Seraph of the End: Fighting Against Threats Greater Than Yourself
Seraph of the End first aired in April 2015 and was developed by Studio Wit. Its original creation was adapted from its manga form created by Takaya Kagami. The story follows Yuichiro Hyakuya and his journey through the vampire-ruled world he lives in. After a virus wiped out anyone over the age of 13 the vampires rose to use the children as blood bags. Yuichiro after making his escape finds himself vengeful of the vampires that killed his family. Armed with vengeance and a new drive he joins a group who seek to eradicate the vampire finding out the truth about the virus as they go.
We all love a good vampire plot, don’t we? I mean who doesn’t? Don’t get me wrong I am not talking about Twilight-style vampires I’m talking about the nitty-gritty kind. Which Seraph of the End doesn’t really have? I mean they’re rather flamboyant and nothing like Hellsing Ultimate vampires. Let’s be real you can’t beat those vampires.
But besides that, Seraph of the End has some really great potential as a vampire show. It has a unique premise with unique power systems that make it stand out from other shonen. And you know how much I love my unique power systems it seems it’s all I talk about. I’ve only ever heard good things from this show and after watching it I can say it is very well done. The fight scenes have great style to them, they flow wonderfully and tend to hit all the marks a great fight scene always does.
But what sets this show aside is its willingness to get down and dirty making you feel torn apart. In the first episode, we see all these kids breaking free from the grasp of the vampires only to be slaughtered by one within seconds of each other. Our main protagonist survives because of course he does. But watching as these pure innocent characters with so much story potential just get thrown away in an instant is gut-wrenching. Especially to me! I write my own stories and this really hurts to watch.
When a show can make you feel something for a character that hasn’t had anything more than five minutes of screen time, shows that an anime is worth watching. I am always stunned when things like this happen. Because shows like these are so few and far between. And that’s why I adore them.
The pain we feel for certain characters doesn’t come from nothing. Pain shows empathy or sympathy, and I want to focus a bit on Empathy. We see a character struggle through something, and it hurts. But why? Because we have been in a similar position. To feel genuine pain for someone is to acknowledge that you too have been there. In that exact position. And that’s why we love certain characters more than others. Some may be a break from these empathetic moments we have. While others make us feel for them. Because they embody something in us.
That’s what makes it all the sweeter when they win or succeed. Because we feel as if we won, our anime representative overcame his odds. So why can’t you? It’s a strange idea, isn’t it? Living a part of your life through a character who doesn’t know you exist.
Dare to dream, dare to push yourself until you yourself can overcome. Yuichiro can do it. He can learn to grow through his pain, make friends, and learn how to beat the vampires. So, you can get out of bed and face another day. Because you got this. Make your own victories.