch It