Is Gleipnir Any Good?
Hello everyone and welcome to our shelter. Today we’re going over one of the Animes that started kind of meh but ended up being fairly good – Gleipnir. In the beginning, I was turned off by the over-sexualization and I was almost dropping the Anime altogether. Thankfully, fan service calmed down a bit, the story got on track, and things started to get way more interesting. So, is Gleipnir any good? Is it worth watching? Well, it depends on your taste!
Synopsis
Although Shuichi tries to pass as your regular high school teenager, he hides a big secret – he can switch to a monster form that resembles a stuffed bear. One day he notices there’s a fire nearby and rushes there to help. He ends up finding Clair, a girl who just tried to commit suicide due to her life being miserable after her sister killed their parents. They end up pairing up together in order to find the truth behind Shuichi’s monster form, as well as what is behind a mysterious coin Clair has found. What they end up finding out is more than what they asked for.
Way Too Oversexualized
I don’t really understand why Anime like Gleipnir have so much fan service. I would guess that it’s to grab the audience’s attention. However, I’m not sure how that is going to work. Fans of mysterious Anime like Gleipnir would still enjoy the Anime without it. In fact, cringy sexualized scenes just might make people drop the Anime altogether. Fans of ecchi will end up feeling betrayed by the Anime at the moment the story starts to get more serious. Basically, it’s a lose-lose situation.
Because of this, the first episodes of Gleipnir are difficult to watch. The premise seems nice and the introduction is interesting enough to make you want to watch more. However, the fact that both main characters start to moan when Clair enters the stuffed bear costume (Shuichi monster form) is way too wtf. Fortunately, things get better. While there are still some sexual scenes here and there, they’re far between each other. Though they still feel out of place.
A Dark Story
I do love a good dark Anime filled with lots of gore. While Gleipnir might not be the best of this kind out there, it certainly delivers that Like Clair, many people have found mysterious coins all over the place. However, unlike her, these people actually used their coin. Anyone who offers a coin to an alien living nearby gets a special superpower (just like Shuichi). But, as you can imagine, humans with extraterrestrial powers is never a good combination, especially when they are promised to have any wish come true when they gather 100 coins.
This means that there will be many people fighting (and not in the most beautiful way). There’s a lot of blood, dismembered members, and whatnot, which I love. It’s no wonder why I liked Goblin Slayer so much. Of course, this is not for everyone. Many people don’t like watching stuff like this and, to them, I say to run away from Gleipnir as far as possible.
An Unsolved Mystery
It’s important to know that what aired during the 2020 spring season was only Gleipnir’s first season. In other words, not everything is unveiled throughout the 13 episodes. However, the creators finished the Anime quite well as they gave us some intel on what was happening, but still leaving some mystery for future seasons.
I can’t go much further on this, as it would mean major spoilers. However, from a mystery lover, I can tell you that it’s a good story – things that seem to go nowhere actually end up making sense by the end of it. And the way it concludes is worthwhile. My only problem is that there are no more episodes to watch at the moment of writing this review. There are still a few loose ends that need to be tied up, and I eagerly away their closeness.
Shuichi and Clair Make a Good Pair
Separately, Shuichi and Clair aren’t the best characters. However, when they’re together, they make a fascinating pair to follow. They balance each other’s personalities and we see both characters developing throughout the series. While Clair starts a bit like the sociopath and Shuichi too kind for its own good, both start to go for a middle ground that makes them more enjoyable to watch. Due to this, I ended up falling in love with both Clair and Shuichi. The same goes for a few other characters, but I won’t get into that because of spoilers.
In short, characters in Gleipnir are flawed. They aren’t the best persons ever, but they aren’t the worse, either. Instead, they’re complex characters with both qualities, flaws, and strong reasons to do what they’re doing.
Should You Watch Gleipnir?
If you are into dark Animes where characters put their life on the line in almost every episode, with a lot of mystery involved, then I say yes. Sure, there are way too many cringy sexual scenes (especially in the beginning), but if you can bypass that flaw, then I’m sure you’ll love the Anime.
Of course, you need to have the stomach to handle the gore scenes. Who knew that when monsters fight each other there’s so much blood and dismemberments? If you’re into Animes like Darwin’s Game or Mirai Nikki, I’m sure this Anime would be worth your while ?
What about you? Have you seen Gleipnir? What are your feelings about it? Tell me everything in the comments! ?
Gleipnir Galleries
