Master of Epic is really recommended for all the MMORPG-fans out there. Basically, it’s just one huge parody of nearly all aspects of a MMORPG. Things like fighting monsters, shops, reviving, clothes, haircuts, quests, dungeons, cooking, weapons and item-collecting are just a small collection of all these things it pokes fun at. Heck, most of the characters have some sort of recycled clone with different hair-colour of themselves running around, in true MMORPG-fashion. Oh, and let’s not forget the sentai-team parodies.

Master of Epic definitely is a unique anime. If you’re looking for a continuous story, then you should stay far away from it, as every episode is a collection of the most random sketches. No overall story is present, even the final episodes don’t introduce some kind of dramatic element for the show to close on. The best you’ll get in terms of a storyline has to be the Waragecha, who return in nearly every episode and do something random. Apart from that, other sketches feature former characters returning, but an overall storyline is nowhere to be found.

I’m probably the only one who thinks so, but I found these sketches, with a few exceptions, very funny. They either made an aspect of MMORPGs look ridiculous, or they were just plain random. Certain sketches also were just plain wrong (imagine a couple of tough guys doing silly dances, or a male orc-like creature dressing like a female), while others were too cute at times. My personal favourites were the sketches which featured Bukotsu and Chuu. The first episode already starts them off with Chuu eating a live bat.

In terms of animation… well, Master of Epic was produced by Gonzo. With Gonzo-anime, the animation either is incredibly good, or incredibly bad, and this is the same with Master of Epic. Some episodes have some great animation, while others look horrible. (Small note: especially the earlier episodes feature bad animation, while the latter showcase the better animation, unlike most other anime which feature beautiful animation for their first few episodes, only for the rest of the episodes to look horrible). The soundtrack features a selection of J-pop. It’s not really my taste, but it does fit the mood of the anime well enough.

Aired in the winter-season, Master of Epic quickly became the black sheep. I’ve seen very few people who actually gave it a chance. While I did see this coming, (after all, it’s based on a MMORPG, and it has all looks of a cheesy moe-show) the fact does remain that this is another one of those neglected anime which doesn’t deserve it. The MMORPG- and moe-elements are perfectly parodied throughout the series, and a good balance is kept between male and female fanservice. Another interesting note is that this is one of the very few anime without a main character. The closest person you could call a main character (the orange-haired girl who shows up in the centre of all the promo-art and the OP) never really has a major role in any of the sketches. Heck, she appears in probably the most sketches of all character, but her only role is that of a random passer-by. She’s got like 3 seconds of airtime at most, before she disappears again.

Short Synopsis: The end of Master of Epic. The last bit of budget is spent on a rather strange song, while the Waragecha-arc literally ends with a bang.
Good: In terms of an ending, it was a great one…
Bad: …but I want more!!!
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8/10

Bummer, the moment is finally there to say goodbye to this awesome anime. The worst thing about Master of Epic is probably that it left me wanting so much more, as I’m really craving to get more of the different characters. I’m really rooting for a second season for this, which focuses more on the characters themselves, but that’s probably a futile hope.

Anyway, sketch 1: the last Bukotsu and Chuu-sketch. They comment on that strange dance, performed by Bukotsu in the previous episode. This is the first time Chuu made herself look like an idiot. XD

Sketch 2: the party with the noob again. Their hair seems to have grown back, and they’re now out to tackle a huge sea-monster. Miraculously, the Elmony manages to defeat it.

Sketch 3: the fishing scene returns Chuu alone when she fishes up a rather strange bloke with a big sword. XD

Sketch 4: Angelica and her quirks again. This time, she attempts cooking. Obviously, she overdoes it yet again, and the boy she loves runs away from her in the end, having gained “a few” pounds. On a side-note: this is the first time we actually see someone log-out. I kept wondering when that would come.

Sketch 5: Chuu doesn’t have it easy, when she gets featured in another fishing-scene. You would expect the closing sketch of Chuu to feature a huge monster, but instead she’s being tortured by a strange kappa-like creature who attacks her with leaches.

Sketch 6: The Radio-show. The hosts talk about pets this time, and one sells another strong story about how pets can cook for you… right. XD

Sketch 7 is probably the weirdest one in Master of Epic yet. We see two tough fighters (Bukotsu and the grown-up version of Philippe) fighting monsters when suddenly people dressed up like cute and cuddly animals perform a cheesy song and dance in front of them. And the two of them actually participate. XDXDXD One shot of the two of them was particularly wrong, and I loved the expression of their faces when the song ended. XD

Sketch 8: the final Waragecha scene. I wondered how the creators would end the Waragecha-arc, but it turned out quite good. First the five get nostalgic a bit due to boredom, after which the guys from the first few episodes return, armed to kill them. Then another team of Waragecha appears (and YES the main character is among them!!! It’s probably the first time she actually played a role in a sketch, apart from bein an NPC XD). I also loved the Bukotsu-clone dressed in the Waragecha-purple outfit, and what was up with Warage-Black’s expression? XD And of course. How better to end the Waragecha-arc than with a BIG bang? :)

Sketch 9 recycles Sketch 7, where the same fluffy animals appear in front of an Elmony with his bat. A bit cheap, but still hilarious. XD

Sketch 10: the end of Master of Epic, with the announcers announcing that the show has ended. It’s interesting. Usually an ending is very hard to do, as it has to close off a big story in just one episode. But Master of Epic doesn’t have this problem, and it’s perfect to just end the show with a little announcement in the end. Of course, I’m hungry for MORE, but I’m really glad to see that this is like the only anime which didn’t reduce to melodramatic crap in the end, although that would actually have been interesting with this anime. ^^;

Also, the closing picture of Chuu smiling was just perfect to really end this one.

Sayonara Master of Epic, things have been really fun. :)

Every season comes with its surprises. The summer-season last year had Night Head Genesis and Chevalier, the fall-season had Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto and Sasami Mahou Shoujo Club, and winter-season had Manabi Straight. I normally tend to dislike school-based slice-of-life series, and okay, the series wasn’t awesome, perfect, stunning or extremely heart-warming. But I still have to say that I had a good time watching this series.

The thing that immediately strikes about this anime is its energy. Seldomly I’ve encountered an anime which almost sparkles with its energetic characters. The unique art style, the great animation and the perfectly fitting soundtrack turned this into one of the few slice-of-life series which actually caught my interest.

Another strong point of this anime is how it quite easily breaks a lot of stereotypes that have been plaguing other school-based anime oh so often. The most striking is the student-council president: Manabi, the main character of this anime. Up till now, a student-council president either was an arrogant but rather stupid bitch who likes to abuse his/her students or a perfect human (you know, the rich, smart, talented, high-classed and uberpopular one). Manabi Straight finally puts a human being in the seat of the student-council president, someone who loves her school, and wants to keep it alive.

Not only Manabi, but also the four other main characters felt very refreshing. Usually, in a show of this nature, the story usually revolves around two characters, while you can replace the other main ones with paper bags and still not notice any difference in the story. Manabi Straight makes sure that each of the five heroines has a significant role in the story. Sometimes subtle, sometimes obvious. Also, even though Manabi is the main character, and the central person in the story, she doesn’t necessarily get more screen-time than the others. Mikan and Mei get just as much airtime as Manabi, while the other two also are quite present.

Okay, so the anime is not going to go down as the “best anime ever” anytime soon. At times, the drama was a bit too forced, and the ending was a bit cheap. And okay, for a show which is supposed to take place in 2035, the only thing we got to see to illustrate this were strange-looking gadgets. I still enjoyed the unique parts in this one. I liked the quirky humour which showed up once in a while a lot. The animation was excellent and full of creativity, I hope it’ll set a standard for future anime to work towards. It’s a show, perfect for a light watch, but don’t expect anything amazing.