Rev up those fantasy engines, we’re going for a ride.
Shingeki no Bahamut comes from a fairly recent mobile game craze that’s raking in a lot of downloads and money. I’m not a mobile “gamer” but I know of its existence thanks to the large amount of high quality art the game gets. I honestly didn’t even notice the anime “adaptation” airing this season until I saw a few people talking about it. Naturally, I didn’t expect ANYTHING from a series based on a card game.
Bot goddamn, I did not expect this at all.
We enter the world of Shingeki no Bahamut and we’re treated to an opening sequence the details an enormous fight with all forces sharing one common enemy, Bahamut. The humans retreat and allow the their forces’ summoners to call in deities to fight for them.
In present time, we’re quickly introduced to our main heroes: Bounty hunters Favaro Leone and Kaiser Lidfald. The latter in hot pursuit of the other across a city on horseback on reasons that are made vague but Kaiser’s past seems to have been better off without Favaro entering his life. The pursuit eventually ends up with the two fighting on top of a windmill that rolls down the town. During the chaos, 3 slavers round up a few women but Favaro and Kaiser’s bout ends up costing them their possessions. Kaiser chases Favaro to a bar and a strategic crossbow bolt to Kaiser’s horse makes the latter leave to retrieve his steed.
We join the slavers again on their way to their headquarters empty handed when something falls from the sky. They exit from their vehicle to investigate and it turns out to be a girl. The three approach her with ill intent but the girl wipes the three slavers without any sort of trouble. We join Favaro late in the night where he distinguishes his skills as a bounty hunter. Favaro is a decent fighter up close but his underhanded tactics are able to subdue his target’s lackeys and also a few demons he summons. The item on Favaro’s wrist is made clear on its purpose as it makes the subdued targets into a form of a card to turn in as a bounty. The collector for Favaro’s case is a man named Baccus, a drunkard who is also accompanied by a duck-like being who proclaims himself a god. Favaro obtains only half his reward but leaves anyway.
Favaro’s ideology of money is apparently to spend it all on good occasion and helps himself to a riotous time at the local bar. He gloats to a few women of his prowess as a bounty hunter and proclaims that his next journey will involve going to a place called Helheim. The girl that dealt with the 3 slavers from before overhears and she tries to inquire about it. Kaiser however storms into the bar but Favaro makes yet another escape when he latches some girls onto Kaiser’s arms. Favaro then encounters the girl who inquires the location of Helheim and she seems very desperate to get there. Before the conversation can be swayed in Favaro’s liking, the brother of bounty target Favaro had turned in shows up which explains why he only received half the payment. The brother then summons an enormous demon and Favaro attempts to fend it off and tells the girl he’ll explain to her if they get out of the situation. She obliges and unknowing to Favaro, she turns into a demon and annihilates the summoned beast.
Favaro wakes up the next day and spooks one of the bar girls not because he strips naked, but because he has a demonic tail. Favaro thinks it’s a joke but much to his horror there really is a tail. Episode 2 picks up immediately from there as the girl walks in and explains that she formed a contract with Favaro to get her to Helheim. The bar girls cries get the attention of Kaiser who discovers Favaro’s implication that he is a demon and is infuriated beyond belief. Favaro makes his escape with the girl.
Prior to Favaro’s contract, we see a scene of battle between the demons and the human forces led by Jeanne D’Arc of Orleans (which apparently exists in this fantasy setting) retrieving something known as God’s Key. Returning to current time, Kaiser ponders over the idea of Favaro being a demon and says that he cannot believe he has been fooled by him all this time. The Holy Knights enter the city square and ask of the location of a demon disguised as a human. Kaiser gets up and assures that will deliver them the demon but he is put down by another knight who recognizes his bounty hunter insignia (the bounty hunter bracelet). This shock causes Kaiser to give us a glimpse of his past where a young Kaiser sees one of his family members be publicly hung.
We join Favaro and demon girl inside an old mansion and Favaro explains to her that if they need to get to Helheim, they’ll need proper funding for the trip. Of course, Favaro has no clue where Helheim is but is keen on breaking away from the girl’s contract. He discovers a large demon as the target of his bounty but the demon girl dispatches it quickly and convinces Favaro that last night wasn’t a dream and he’s involved in something way over his stylish head. Using the money he receives from the bounty, he decides to buy the girl some clothes and dinner before getting her absolutely drunk. He takes her to the nearby lake and she reveals her name as Amira. While Amira lays down on the water, she explains that she wishes to go to Hellheim to reunite with her mother and while the sentimentality is there, Favaro doesn’t want any of it and plans to kill her with his knife. That plan goes awry when Kaiser of all people sneak up on them and of course, get’s knocked out by Favaro before the two make a break for it.
The next day, Favaro makes Amira wait with his horse on the outskirts of town and he notices the Holy Knight squads arrive in the town. They announce their intention of finding a one winged demoness and Favaro remembers that Amira had only one wing and he decides to sell her out to the knights. Amira is chased down and Favaro prepares to leave with his horse but his horse however, who had spent some time with Amira who may or may not know how to communicate with animals, leads Favaro in her direction. Amira combats the knights and she is immune to holy spells and Favaro unintentionally rides in and to avoid more chaos, grabs Amira and escapes the scene. The two are trapped on a bridge and Favaro thinks fast and disconnects the bridge’s ropes to fall down the waterfall. Our duo survives and Favaro ponders why the horse returned to Amira.
Something about hardcore fantasy genres this season. The likable scumbag main character and the mysterious pursuer Kaiser and the unexpectedly charming Amira has me hyped for the rest of the series. Since this is completely original and only based off the games, I can’t even imagine what chaos awaits us next. Consider this my most looked forward to series for this season. The fight sequences, the transformation, and the diverse but unique setting really sells the show.
Lair of the Idle 
Bacchus is the Greek God of Wine and Festival. Rather appropriate that he’s a drunk here.
I don’t know why I picked such an awkward moment to start playing the game. Then again, I didn’t even know there’s an anime adaption for it this season, lol. Got kinda confusing when I was tweeting about it xD
Anyway, the anime does seems promising. Will definitely be on a lookout for me once I start watching this season’s anime.
Nice to see you Kai.
It’s pretty much my most looked forward to anime of the season, the plot or setting isn’t outstanding but anything is better than a highschool for me at this point.