Valkyria Chronicles is a new anime series which is supposedly based on a game that was released for the PS3. I haven’t played the game myself but I decided to watch the anime based on recommendations of some friends. This series has a lot of potential and I think I’ll continue to watch this as the weeks go by. The story is still a bit shallow at the start but I feel like this will progress into an anime of epic proportions. Feel free to also visit my recent review of the latest episode of Bleach 214. Review of Valkyria Chronicles Episode 1 after the break!

Valkyria Chronicles Synopsis and Review

Several factions are waging war all over the world. The reason they’re fighting is because of the mineral Ragnite – which when refined can serve as a power source for machines and other devices. Gallia, a peaceful and quiet continent, is suddenly attacked by the Imperials because the land is abundant with the Ragnite mineral. The story of Valkyria Chronicles starts in a small town in the outskirts of Gallia called Bruhl. The town watch is starting to evacuate the people with the impending Imperial Invasion.

The main character in the story is named Alicia Melchiott. She’s one of the members of the Town Watch. The first episode starts out with Alicia discovering a “spy” near the river. She runs off to capture the spy together with her friend from the Town Watch, Susie. Assisted by two young kid volunteers Jan and Miguro, they set off to capture the suspected spy.

The spy turns out to be Welkin Gunther, the son of General Gunther, one of the heroes that supposedly saved Europe in the first war. Alicia doubts him and takes him in for questioning. On the way back, Welkin constantly mutters and says that he has to meet someone. While in a Town Watch meeting, Welkin manages to escape and runs away. Alicia sees him and starts off to chase him. She eventually catches up with him but before she could capture him, Welkin calls her attention to a scout party of Imperial Army soldiers who are already in the outskirts of Bruhl.

At this point, Welkin reveals who he needs to meet – his younger sister Isara Gunther. Still doubtful, Alicia goes with Welkin to the Gunther Mansion. On the way they are spotted by the Imperial Army and they’re hunted down by a band of soldiers. Upon reaching the mansion, Alicia’s head is almost cleaved into two like a split watermelon by Isara with a butcher’s knife (LOL). Eventually they clear all the misunderstanding and Alicia finally believes that Welkin and Isara are the children of the great General Gunther.

While in the mansion, they are attacked by the Imperial Army once again. Isara leads them to the shack with several weapons including old grenades. After using a grenade to clear out the initial scouts, Alicia is surprised to find out that the Gunthers are actually keeping a secret weapon inside their mansion. Isara reveals a tank and the episode ends with Alicia and the Gunthers planning on escaping the mansion and facing the Imperial Army with the Gunther Tank.

Animation, Soundtrack, and other Anime Elements
The animation of Valkyria Chronicles is good. That’s my personal opinon though – I’ve heard that a lot of other anime bloggers disliked the animation and found the colors to be dull. In terms of soundtrack, I absolutely loved it. Felt like I was playing a PS3 RPG.

As for the over-all plot, episode 1 was a bit slow and dragging but ultimately it builds up to the latter part of the episode. Valkyria Chronicles’ story line is rich and I’m sure that the pace will pick up in the next few episodes.

PS – you guys might want to check out my Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood Episode 1 Review