I've always been a fan of BONES' anime adaptions, so right away Zetsuen no Tempest caught my attention with its visuals. The story jumps right into character relations as the main character is now without his two friends, as flashbacks fill us in with the other's personalities. The three friends have a very different atmosphere to them, it isn't the type of relationship of happy-go-lucky, or even casual friendship, its more like a fated relationship that has been developed over time. What I find interesting is how the central character, Yoshino is pitted as an important character as he is somehow able to manage his violent brawler of a friend Mahiro, all while being scolded and blamed by the light brown female friend who has some grudge against him it seems, and treats him coldly, telling him it's all his fault. The entire opening to the show is well crafted to create this somewhat depressive, melancholy.
After the sad opening, things get crazy, as hell breaks loose with a turn of events that caught me off guard. I was pretty shocked, thinking this would slowly build up more of a mystery, but instead I was treated some crazy action that has captured my attention with an arrangement of unexpected events. It's not as if the story is being rushed, or the pacing is off, it just takes a wild turn down an action mystery road that leaves an impressive first impression.
The Black Iron Syndrome, seems to magically turn everyone to iron, similar to that infection from Guilty Crown. This sudden infection sweeps through a little too quickly, with its first appearance being explained as if it has been a growing issue rather than this sudden twist I experienced. The show is quite enticing, I am still not too sure if I like the whole mage and magic powers issue, but the character conflicts and relations are enough for me to continue watching and hopefully blog. The show appears similar to that of Darker than Black, where there are major issues and heavy concerns for large scaled events that shake the world, but most of the focus will be directed to the characters themselves an opt for less explaining of the situation and more to the personalities, which I personally love.
