Jormungand – 5

The presentation of academia in anime is often determined by its limitations.  An author begins to discover problems in their stories when they begin to toy with knowledge beyond their fields of expertise.  They can also equally jeopardize the interest of their audience with topics that are monotonous [oh look, irony!] or beyond the scope of their general understanding.  The apparent solution is to dismiss any focus on schooling altogether or simply force it into the background to the point where schools seem less like an institution for education and more like a sociable jail for teens.  Jormungand, however, has made it a point to educate Jonah with Tojo, Willie, and Mao wearing the hat of teacher when things aren’t exploding.  But Jormgunand, like a majority of anime, faces limitations in how it depicts education which is chiefly represented through its either intended or unintentional favoritism of language and literature over mathematics and science.

Jormungand – 4

With every passing episode, the remaining cast of Jormungand appears less like a band of elite bodyguards and more like a team of functioning units.  While there has been no significant decrease in talent or ability among these exceptional soldiers, they maintain to lose what little humanity they began the anime with.  Rather than acting, behaving, or flourishing like what is expected of humans, these characters feel almost inorganic in how they live, almost like each is a piece of some grand machine that Koko operates.  Whether it’s a lack of character development in general or opportunity for significant depth to emerge, the cast of Jormungand (excluding Koko) is easily this anime’s greatest weakness.

Jormungand – 3

Captivating and dazzling, august and imposing, Koko commands Jormungand through its tumultuous adventures, electrifying action, and charming comedy.  But that alone does not complete the persona that is Koko.  Beyond the recognizable, there are quelled characteristics of our heroine that sprout in opportune moments that showcase a magnanimous and compassionate side to Koko that otherwise remains obscured.  Koko is truly a kind soul despite what her mischievous appearance and exceptional behavior would suggest.  While her entire team of elite bodyguards looks toward Koko in order to protect her in her critical business, she looks back at them and makes certain her team is taken care of, too.

Jormungand – 2

If we are to believe that Jormungand presents an accurate illustration of the modern arms dealing industry, then we can conclude that the intricate relationship between wholesalers and clients involves frequent gunfights, blackmailing each other, ruthless treachery, and little to no customer appreciation.  We all know an industry as awesome as that could not exist in the real world but there is some truth in how the industry works in Jormungand.  Of course, to make the story exciting and entertaining, elements of action and adventure were introduced to make the anime more appealing. However, that story cannot be merely idealistic and action-packed nonsense, Jormungand needs to retain some of the real world as a means to tell its story the way it wants to.  So how does Jormungand find its happy medium by being both realistic and entertaining?

Jormungand – 1

Though not always the focus of scenes or dialogue or necessarily even apparent at times, Jormungand incorporates a diverse assortment of heavy, serious themes.  Throughout the episode, various subjects arose and articulated thoughts and ideas on weapons dealing, assassinations, victims of war and death, among others, from the perspective of the characters.  And in the face of all this, Jormungand displays a lighter mood than its story would indicate.  Just how does Jormungand pull off that feat?