This should be the last of my harem themed anime picks from last summer.
Or at least I think it is. I've lost count and don't want to think
about the ones that turned out to be less than average.
The question is whether Campione! is worth remembering or not.
Kusanagi Godou's life changes when he decides to honor his grandfather's last wishes to deliver a strange stone tablet to his friend Lucretia Zola in Sardinia, Italy. He encounters Erica Blandelli, a girl who claims to be a member of the Copper Black Cross, who tries to take the tablet from him because of its supposed importance. He meets Lucretia, but she tasks him to hold onto the tablet for her. Furthermore, Godou finds himself in a surreal experience, witnessing two mythical gods in a battle. Using the tablet and Erica's knowledge, which she passes on to him with a kiss, Godou finds himself victor over the god Verethrana, receiving the god's powers for himself. Godou is also declared a Campione, or god-slayer, and is thrust in a world where he is constantly challenged by heretic gods and others who have earned the title of Campione.
Campione! features an interesting premise, of selected humans gaining the power to defeat gods who have strayed from their purpose and their ability to discern what is right. What's more, the series features the different gods from various cultural influences, with the anime adaptation of the original light novel series featuring gods of Greek, Roman and Persian origins, among many. I've always liked mythology (though, I would never claim to be an expert), so it was interesting to see how they were able to utilize the different characters and their various cultural origins into the story. While viewers might be familiar with the more common Greek mythologies, the anime was able to show that certain gods are actually present in or originated from other cultures or nations. Since Godou's ability to defeat the gods is dependent on his knowledge of their true histories, obtaining these information is vital to his battles as a Campione.
As for gaining the information he needs to triumph over his godly foes... well, that's another matter entirely. Since it would take time to learn the knowledge by reading, Godou requires a more magical approach to learning. And since Campione are basically immune to magic, a more direct form of transference is required. In this case, he can gain the information he requires to defeat a god through a kiss.... which is where the harem part comes in. The first member of his harem is Erica, and shrine priestess Mariya Yuri, Bronze Black Cross knight Liliana Kranjcar and demi-god Susaano's granddaughter Seishuin Ena are later added throughout the series. Each of the girls have unique abilities that make them integral to Godou's battles, with each one giving him both knowledge and support by kissing him. I have to admit that I didn't enjoy the harem and Godou-lovefest as much as I enjoyed the idea of using mythology and battling heretic gods in the series. Campione! has a tendency to play the cliches of harem anime and the short twelve episode run doesn't help in making all the girls vital in the eyes of the audience.
While the series proved to be enjoyable at certain points, the average and bad moments outweigh the good for me, thus I can't give Campione! the must-watch label.
Unfortunately, Campione! fell into the same trap of unrealized potential that La Storia della Arcana Famiglia became victim to.
Stuck at kind-of-interesting-but-nothing-more viewing with this one.Labels: Action, Adaptation, Anime, Campione, Fantasy, Harem, Romance, TV
