The Beginning After the End promises a grand fantasy adventure to loyal fans who have been waiting for years, hoping the wonderfully crafted tale would be adapted into anime.
Not in their wildest dreams would any of the fans have dreamed that it ended up being a collection of barely animated, still pictures, being voiced over from the back.
Instead of showcasing a world filled with magic, drama, and emotional character development showcasing the growth of King Grey (the now Arthur Leywin), it ended up feeling like a picture book with an audio guide. The anime barely animates anything, trying their hardest to get away with just images.
A glorified audiobook with pictures
The animators at Studio A-Cat seemed to have used their complete energies to minimize the work they did. They used static shots, slide transitions, and minimal character movement in place of what should be vivid, action-packed sequences.
It almost feels like they were taunting the faithful audience that only wished for the best for TBATE. When fans joke that watching this show is like reading the comic with voice acting, it’s not hyperbole. That’s exactly how it feels.
They won’t animate ANYTHING.
byu/ManyRepulsive5733 intbatenovel
After animation has come such a long way, it is shocking that we have to face such a situation. If there were budget or skill constraints, Studio A-Cat should have waited it out instead of rushing and making a mess of a fan-favorite series.
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byu/ManyRepulsive5733 from discussion
intbatenovel
Many impactful scenes from the novel and the webtoon have been watered down to fit into the non-animated storytelling of the anime. Scenes that should be visually intense, like Arthur’s early training or first displays of magic in the series, are just panned stills with narration in the background.
In one particularly mocked moment, a vendor shows off fire magic in the marketplace, and the camera just pans across a still image of the scene. The image has been blown up, and as the voice narrates from the background, the screen just shifts from left to right.
The Beginning After the End is a little too faithful to the webtoon
One could argue that being faithful to the comic is a strength, but this adaptation takes that idea to the extreme. It’s so “faithful” to the webtoon that it forgets it is an ‘animation.’
Anime is a visual medium, and the reason many fans prefer this one is because they can visually experience the journey and the story.
There’s no actual animation, no flare effects, no movement, just dialogue and drift. It feels like something made by amateurs or even kids who are just learning how to use slideshows and basic animation.
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byu/ManyRepulsive5733 from discussion
intbatenovel
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byu/ManyRepulsive5733 from discussion
intbatenovel
The characters and settings look like they have been taken from any basic, run-of-the-mill isekai series. However, simply replicating panels without adding cinematic flair misses the point entirely. If there is no movement in the characters, then what is the point of having an anime adaptation? The fans could just go check the webtoon out.
While some shows enhance their source material with new animation techniques or immersive direction, The Beginning After the End just seems to do the very least to be qualified as an anime.
You can stream The Beginning After the End on Crunchyroll.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
