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Full review of Valkyria Chronicles

I think Valkyria Chronicles for the Playstation 3 is one of the best games I’ve ever played. Its story, colored alternately by hope and tragedy, affected me like no other game had before or since. If this was a review of that game, I would call it a masterpiece. But the anime adaptation deserves to be judged based on its own merits, so that is what I’ve done. I can’t recommend the game enough, but for the anime, there is a little more equivocating.

• Score: 70%
• Opinion: good
• + does not shy away from the more difficult issues involved in war
• + central characters on both sides are sympathetic and well-written
• + the drama hits home when it deals with the war directly
• - the love triangle subplot takes too long and throws off the pacing of the series
• - sometimes the writing veers too much toward melodrama
• - bland use of music
• Conclusion: I can perhaps describe Valkyria Chronicles as a work of courage, ditching the usual war cliches to tell a human story. The execution is imperfect, but I’m glad it was tried at all.

Tags: Valkyria Chronicles, Senjou no Valkyria, review