First Episode Impression: "Radiant"

Synopsis

In this world, there exist beings known as Nemesis. Described as creatures that have fallen from the sky, they contaminate and decimate all those they touch. However, they are those who survive contact with these beings known as the “infected.” Such survivors become wizards and Seth is one such aspiring sorcerer. Being immune to them, Seth wants to become a Hunter and fight the Nemesis. More than this, however, he wishes to find the Radiant, the presumed cradle of Nemesis. Joined by a faction of fellow sorcerers, he travels the world in search of the Radiant, under the harsh scrutiny of the Inquisition.

The Good

The episode started off as a typical fantasy adventure tale with some interesting lore. What made it stand out was that it actually introduced an understandable stigma against the wizard characters. It’s not completely blatant, but the way that it was presented gave a peek into an interesting and deeper story. Basically, the subtlety it presented with certain aspects gave way to a potential for the rest of the series. Still, the magic aspect that was presented was interesting and there was a solid introduction to the characters and the story. On a minor note, the setting of the series had hints of something different which makes for a nice difference

The Bad

For the most part, the characters and the set-up of the story is rather typical. Seth as a young aspiring protagonist holds all of the generic points of one mixed with a more childish quality than usual. Honestly, the way he shifts from whiny kid to hinting at deeper character gets a bit annoying as the episode progresses. Otherwise, the general story has very little that makes it stand out in terms of introduction.

Conclusion

There’s potential with this series, it’s not huge but it’s there. It’s mainly in the subtle depth that the episode showed during more somber moments but for the most part, there was a lot of generic points to be found with the episode. Personally, the series seems like the type that would start off as rather rocky but in the long-run, dish out something to make it worth the watch. For now, the first episode left an on-the-fence type of impression.

Rating: 6.5/10