Record of Ragnarokis a strange beast of a seinen franchise, with an incredibly popular Netflix Original Net Animation (or ONA) of Coamix’s 2017 manga by Shinya Umemura. However, as I discovered the series in its manga form before diving into the Netflix series, I was quickly puzzled by what I saw, with its glorious characters by Azychika exhibited as a colored-in slideshow of manga panels and nothing more. Despite such low points, I can’t help but enjoyRecord of Ragnarok’sfrustratingly bad anime because of how much I adore its manga and look forward to each new chapter.
Also known asShūmatsu no Warukyūreor “Doomsday Valkyrie,“Record of Ragnarokfollows the gods of Valhalla’s decision to eradicate humanity, only for the decision to be challenged by Brunhilde of the Valkyries. Playing on the pride of the gods, Brunhilde proposes a tournament death game. The tournament is deemed Ragnarok, where the gods can fight thereconstituted dead humans throughout history and myth,with the best seven of thirteen rounds deciding whether humanity will stay its execution for another thousand years.Record of Ragnarokdelivers on this premise, providing a fun seinendeath game anime, warts and all.
Record of Ragnarok Is a Guilty Pleasure Anime
Netflix Has Done So Much Better Since 2021
I still remember watching season 1 ofRecord of Ragnarokand being excited to see the characters designed by the 4-person art team Azychika. While the Thor vs. Lü Bu fight had its moments, the stiff action and flat rendition of the more exaggerated facial expressions are hard to overlook.Round 2, with the Biblical Adam against Zeus,has an excellent fight in the manga that, as many fans know, devolves into a slideshow with punch sound effects standing in for an epic clash; it’s pretty weak, I’ll readily admit, and it’s easier to enjoy simply as a guilty pleasure.
The voice cast has excellent acquisitions, with representation across franchises likePersona, Fairy Tail, Dan Da Dan, One Piece, Go! Go! Loser Ranger!and more.
A significant component of what I enjoy aboutRecord of Ragnarokinvolves the strong Japanese voice cast and, ironically, the studio’s amusing choices in its animation priorities. The voice cast has excellent acquisitions, with representation across franchises likePersona, Fairy Tail, Dan Da Dan, One Piece, Go! Go! Loser Ranger!and more. Beyond this observation, I also find that during the Lü Bu vs. Thor fight,the greatest focus on depicting convincing, if exaggerated, motion was put into Aphrodite’s bosom, which isdeeply hilariousyet on-brand for seinen fanservice.
Record of Ragnarok’s Anime Feels Like a Studio Mismatch
But Future Fights Might Prove a Better Fit
Record of Ragnarok’sanimation was handled in 2021 by Graphinica, with their subsidiary, Yumeta Company, joining for season 2 in 2023. The credentials of each studio are fascinating,such as Graphinica handling the last three and arguably the best OVAs forHellsing: Ultimateand Yumeta Company joining them forMuv-Luv Alternative.
Fans Waiting for Record of Ragnarok Season 3 Need To Read This Witch Tournament Manga
Seinen manga readers have more reason to be excited while waiting for more Record of Ragnarok with this witch tournament manga heading west soon.
Neither company has had genre-defining successes to call wholly their own,but they’re not inept, either, with well-animated sequences. They don’t usually focus as much on fighting anime but show improvement.
To the Surprise of Nobody
Despite these issues, I enjoyRecord of Ragnarok’sanime for moments such as Kojiro Sasaki vs. Poseidon, where even though the weak animation of season 1 is still present, Kojiro is a truly lovable character who has the most uplifting fight of the season.It felt almost like an apology for the past two fights, which I could happily enjoy until season 2.Record of Ragnarokseason 2’s animation improved, albeit with odd choicesincorporating CGI and distractingly low lighting for the Jack the Ripper vs. Hercules and Buddha vs. Zerofuku/Hajun fights, other strange creative decisions still hamper it.
The lighting choice inRecord of RagnarokRound 4, which depicts Jack the Ripper vs. Hercules from season 2, episodes #1-5, is meant to replicate Victorian-era London, England, to Jack’s request for home-field advantage. It makes sense on paper, evoking the proper mood, but its execution is somewhat awkward.
This is because of how truly thrilling the manga is; the elaborate fatalities of gods and humans inRecord of Ragnarokare lifted from the series' pages, and to the animators' credit,they render the best panels fairly well. The immensely twisted facial expressions for which the series is well-known, such as Loki’s contorted smiles, are still chillingly well-done in the anime. Still, with strong animation being few and far between until Round 6, you might purchase the volumes and color them in for the same effect.
The Record of Ragnarok Manga Is Ongoing and Progressively More Addictive
If the Anime Continues, It Has to Step Up Its Game
What I find positively maddening is that all of my favorite moments in the series are yet to come. IfRecord of Ragnarok’sanime continues its track record,the best it’ll do is an animated imitation of the manga. Round 7 has a glorious clash between Qin Shi Huang and Hades, and Round 8 has my favorite Einherjar, Nikola Tesla, who will surely win the hearts of many viewers, with his armor and tech being a great chance for Graphinica to flex its reasonable mecha chops. Round 10 even features my favorite fight in the manga so far.
All this is to say that, whileRecord of Ragnarokis uneven on its best days, it has the opportunity to pull off its best fights, knowing it can have the greatest potential to draw new viewers. Round 7 features two ikemen, or “incredibly handsome grown male character” fighters who will draw audiences' eyes to its brutal combat.The fan reception to Buddha in Round 6 shows how beneficial leaning into this appeal is. However, with the manga growing increasingly addictive, withRecord of RagnarokRound 10 featuring a proper sword duel, specific battles will be decisive experiences for the viewers.
It’s now up toRecord of Ragnarok’sanime to meet these quality benchmarks because the manga is truly worthwhile.
Whether theRecord of Ragnarokanime catches itself up to the manga’s quality or offers a wholly transformative experience, I’ll likely still watch, both to track whether it steps up, and just because it’s got a convenient location. The anime scene has improved on Netflix since 2021, with two of my favorite series of the Fall 2024 season,Blue BoxandDan Da Dan, currently running there, withMy Happy Marriageseason 2 andSakamoto Dayssoon to follow. It’s now up toRecord of Ragnarok’sanime to meet these quality benchmarks because the manga is truly that worthwhile.
Record of Ragnarok
Cast
Record of Ragnarok is an anime adaptation of the manga works by Shinya Umemura and Takumi Fukui. In the show, the gods have convened to decide the fate of humanity. Determining that they have failed to justify their existence, they are sentenced to extermination until a valkyrie pleads for one final chance. To redeem themselves, humanity will send its best warriors to face off with the gods in a tournament with the help of the valkyries
