I’ve always been an advocate of a proper adaptation, which means literally taking everything in the source and putting it in the anime. If the anime failed to convey the same emotions and epicness as in the novels, then I will have to rate it lower. On the other hand, I’m not entirely against changes in an adaptation. If these changes enhance the story, all the better.
This episode is a perfect example of an adaptation that has many changes, but kept the essence of the source material, refined it, and produce an epic pilot episode. The sequences of events are mostly the same as the game story, but remove the unnecessary dialogues, the funny but corny scenes, and emphasized the serious and emotional parts. This is what they did here.
Most of the OSTs are taken directly from the game, especially the battle themes, and incorporating them into the anime is a true tribute to long time fans and players of the game.
Animation-wise, it is good. Better than most anime. It is definitely not Ufotable-level, but it is beautiful. The only problem is, Takeuchi helped design or is the lead designer. So obviously, they all looked nearly the same.
On a side note, voice acting is top notched. And it is really exciting to hear the game’s VAs speak in an anime adaptation of their game.
Overall, a solid and near perfect 9/10!! This is one epic pilot episode, and I’m really eager to see how long they can keep up this quality work.