Make way My Hero Academia and Black Clover! There’s a new series on the block joining the next generation shounen line-up: Radiant! While it still has the typical tropes most have already seen before, there’s something different about it that made it one of the most awaited shows this fall. Maybe it’s also because the comic it’s based on a comic by a French author, and because the anime is produced by Studio Lerche! Let’s see what Radiant has in store for us as we follow along its story.

Japanese Original Episode Title: 魔法使いの少年

Plot

Creatures that fall from the sky called Nemesis threaten the world of Radiant, because those who are touched by them get cursed and die. Fortunately there are the sorcerers who have survived the monsters’ touch, and so they are the only ones able to defeat them. Seth is one of these cursed sorcerers; under the teaching of Alma, he aspires to be a great and powerful sorcerer like her so he can take down all the Nemesis and bring peace to their world.

Episode Highlights

Nature of the world: The premise sounds simple enough: a world full of magic, monsters that attack it, and sorcerers who are the only ones that can take them down because they’re already ‘immune’ to them. Then again, there are still a few things that confuse me. How do people gain magic? Since the infected are called sorcerers, do they gain it from the Nemesis? Is magic the curse that they get if they survive contact with them? It’s still only the first episode, so I hope these questions will be cleared up as we go on.

Discrimination: It’s amusing how Radiant‘s society is an inverse of what Black Clover has! This time the mages are the ones who are different, and so they’re hated. I’m wondering if this is the only reason, just like Alma said. Or is it also because they’re infected by the Nemesis so they think they’ll be infected in some way, too? Good thing there’s Tommy, who doesn’t believe what the grown-ups do. I don’t know how his presence in the anime alters the story (Yes, he’s not in the comic), but I personally like him, especially his friendship with Seth! Not only does it feel like he somehow keeps our protagonist grounded, he also shows that not everyone hates sorcerers. Ironic because a kid knows better than to discriminate, unlike the adults.

Seth and Alma: I like Seth already! We haven’t seen much of it yet, but it seems like he’s really working hard to be a great sorcerer. It’s not even for fame or anything! Just so sorcerers won’t have to fight anymore, so his mentor won’t be blamed anymore, and so everyone will be happy. Unfortunately, he still has a long way to go, mostly because of his impulsiveness and clumsiness! But he’s got a good heart, and his innocent, cheery personality is something that easily drew me in. Meanwhile, there’s Alma, who’s  awesome! You don’t get to see many differently abled characters, more so those who are badass to boot! But here she is, kicking Nemesis butt and cleaning up after her disciple. I’m quite excited to seeing her properly fighting!

The nemesis egg: Yikes. When the narrator said they fall from the sky, I wasn’t expecting it to be like a comet and that the eggs would be huge! Wherever it is the Nemesis eggs are coming from, that place is surely massive. I’m actually surprised that it didn’t wreck more of the town than it did, given the size and speed of that thing. It also seems like the eggs are tough since it didn’t immediately crack when it fell and when Seth landed on it. As for the weakness of the Nemesis itself, I wonder if there’s even one. I mean, the magic bomb that Seth dropped on it didn’t do so much as a scratch, and it broke a really big sword!

Themes & Trivia

French comic: Radiant is based on the comic by French artist and author Tony Valente. Since its release in 2013, it’s been a big hit in his country, with the comic now having 10 volumes! It was even noticed by Murata Yusuke (artist of One-Punch Man) and Mashima Hiro (author of Fairy Tale) when it was published in Japan!

Slight differences: I actually read a bit of the comic’s first chapter beforehand just to check what kind of series I’m getting into, so I immediately noticed that this pilot episode slightly deviated from the comic which is odd. Like I mentioned, Tommy’s not in the first chapter, and it’s only one of those alterations. It makes me wonder if the author had a hand in this. Maybe he thought of it as a chance to improve on the earlier part of his story? I certainly hope so.

Studio Lerche: Many people have got high expectations for this show because Lerche’s working on it! It’s the studio behind Assassination Classroom, Danganronpa, and Asobi Asobase, to name a few, and they all have quality visuals!

Comments

Even though the anime’s first episode is a tad bit different from the manga’s introduction, I personally liked this version, too. It was a bit slow-paced and calm, but it worked well to pave the way for the excitement once the threat in their town came. The writing was lovely enough that the dialogues all sounded natural and the transitions were smooth. Then again, I don’t know yet what effects these changes have in the long run, but hopefully it’s nothing that we anime-only fans will notice.

The thing I loved the most about this show so far is the visuals! As expected of Studio Lerche, I’m really digging the aesthetic: the art style, the colors, the character designs, everything! I was really captivated by all that I saw as I watched. They gave off a sense of wonder and made me feel like I was there myself!

I personally think Seth’s voice fits his youthful and cheerful personality. Some might be thinking it’s too feminine since a female seiyuu voiced him (Hanamori Yumiri), but it’s certainly better to the ears than Asta’s shrill voice. Plus, there are other male protagonists who were voiced by voice actresses too, like Luffy, and Gon!

Titan Punch!

Four sorcerers have suddenly appeared and saved Seth from that Nemesis! But were they able to take it out? I’m also afraid of what Alma will do when she finds out what happened… Rest in pieces, Seth.

Well then! How did you like the first episode of this new series? Did it meet your expectations? Any violent reactions? Share them all in the comments! You’d better check out our Fall 2018 series reviews, and our first episode impressions as well!

NEXT TIME: True Courage – Bravery –

Radiant

Fall 2018 | Anime Info | Simulcast