Why Dies Irae anime doesn't do justice to the Visual Novel, explored

While the Dies Irae anime does introduce viewers to the vast and complex universe of Visual novels, it seemingly isn't able to capture the depth and impact that made the source material a masterpiece. From a visual novel standpoint, Dies Irae is popular for its detailed storytelling, interesting character development, and philosophical themes, coupled with fast-paced battles and supernatural elements.

However, the Dies Irae anime adaptation struggles to bring these elements onto the screen, thereby leading to a fragmented narrative and in turn, a somewhat watered-down emotional impact. A primary issue was its pacing— condensing a Visual Novel with hours upon hours of content into a fixed number of episodes compels considerable cuts, which sacrifices key character arcs and plot intricacies.

Hence, it leaves first-timers of the source material confused and unsatisfied. Additionally, the anime often seems to emphasize more on the series' profound themes and character motivations. This reduces its philosophical weight and emotional resonance, hallmarks of the Visual Novel.

Dies Irae anime falls short of the Visual Novel's brilliance

A still from the Dies Irae anime (Image via A.C.G.T.)

The Dies Irae anime starts off with episode 0, which is a completely different segment. A number of viewers make the mistake of watching episode 0 first, understandably so, before moving on to episode 1. But once they did that, they ended up confused, and despite moving ahead in the anime, little sense could be made of the story or its events.

This episode 0 adapts Die Morgendammerung, a side story meant to be delved into after one has made considerable progress in the Visual Novel. However, by presenting it as "episode 0", there is no context to the characters and events of the anime. As such, a disconnected introduction is created, which pours into an inability to build intrigue and depth that the source material develops better.

Again, the Visual Novel gives viewers a comprehensive narrative, brimming with philosophical musings, character growth, and carefully-developed lore. Squeezing all this into a limited episode count leads only to hastened plot points and shallow character arcs. Hence, viewers and fans alike tend to get lost during important segments and feel a lack of impact that the story is trying to deliver.

Complex bonds and defining motivations, like Ren’s growth and his conflict with the LDO (Longinus Dreizhen Orden), are only briefly touched upon, which lessens the accompanying emotional weight.

The Visual Novel grew to the heights it has due to its expertise in being detail-oriented. It does a stellar job of elaborately weaving into one another, themes of morality, power, and individualism. On the other hand, due to time and format restrictions, Dies Irae anime is unable to dive into these in an adequate manner. This diminishes the story to surface-level supernatural conflicts.

Finally, the Dies Irae anime seems to hold back on certain concepts, one of them being the powers and abilities crucial to understanding the series. Ren Fujii being introduced to the Karl Krafft's magic system, Ewigkeit, is key. However, the anime seems to downplay it by not delving into it much, which leaves viewers struggling to grasp the characters’ abilities and gambles in battle.

Final Thoughts

The Dies Irae anime doesn't do justice to the source material when it comes to honoring its depth and complexity, thereby underwhelming existing fans and newcomers. Focusing on action and display over character growth and thematic importance witnesses the anime give up on the intricate narrative layers that elevated the original story.

Moreover, missteps like "episode 0", which adapts something meant for later in the novel, baffle viewers and fail to establish continuity, the stakes, and character relationships effectively. Again, compressing the storyline leaves out important bits of lore, lessens its impact, and the kind of philosophical and emotional resonance that the visual novel seeks to deliver.

In conclusion, it must be acknowledged that the anime does furnish moments of excitement, but in the end, it does not work to round off the entire experience.