Übel Blatt Season Premiere – Everything You Need to Know
By Kevin Cormack, Jan 18th, 2025
Fans of dark, epic fantasy, rejoice! Etorouji Shiono’s long-running, 24-volume manga, Übel Blatt, has finally scored an anime adaptation. Originally running from 2004 until 2019, the delayed adaptation airing in 2025 is certainly unexpected. The marketing synergy for the 2024 sequel manga Übel Blatt II: The Knights of the Deceased King might have something to do with it. Many avid readers were both surprised and delighted when this anime was announced and now harbor anxiety about whether the show will do their beloved, edgy drama justice. Based on the quality of these first two episodes, things are looking fairly positive.
As someone who has never read the original manga, I’ll be tackling these reviews from the perspective of a complete Übel Blatt newbie. I’ve enjoyed plenty of other anime and manga in the genre, such as Berserk, which is by far the most obvious point of comparison. If I enjoy the anime enough, it might inspire me to pick up Yen Press’ recently published and very handsome-looking English-language hardback deluxe omnibus edition of the first three manga volumes.
Übel Blatt is set during the year AD (Anno Dunatto) 3992 in a Germanic-inspired land filled with brutalist medieval architecture and anachronistic futuristic technology like flying airships. Everything and everyone has German names, including protagonist Köinzell, nations Szaalenden and Wischtech, and even episode titles like DURCH BURCH and UNTER MORGEN MONDEN. Twenty years ago, the emperor of Szaalenden sent fourteen warriors to battle enemy nation Wischtech, but only seven returned.
Of the fourteen, three died in the line of duty, and only four completed their task before being murdered by the remaining seven warriors who waited behind and betrayed them. These seven treacherous warriors then falsely claimed their fallen former comrades’ victory, declaring themselves “The Seven Heroes.” The show’s first scene is a flashback to AD 3972, with these “heroes” ruthlessly slaughtering one of their allies, blood spurting from his eye socket. Clearly, Übel Blatt starts as it means to continue.
The Seven Heroes’ country is now renowned as a peaceful utopia that draws refugees seeking a better life. At the walled border, controlled by a corrupt monastery, we meet a pink-haired elf-girl, whose failed attempt to stow away in a carriage almost leads to her execution. Rescued by Köinzell, he pretends she is his sister, spontaneously naming her “Peepi,” a name she vociferously objects to.
Köinzell’s combat proficiency surpasses his apparent youth, and some of the best scenes in these first two episodes feature him efficiently dispatching waves of enemies to a blood-soaked grave using his skill with blades. Driven by revenge against the Seven Heroes, flashbacks suggest he is linked to one of the warriors they supposedly killed. Köinzell’s mysterious true nature will likely be explained as the story progresses.
The first episode’s climactic battle against a generic monster drags a little, but the second episode’s face-off against a tattoo-faced hired mercenary is far more intriguing. He wields a cursed sword that emits paralyzing screams from a tortured fairy bound to its hilt, triggering Köinzell’s tears of anger. This fantasy world, where the powerful prey on and profit from the weak, sets the stage for a satisfying revenge fantasy.
In general, the second episode shows more promise than the first, fleshing out the world and characters with intriguing backstory and more fantasy elements. Köinzell riding a flying dragon and magically destroying a huge stone structure by liberating the petrified corpse of his former comrade bound to it adds to the complex narrative. While the aesthetics could be more high-end and the fight animation smoother, Übel Blatt offers a promising start to an engaging fantasy series.
I’ve heard that the first few manga volumes feature uncomfortable scenes involving rape and sexual assault, which have been absent from this adaptation so far. This begs the question of how necessary they were in the first place. Only time will tell how Übel Blatt will continue to adapt the source material and engage its audience.
Übel Blatt is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video on Fridays.
