Aside from the fact that the Japanese voice actor for the main character of Spirit Chronicles—Rio—is voiced by Yoshitsugu Matsuoka—voice actor of Kirito from Sword Art Online—Rio is basically Kirito in a new world. Rio is OP with abilities that surpass almost everyone—even those trained in using various arts—just like Kirito. As fans of the Black Swordsman, Rio is fun to watch due to his superior skills and his genuine cool attitude. Heck, in a recent episode, he even gained a similar outfit to Kirito making him even more of a clone to one of our favorite anime characters ever.

The main premise—that really only is utilized occasionally—is that Rio was actually a Japanese college student named Haruto Amakawa who met his death after a bus collided with a train. Rio is the young orphaned boy he awakens in but instead of being just Haruto, this young man fuses his spirit with Rio so they become one entity. Rio has the mindset/skill of Haruto but equally has the hidden talents/skill in Rio’s young form. We have already met another character who also died and was reborn—Latifa—and we can only presume there will be several more to show up later in Spirit Chronicles. We want to know if this weird resurrection was the product of a special summon or if literally these characters just ended up reborn in a new world. The idea keeps us wanting more but we doubt the answer will come anytime soon.

Most isekai that have action elements live or die by their fights. Spirit Chronicles hasn’t given us award-winning fights but the few bigger battles seen are quite fun. Rio fighting against the giant Black Wyvern in episode 6 was pretty epic and he beat it without a sword but just his bare hands! Have to admit, that was pretty hardcore, Rio.

Studio TMS Entertainment has given us some amazing anime like Dr. Stone, Orange, and Fruits Basket so many would consider them veterans of the anime industry. As mediocre as the story or concepts of Spirit Chronicles can be, one cannot deny that the series looks pretty good. The art and design of the characters are well done and we love the details found in the background art. Spirit Chronicles—for an isekai—is well animated and that is one of the most important elements of any anime series.