In the world of Shonen anime, there are more than enough strong main characters to stand out that many new ones become muted in their shadow. Radiant doesn’t sound all that special when you read about its premise. “The world is overrun with monsters called Nemesis—and a young boy infected by them will stop at nothing to defeat them all!“. Sounds like your typical Shonen anime right? Wrong. Lets dive into what makes Radiant different. First, we will give you some background and a sneak preview.
Evil creatures called Nemeses fall from the skies and the only ones who can fight them are Wizards—infected ones who survived a Nemesis’s corruption. Seth, one of these survivors, vows not only to fight the Nemeses, but to find their mythical nest, Radiant, and destroy it!
Seth has big goals of defeating Nemeses, but first he must earn the trust of the very villagers he wants to protect—not an easy task when those who use magic are just as feared as the Nemeses they fight. Even worse, Seth can barely control his monstrous powers! It’ll take more than brute strength—although it’ll take that too—to get Seth’s quest out of the boonies and into the big time!
REVIEW
The story behind Radiant comes from French creator Tony Valente. So right off the bat, we have a unique style and feel to the series that sets it apart from the rest. It is clear that the creator has a passion for Shonen manga and anime. He paid close attention to the many tropes you see in such series but also tried to break the mold in many ways as well. That is what makes me very excited to see where this series goes.
Radiant revolves around a world filled with monsters called Nemeses who are appearing out of nowhere. The only ones who can fight them are wizards. But in this world wizards are feared just as much as the Nemeses. This is because they use magic, and only after they have survived an encounter with a Nemeses which normally kills a person. Besides the magic, those who survive also get an ‘infection’. In the case of Seth, he gained a pair of horns. But what makes Seth unique is his ability to use magic with his bare hands, something considered abnormal even among wizards.
The second half of season 1 explores Discrimination and hatred set in Rumble Town. With Rumble Town ablaze and Seth’s battle shaking up the world, the Inquisition is questioned, as are the intentions of the Nemesis. A stranger with two white horns asks Seth—whose side is he on?
The formula for the story is pretty familiar with all the magic-related series of late. Our lead character is also predictable: bold, hard-headed, big dreams and no discipline. I enjoyed the art style of the characters and world-building. They managed to give us a decent amount without overwhelming. The little details with each character and background are fun to look at and analyze their meaning.
Whether Seth ever finds the mythical origin land of the Nemeses, Radiant, or not, I will be going along for the journey.
BLU-RAY RELEASE FEATURES
The limited-edition release of the second half of season 1 for Radiant includes a chipboard box that houses both parts of season 1. The box cover has the title character, Seth, on one side with the Radiant logo. The other side shows the Inquisition in the background with Seth and an unknown character standing back to back.
The set includes 13 episodes on 2 blu-ray discs and 2 DVDs. You also get a digital copy that you can download. As part of the limited-edition release, you also get an 80-page hardcover art book, 2 keychains and a set of art cards.
