Record of Ragnarok is a strange beast of a seinen franchise, with an incredibly popular Netflix Original Net Animation (or ONA) of Coamix's 2017 manga by Shinya Umemura. However, as I discovered the series in its manga form before diving into the Netflix series, I was quickly puzzled by what I saw, with its glorious characters by Azychika exhibited as a colored-in slideshow of manga s and nothing more. Despite such low points, I can't help but enjoy Record of Ragnarok's frustratingly bad anime because of how much I adore its manga and look forward to each new chapter.

Also known as Shūmatsu no Warukyūre or "Doomsday Valkyrie," Record of Ragnarok follows the gods of Valhalla's decision to eradicate humanity, only for the decision to be challenged by Brunhilde of the Valkyries. Playing on the pride of the gods, Brunhilde proposes a tournament death game. The tournament is deemed Ragnarok, where the gods can fight the death game anime, warts and all.

Record of Ragnarok Is a Guilty Pleasure Anime

Netflix Has Done So Much Better Since 2021

I still watching season 1 of Record of Ragnarok and being excited to see the characters designed by the 4-person art team Azychika. While the Thor vs. Lü Bu fight had its moments, the stiff action and flat rendition of the more exaggerated facial expressions are hard to overlook. Round 2, with the Biblical Adam against Zeus, has an excellent fight in the manga that, as many fans know, devolves into a slideshow with punch sound effects standing in for an epic clash; it's pretty weak, I'll readily it, and it's easier to enjoy simply as a guilty pleasure.

The voice cast has excellent acquisitions, with representation across franchises like Persona, Fairy Tail, Dan Da Dan, One Piece, Go! Go! Loser Ranger! and more.

A significant component of what I enjoy about Record of Ragnarok involves the strong Japanese voice cast and, ironically, the studio's amusing choices in its animation priorities. The voice cast has excellent acquisitions, with representation across franchises like Persona, Fairy Tail, Dan Da Dan, One Piece, Go! Go! Loser Ranger! and more. Beyond this observation, I also find that during the Lü Bu vs. Thor fight, the greatest focus on depicting convincing, if exaggerated, motion was put into Aphrodite's bosom, which is deeply hilarious yet on-brand for seinen fanservice.

Record of Ragnarok's Anime Feels Like a Studio Mismatch

But Future Fights Might Prove a Better Fit

Record of Ragnarok's animation was handled in 2021 by Graphinica, with their subsidiary, Yumeta Company, ing for season 2 in 2023. The credentials of each studio are fascinating, such as Graphinica handling the last three and arguably the best OVAs for Hellsing: Ultimate and Yumeta Company ing them for Muv-Luv Alternative.

Neither company has had genre-defining successes to call wholly their own, but they're not inept, either, with well-animated sequences. They don't usually focus as much on fighting anime but show improvement.

The Best Parts of Record of Ragnarok on Netflix Are Simply Cases to Read the Manga

To the Surprise of Nobody

Despite these issues, I enjoy Record of Ragnarok's anime for moments such as Kojiro Sasaki vs. Poseidon, where even though the weak animation of season 1 is still present, Kojiro is a truly lovable character who has the most uplifting fight of the season. It felt almost like an apology for the past two fights, which I could happily enjoy until season 2. Record of Ragnarok season 2's animation improved, albeit with odd choices incorporating CGI and distractingly low lighting for the Jack the Ripper vs. Hercules and Buddha vs. Zerofuku/Hajun fights, other strange creative decisions still hamper it.

The lighting choice in Record of Ragnarok Round 4, which depicts Jack the Ripper vs. Hercules from season 2, episodes #1-5, is meant to replicate Victorian-era London, England, to Jack's request for home-field advantage. It makes sense on paper, evoking the proper mood, but its execution is somewhat awkward.

This is because of how truly thrilling the manga is; the elaborate fatalities of gods and humans in Record of Ragnarok are lifted from the series' pages, and to the animators' credit, they render the best s fairly well. The immensely twisted facial expressions for which the series is well-known, such as Loki's contorted smiles, are still chillingly well-done in the anime. Still, with strong animation being few and far between until Round 6, you might purchase the volumes and color them in for the same effect.

The Record of Ragnarok Manga Is Ongoing and Progressively More Addictive

If the Anime Continues, It Has to Step Up Its Game

What I find positively maddening is that all of my favorite moments in the series are yet to come. If Record of Ragnarok's anime continues its track record, the best it'll do is an animated imitation of the manga. Round 7 has a glorious clash between Qin Shi Huang and Hades, and Round 8 has my favorite Einherjar, Nikola Tesla, who will surely win the hearts of many viewers, with his armor and tech being a great chance for Graphinica to flex its reasonable mecha chops. Round 10 even features my favorite fight in the manga so far.

All this is to say that, while Record of Ragnarok is uneven on its best days, it has the opportunity to pull off its best fights, knowing it can have the greatest potential to draw new viewers. Round 7 features two ikemen, or "incredibly handsome grown male character" fighters who will draw audiences' eyes to its brutal combat. The fan reception to Buddha in Round 6 shows how beneficial leaning into this appeal is. However, with the manga growing increasingly addictive, with Record of Ragnarok Round 10 featuring a proper sword duel, specific battles will be decisive experiences for the viewers.

It's now up to Record of Ragnarok's anime to meet these quality benchmarks because the manga is truly worthwhile.

Whether the Record of Ragnarok anime catches itself up to the manga's quality or offers a wholly transformative experience, I'll likely still watch, both to track whether it steps up, and just because it's got a convenient location. The anime scene has improved on Netflix since 2021, with two of my favorite series of the Fall 2024 season, Blue Box and Dan Da Dan, currently running there, with My Happy Marriage season 2 and Sakamoto Days soon to follow. It's now up to Record of Ragnarok's anime to meet these quality benchmarks because the manga is truly that worthwhile.