Merc StoriA is a new fantasy anime which serves as an adaptation to a free-to-play online roleplaying game available in Japan. It centers around Yuu, a somewhat cowardly little boy with the power to heal the hearts of monsters, and Merc, a liquid fairy girl in a bottle.
The first episode never actually tells us the plot of this series. Merc says she wants to go on a journey to try and get her memories back, but that’s about it. I assume Yuu is looking for his dad? Or something? This first episode opened with him getting Merc as a souvenir from his father, and then jumps to them trying to buy supplies for their trip. It isn’t as jarring as that sentence would suggest.
This seems like a cute show. The character designs are cute and distinct, and the art direction is well done. The animation is strong if not particularly mindblowing, and the soundtrack is pretty. The main cast is charismatic and likeable, and its fun to watch Yuu and Merc take the piss out of each other. I also like that the protagonist isn’t a fighter, it’s a nice change of pace from the other new fantasy series this season to have a show where the monsters aren’t there to get slaughtered. It’s also nice that this season has a lot of strong fantasy series. I’ll be sticking with this show.
Ace Anime Reviews 