As clichd and by the number as Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry presents itself it also seems to be an anime that challenges its own status constantly. By looking at its plot summary and art direction you would be forgiven to toss this series along with the generic crap that piles the charts of every season. With that in mind what could be then a valid reason to give this show the merit of a review? Well Im glad you asked little voice in my head let me explain. Story and Characters From any angle you look Rakudai Kishi no Cavalry this one is quite the mouthful Im gonna call just Rakudai for short is following the clichs of the Sorcery School genre so strictly it seems as if it has a checklist of the tropes required. We have: the hardworking but underestimated protagonist who happens to be somewhat oblivious to girls affections the pinkhaired upstart tsundere largely known for being among the most talented and powerful on the student body the Imouto character whose main purpose is to give the series its incest undertones the playfull and notatall subtle homosexual sidecharacter who just so happens to be someone you should not underestimate the oneoff enemy that is going to be discarded for the sake of raising the protagonist a setting based on a school with modern aesthetic that teaches its students about the handling of magical abilities a tournament centered plot were the main characters bet their academic future and pride. Now what makes Rakudai an interesting beast to tackle is how it seems to be at odds with its own clichd nature. The series displays a weird brand of selfawareness where it doesnt necessarily belittle or parodies such tropes but seriously plays them to the best of its abilities. Mostly. You can see this manifested in how the characters are presented and treated going back and forth between the predictable instances of their archetypes and legitimately thoughtout character moments. Starting with the easier one Ikki the protagonist and Failed Knight of the translated title who starts as an underdog but reveals to be actually pretty strong. Surprised? Neither am I. Granted the series doesnt make him simply a powerhouse for poorly established reasons or goes out of its way to avoid any kind of tension during battle it shows him as a deeply hardworking individual who struggles against tough enemies even showing that his strongest moves have their limitations so a Kirito he isnt thankfully. In some instances the writing even makes fun of how quickly he becomes popular among his schoolmates. Personalitywise he was given a sense of humour and empathy enough to make him likeable and play well with the other figures. Following is Stella the resident tsundere. Now even being a staple of anime the tsundere archetype is a tricky one to write. Doing it right the tsundere can develop into a wellrounded and likeable figure in the molds of Taiga or Meryl Strife. Doing it wrong though the results add the potential extradamage of being not only a poorlywritten character but also an awful individual as a whole ruining the chances of the audience connecting or growing to like the character. So how does Stella fair? Lets take a look at the first episode before anything else: for once after the obligatory accidental peeping scene she is introduced in a comedic sequence so that its easier in get accustomed to her demeanor. Following that were shown her motivations for being in the story and the episode ends by displaying her kinder side towards the protagonist while not in his presence mind you. Now I think this is noteworthy effort because far too often writers only worry about introducing the tsundere by her aggressive traits. Introducing Stella in this manner helps to understand that all the traits presented are natural sides of her personality that dont conflict with each other. Later when in her tsunside she acts more flustered than abrasive making the transition to her dereside natural. Now one common practice to make the tsundere likeable to the audience is to give her a quirk so what would it be for Stella? Shes horny. No really the majority of the initial sexual tension between her and Ikki comes from her desire for his body. Minor spoiler ahead This later takes a different form when their relationship develops and leads to their most interesting moments as a couple. Being Stella a more sexually forward individual than Ikki the two have to work out their expectations in regards to the relationship strengthening their bond and ultimately providing better understanding of where their morals lie on. All that aside its unexpectedly refreshing to see a light novel adaptation having teenagers deal with such a strong subject like sex in a tasteful manner. Minor spoiler end The Imouto in the series is also played in that strangely selfconscious manner. Usually this archetype is used to give incest undertones to the anime here its not at all in undertones. She starts her role by kissing her brother in front of other classmates openly declaring her love so that everyone can hear it and playfully talking about sleeping together. I realize this might be a problem to some but as long as it doesnt devolve into tasteless pandering I appreciate when a series cuts the bullshit and plays with a trope. Now and then Rakudai has these strange moments that handle plot points in a way that could be classified as metahumour although this might be a dangerous statement to make. I say it can be seen as metahumour because they play with expectations the viewer creates after having already seen similar situations. Weve seen new characters end an episode talking about fighting the protagonist so we expect them to be a future threat not the punchline for a joke which you might notice was a wasted opportunity for more effective build up not gonna lie and weve seen countless anime feature pool/beach episodes so we expect them to have pointless fanservice and dumb hijinks not legitimate character development. Around episode 6 youll probably notice that this series is more focused in interactions than in any ongoing main conflict. While the interactions are nice to watch and even charming from timetotime it leads to one of the main problems with the series: it introduces characters that play their arc but might get forgotten in the long run. Some adversaries for example become throwaway characters and might as well be classified as filler. Being this only the first season Rakudai might be trying to pull a Index and stack up in characters that become recurrent in the long run which is a better option but comes with issues of its own. Presentation This Id say is the animes most glaring weakspot. Rakudai uses the style that is by now a given for lightnovel adaptations of this genre which in some instances can make the series indistinguishable from other titles: figures use futuristiclooking uniforms in white and black shades with minimal variant details scenarios are mostly light colored with the exception of battle stages presented in dark tones of green and blue powers are undetailed but given noticeable lighting etc. The same goes for character design: Ikki is thin has dark and spiky hair the tsundere has pink hair tied in ponytails large soft and bouncy breasts I wont complain about that the Imouto is flatchested and carries a uniformly bland color pallet the supportive gay friend is fabulous. Being a Silver Link series though its nice to see it was done by the side of the studio that understands contrast so we luckily dont have a Chaos Dragon this time. Seriously that show looked awful On action sequences there are issues with framing: a lot of attention is given to the special powers but they take too much of the scene and adding it to the manner in which those sequences are cut makes for somewhat disjointed and hard to follow action. On a plus side when the focus is on character movement its very fluid and pleasant to look at mainly during swordfights. Wow here I go being boring again The opening is interesting because the visuals have a slightly gritty vibe to them but the song sounds not really upbeat but energetic and stimulating possibly to evoke a competitive thrill going into the anime. The ending is a slower somber piece accompanied by some enticing visuals. Cant go wrong with that. Personal ramblings Rakudai Kishi no Calvary was a show that played constantly with my expectations. At many points it seemed like it was going into shitterritory with its setup just to pull it back and make a fool of me by presenting a legitimate good and entertaining moment. I can say I had an equal amount of enjoyment from watching the show as well as I dissecting it. There are many factors that can make a work for me but hardly ever break it. One that is fundamental to me and can easily do both are the characters. Bad characters can sink a series with good premise and waste solid potential as well as good or even great characters can help a work with a tired premise to rise above mediocrity even if it doesnt mean becoming a landmark for its media but just a solid piece of entertainment. The saying dont judge a book by its cover seems to be getting increasingly meaningless as it has become easier to spot a generic effortless and vapid cashgrabs in the current anime scene so its really pleasant to find once in a while a show that throws you for a loop and is worth looking at and analyzing.