Konjiki no Gash Bell!!

Title: “Zatch Bell!” - A Shining Jewel of Shonen Animation

Rating: 10/10

Review:

“Zatch Bell!” is an unforgettable work of art that shines with its originality, emotional intensity, and perfect balance of humor and action. This manga/anime, created by Makoto Raiku, immerses us in a world where demon children called “mamodos” fight to become the king of their world. But unlike many classic shonen, “Zatch Bell!” is not content with simple fights: it deeply explores the themes of friendship, courage, and sacrifice.

Story and Universe:

The plot of “Zatch Bell!” is distinguished by its unique concept of mamodos and grimoires, where each mamodo is linked to a human who reads ... spells to trigger its powers. The partnership between Kiyo Takamine, a brilliant but antisocial teenager, and Zatch, an amnesiac mamodo with a pure heart, is the beating heart of the series. Their adventures are captivating, featuring intense battles, moments of pure emotion, and encounters with a variety of characters, each with a touching story.

Characters:

The characters in “Zatch Bell!” are extremely well-developed. Zatch is a lovable protagonist, whose innocence and determination inspire both the other characters and the audience. Kiyo, meanwhile, evolves from an isolated boy to a courageous and selfless leader. The antagonists are also fascinating, providing real depth to the story with often tragic motivations and backstories.

Animation and Soundtrack:

The animation, while sometimes simple, is dynamic and perfectly suited to the epic and emotional fight scenes. The spells unleashed by the mamodos are visually impressive, adding real dynamism to the clashes. The soundtrack, on the other hand, is memorable, with themes that linger in your head long after you’ve finished watching the series. It perfectly accompanies the action and poignant moments, accentuating the emotional impact of each scene.

Emotion and Messages:

What really sets “Zatch Bell!” apart from other shonen is its ability to touch the hearts of its viewers. The series tackles deep themes like friendship, loss, redemption, and the power of believing in yourself and others. Each battle is not just a fight of strength, but an emotional struggle where the characters learn and grow.

Conclusion:

“Zatch Bell!” is a masterpiece of the shonen genre that combines a moving story, endearing characters, and thrilling action. It’s a series that, despite the years, remains timeless with its universal themes and positive message. Whether you’re a long-time fan of the anime or a newcomer, “Zatch Bell!” is an unforgettable experience that deserves a perfect 10/10 rating.

WARNING!: if you are going to watch this, the story does not have a proper ending (the author injured his hand and they couldn't continue the anime, so they forced an unfinished ending) so you have to read the manga in a certain chapter to know how the story ends. I think it's understandable but i'm still disappointed of the ending that we have recieved and that is a reason why i don't give it a better score.

In general I liked this anime, this is a story of 100 demons fighting to be the demon king and I think my favourite part is the bond ... they form with their humans peers and and how that experience changes them both and makes them mature. It has moments that will make you laugh, and will make you sad. I feel like it makes me really care about the characters and there are some parts where I say "No please don't burn his book, not yet".

The things I didn't like are the soundtrack (is kinda repetitive), and the way the characters talk in their battles and explain a lot of what we are seeing and sometimes it does not let me enjoy the battle like the way I want.

Just like the anime, this is an "uncomplete" review because i didn't finish the story, so now I'm going to read the manga on the chapter 210 to know how the story progresses and ends so maybe in the manga review when I finish the full story I will give a better opinion.

This simply does not work well as an anime like it does as a manga. The only part that does work is Gash being cute due to the greatly innocent/cute voice. A big culprit in this is the slow pacing of everything - all the dramatic cries, the pacing of any fight, the way people move - which really takes the impact out of the comedy, the fighting, and the drama. It especially hurts the fighting, in which everyone always seems to have an incredibly long time to finish the opponent off, yet strangely never does so. They also cut off the entire last arc ... from the manga, and change the previous to last significantly at the point Gash and Zeon meet, mostly by cutting out details, so it leaves you short of a lot of important plot.

Maybe a specific scene to point to as a difference would help my explanation: in the manga, there is a page where Gash is cutely wandering to find what to play with, has a close up :O moment, then it zooms out to him with a traffic cone; he has that on, then repeats the :O frame, then zooms out to a samurai headdress; finally, it is all repeated again with a dog as the newfound object. In the manga, the stopping gives it a firm, comedic pace, and everything just piles up as this cute and funny moment. In the anime, the execution is clumsy and I basically did not even notice the moment at all.

The art is pretty much atrocious, and while it is not like I expected anything incredible, since the manga's art is below average as well, it hurts the anime more than the manga by making it feel much more like a kid's product. I am sure part of the consideration has to be budgetary/time, but there are soooo many still shots.

Gash's voice acting is great, Kiyomaro's is average, and everyone else's is pretty much bad or hard to notice in a major role. Demons have fun voices sometimes though, like Umagon/Schneider and Victoreem. The music never does a good job, outside of the goofy songs, of doing anything particularly good or bad...just incredibly average. The goofy songs are pretty well executed, like Tetsu no Folgore is pretty typically funny, not annoying. The opening and introduction songs seemed to be a lot higher quality at the start of the series, but that might just be personal taste. The departure of Gash's normal, better voice actor for maternity leave is not really the series' fault, so I am not holding that against it!

There are changes to the plot and bonus stories. I think the bonus stories were a better idea than not, since what other reason do you have to keep watching a series this long (although I would advocate not watching it all the way...I really enjoyed it through about fifty episodes, but I was really bored the rest of the way)? I think some of the changes (especially the ending to shorten the story) weakened the story...matters were not really hashed out well toward the end.

The manga is not perfect itself, but I think that it makes more sense, has a better pacing, and that the art is a lot more compelling to look at. The drama is less grating, what with the endless FRIENDSSSSSSSS! stuff going on, the fights are more cohesive, and you get the full plot, not the version which prematurely ends.

However, saying all that, since it is a touching and extremely fun manga, it is fun to see it in animation, and it is fun to see Gash and Umagon especially in motion with good voice acting!

(I know my ratings are "higher" than 4, but it is not like I suddenly hate the story or characters...so the art, sound, and enjoyment are more applicable here, at least to me).