So, unless any of you did not know, Tales of Vesperia: First Strike recently was released on DVD and Blu-Ray by FUNimation. I am a happy owner of this DVD.
To be honest, it was nothing I was expecting. I am extremely happy with this movie, though. This movie was made in a way so that if you have not played the game already it will still make sense. It is though more enjoyable for those who have played the game. There is plenty of foreshadowing and a few inside jokes for those who have finished the game.
Characters such as Raven and Rita did play very minor parts, but they were given bigger roles than what I expected from the commercials. I do believe they were given pretty good justice. One thing I would love to see is either a short anime series giving further back grounds of characters, or another movie.
This movie is overall very serious though. Yes, there are plenty of tension breaking funny scenes, but they are quickly snuffed out.
And just saying (and no, there's no spoilers) this movie is about 20 times more gruesome and horrific than I ever expected.
Frist Strike was a definite worthy buy. To me, this movie would have to be my favorite anime movie so far. Not just because it is based off of one of my favorite games, but because of how it is done. The animation is very well done, the voice acting is very powerful, the motions hit you straight in the feels, the action is very intense, and the story line is extremely well done.
Yes, multiple times I found myself reminded of Naruto, but considering I grew up with Pokemon and Naruto being the only animes next to Ghibli pictures, a lot of these shows in this "fantasy-action" genre seem familiar to each other.
I definitely suggest this movie to anyone who is into mystery, horror, and emotional turmoil type films.