Title: Record of Grancrest War Vol. 7
Author: Ryo Mizuno (Story), Makoto Yotsuba (Story/Art), Miyuu (Character Art)
Publisher: VIZ Media
Language: English
Format: Digital
Pages: 176
Genre: Fantasy, Battle
Publication Date: July 14, 2020
The Story
The final volume of Record of Grancrest War is here and, I have to say, that it was… pretty anticlimactic, to say the least. We pick up with Clara looking to get her daughter back from Elmer and Jana; however, things don’t go so smoothly for her. Siluca intervenes and ends up taking on Jana who is more than a match for her. Having what Elmer needs, he sets off to awaken the Demon Lord, Adele. Things go from bad to worse when Adele is successfully awakened and Siluca is ensnared and can’t do much.
So, this is how the world ends, right?
Wrong.
Apparently, everything said about Adele was incorrect. She was never defeated, rather, she sealed herself after she regretted her own actions! All of this was for nothing as she goes back to sleep in order to wake once the world has decided between Cosmos or Chaos. Nobody got their wishes granted and this pisses off Jana to the point where she resumes her battle with Siluca until Theo interjects. Theo’s arrival is a bit late and Siluca ends up gravely injured. As they flee, the witch Zelma appears and takes Siluca’s place in battle… which abruptly ends with Jana decides to escape bringing us into the epilogue of the series which I will have you all read for yourselves.
Wow… I have seen rushed endings before but this was something else. Once I saw that this was only a seven-volume series, I could tell that the ending to the story was going to be rushed from a mile away. They spent so much time on the war between the kingdoms that this arc felt like an afterthought. I could only imagine how much better this series would have been had it been given about double its length. It would have made a huge difference but I am not an editor at a world-renown manga publishing company. I don’t know if this was the work of this series losing a popularity poll, a higher up’s decision, or the will of the mangaka involved but it was pretty clear that there was a lot more story to tell here that went unsaid and that’s a shame because for as little as we did get from this series, I really enjoyed its concept!
Characters
Jana and Adele received the bulk of the development in this final volume… albeit it wasn’t much.
Jana was unveiled to be the mastermind behind the attacks that happened at the beginning of the series… and her only wish is to see the world burn in flames. That’s pretty much about it for her development. Like I said… it wasn’t much. Jana acted like a scolded, spoiled brat once she realized that Adele wouldn’t grant her wish. She threw a tantrum and got spanked by grandma Zelma. That’s pretty much the gist of what happened. While she did escape, they left things a bit open-ended there by stating that nobody knew where she was.
Adele, on the other hand, was completely unexpected. Adele referred to herself as a living contradiction. She was the body of a demon and the heart of a human. She regretted her actions and sealed herself away as a result. He only desire is to awaken either as a human in the world of cosmos or as the demon lord in a world of chaos. She is simply sleeping and waiting for that day to come. Regardless of what happens, Dimitrie has decided that he will live with her for eternity and that is his only wish.
Of course, everyone got their final developments in the epilogue but, again, I’ll let you all discover those for yourselves!
Overall Thoughts
Despite the rushed nature, I enjoyed this series. I could see its potential and just wish that it was given more time to flesh itself out. There could have been grander battles, more of time, more political struggle, more build-up to Jana and her plans to revive Adele, etc. etc. I am a fan of slow-burn stories so I really hate it with plots just happen for the sake of happening and I felt that’s what happened in the past three volumes as the series scrambled to head towards its conclusion. The whole Adele arc felt as if it came from out of left field and it was a drastic shift from the political struggle that this series introduced us into.
For those who just want a quick read in the fantasy (non-isekai) genre, then Record of Grancrest War is worth picking up. Even with its rushed nature, it’s still an interesting story between two warring factions, crests, chaos energy, and magic. It should satisfy any fantasy fan for the time being. Plus, it’s not an isekai which is a breath of fresh air in this day and age. Isekai stories are really oversaturating the market and for those of us who just enjoy something that is pure fantasy, this series is welcomed!
So, check it out… give it a chance and while it could have been longer, it doesn’t mean that it wasn’t good by any stretch! I think you’ll enjoy it.
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This item was provided for review by VIZ Media
