Alderamin on the Sky

With these anime titles, I often feel like there's some sort of context missing. X "on the Sky" doesn't make much sense in English, "of" or "in" seems more appropriate. But whatever.

This series gets my most emphatic "I wish there was more, but there probably won't be" award in quite some time. I may have to keep an eye out for translated manga, but I'm not expecting a whole lot there, either. I believe it's based on light novels, which don't seem to see translation themselves very often. Alas.

It's a war story. The main character is a lazy strategist who specifically wants to avoid becoming a soldier, but gets drawn into it supporting a friend. With the focus on strategy, there is some trace of the feeling from Spice and Wolf (about commerce) or Maoyuu Maou Yuusha (about society-building), but with a focus on warfare. The technology level seems a little in advance of feudal, with allied spirit companions providing power for things like firearms and artillery.

But struck me as particularly neat early on was the dynamic between the main characters. The friendship between Ikta and Yatorishino is outstanding to me. There's a good deal of trust, and perhaps even love (albeit platonic), between the two. Haroma might lack some development, but Torway and Matthew feel more than one-dimensional to me. And Princess Chamille has an interesting place in things, though it doesn't really kick into high gear until the very end of the season (and probably series).

As much as I enjoyed the series, I feel like I might be a little overwhelmed by war tales of late (Rogue One, CoD:IW, Izetta, Blue Gender, and to a less extent Titanfall 2). A lot of these stories at least turn a passing spotlight on questions of why people fight and the strategic vs. tactical concerns of doing so. It's kind of heavy stuff, and I wonder if maybe I should be looking for a slightly lighter title next...