Anime Review: Tales of Symphonia ~Tethe'alla Hen~

The characters. (Clockwise from right): Regal Bryant, Presea Combatir, Refill (Raine) Sage, Genis Sage, Colette Brunel, Lloyd Irving, Sheena Fujibayashi with Corrine, and Zelos Wilder.

Genre: Fantasy, Adventure

Summary:

Based on the video game from Namco of the same name, Tales of Symphonia ~Tethe’alla-hen~ continues where it left off in its first OVA, the Sylvarant-hen. It continues the adventures of Lloyd Irving, Genis Sage, and Refill (Raine in the U.S. version) Sage, as they find a way to return Colette Brunel, Lloyd and Genis’s friend who is the Chosen of Sylvarant, back to normal. From Lloyd’s hometown, Sylvarant, they are accompanied by the assassin, Sheena Fujibayashi as they travel towards Tethe’alla, the world where she came from. Upon arriving at Tethe’alla, they are welcomed by Zelos Wilder, who is Tethe’alla’s Chosen. Along the way, they encounter Regal Bryant, a noble turned prisoner who was hired to kill Zelos, and Presea Combatir, a girl who lost her heart because of an ex-sphere experiment. Not only must they protect Sylvarant’s Chosen, but they need to save both worlds, Sylvarant and Tethe’alla, from destruction. With more allies now, will Lloyd and company be able to restore Colette and save both worlds from the Renegades and the Cruxis?

Judgement:

Tethe’alla-hen had a very good jump start. The start of the first episode is already action-packed, and it went straight to the point after the brief introduction from where it left off in Sylvarant-hen, in case some people missed it, or forgot it. Though, I can say that there are still probably a lot of differences between the anime and the game, and it is fast-paced. But still, the anime doesn’t divert from the game’s main storyline, and narrates it direct to the point. The quality of the visuals is very good, and the animations are really good, especially the fight scenes. The soundtrack is very catchy, particularly its opening, “Tenkuu no Canaria” performed by Nana Mizuki, Colette’s seiyuu. The ending songs, “Inori no Kanata” and “Tethe’alla ~Tai no Kodomo Tachi~” gives the series an RPG-feel, and with Akiko Shikata performing them, she gave those songs a sort of mystifying feel.

Visual: 10/10

Story: 8/10
Soundtrack: 9/10

(Posted last year from my other blog… XP)