Guin Saga is being made by Satelight. It’s based on a series of novels by Kaoru Kurimoto.The inaugural episode of Guin Saga is all about action. It opens up with an attack on the Parros kingdom courtesy of the Mongaul army. The whole town is set on fire and the king and queen are slaughtered. In all the confusion, the “twin pearls” of the kingdom, Lemus and Linda, are teleported to Argos so they can rendezvous with their aunt Emma. Something goes terribly wrong during the teleportation process and they end up in a forest. At first they’re just fine, but when Lemus starts to complain too loudly about food, they’re overheard by enemy soldiers and captured. Luckily for them, Guin happened to be walking by. He quickly disposes of the soldiers and then passes out.
Guin Saga is based on a book series with a record breaking 123 volumes! It’s likely that they’re only animating the first novel, but they could always make more if the series does well. You wouldn’t have to worry about filler either because there’s enough source material to give even Golgo 13 a run for its money.
The best part about Guin Saga is the title character. Guin is an amnesiac with a leopard mask magically stuck on his head. The only thing he remembers is how to fight. This is displayed magnificently as he pounds a man into the ground like nail, punches another so hard they catch fire, and spin kicks someone across a lake. This fight scene is so exhilarating that you’ll be screaming, “Please God, let their be just one more knight for Guin to beat up!”
Unfortunately, it’s just like any other addiction; no matter how many people Guin messes up, it’s never enough. However, this is one of the show's strong points, as it keeps the viewer coming back for more.
Aside from the adrenaline fueled fight scenes, this show also has wonderful music. Every background theme is tailored perfectly to fit with what‘s happening onscreen. This is to be expected because the score is being done by Final Fantasy veteran, Nobuo Uematsu.
Guin Saga is hands down, the best show this season. The amount of care put into this series shines through in every scene. The unfortunate truth is that it will likely be ignored by the masses due to its art style and lack of “supa-kawaii” character designs. If you weren’t planning on watching this already, do yourself a favor and at least check out the first episode.
*Golgo 13 is a manga series that has been running for over 40 years. There are currently 148 volumes.
