Record of Ragnarok
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Record of Ragnarok
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this TV show.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Record of Ragnarok is an action anime series based on the Record of Ragnarok manga series. The series centers around humanity's fight for survival in arena combat against a pantheon of gods. Expect to see lots of graphic fantasy violence and scary imagery (physical altercations, weapons, dead bodies, blood, dismemberment, decapitation). Characters fight to the death in extreme action sequences and are often killed in brutal combat. There is some nudity and sexual references throughout. One character is constantly nude with their backside exposed. Another shows their cleavage and makes sexually suggestive comments about being excited. Language includes "idiot," "hell," "bastard," "asses," and "f--k."
What's the Story?
RECORD OF RAGNAROK is an action anime about humans and gods fighting in arena combat. A convention of gods must decide to let humanity survive or perish. Ultimately, they choose to test humanity by facing off against them in a series of thirteen showdowns called Ragnarok. Thirteen human champions are selected from various periods in history to represent humanity. If these humans can find a way to defeat the gods in combat, then humanity will gain the right to live and be allowed to survive. However, if they lose humanity will be destroyed.
Is It Any Good?
Despite the over-the-top premise this action anime fails to deliver -- it's plagued by poor pacing, bland characters and a confusing plot. Record of Ragnarok is a show about bloody arena combat. The story is nonsensical, jumps around a lot and there isn't much to take away from the plot. The show starts off with a council of gods deciding humanity must face them in combat if they want a chance at survival. Then in the next sequence we're already witnessing the combat with no explanations about what is going on. Why were these figures chosen to represent humanity? How are they picked from throughout history? How did they get here? Why are they strong enough to fight deities? How do they feel about this situation? Most of these questions go unanswered or are only briefly touched upon. Instead, the focus tries to be all about the action, but even that fails.
Constant cutaways in the middle of combat to show the reactions of unnecessary side characters and combatant flashbacks completely ruin the flow of the action. Many of the characters are uninteresting and flat, they feel like they're only there as punching bags for their opponents. The art and animation are good when done right. Unfortunately, there are many still shots that make the show feel more like a visual novel rather than a proper anime. Overall, Record of Ragnarok doesn't offer anything that other anime series don't already do better.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the combatants chosen to represent humanity in the fighting arena. How do these historic figures compare in this series to their real-life counterparts? Why do you think these figures were chosen for the story?
Families can also talk about the graphic violence in this anime. How do depictions of animated violence compare to depictions of live action violence, and what effect do these depictions have in the real world?
TV Details
- Premiere date: June 17, 2021
- Cast: Laura Post, Chris Edgerly, Kellen Goff
- Network: Netflix
- Genre: Action
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy
- TV rating: TV-MA
- Last updated: January 31, 2023
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