On the brink of extinction, mankind has downsized and now solely resides in the city-state of Flandore, living in cities encased by glass domes. Beyond the domes exist vicious lycanthropes who thrive in the darkness; among the citizens inside, a clear distinction between the nobility and commoners is in place. The blood of nobles enables them to utilize mana, granting them abilities that exceed human limits and greatly assist them in defeating lycanthropes.
Already 13 years of age, noble Melida Angel has yet to manifest her mana, and attends an elite academy where she is mistreated for her lack thereof. In order to help her, Kufa Vampir is ordered by the Angel family to become Melida's tutor. While Kufa seems to be a mere mentor, an ulterior motive lurks behind his job—he is to assassinate her if he confirms that she does not possess mana.
Kufa's investigation eventually leads him to determine he must eliminate Melida. However, Kufa is struck by her unwavering determination, spirit, and belief in herself when he witnesses her in a fight, choosing instead to offer a way she can manifest her magic. As Melida learns to use mana with the help of Kufa's teachings, Kufa forsakes his mission and jeopardizes everything to keep his discovery of Melida unknown to the Angel family and his own guild. However, both Kufa and Melida will soon realize that hiding their secret will not be the only challenge they face, as unforeseen trouble is waiting just around the corner.
Every season, it’s become a necessity now for us to have that one anime that just hits all the wrong nerves. It’s the one anime which frustrates you so much that you cannot drop it because you want to see where the trainwreck is going to halt. We had Arifureta last season, Kenja no Mago the season before that, and now in Fall 2019, there’s Assassin’s Pride. Admittedly, Assassin’s Pride isn’t as bad as either of those two. It had its fair share of moments where it made me feel that the anime might take a turn for the better. But for every forward step
that it took, there were another five steps back.
To start off, Assassin’s Pride had a terrible first episode. The premise was somewhat interesting but the execution in the first episode itself made it obvious where this show was headed. The main character already saved the main female, who’s somewhere around 13 years of age, multiple times in the first episode. Then, at the end of the episode, they had a kiss to transfer some powers to her because she was a useless little crybaby. Doesn’t the plot already sound shoddy? Well, the following episodes are not too different and although, it did evoke some hope in between episode 5-8, the following episodes turned out even worse than the initial ones.
Melida Angel, the main female lead of the show, can’t manifest any mana even though she’s supposedly of noble bloodline and has to become Paladin, the class of fighters that’s supposed to be extremely strong and only people who have “right kind of shitty noble blood” can achieve. To help her awaken to her powers, the Angel family appoints Kufa Vampir, our perfect male lead, as her tutor. But unbeknownst to most, Kufa is actually an assassin and is sent to kill Melida instead.
But of course, Kufa sees something in her and decides to let her live. His reasons are never revealed, and all he says is I feel like letting you live and see where this goes. For a character as rigid as Kufa, this is totally out of the blue. Even before establishing his character, it was already destroyed in the first two episodes. Apart from supporting and helping Melida, everything Kufa does is for a reason. She’s a pretty weak character and the only thing she’s good at is whining. So why help Melida? I’ll tell you why. For plot.
Melida is such a little bitch. I really don’t like her. If Kufa was a bad character, Melida is ten times worse. She’s unlikeable, whingy and a total loser. And I don’t say that because she’s weak, but because of her approach to trying to be strong. I tried to give her chances so that I could find any redeeming qualities in her character but there are really none. All she knows is to suck up to Kufa and pull shit out of her ass.
First off, it’s never really explained what exactly a Paladin is. The word is thrown around from start to end, but the meaning never given to us in a satisfactory manner. Heck, none of the so-called classes in the hierarchy are not described in the season at all.
Assassin’s Pride tries to put a match of a weak and a strong character but manages to fluff it up worse than you can imagine. Melida achieves things too easily and Kufa is pretty much invincible. Everything turns out in favor of the two even though most of the world seems to be against them for some reason. Things happen randomly and so many instances contradict each other. They simply don’t make any sense at all.
Oh, the animation. It’s crap. It really is. One of the scenes in an episode is totally scrapped because the studio probably didn’t want to animate it. The encounter just starts between two characters but suddenly in the next moment, it’s over and one’s defeated. We don’t see an attack, no fight and they’re in a totally different place than where they were a second ago. And no, there was no power or such used. The studio just messed it up and didn’t want to correct it. I guess they’d just given up by that time. The action sequences are a pain to watch because so many scenes are simply… skipped. We see two characters charging with their swords and then we’re seeing one hitting the wall the next second. The overall animation isn’t as bad as something like Arifureta, but it’s not too far off from that. There’s nothing too noteworthy about the audio either. The opening song was pretty “girly” and I felt that it didn’t suit the theme of the show even though Kufa seems to be the only male character who appears in consecutive episodes for most of the season.
The show goes from an average start, to a somewhat decent middle part, and then absolutely shit towards the end. The show was a pain to watch towards the end. I definitely don’t recommend this show because it’s not got anything going for it. From generic story to plain plot and characters, everything it has to offer is disappointing.
‘Age is just a number… and remember kids, It’s not incest if you say no chromo’ – Albert Einstein 1969.
Although hard to decipher from the title, Assassin’s Pride conveys the affectionate student-teacher affair that takes place between primary protagonists Vampir Kufa and Melida Angel. Their relationship is truly heart-warming and could very well be considered ‘#relationshipgoals’ until you realize Kufa is a legitimate borderline pedophile, but that doesn’t matter because the feeling is mutual and true love has no boundaries.
Our primary male protagonist Kufa Vampir definitely possesses some unique and original characteristic traits. These traits range from being a Kirito lookin' mother fucker, grooming
young underaged girls and having high levels of proficiency when it comes to the sex offender shuffle. From his name alone, no one could have expected him to be half-vampire. Vampir Kufa is a full-time fucking clown who works in a circus alongside the other clowns who are all mentally deluded into believing they are assassins. One day Kufa’s ringmaster (who is completely oblivious to the fact that Kufa is a fully-fledged pedophile) commands him to set up a tent in an all-girls middle school in order to provide ‘guidance’ to an underaged blonde Loli, who is (to absolutely nobody’s surprise) the female protagonist.
Our female protagonist Melita Angel is completely and utterly useless, her biological parents are nowhere to be found and it’s pretty easy to see why considering every character that is introduced in the story seems to know how fucking useless Melita is. Much to everyone’s dismay, Melita is actually a hidden OP in the school and is able to instantly receive a power-spike by simply stating that she is stronger than her opponent/s. After spending the first day to analyze Melita’s situation, Kufa (being the absolute paedophilic mastermind that he is) realizes the vulnerability of Melita and commits ‘Michael Jackson’ on her without a second thought before proceeding to inject his ‘mana’ into her body within 24 hrs of meeting.
Just when you thought you’ve seen it all, Kufa suddenly evolves from clowning around to utter degeneracy after agreeing to play ‘husband’ in order to aid Rosetti, a fellow co-worker with daddy issues. Kufa then breaks up with Rosetti smoothly with the one-liner ‘It’s ok we can still be brother and sister after this’ and continues to confide in his interest for children.
What is ‘Mana’ I hear you ask? No one really knows as the anime adaption chose to completely ignore the philosophy of mana and instead exposes the audience to ‘cutesy’, flirty and mildly suggestive dialog between the characters while at the same time failing to address the elephant in the room that is Kufa’s incestuous and paedophilic relationships.
In conclusion, Assassin’s Pride uncovers the most compelling and heart-warming love story you are ever going to find in anime. Witness the spectacle that is a 17-year-old Kufa utilizing the final year of his adolescence to manipulate and groom a 13-year-old Melida before his 18th birthday where he will be immediately convicted and shipped off to the nearest mental asylum.
I must have read the title of this anime wrong. Because let’s face it, this show isn’t so much about the pride of an assassin but more of how secrets are waiting to be discovered and protected. Watching Assassins Pride feels more like an action fantasy than a stealthy story. And from start to finish, it's an anime filled with nothing but mediocrity.
Let’s just say, this type of anime is very conventional in a realm of creativity. There’s the premise about how humans struggle to survive in a world of uncertainty. Society consists of commoners and nobles. Then, there are gifted individuals with the power
of “Mana”, capable of fighting against the monsters outside of the timeless nights. Assassins Pride doesn’t choose to be original enough and the first episodes made less than favorable impression. I mean, let’s face it, Angel Melida is an underdog who has yet to awaken her mana and is often bullied at school. It isn’t until she meets Kufa Vampir where her abilities begins to show and trying to prove herself worthy of heirless noble.
As a fantasy anime adaptation, a familiar formula applies to Assassins Pride to those of similar genre. We have the academy used to train students to fight, characters with unique abilities to fight against monsters, and of course, relationships that develops among its youth society. While Assassins Pride isn’t a romance story, there’s undeniable chemistry between Melida and Vampir. The two are often seen together but in the beginning, Melida had to prove herself. It’s easy to see her as an underdog rather than a prodigy. Vampir’s impression of her didn’t manifest until she shows her determination. Melida’s determination to prove worthy of her name is a major recurring element in the show. She wants to prove to herself and everyone who she wants to be. This type of character personality attracts Vampir, so much that he withdraws his assassination attempt and becomes her mentor. Vampir himself is a mysterious individual who often hides his true attentions behind a façade. As an assassin, he’s clever at hiding his emotions and training has given him a great deal of experience. In many of the early fights, it’s shown that his battles usually go in his favor. However, Melida’s appearance in his life sometimes causes Vampir to show a different side of him. And throughout the story, it’s shown that he genuinely grows to care about her. As a matter of fact, Vampir behaves differently towards Melida than with other characters. Their relationships is a core part of the show that connects the two together despite having very different personalities.
What about other personalities in the series? Surely, we have Elise and Rosetti to bring out a different side of the story, right? Well, not quite. Elise and Rosetti are two other main characters although they enter the anime as prodigies. Elise is Melida’s cousin with a sisterly like relationship. But in the beginning of the show, their relationship is cold and it isn’t until certain events that their relationship improves again. On the other hand, Rosetti is a class example of ‘hard work pays off’. Despite being a commoner, she gained a reputable status through her talent and hard work. Unlike Elise, Rosetti is much more cheery and easier to develop friends with others. As some may guess, she develops a school-like crush towards Vampir. It’s the type of generic romance trope you can easily identify with poor effort in writing and story development. There’s even an episode where she gets Vampir involved with a marriage subplot to throw off her engagement. It’s safe to say, this type of writing can easily be discarded as junk.
On the other hand, I don’t want to say Assassins Pride is unwatchable garbage as there are certain elements to keep the viewers entertained. For instance, there are other schools in the Flandore and certain episodes shows the talents of other characters beyond the core cast. Melida’s fighting spirit is also a source of inspiration that shows anyone can be who they want if they try. It can help keep us entertained enough to see how far she can evolve as a person. Likewise, Vampir and Melida’s relationship is forged by trust and sometimes, we may ask ourselves how much they can really trust each other. Will Vampir someday really kill Melida or how long he can protect Melida from the truth? Certainly, Assassins Pride isn’t a thriller but this anime has the perk of carrying a level of suspense. The balance of comedy also eases the mood on occasions while not being too distracting; that is, if you enjoy watching girls having slumber partied and gossiping about each other’s love lives. But at the end of the day, this show is how you chooses to watch it.
EMT Squared is by no means a high caliber studio from their creative projects in recent years. From forgettable shorts to medicore slice of life adaptations, you really shouldn’t come into the show expecting any more from them. Assassins Pride’s artistic elements mostly comes with how it decorates its aristocrat society. Most of the characters are fairly well dressed including Melida. The school they attend carries a high value reputation and looks like a place where nobles would attend. The character designs are also decorates with uniforms that show their status. However, I do find the overall look to be peculiar with the cat-like eyes from the female uniforms. Doesn’t anyone else feel that’s too damn distracting? Vampir might as well look like a Kirito 2.0 in terms of physical appearance. Character reactions ranges from cartoony expressions to more serious and emotional segments depending on the direction of the story. Finally, some of the battles segments are distinguishable by the way characters fight. Remember, humans have Mana powers and it physically manifests in the form of colored aura. Sure, it’s nothing to write home about but is unique enough to show credibility to the plot.
I’m not going to sit here and tell you to watch Assassins Pride or not. That’s up to you. There’s too many anime like this every year where we watch the show and easily forgets about it the next few months roll around. Assassins Pride is an example of a conventional show using its fantasy content to sell a mediocre story. And honestly, it’s starts off mediocre and remains all the way to the end. All the way.
Assassin's Pride was painful. I'm not even sure it is worse than 2015's The Asterisk War which was one of the worst things I have ever seen then again. I don't compare trash bags to each other. The whole point of the trash bag is to depose the trash bag from your house to the trash bin not to compare how smelly they are otherwise the house would be smelling of garbage.
This is easily the worst anime of the fall 19 season, beating out the worst isekai animes of that season.
Am not even sure that this show was done by human beings.
Before I talk about
the show's plot, let's immediately dive into this show's technical aspects.
This show looks like shit. This is a show that came out in 2019 yet it feels like I am watching a 2005 anime production.
The only decent thing about the visuals is the character's designs which are okay when they are not using the powers that make them glow as it just looks very bad.
Everything else from the animation, background scenery and the fight scenes are a mess then again. This show was made by the same studio that made The Master of Ragnarok & Blesser of Einherjar the worst Isekai anime ever made.
I honestly forgot this show had a soundtrack. This is one of those shows that a sizeable, amount of tracks yet it plays a handful of tracks over and over again.
The opening and ending theme were competent but nothing special. They are both enjoyable songs on their own right but they don't really stand out compared to other OP/ED from the season.
The original Japanese audio is serviceable and gets the job done as you expect.
Being a dub fan I had to check out the dub for Assassin's Pride. I watched the first 6 episodes of the dub, turned off my PS4 and I regretted the day when I had to listen to it. This is got to be the worst dub from Sentai in a long time. The voice acting is over-dramatic and stiff. The audio quality was hot garbage and ADR direction was atrocious. I honestly felt bad for Brittney Karbowski as she had to voice a garbage character like Melida.
Since I am done talking about the show's technical aspects, let's finally talk about the show plot
The plot/characters.
This plot is more uninspired than Jump Force story mode. If you have seen The Asterisk War, Akashic Records of Bastard Magic Instructor and The Irregular at Magic High School then you watch Assassins Pride. It's lazy, uninspired and soulless.
What makes this empty shell of a plot even worse is how the writer managed to screw it up to a point where the show becomes unbearable. One of the main issues with Assassin's Pride is its inconsistent tone. When I took a look at the poster for Assassin's Pride I thought the show would be this engaging dark sci-fi action show, however more often not the show is a 12A generic action flick.
Sure it does have some dark elements in it, but they don't show up that often in the anime and even then the dark elements were poorly executed thanks to the shitty. The writing is dreadful from top to bottom. It feels like I am watching a really bad fanfiction from fanfic.net thanks to the number of cliches that it has that heavy plague of the show.
The selling point of Assassin's Pride if you can call it that is the romance between Kufa and Angel but the problem is that they have little to no chemistry with each other.
The characters are as interesting as watching grass grow. They are not engaging in the slightest. Am still shocked that I remember the characters cast names after watching the final episode of this ambitionless garbage fire because they were just so forgetful and poorly written.
Assassin's Pride is centred around two characters Melida and Kufa but the problem is that they are both such horrendous characters. Outside of their non-existent romantic chemistry, they are both boring, bland and irritating to watch. The bottom dog of the two is Melida because her personality throughout the series is inconsistent. She's meant to be this weak girl that will eventually get stronger, however, in certain scenes, notably in episode 2, she's a total badass that is able to defeat her foes.
She had a cool moment despite the fight being poorly animated and it's such a shame she reverts back to a weakening in the following episode where she relies on Kirito I mean Kufa. This happens frequently in the anime and it really annoying. There are no redeeming qualities to this character whatsoever.
She's a total failure of a female lead if I ever think of one.
Kufa is generic light novel protagonist 7830. Everything about him from design, dialogue and potato personality screams, laziness. The only thing that separates him from the countless generic light novel protagonist is he's a vampire and he's edgy and even then it doesn't really matter because the writing is dogshit.
The rest of the characters just exist for plot reasons and nothing more.
Assassins Pride is an end product of arrested ambition. It is a shell of anime that has no passion and soul. How can I enjoy a show like this when the writers have no ambition whatsoever? The only good thing about Assassin's Pride is the opening of everything from the writing, visuals, characters, plot, soundtrack and pacing is a disaster. This is without a question the worst anime of the season as well as being one of the laziest anime I have ever seen in my life.
There's absolutely no reason to watch this show this unless you hate yourself.