If it was one thing I look for the most, is a “wow” factor. Be it music, TV series, gameshow, movies, anything at all. I’ve been quite anal when it comes to evaluating any of the media that I just spent time consuming. Most of the time, I have to sift through the general mainstream crap, stuff that has been done, recycled ideas that have been known to sell, used only to generate profit.

This is not to say that I don’t enjoy the norm, the typical, the mainstream. It’s just that I don’t go around recommending it to people. If I want to recommend something, it has to be something that would reflect my credibility, my taste for a good piece of work.

Yes, if I were to recommend anything, it must have a “wow” factor.

The one show that truly embodied such a genetic trait, out of everything I’ve seen this year, is the one that I would recommend to you today. The title I speak of is an anime adaptation of the first book in a series of fantasy novels.

I will now explain to you why Seirei no Moribito is full of the wow factor that I speak of.
[Warning: Possible spoiler alert]

Seirei no Moribito [lit. Guardian of the Sacred Spirit] is an epic adventure tale set in a world of fantasy in the feudal age. Seirei follows the tale of Balsa, a female spear-wielder who earns her living with her fighting skills as a bodyguard. After an incident in a raging river, she has been charged by the Empress to safeguard her son, Chagum, the Second Prince of the New Yogo Empire.

The poor boy is possessed by what appears to be a water demon, and the Emperor, who cannot tolerate the notion of tainted blood, has sent out assassins to erase the prince - together with the demon inside him.

For such an ordinary story, where is this much-hyped-about “wow” factor, you ask? A good question, indeed. I shall break it down into three parts, the literary aspect, visual quality and aural pleasure. Allow me to first address the story.

Sagu and Nayug, The Material World and The Ethereal Plane
Seirei is set in not one, but two worlds. The first is Sagu, the real world, or the material realm for those with fancier vocabulary. It is the place where humans exist and live their blissful lives. Then there is Nayug, the spirit world, or the ethereal plane. It is the realm of spirits and the supernatural things that humans only hear of but seldom ever see.

It’s not wrong to think of them as parallel universes, but a more accurate description would probably be that they are two entities that coexist and support each other’s existence. Occurrences in one plane affects the other, especially natural events and cycles. It’s also possible for inhabitants of each realm to cross over and affect one another. Sounds complicated? Not really. The relationship between Sagu and Nayug is actually quite simple to understand once you see how the characters interact between the worlds.

It is this genius of a concept that really drew me deeper and deeper towards the show. The freedom it offers the imagination is practically boundless.

Fluid Animations = Elegant Battles
As an art student [*cough*] it’s not difficult for me to tell apart between hard work and a product with cut corners. A certain production might have just been a fantastic adventure but if there were also combat scenes, many an animation studio have taken such things lightly. A perfect example of that mistake would be the anime adaptation of Utawarerumono. A brilliant tale ruined only by crappy and recycled animations.

Fortunately for us, such is not the case with Seirei. Production I.G. has always been known for excellent animation and beautiful artworks for years and once again they have proven that the reputation isn’t just for show. We’ve often seen combat scenes with swords, and it’s not uncommon to see fancily choreographed sword fights [Kenshin is a classic example] and what’s more common are sword fights done in slow motion but with the presence of annoying speed lines [yes, Inuyasha, I'm talking about you].

Balsa, being a spear-fighter, naturally does combat with the long-ranged bladed weapon. The thing is, other than wide sweeps and forward stabs, it’s quite difficult to choreograph an impressive combat scene with a spear; which explains the lack of any good animated spear fights. My jaw fell to the floor, however, upon seeing this sequence. [Please watch it in fullscreen mode]

Such elegant sequences are a rare find in the anime scene today. That one scene at the end of Episode 3 totally got me hungry for more. Suffice to say that my hunger and expectations were not disappointed.

Epic Scores, Brilliant Vocals
I.G. has a knack for involving some of the best musical composers in their productions. For Seirei, they chose none other than the masterful Kenji Kawai [Ghost in The Shell movies, Fate/Stay Night, Dragon Tiger Gate] to compose the musical score.

For this session, Kawai-sensei has forged heart-racing tracks for chases and battles, melancholic melodies for emotional and reminiscent moments [as can be heard in the spear fight video], and, probably the greatest highlight of the soundtrack, is that he even produced a full-length folk song, based on the very legend that powers the story of Seirei no Moribito.

Aside from the wonderful music, Seirei also unearthed a diamond of a vocal talent. Mabuki Ando is an otherwise low-profile seiyuu, but I.G. made an excellent gamble by casting her as the main protagonist. As someone who appreciates voice actors, let me explain why.

I’ve listened to various warrior women voiced by a plethora of seiyuu. Popular ones include Kuwashima Houko’s Claire, Kawasumi Ayako’s Saber, Tanaka Atsuko’s Motoko Kusanagi, Koyama Mami’s Balailaka, just to name a few. These characters were all voiced by well-known seiyuu, but their voices lack a certain quality. It’s what I would call a warrior’s passion.

Those characters I mentioned were warriors, but their battle cries still retains a lot of its femininity. Battle cries are the symbol of a warrior’s spirit, and the four I just mentioned, despite how powerful they are, failed to display any strength through their voices. Mabuki Ando’s Balsa, however, fulfills this special criteria. She doesn’t just yell out her battle cry, she screams out a battle ROAR. Don’t believe me? Listen to this. And this, too.

You don’t hear that kind of roar very often. Ando’s best performance in this series is definitely throughout Episode 13, where Balsa was forced into combat despite suffering from fatigue and severe tension from sheer frustration. Her roars in that episode was more blood-curdling than that from any one of the 300 Spartans.

A Magnificent Masterpiece
Seirei no Moribito is an adaptation of the first book in a series of novels, not unlike The Twelve Kingdoms. It is a grand story that slowly builds up into a major climax, with some surprising moments that regularly fills the anime lover with wonder and awe.

It is the perfect combination of a majestic tale, remarkable animation and brilliant vocal performance. I dare say that this is I.G.’s best production since 2nd GIG and for all the qualities it possesses, Seirei no Moribito surpasses all other shows that I have seen this year and I strongly recommend it to you as I crown it the Best Anime of the Year 2007.