Tales of Vesperia ~The First Strike~
テイルズ オブ ヴェスペリアTen years after the Great War against the demon-beasts, the empire rules over the world and prosperity relies on the massive use of aer. Yuri Lowell and Flynn Scifo are two young men who have just enrolled the ranks of the prestigious Imperial Knights. One day, they are sent to the town of Ceazontania, where abnormal aer activity has reportedly caused the proliferation of horribly mutated beasts, with serious threat for the whole region. Meanwhile, the Knights Supreme Commander Alexei Denoia and the naive Princess Estellise are involved in a behind-the-curtains struggle for power in the capital. The situation in Ceazontania deteriorates as the garrison of Imperial Knights finds that they cannot expect any immediate support from the capital. Then, Niren Fedrok, commander of the Imperial Knights in Ceazontania, takes an unexpected decision that is going to change Yuri and Flynn's destiny forever. What are the secrets behind the extraordinary events that are happening around Yuri and Flynn? Will they be able to defend the innocent people of Ceazontania and stay true to their beliefs? (Source: Funimation)
Reviews
roberts.rory - 2014-07-09 09:12:35
Aska's Review of Tales of Vesperia: The First Strike
Story:
The story was exactly what any fan of Tales of Vesperia wanted. Which is exactly the demographic to which this movie was made for. It follows Yuri and Flynn before their adventures that take place in Tales of Vesperia, a time when Yuri was a knight with Flynn. It tells of what made Yuri stop being a knight, how Yuri and Flynn became so close, and the experiences that made them the characters they are in the game. Exactly what any avid fan of the original game would want.
8/10
Animation:
The art and animation are pretty well done. Nothing really much to say about it, they had a talented studio behind it that did well for the time of the release.
7/10
Sound:
OST and voice acting was just as good as it was in the game, both Japanese and English. The new characters had great new voices by talented actors and actresses, and they all did an exceptional job in terms of quality. Music wise, everything fit the exact way you would expect any of it to. While not unique or original, it was pulled off well.
8/10
Characters:
The most character development you'll get out of this is from Yuri and Flynn. Which, I guess, isn't that big of a deal considering that's what the entire movie focuses on in the first place, but it still would have been nice to have had some development from some of the other characters so that we could see more of the world. You could say that their reactions to the last few scenes or so counts as development, I guess, but I don't really see it as development, honestly. I can't complain, though. I came for Yuri and Flynn, and I got Yuri and Flynn. Raven was thrown in there for literally no reason, so it's sad to see him squandered. In general, the characters were fine if not a bit lacking.
6/10
Enjoyment:
I thoroughly enjoyed it. As a hardcore Tales of fan in general, Tales of Vesperia is one of my top 3 favorites. This animation exceeded what I expected and gave me exactly what I wanted with a prequel.
9/10
Overall:
Overall I would rate this about 9/10. It did what it set out to do, it didn't hold itself back, and it expanded on things you were left feeling empty with from the original game. Definitely something I loved. I own it on Blu-Ray and I still rewatch it occasionally.
metz.karolann - 2014-05-25 19:03:50
Short review done as part of a Hummingbird thread.
Story
The story itself was not that engaging, it reminded me of different titles in the same genre. This was a movie so the story felt rushed, at some point I felt lost and after a while I just stopped caring.
5/10
Animation
The animation was good, but there was some CGI that bugged me a lot. I am not a fan of CGI in anime and this movie was no exception.
6/10
Sound
It was ok, but nothing memorable.
6/10 would not illegally down..........I mean buy it.
Characters
Generic characters. There is really not much to talk about them since it is like they were taken out of a textbook..
5/10
Enjoyment
Meh....it was.....ok.
6/10
Overall
I really don't have much to say about it. It was an ok movie...nothing more.
6/10