We’ve been following the Executioner and Her Way of Life Light Novels here on Okazu. (Volume 1 | Volume 2 | Volume 3) They are not bad, with a few features that make them worth continuing to read, despite the grotesquery that is sprinkled liberally throughout. Among these are the world-building, especially the magic, and a few of the characters.

And now we have an anime for the series. How does The Executioner and Her Way of Life anime hold up to the LNs?  I think they improve upon them. But let’s start from the beginning.

Menou is an “executioner,” a priestess tasked with eliminating “Lost Ones,” people who enter her world from Japan. She is assigned to kill Lost One Akari, who appears to wield the Pure Concept of Time, and thus cannot be killed. Menou is bringing her to the capital for the leader of the Faust, her religious order. Menou is assisted by her junior, Momo, who is passionately and possessively in love with Menou.

So let’s dig into the anime – what is working and what isn’t?

The animation is very decent. More so that I felt the story deserved, frankly. The art in the LNS is well beyond weak and the world itself is described so poorly that I imagined it all a washed shade of sepia, as I read. The bright colors and thriving town was a pleasant surprise. The train design in the anime was a nice fantasy Deco that lifted the whole of the world quite considerably. I was imagining medieval construction in dull one-note tones, not fantasy steampunk. I’m glad to be wrong. The art in the LNs is really bad, Part 2:  Bodies are strangely proportioned flesh bags in clothes that are sacks with no structural integrity. Here the animators seem to have grokked the concept of bras, which do not exist in the LNS.

Menou herself is intriguing, rather than likable; her relationship to Akari has been hinted at in a half dozen ways, including the spoileriest possible way in the opening sequence. Momo, while still annoying in the anime is surprisingly more tolerable and when she ends up fighting the Knight Mage Princess Asuna, become wholly tolerable. I like Asuna, and frankly, think she’s good for Momo. I approve of Asuna x Momo shipping. ^_^

I miss the expositions about the magic, but the lack of lectures makes the whole thing feel more natural, less tacked on. And I do like that Priestesses connect with their magic through the scriptures.

The plot is zippy, as it has to be, with somewhat greater focus on the action scenes than the guro, which is, IMO, a win for watchers.

What isn’t working? Sadly, with the faster pacing and decent animation, the plot has become less able to hold up it’s side of the bargain. By Episode 4 if you can’t guess what is going on in the main plot, you’re not paying attention. And the cool subplot that revealed itself in Volume 4 of the LNs is shoved pretty far up our nose here. The end result is that I don’t *want* to take time to develop the initial plot. I’d kind of like it out of the way, so we can get on with things. I’m a little skeptical of jaded executioners who can’t see the giant obvious thing right in front of them.

Ratings:

Art – 8, with flashes of 9
Story – 6 A tad weak, but not bad
Characters – 7
Service – Yes, of course, because women’s bodies are a mystery
Yuri – Hrm, Momo’s obsession with Menou isn’t as interesting as the rest of the possibilities

Overall – 7

Is this worth watching? I think so. The guro is toned way the heck down (at least by Ep. 4, that may be subject to change, I have yet to watch Ep. 5), the plot zips along, the scenery is pleasant,.  If you don’t want to read the first volume (or two, not sure how far the anime will go) this is not a bad place to begin and decide if the LNs are for you. If you think you like it, then you can pick up after the anime and let the plot run ahead.

The Executioner and Her Way of Life is streaming on HIDIVE.