You know, I’m a big fan of shonen adventure series. I’m also a big fan of wizards, and as it so happens I’m a very big fan of those two things getting combined. Radiant, much like Black Clover, Fairy Tail, and (fight me on this) Naruto before it, is one such coupling.
The first episode of Radiant opens with the quote “People are not born human, they become human,” which is then followed by a One Piece-style narrative lead-in giving some quick exposition on the setting. While that quote might be one of the realest things I’ve read all month, the two taken together can be a bit of a red flag. Pseudo-intellectual quotes and a pre-OP infodump aren’t usually a recommended start for new series, but Radiant finds itself on firm footing, with a likeable (if somewhat generic, for shonen adventure anime) protagonist that leaves a quick impression and a plethora of creative character designs to round out the cast and world. The cows are elephants. That’s… I don’t know if that’s relevant, but the cows in this setting are small horned elephants, and that’s delightful.
The animation is decent, if not outstanding, as is the soundtrack, and a couple of shots are recycled near the end of the episode, but the art design combined with dialogue which implies a story with more depth and maturity than it immediately reveals give me the impression that this series has a lot of potential. I’ll be sticking with this one, and would recommend it to anyone looking to add another series to their lineup for this season.
Ace Anime Reviews 
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