First premiering earlier this year, Tears to Tiara is hitting store shelves today from Sentai/Section 23 (Available via Amazon and Right Stuf). Originally a visual novel RPG, the Silver Fox animated series follows Arawn and the Gael Tribe. Resurrected after hundreds of years, Arawn is summoned to be the destroyer of the world by an evil priest. When the ritual instead leads to the priest’s death, Arawn is chosen as the new chief of the Gael Tribe and leads them in an attempt to overthrow the oppressive holy empire. A fantasy series for fantasy fans, here are things you need to know before you dive in:

Tears to Tiara

Who Would Like It: fans of Record of Lodoss War, Twelve Kingdoms, Tales of the Abyss

If you’ve played ANY version of this game, you’ve pretty much already seen the series.  

This is one of the most faithful game adaptations I’ve ever seen. Right down to the characters, chapter breaks and dialogue, Silver Fox has taken the all ages visual novel ported to PS3 earlier this year and made a few little changes for continuity. For the vast majority of you, this is not going to be a problem but for the few of you out there who actually have played any version of this game before, very little is different so look forward to fairly predictable viewing.

The theme to remember: Following oaths is good, understanding them is better.

The overall theme is revealed through Arthur’s growth as a character. Early in the series, Arthur can be a tough character to get behind sometimes. He is undoubtedly brave and loyal to his people but he can also be amazingly dense. As Arthur takes in new experiences on the battlefield and learns new lessons, the series will make sure that you are crystal clear on what the hidden message is before deciding on if the journey to get there was worth it.

Tears to Tiara loves its tangents

There are going to be a few times when Tears to Tiara is going to go on some odd tangents. You know the feeling: everything will be moving along just fine when suddenly you’re in a two to three episode side story arc. Yes, they can be a little dry but ultimately they’re worth pushing through.

The fantasy tropes are many

When I say ‘a fantasy series for fantasy fans’, I am being quite direct with my series description. Magic, monsters, swords, an evil enemy bent on destruction and domination, elves, tragic deaths, dragons, happy endings… if you really dislike fantasy and all the things that come along with it, you won’t like this series.

It’s still a stupid hat. 

I’ve said this at least a dozen times: Riannon wears the stupidest hat in anime history. I stand by this statement and declare it to be among the single worst things about the entire series.

Seriously, it looks like a freakin mushroom.

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