Juuni Taisen Ep 1-3 Review: how to *not* survive a battle royale

Twelve mercenaries representing the twelve Chinese zodiac are pitted against each other in a battle to the death. The winner gets to have one wish granted.

Ladies and gentlemen, clap your hands for Juuni Taisen: Zodiac War.

Huh. How should I begin this… Juuni Taisen is quite predictable for an anime about a death game. From the first episode, everything about “Pig” (or Boar) screams death flag, and guess what she really does die at the end after getting some backstory. Now, I finally know what the hype about that killer rabbit is all about.

After that, people can already guess that anybody that gets their backstory told will die in that episode, and that’s what really happens. Heck, some people die without even getting their story told. Plus, anyone who fights Ox is going to die anyway, so no surprise in that.

Still, this anime still surprises me with how easily people die. I was thinking that after a fierce battle to the death that lasts…I don’t know…five minutes? After spending all their wits and strengths against each other one person will ultimately emerge victorious and survive to fight the next battle. Except, nope. They see each other, and after a bit of flashback one person’s head just go sploooshhhhh!!! aaaaand dead. I don’t know if that’s good or bad. For a show that puts as much emphasis on character story as they do on the fighting itself, having a character die easily could either detract from enjoyment or add to shock factor.

Speaking of characters, the characters we’ve met so far are all wretched evil people in some sort of way. Pig turns her sister into a maniac so she can get to fight in the Zodiac War. (I think her sister might do better than her, considering she’s as crazy as Rabbit.) Dog…uh…he’s a killer, alright. A cunning one who would not hesitate to take advantage of others, however too careless. (Every time he turns around, I keep waiting for Rooster to jab him in the back with her fork. Hell, he was a daycare teacher.) Rooster is merciless and deceptive, hiding her killing intent beneath a weak little girl act. They are still likable in their own way nonetheless, but you can’t help but think that maybe it’s better for the world if they died.

After three episodes, if I’m not blurred or anything, five people already died: Snake, Pig, Horse(?), Rooster, and Dog. (Not sure about horse because he died offscreen without getting any actual story, but considering his opponent was Ox, I’m not surprised if he really kicked the dust.) I think each character might get more screen time because there are nine episodes and seven characters left. Wow, I can’t wait to see what sorts of evil stories they will have to tell. Also, 2017 is the year of the Rooster and 2018 will be year of the Dog. Just an interesting trivia.

Several question remains: what is the point of this battle royale? Just so one person gets his or her wish granted? To find the strongest? A clever ploy to make strong warriors kill each other off so that the world is a safer place? Why do they not just puke the poison crystal out? Who is responsible for setting up this whole thing? According to Dog, some people don’t join voluntarily, right?

The story is interesting and I will keep watching. The art of this show is very nice, and I like the introduction scenes that look like old school fighting games. The action sequences are also very stylish, especially the first person shots. From the first three episodes, even if it’s rushed, Juuni Taisen is worth spending time on if you like the genre. This is a lot better than Terra Formars. Just saying.

This will be the end of my 6 days continuous posting binge.

…Or maybe not.