Seirei no Moribito – ep1 : Introduction

Seirei no Moribito, also known as Guardians of the Sacred Spirit is based on the first of a series of “Guardian” books by Nahoko Uehashi. The series is done by Production I.G., the same team of Ghost in the Shell and Blood+ fame. If there’s anything to say about the first episode, it’s that the animation looks marvelous.

The episode opens with a very traditional/martial arts feel, with Balsa returning to the country. A talk with an old men reveals that she’s a female warrior (rare), and no longer young anymore (30 years old) She has returned to do maintenance work on her short spear.

Suddenly while crossing the bridge, Balsa is warned that there’s a royal procession passing by. Everybody kneels and does not look, but as a foreigner, Balsa decides not to bother, and continues on her way. However, the ox in the procession suddenly goes mad, and together with the passenger of the cart it is pulling, falls off a bridge into the rapids.

Balso immediately jumps in to save the person, but not before securing herself with a safety line. She manages to reach the person, but is soon engulfed by the ox and the cart. However, she finds both of them protected by a bubble, and soon brings the passenger to shore. She leaves without fuss, even as the person obviously is a royal, and his bodyguards arrive.

 Later that night, Balsa finds herself followed. After being questioned, she denies being the one who saved the person. A fight soon breaks out, but stops when the chief admits that it’s just a test, and they just want to invite Balsa back to the palace.

 In the palace, Balsa is met by immense luxury. The person she saved was the prince of the second concubine, and she is given a reward, as well as a luxurious dinner. A servant also delicately requests that Balsa stays for the night.

 In the middle of the night, the concubine appears together with the prince. The concubine apparently has already checked on Balsa’s background. At the same time, she reveals that the prince is being assassinated by the emperor. It would seem that the prince was recently possessed, and the emperor has been advised to kill him. The concubine wants Balsa to take the prince away and protect him. She offers jewellery worth more than Balsa can ever spend in her lifetime.

 Balsa seemingly objects. She states that there’s no way she can possibly escape with the jewels, especially since they are marked. And having been told the story, the concubine would never let her escape. Balsa lunges at the princess, and reveals that she knows that the concubine has only 7 men waiting around.

But in the end, Balsa  reveals that she became a bodyguard because she killed 8 people in the past because of circumstances. And she became a bodyguard to remember them, and will do so until she has protected and rescued the same number of souls.

Taking only a small amount of jewellery, she takes the prince and runs. But not before answering the concubine that the prince is the 8th person she is saving.

 

Thoughts

GITS and Blood+ rank amoungst my favourite anime, so this was highly anticipated.  The introduction seemed good enough, with top quality animation. (although seemed too computerised at times) Even the short fight scene showed plenty of promise.