Note: ‘Rewatching ‘InuYasha’ – Part 3’ will need to wait. As I am in the final stages of my masters degree, and preparing for the upcoming job hunt through the doors it opens, I have been very busy. I would prefer to watch one of my favorite shows when I can give it more regular attention. As such, I will resume the rewatch when things have settled down. Sorry.
‘The Asterisk War‘ is cliche, and slightly stupid. That is undeniable. The ‘battle harem‘ subtrope – and most harem anime in general – normally are. Out of all the series within this subtrope that I have seen, which is almost all of them, ‘The Asterisk War’ is the best one in my opinion. It has a decently explained and realized setting, bonds between characters that are stronger than usual within this subtrope, surprisingly crisp and tactical action, solid music, and OPs and EDs that are actually really good.
The main character is your typical overpowered and cliche nice-guy type. He does have flaws and handicaps beyond your typical overpowered cliches though, which helps to humanize him a bit. He’s nowhere near the best characters anime has to offer, but he’s nowhere near the absolute worst. The fanservice in the show is very light, and the plot isn’t terrible. It focuses on the main characters meeting, learning to trust each other, and then a decently well-executed tournament arc. I’ve seen far, far worse in this subtrope.
Is this a great anime? Absolutely not. Is it a fun anime that isn’t anywhere near as bad as its contemporaries within this subtrope; and is in fact the best of the subtrope that I’ve seen? Yes. Keep in mind that there are a select few shows within this subtrope I haven’t seen yet though.
I have embeded the OP of season 1 below, for no particular reason. Just felt like it.
