Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero [Anime Review]

 There appears to be a theme this week. Anime that essentially lead right up to a massive plot point and end. Tenjho Tenge did that... and Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero does the same bloody thing.

This is not what it seems...

Maids... gotta catch em all.

Despite that fact, Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero is a much different beast when compared to TenTen. Although, now that I think about it, it does have some strong similarities. Both involve schools that teach combat, or at least are centered around combat. Toudou Academy is kinda like Aesthetica's BABEL.

3.5 out of 5 stars

No shame to be found here...

Well enough of that, lets do some plot overview.

Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero is actually very interesting from a plot perspective. It begins where most fantasy stories end.

The subtitle says it all...

Our erstwhile Rogue Hero, Akatsuki Ousawa, is leaving the world of Alayzard and returning home to his own world. He spectacularly defeated the Dark Lord, claimed his prize, and is headed home, despite forceful protests (including attacks) from those he just saved.

His prize? The busty pink-haired daughter of the Dark Lord, Miu. Actually as he was dying the Dark Lord asked Akatsuki to take her someplace safe, someplace far away from Alayzard (anyone else think that Alayzard sounds an awful lot like El Hazard?).

Haruka Nagase, student council VP, powers up.

That's where this story begins.

It begins where most fantasy stories end. The Hero has defeated the villain and has received his reward. All is right in the world.

These too are hypnotic.

But in Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero, that is just the beginning. You see young men and women from Akatsuki's world often end up in other worlds like Alayzard. When they return home they are gifted with special powers, combat skills, and / or magic. So, while they are back in their world of origin, they attend a special academy called BABEL, a place to protect these young people as they train and hone their powers. 

However it appears that Akatsuki and Miu are being pursued by other forces, so their adventure continues.

Enough plot.

Nice outfits. Hard to remove though...

The plot seems interesting enough.
But the series is also a major fan-service vehicle. Lots of skin, lots of bounce, and lots of related humor. 

There seem to be a lot of these adult oriented late night anime coming out now-a-days. I'm not complaining, just making a statement. The interesting this is that they are trying to have some significant plot so as to stand apart from other fan-service heavy series.

Something for the ladies... or not.

This one has a pretty good plot, and it begins a major multi-series plot arc. The only problem with that is the fact that we do not even know if Aesthetica of a Rogue Hero will be getting a second season. This is a major issue because the series ends with some major massive plot build up. It sets everything up for a whole expansive story to come... here's hoping that they animate it.

See, that's how you answer a door.

There is lies the rub. Aesthetica was televised in Japan during 2012, and no announcements about a second season have come... none.  

Now there are eleven light novels, and no end in sight for those. There are also two volumes of the manga which is also on going. (And statues, body pillows... you know... Japan.)

The animation quality is top notch. The voice acting was very good... I watched the English dub, which is something I often avoid, primarily because the series was white subtitles on often very brigt scenes. I find that hard to read. Yellow subtitles are so much better. 

The early epsiodes are pretty heavy on the fan-service, but they quickly spiral away from that as plot builds. So, not an unexpected arc.

The characters are strong. Akatsuki Ousawa obviously sticks out as the main, and most perverted, of the characters. Miu (Myuu) also sticks out with her pink hair, and concerned personality. She is a worrier. The lesbian chick, Chikage Izumi, is easily remembered as the tomboy-ish lesbian ranged fighter, and one of Miu's fast friends. Kuzuha Domotou, a girl prodigy who skipped middle school, is Miu's other friend. Haruka Nagase is the green haired blue eyed, vengeful student council VP who has made it her life's work to get even with Akatsuki (who has made it his life's work to possess all of her underwear).

That's just a few of the characters, there are more. They each stand out pretty strongly by the end. The series had the steam to continue... lets hope that someday it does. I hate to see good stories go untold. Until then... I will have to see how the manga is.

I'll be reading this online until someone in the US licensees it...