Dragon's Dogma Anime: Heartbreaking

I recently discovered Netflix produced an anime based on the Dragon's Dogma video game back in September 2020. On a whim I decided to give it a watch, even though I don't much care for 3D animation trying to look 2D. My expectations were set low. I mean, how often do film adaptations of video games pan out anyway? It's understandably difficult to condense a 20 to 100+ hour narrative into a three hour show, not that the game offers a ton to work with, but I knew that the plot was going to have to be altered, concessions made. It wasn't going to be a carbon copy of the game.

Spoiler Warning: I am going to give a synopsis of each episode and my opinions at the very end. If you plan on watching the anime spoiler free, do so now. Its only seven episodes long.

Episode 1: Wrath

The first episode stays pretty faithful to the video game, opening with a slice-of-life segment in the fishing village of Cassardis and concluding with a dragon attack. It's here that we're introduced to the weirdly muscular hunter-fisherman and soon-to-be Arisen, Ethan. We also meet his pregnant wife Olivia, who perishes in the inevitable dragon attack on Cassardis. Olivia looks an awful lot like the protagonist's childhood friend Quina from the video game, but is probably named after Olivia from the spin-off title Dragon's Dogma Quest.

 

"Wolves hunt in packs." - Popular Pawn Saying

 

Each episode of the anime is themed around a sin, which is in stark contrast to the video game's focus on virtue. The very first episode of the show seems to imply that "rage" is the reason anime Grigori (the dragon) picked Ethan to become the next Arisen over someone like the Capital Guard Captain, who is one of the few people to stand and fight during the attack on Cassardis. Ethan, like his video game counterpart, charges Grigori, embedding a blade into the beast's foot. Originally it is in this moment that Grigori selects the brave (or foolish) individual that stabbed him to be the next Arisen. The Arisen then seeks Grigori out to reclaim their stolen heart. Unlike the game though, the anime hardly acknowledges this moment, shifting its attention to Ethan's dead family and his anger towards Grigori. For Ethan, his motivation stems entirely from a desire to exact vengeance on the creature that took his family from him, and he is chosen by the anime dragon for his 'wrath' instead of 'bravery'.

 

 

By comparison, the Arisen from the video game just wanted to protect their home, even if it meant futily attacking a creature many times their size. They harbored no personal ill will towards the dragon, but knew they had to put it down to prevent Gransys (the kingdom) from being ravaged further by the beast, and they were chosen by the dragon for this reason. This difference of motive is important to understanding the show's ending and why things go very differently for Ethan compared to the video game's Arisen.

 Below: The same scene with accompanying dialogue from the anime and video game:

 

 

"Art thou filled with an bridled rage and an unquenchable thirst for my blood to be spilled?" - Anime Grigori

 

  

"Take up arms, newly Arisen... For my kind do not heed the toothless." - Video Game Grigori

 

Episode 2: Gluttony

"Gluttony" kicks off with a glimpse of a rift stone (portal) and Ethan getting his first pawn, Hannah. In the game the first pawn was called Rook. This is also the point in the show where the narrative greatly deviates from the game's plotline by cutting out Gran Soren, the Duke, and the doomsday cult in order to focus strictly on the journey to the dragon's lair. Along the way, Ethan and Hannah meet a host of one-off characters that vaguely resemble important NPCs from the game.

 

 

I think it was a smart move to trim the fat, so-to-speak, given the show's restrictions and tight runtime, but it came at the cost of having to drop important lore bits from the narrative, such as the Seneschal and the true purpose of the dragon. This in turn forced the anime to adopt an entirely different overarching message from the video game, hence the sin themes. "Gluttony" is also the initiation of what essentially becomes a boss run, with each successive episode introducing a different monster from the video game and dedicating 30 to 70% of the runtime to just the combat. The battles were a major focus of the video game, but to place so much emphasis on them instead of character development in a seven episode anime was a terrible idea. 

 

Hannah is a Magick Archer, a combo-class pawns shouldn't have access to.

 

The plot of episode 2 centers around a cyclops. Every six months the poor offer up one of their children as a sacrifice to the creature in the belief that it prevents the cyclops from attacking the town. The family of the sacrificed child is compensated with food and a tax break from the Mayor. Ethan discovers that the town's Mayor (who resembles Fournival) has been controlling the cyclops and using it to exploit the poor. Ethan kills the monster and exposes the Mayor. The episode then concludes with Ethan looking on in horror as the townsfolk burn the Mayor alive at the stake and ransack his mansion. 

 

 

"My father used to do that sort of thing. He taught me the importance of protecting your family. I failed my wife and child. I'll not fail this family." -Ethan

 

The scene is setup to be tragic, to highlight how awful everyone from all walks of life can be, but it doesn't read that way. The Mayor was cartoonishly evil to a comical degree with almost no redeeming qualities. The townsfolk were abused, starved, and had their children killed because of his schemes. The poor raiding the Mayor's mansion reads more like a group of wronged people taking back what was stolen from them. By comparison, Fournival in the game could be exploitative and greedy, but he wasn't this cruel. There was even a quest-line where he comes under investigation and the Arisen is tasked with proving his guilt or innocence. The player uncovers all the wrong AND good this man has done, and then gets to decide what evidence they turn over. The Arisen can even hand in falsified affidavits. Fournival also had a daughter who struggled emotionally during the investigation knowing she could loose both her home and her only parent, and I wish the anime had included this. The mansion raiding townspeople who had their children sacrificed by the Mayor juxtaposed against his now homeless orphaned daughter would have been much more impactful.

 

Episode 3: Envy

Ethan was just a regular guy a few days ago, but now we see him fighting off monsters with the skills to rival seasoned warriors. The only two recurring characters in the anime get introduced here - Simon, and the Julien look alike, Balthazar. Both men act as escorts for a nobleman named Theo and his wife Elizabeth. Theo is rich and timid - clearly not a fighter, hence the bodyguards, but his wife shames him relentlessly for his meekness. You can tell Theo loves Elizabeth and wants to improve. Elizabeth however, comes off as the worst kind of gold-digger. She openly smothers Ethan - someone she considers "a real man", with her breasts literally hanging out knowing Theo won't say a thing. She drones on about how she was set to inherit a fortune from her marriage to Theo before the dragon destroyed everything.

 

"I won't hold my breath. The man I deserve has a backbone." -Elizabeth

 

Nearly every episode of the anime has a sad conclusion for the sake of having a bad ending. But no where does it come off as more forced than in "Envy". Elizabeth plays the damsel in a spontaneous griffon fight and goblin attack during which Theo manages to get a few kills in. Then without warning, he murders Elizabeth. Simon and Balthazar proceed to chew Theo out for killing his loving wife who did her best to spur him to self-improvement. Wracked with guilt, Theo commits suicide to avoid burdening Simon and Balthazar in their travels. 

 

It's a strange and nonsensical setup, but I think the episode was trying to say that Elizabeth did in fact love Theo, she just had a strange way of showing it. Elizabeth used envy to spur her husband to action and he in turn gave in to envy... I think. If this is indeed what the writers were trying to imply then it doesn't come across very clearly. If not for the comments from Simon and Balthazar I never would have guessed that Elizabeth was meant to be anything other than an abusive wife and gold-digger.

Compare this to Madeleine, whom Elizabeth is based off of. Madeleine was seductive towards anyone with money or status, and she used her looks to elicit favors and investments in her business. Her money-seeking ways however, were a direct result of a life spent in poverty. Madeleine grew up an orphan, having been abandoned by her parents, but remained determined to rise up out of the slums anyway she could. Her lack of morals with money ultimately proves her undoing when she gets embroiled in a conspiracy with Julien and looses nearly everything she had built up for herself.

 

"Envy" was by far the most gratuitous episode of the anime. The threat of goblin rape just to have Elizabeth's breasts out was in extremely poor taste and made me question if any of the folks behind the adaptation had ever played the game. The video game could be dark at times, but it never got this dark or featured nudity of any kind... well, except for the character creation I suppose. The tone was closer to that of a fairy tale - story book credits, a dragon who knows the Arisen's heart because he stole it, and a knight (Arisen) saving their beloved from a fire breathing dragon. The anime gave me the impression that the team behind it would've much rather been working on a dark fantasy story.

Episode 4: Sloth

On their way to Grigori's lair up in the mountains, the duo pass through a narcotics operation hidden inside of a cavern, accidentally disturbing a resting hydra in the process. Ethan and Hannah then rush to save the narco dealers, who are too hopelessly addicted to the substance they peddle to recognize the imminent threat before them; content instead to wither away in a state of ignorant bliss. 

 

 

 

"It's difficult to live like this. They need to be able to escape reality every now and then." -Lennie

 

During the hydra battle the first hints of something amiss with Ethan bubble up to the surface. Believing that Hannah had been killed by the serpent - unaware that pawns can't die, Ethan's eyes glow red as he enters into an uncontrollable rage. And later on, during a conversation about symbiotic relationships, Ethan has seemingly become less compassionate while Hannah has become more emotional. By this point it is becoming increasingly clear that every time Hannah has experienced a sin of man she has then taken that sin from Ethan, causing him to became more and more ornery. I believe this is the anime's version of "Bestowal of spirit", a pawn's ability to siphon off more and more of the Arisen's soul the longer they are together. The anime never really explains it, and to be honest, the game did a pretty poor job of it too. 

The hydra was my favorite enemy from the game in addition to being one of the rarest encounters, and the anime really didn't do a great job of illustrating just how special this guy is. It didn't use its ability to level buildings, regenerate heads or spray venom. Instead of having Ethan single-handedly kill the serpent with nothing but a sword, I would've preferred it if they had utilized the cave environment in some way - unique elevation, crawl spaces, and stalactites. What about the drugs in the cave? Is the snake immune or would it have an effect similar to the one seen in humans? I'm also not sure what message this episode was trying to get across. That drugs are bad? That a person's addiction can impact the well-being of their family?

Episode 5: Greed

Simon and Balthazar from the "Envy" episode make a return, this time on a mission from the Duke. The two men have been tasked with eliminating a lich that has taken up residence in a church situated near an important trade route. Recalling how well Ethan had handled the griffon in their previous encounter, the duo request Ethan's aid in dealing with the lich, mentioning how innocent people are getting hurt. Ethan initially refuses, referring to the task as a "meaningless distraction", but agrees to help in exchange for the exact location to Grigori's lair.

 

The group use the lich's treasure to coax it out of the church basement, vaporizing it in the daylight. With the undead creature defeated, the group is faced with a moral conundrum. Soldiers were killed in the battle and the Duke doesn't pay death gratuities. They could unlawfully pay the soldier's families with the lich's treasure but then, at least in Simon's eyes, they would be breaking their code to the Duke and would become no better than thieving bandits. Balthazar, a former nobleman fallen on hard times, disagrees with Simon and claims all of the gold for himself.

 

 

"Those in power want to stay in power, and they do that by keeping people like us down." -Balthazar

 

The final moments are of Simon and Balthazar on a mound of treasure, dead by each others hand. Hannah sits, consoling the dying Simon as Ethan looks on, indifferent to it all. I thought the characters were slightly more engaging in this episode. They cooperated more in combat and played off of each other. The change in Ethan and Hannah's personalities is brought to the forefront here, and we get a glimpse of Simon and Balthazar's conflicting morals.

 

 

Episode 6: Lust

"Lust" opens with Ethan and Hannah arriving in what appears to be Gran Soren, the capital of Gransys, judging by the style of the buildings. The two stop at an inn for the night and while Ethan is getting settled in, his dead wife pays him a visit. We get some childhood backstory leading up to Ethan realizing the person before him is an imposter. The creature is then slain, revealed to be a succubus. There is far more nudity in this episode than in "Envy", but at least there was a reason for it this time. This was also one of the rare instances in the anime where it used a character or creature in a creative way and actually made them better than the video game version.   

 

"The blood of a man that destroyed his family because of his selfishness. That blood is in me and I fear it." -Ethan

 

Episode 7: Pride

Ethan finally confronts and slays the dragon, using the Godsbane blade no less, but as in the game, the world needs a new dragon whenever the old one is slain. So Ethan gets his heart back and exacts his revenge, but losses himself to the beast, becoming the same destructive creature he sought to destroy. I really liked what they did with the series finale by incorporating elements from the cannon "Great Hereafter" ending and the bad "Servitude" ending from the video game. I honestly thought they were going to have Ethan slay the dragon and be done with it.

 

 

 

"Humans pretend to be moral creatures, but are driven by their most base instincts." -Dragon

 

So why does Ethan become the dragon instead of going on to face the Seneschal? Either the Seneschal doesn't exist in the anime or, more likley, Ethan failed as an Arisen. Upon meeting Grigori in the video game, the Arisen is met with two tests. The first is a test of moral integrity and the second of physical might. The show approaches this scene a bit differently, but I think it is safe to say that Ethan passed the physical test by slaying Grigori but then failed the moral test by giving in to rage and pride. It could also be seen as an alternative take on Grigori's ultimatum: save your beloved (which Ethan failed to do) or have your desires (in Ethan's case, vengeance) granted at the cost of living forever with the consequences.

 

"Canst thou even imagine, coming back to ones senses, only to be faced with hell on earth? And it is a hell of thine own making." -Dragon

The Arisen from the video game wasn't selfish or angry. Their desire to stop the dragon came from a place of altruism and they were deemed worthy of finding out the truth. Every episode of the anime was themed around sin and portrays Ethan as a flawed Arisen, who exacted his revenge but lost himself in the process. Just as an Arisen that fails to defeat the Seneschal is deemed unworthy, an Arisen that is consumed by sin would likley also become the next dragon. Anime Grigori says outright that he kills because he has no choice - it is his nature and possibly god-given purpose if the Seneschal exists at all in the show's world. Whereas, Ethan's lust for vengeance comes from a place of malice, and he chooses to inflict harm on someone he feels has wronged him.

 

"I kill because it is my nature. I desire not your deaths. I require not the nourishment your bodies provide. I have no thirst for your blood. Asking me not to kill is tantamount to asking you not to breath. An effortless function that requires no thought and yet is paramount to your existence." -Dragon

 

The series was left open to a second season, and it was interesting to see the journey Ethan takes to becoming the dragon. Given what he went through, I could see Dragon Ethan choosing to steal the next Arisen's beloved instead of outright killing them, just as we see in the game. And now that Hannah is fully human, I could see a second season going the Dark Arisen route by having Hannah become the next Arisen. I am already noticing a lot of parallels between her and Daimon.

 

 

"Protect those foolish humans from me." -Dragon Ethan

 

Final Thoughts

After watching the show from start to finish I had to wonder, who was this show made for? It doesn't elevate the source material or reinvent the genre. The story is too basic and trope-filled to likley hold the attention of most casual viewers, and gamer's are likley going to prefer the video game over the animated series. I mean, why even re-tell the same story as the video game? Why not explore one of the video game's side characters, such as Selene, Madeleine, Mason, Julien, or Mercedes to name a few. If it had to be a story about an Arisen, why not expand upon Duke Edmun, the Dragonforged, or Barroch?

Ideally the show should've had more episodes, or longer episodes, or a greater focus on character development over combat action scenes. The anime is so fixated on getting across the idea that humans are immoral that it never bothers to flesh out its cast beyond a surface level or highlight the redeeming qualities of humanity. The overly dark and serious tone is also in stark contrast to the video game's world which, while bleak at times, had moments of levity. As it is, I like to think of the animated Dragon's Dogma as an alternative take on the video game's narrative, or as taking place within one of the many alternate worlds the pawns claim to exist.

 

Side note: I recently discovered the little known digital comic that released just prior to the Dragon's Dogma game release. The journey newly-Arisen Savan takes through it is very similar to the one Ethan makes in the anime: dragon kills family, meet female pawn, fight griffon, fight reptile, fight skeleton, fight dragon.

 

Have you seen the Dragon's Dogma anime? What were your thoughts on the show? If you haven't seen it, do you plan to?

 

First posted to videogamegeek.com on March 9, 2021.

 

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