Dantalian no Shoka – 12 (Finale)

Preseason expectations provide a reference point when judging an anime once the final episode has aired.  It’s a basic way of evaluating an anime, seeing how well it performed over the course of the season compared to how you initially expected it to be.  And from here, we can begin to formulate a grade or score for the anime.  Besides developing an overall opinion, it’s also fun is to see what expectations were right, wrong, and what came as a surprise.  And the purpose of this post will be to examine the latter.  So let’s see what went right, wrong, and surprised for Dantalian no Shoka.

Dantalian no Shoka – 4

What really completes Dantalian no Shoka is not the elegant artwork or the spectacular characters but the ever-unpredictable Phantom Books.  Each book offers a slightly different style and emphasis for each episode, depending on the content of the book and who holds it in their hands.  The Phantom Books add just enough mystery and enchantment to each episode to bring it above ordinary stories in originality and intelligence but are balanced enough to avoid being overpowering in the story and drowning out logic and reason.

Dantalian no Shoka – 2

Who knew reading books could be such a grand, overpowering, and, above all, interesting way to fight mythical beasts like golems and dragons?

Dantalian no Shoka – 1

There certainly is action and adventure in Dantalian no Shoka and, with those elements skillfully interweaved with this fantasy background in post-WWI England, the story comes together as a solid and original anime.  But after the events of the first episode, there’s still some mystery behind what the whole series will be about.  Will this anime have a strong central story that progresses over the course of the season or will we end up starting a different book each episode and experiencing new treasures and adventures each time?  Or will there be something else?