Summary
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The Beginning After the Endis one of the spring season’s most anticipated anime adaptations. Thepopular Webtoon manhwa and light novel seriesis lauded by fans for its interesting premise, intricate world-building, and how it goes out of its way to deliver a different flavor of isekai fantasy.
Expectations were set high among the fandomfor the eventual anime adaption, feeling like the series deserved to receive the royal treatment. However, as of this writing, the first episode of the series has had a lukewarm reception. Commentators online have complained about numerous aspects of the adaption, and as of this writing the seriessits at only a 6.6 on myanimelist. Just how did this new adaptation already sour eager fans of the series? Is this a case of anime fans coming in with impossibly high standards, or has the show actually dropped the ball? Let’s dig intoThe Beginning After the End’sfirst episodeand try to find out why some fans are already ready to give up on the series.
Animation Complaints
Fans Found the Art Style and Animation Detail Lacking
Among the primary complaints viewers had aboutThe Beginning After the Endafter the first episode was released was the animation quality.
“Art style is bland and generic, it lacks detailed features on any characters face, the emotions look fake and underwhelming, the movements are choppy and lack any weight or impact.” Reddit userBulky_Following_9526
While art style can be a matter of taste, it’s clear that many fans were expecting more flair from the animation in the opening episode. However,at the beginning of the story, there isn’t much yet worth showing off. The series begins with lots of setups as we see Arthur’s birth and how he deals with being an adult man trapped in a toddler’s body. There aren’t exactly too many opportunities for action or fight scenes yet. Still, it may have been worth adapting a flash-forward to a hype fight scene in the beginning to engage fans who are looking for impressive animation as part of their first impression.
“I just watched about 80% of the first episode, and I can see why this anime hasn’t generated much buzz. The animation quality was a bit lacking, and the color choices and details felt underwhelming.” -Reddit userdracoXdrayden.
Another standout part of the animation is the deliberate color choice in many of its scenes. While it gives the series a more unique look, some fans may not like the often muted colors that contrast with bright reds and glowing particles of the magic. It seems the attempt with the color choice was to give the series’s opening a darker tone, as seen with the extended scenes of Arthur during his life as a king, killing people on his way to the throne. This darker opening contrasts with the new idyllic life he has with his parents to show the difference between Arthur’s two childhoods.
Tone Complaints
A Lack of Humor in the Opening Left Some Disappointed
One of the other more common complaints about the series by fans online concerned the shift in tone that felt differentin the first episode compared to other mediums. Fans felt the humor present in the early part of the series was too toned down. While the humor is definitely still present, it is less direct. Arthur’s stern and serious thoughts contrast with the human experience in a humorous way, but the show doesn’t go out of its way to try to make the audience laugh, at least intentionally.
In place of humor, the opening episode focused more on expanding on Arthur’s past as the king in the previous world and building emotional connections with Arthur’s parents. The episode tries to hit home the contrast between Arthur’s two lives, leading to an emotional moment at the end where Arthur cries for the first time when his parents save him from falling rubble.
Overall,The Beginning After the Endseems to have missed expectations with fans, but it will have plenty of opportunities to answer their concerns in future episodes. It seems to be off to a decent start for a typical isekai show, but the pedigree of the source material has contributed to fans focusing on its imperfections and holding it to a higher standard.
