Liked Hai to Gensou no Grimgar? Watch Tales of Zestiria the X!

• Episodes: 24 (2 seasons of 12 eps)
• Aired: July 2016 – September 2016; January 2017 – March 2017

3 Major similarities Between Hai to Gensou no Grimgar and Tales of Zestiria the X

1. Colliding Worlds

Among the many things that managed to blow our minds in Hai to Gensou no Grimgar, there was the fact that two opposing worlds or realities were in conflict for most of the show, whether it was made explicit through dialogues or implicit in different events. These two worlds were the human world where the main characters came from and the fantasy RPG-like world they were immersed in.

Sometimes, Haruhiro and his friends reminisced about their previous life and thought how their new life felt like a videogame, even though they no longer knew what a videogame was. Haruhiro also realized that the crimson color of the moon was unnatural, although he didn’t actually remember the moon of his original world. Moreover, the party’s struggle to survive corresponds more to the human world than to a videogame. One should not feel guilty about killing a goblin in a video game, yet Haruhiro and his friends cannot help to feel disgusted by their own actions after doing so the first times.

In a similar way, Tales of Zestiria the X presents two worlds with very different realities, the world of humans and that of the seraphim. Sorey incarnates a hybrid of the two worlds, as he is the one who’s destined to join both worlds. When Princess Alisha Diphda discovers the world of the seraphim, the two worlds are inevitably joined and their fates become one in the face of a greatest calamity. Sorey and Alisha portray the relationship and the conflict between the two worlds, although they will try to prove these worlds have more in common than everyone else believes.

2. Fantastic Creatures

As good fantasy and game adventure anime, both Hai to Genso no Grimgar and Tales of Zestiria the X have awesome and fantastic creatures. If you’ve watched Hai to Gensou no Grimgar then you’ll know it takes several episodes before we see anything other than goblins. With a little patience however, we get to see different creatures, like greater goblins, a few kinds of kobolds and even a giant kobold known as Death Spots. Of course, most fantasy shows present wider varieties of fantastic creatures, but sometimes we prefer quality over quantity.

That is exactly what Tales of Zestiria the X provides. Tales of Zestiria the X presents several different types of amazing creatures, from celestial humanoid spirits and ninja demons to a gigantic fiery dragon. In each episode we get to know more of the fantastic, lovely and deadly creatures that inhabit the incredible world of Tales of Zestiria the X. If you want to step into an imaginative world of fantasy filled with creatures taken from RPGs just like Hai to Gensou no Grimgar, then Tales of Zestiria the X is for you!

3. Underdogs

If there’s one thing that mostly characterizes Hai to Gensou no Grimgar, then that is the incompetence and inefficiency of the main party to kill creatures and their struggle to survive. Haruhiro’s party has a really hard time trying to kill even the weakest goblins, especially during the first episodes. The characters in Hai to Gensou no Grimgar begin their adventure from scratch, without decent weapons or items and with no experience whatsoever, which makes their progress very slow at first.

At the beginning of Tales of Zestiria the X, Sorey, Mikleo and Diphda are not the strongest warriors either. They do have decent skills and Diphda is even capable of defeating the assassins that were sent to kill her, but considering all the enemies, the challenges and the super scary dragon ahead, these three guys have to improve a lot before they can stand a chance. Not even a sword of legend will be enough to face the upcoming calamities. Sorey, Mikleo and Diphda will have to grow strong and work together if they want to live to tell the tale.

Liked Hai to Gensou no Grimgar? Watch Chain Chronicle: Haecceitas no Hikari! (Chain Chronicle: The Light of Haecceitas)

• Episodes: 12
• Aired: January 2017 – March 2017

3 Major similarities Between Hai to Gensou no Grimgar and Chain Chronicle: Haecceitas no Hikari

1. RPG-like Characters

One of the reasons why Hai to Gensou no Grimgar is so appealing to gamers is because each character has a different job, just like in most RPGs. Haruhiro’s party is made up of a thief (himself), a dread knight or dark knight (Ranta), a warrior (Moguzo), a hunter or archer (Yume), a mage (Shihoru) and a priest (initially Manato and later Mary). If you’ve played any version of Final Fantasy then you’ll know these are always the most essential jobs in any successful party. Finding these main features of RPGs so well-conveyed in an anime is certainly very appealing to any gamer.

But Hai to Gensou no Grimgar is not the only show with all these kinds of specialized fighters and mages. Chain Chronicle shares this feature, although the story does not revolve around it as much as in Hai to Gensou no Grimgar. Still, the different classes are very well portrayed and developed and we can identify them quite easily. Yuri is a regular knight, Phoena is a priest, Aludra is a dark mage, Burckhardt is a paladin, Mishidia is an archer and Aram, judging by his swift and agile combat style which uses a knife instead of a sword, is the thief. Chain Chronicle has just as much of RPGs as Hai to Gensou no Grimgar, so if you’re into that kind of games you’ll surely love this show.

2. Raw Medieval Setting

Another feature of RPGs that is also present in these two shows is the medieval setting. As we know, most fantasy and game adventure anime are set in medieval-like worlds, but not all of those worlds are as raw and cruel as the ones in both Hai to Gensou no Grimar and Chain Chronicle. Hai to Gensou no Grimgar presents a very crude reality where only the strongest, the fittest and the most mentally stable can survive. In this world, murdering sentient creatures with one’s own hands becomes an everyday thing and the only way to stay alive.

The world of Chain Chronicle is not any prettier than that of Hai to Gensou no Grimgar. Chain Chronicle takes us to a world consumed by dark magic, filled with demons and overcome by despair, distrust and treachery. The world of Chain Chronicle is one where everything is on the verge of being absorbed by the forces of darkness and where the good guys turn bad just to end their suffering or to survive. This cruel and decaying medieval world makes for an interesting setting for either an anime show or an RPG, but it’s definitely not a place we’d like to live in.

3. Character Development

Probably the most interesting aspect in Hai to Gensou no Grimgar and what kept us watching the show until the end is how the main characters evolve in this new world. Haruhiro’s party is faced with many different challenges out of which they end up getting a lot of experience in different matters. They not only become stronger, smarter and able to work as a team, they also grow closer and more mature as they have to constantly cope with death.

Very much like in Hai to Gensou no Grimgar, Chain Chronicle presents a set of characters who are not only interesting but they also grow significantly according to the challenges they face and the people they meet. In the face of adversity, the main characters learn to work together and to ask for help whatever the cost is. Aram in particular, being so immature, is the one who develops the most throughout the story, especially because of Yuri’s influence and advise. In this dying world on the verge of being engulfed by the shadows, everyone has a lot to learn and a lot of room for development.