Shin Angyo Onshi Review

Overall Rating 5.9 out of 10 - Plot full of plot holes, unlikable characters, but cute heroine and locations

I actually can cautiously recommend as it has certain good points about it.

I watched this movie because of a small video with tied up girl in what looked like BDSM gear. It was more of a clickbait than a real thing.

To begin with a girl. She has nice outfit, but the show does not make full use of it, like Bikini Warriors do for example. After a short tied up scene, followed by a longer fighting scene where she fights in this outfit, she later gets covered in a large blanket and gets too little screen time. A really glaring offence for a show like this. Personality wise she is mostly nice and likable, thought I am not sure about that scene where she disobeys her master's order in order to save him, but that is on director's bad discretion.

A male protagonist here gets a lot more screen time. He is kind of mixed bag with a side of cognitive dissonance. He protects old order as he sees it even if the country he used to serve no longer exists and attacks whoever he feels like. I found it hard to relate to his value system, like why beat gun trader. Even final antagonist does not seem such a bad person. Also, he has a medallion with a ghost army, but he is not using it all the time for some reason even though it does not seem to be any limitations on when he can use it. 

Overall, I find it hard to understand him, but maybe what he does matters to him in some reason, not covered by the story. I myself might just be the same kind of wandering warrior who fights for causes only I myself understand and others find equally confusing. Yet I am not this guy, and this guy is not me, each of us fights for a different cause and I cannot really understand his at all.

Antagonists seemed to be far too generic maybe. Human eating monsters. A weak official, who simps for that tied up girl and just executes people left and right. A guy who sells guns and does nothing else bad, no, seriously. 

Finally, a Mandrake magician who created an illusion of life on an island that was wiped out by epidemic. One of the ghosts he created figured the whole thing was an illusion and requested protagonists' help somehow despite being a ghost. He killed himself in the end too because he too was a ghost and he wanted to put an end to a charade. 

Go figure what author was thinking when he came up with that plot. That said it feels more of a glaring plot gaps and characters that make no sense, than original and ingenious plot writing. That is one of the reasons why final score is so low.

Environments, both nature and urban as well as backgrounds are one of the stronger elements of this anime. They look stunning and give Studio Ghibli vibes as well as old anime movies vibe, like Arabian Nights: Sindbad no Bouken of 1962 with some mix or Mushishi. They do look slightly old, but that feels more like a design style rather than cheap production and only adds to the vibe, like fine aged Scotch whisky. Considering that half of the shows just go with basic backgrounds, it's very important to mention that this show is not like that.

The same cannot be said of worldbuilding. That fallen Jushin Empire and special enforcers Angyou Oushi, while somewhat original, sort of leave bad aftertaste. Recuring theme of weaker guys just relying on Musnu or idea of Angyou Onshi. Or more of a this somehow clear divide between strong and weak that bugs me a lot. Or this peculiar brand on enthusiasm certain supporting guys professes. It's hard for me to pin it on something particular but something just does not sit well for me with this anime. Most likely its certain arbitrarily of Munsu's judgement on who gets help and who gets boot or death. He takes to his medallion far too liberally. Or the fact that these ghost warriors are far too undefined and it's too hard to measure its limits.

Most characters are unlikable too, far too unlikable. One Piece style stock characters but better written. I do not like One Piece and clearly rate Shin Angyo Onshi higher than OP despite OP being global phenomenon.

To sum it up, this anime has a few things going for it like good art and cute likable female heroine in sexy outfit. However rather illogical plot, unlikable premise and most characters just drag it down for me.