I actually have really liked the slice-of-life episodes, and think they have done a lot to enhance the stories. In fact, I did not find them episodic at all, as they served to piece together the strange world that the characters live in.

For instance, the main thread throughout most of these episodes has been the growth of Chagum. Chagum was kinda useless and sniveling in the getaway episodes, but every episode shows the kind and strong side of him that makes him so beloved. Moreover, his wisdom is very impressive for a child so young. It seems little wonder that he was the choice for the egg.

Speaking of the egg, the Saya episode was a clever way to give us more information about the parallel universe that the Nayugu exist in.

Earlier episodes showed us the strength of other characters like Shuga and Sagum. This shows the very complex and organic plots and alliances that are forming back at the palace.

I feel like these episodes really enrich the world that Serei no Moribito takes place in, and heavily contribute to the story. I realize because the world is so fleshed out and every episode is devoted to just a small part of the story this can be frustrating, but I think it will result in some big payoffs down the line.

Left by Kabitzin on June 19th, 2007

There are far too many episodes in my opinion, perhaps they could turn this into something even more epic if they were only given thirteen episodes, as pruning often has a higher influence on quality than more material ever will.
For this series, I think that the pacing was pretty near to perfect however. They had to have something happen between summer and spring, and this progression seems very realistic to me. The series shows the progression very well in my opinion, from going to the palace, to an attempt to run away, to living nearby for awhile, to retreating to another village, and to the hunters cave, we see a steady progression from summer, to fall, to winter to spring, and it covers the lives of these characters well during that time, and makes other time passages apparent as well, so it’s not measured in days, but perhaps events, which are how, if you recall, we remember our own lives, as if we were to give a person a story of our lives, and I think it lends it a very genuine atmosphere I am not of the mentality that meticulous story telling is a great thing, then you get something like Robert Jordan, and the Wheel of Time series, where so much is elaborated upon that the story crawls to slumbering and less interesting pace. It is also what I see wrong with 99% of all very long series, outside of the fact that they are heavily patterned. I want to hear of the major interesting events, and how the characters tackled their fears, challenges, and how they overcome their plight, I definitely do not want to hear about Tohya and Saya, and how they live together, and how they cook their meal in the morning, knowing they live together is more than enough for the purpose of the story. I’m not trying to say that those sort of stories don’t have their place, however, this is a more epic tale, the scheme is grander, and so also are the tales told, as is more traditional, in a fantasy tale and setting
In short, I thought it was marvelous. In it’s own way however, it also reminded me of my younger years, and my father, strangely Balsa’s resolve and her way of training remind me of how my father often too, led by example, and how he forced a mentality of self problem solving and sufficiency toward me, and all the scenes of the outdoors reminded me of other things, from those years as well

Left by Atrix on September 28th, 2008