Nowadays, isekai is a genre as overused
as anime, but back in the day, it was quite fresh and inventive. In
fact, one of the best isekai anime in history premiered before the genre became
so ubiquitous. Based on a light novel series, “ Grimgar of
Fantasy and Ash ( Hai to Gensou no Grimgar )” was
a much darker, more character-driven story than today’s isekai.
The success of the franchise and the quality of its
writing can be seen in the successful and ongoing light novel series. Despite
the good reception it received - and the fact that its premise would make it an
even bigger hit today - the “Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash” anime only had one
season in 2016. Below we tell you what the series was about and when
we might see a continuation.
“Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash” involves a
group of people who suddenly find themselves thrust into the role of Trainee
Volunteer Soldiers, hunting fearsome goblins in the world of Grimgar. Through
flashbacks, it is revealed that these people are not natives of Grimgar, but
are trapped in this world by mysterious circumstances.
The flashbacks also show how many of the original
group survived and became soldiers, although some fared better than
others. From there a story unfolds full of world building, sacrifices,
and intense character development. Much of the fanservice and less
popular elements of many of today's isekai clichés are nowhere to be
found. Instead, the genre's strengths are shown.
The original “Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash” light
novels were created by Ao Jumonji and Eiri Shirai, and the series is still
continuing. It also had a brief manga adaptation between 2015 and 2016,
and the first season of the anime aired throughout 2016. Since then,
however, it's been pretty quiet on the anime front.
The lack of a second season could be partly due to
the popularity of the first season. Even though the manga was quite
popular, the anime didn't do as well as the success of the light novels
suggested. Part of this may be due to the poor timing of the series'
run. Isekai popularity was growing, but it wasn't nearly the cash cow it is
now. Similarly, anime streaming wasn't as widespread as it is today, so
anime with low live viewership wouldn't have been able to make up for it
through streaming views.
It’s not uncommon for anime to come back
to air after a long hiatus, and since the “Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash” light novels
are still being published, there’s the potential for a lot of content to be
brought to the big screen. Whether or not this will
revive the Grimgar anime for a second season may depend on the level of demand
for it.
©2016Ao Jumonji, Overlap / Grimgar of Fantasy and Ash Production Committee
