This is a show that I refer to as “We’re getting the band back together”, as it involves a sojourn of truth and having to find the necessary components to make it all work. Kind of like “Akatsuki no Yona”, but everyone knows everyone directly and not by inference. Such is “The Seven Deadly Sins” (“Nanatsu no Taizai”).

Ten years earlier, a group of knights known as the Seven Deadly Sins were disbanded after they supposedly plotted to overthrow the Liones Kingdom. Their defeat came at the hands of the Holy Knights, but rumors continued to persist that they were still alive. Now, the Holy Knights staged a coup d’état and captured the king, becoming the new, tyrannical rulers of the kingdom. Let me get this straight: you saved us from one type of tyrant to install yourself as another kind of tyrant. Nifty. The third princess, Elizabeth Lyonesse, (cutie pie to the far left) starts out on a journey to find the Seven Deadly Sins and enlist their help in taking back the kingdom.

In searching about for help and guidance and directions, she comes across a bar, The Boar’s Hat, where she knew there was nothing there before. The proprietor, a person who looks no more than a boy (blondie in the middle) happens to be Meliodas, the captain of the Seven. He learns of Elizabeth’s plight and agrees to help her reclaim the kingdom and find the rest of the troupe to do this. Each one of them carries the mark of their Sin. His is the sin of Wrath. Oh, and don’t let that broken sword fool you; it is a dangerous weapon.

They have heard rumors as to who is where and slowly pick them up across the run of the show. They include (left to right) Ban the Immortal (sin of Greed), Giantess Diana (sin of Envy) and King (sin of Sloth). King can change his image, but when we first see him, he is a big, fat slob. Not seen up there is Gowther (sin of Lust) and Merlin (sin of Gluttony and SHOULD have been Lust). Not seen at all during the run of the season is Escanor (sin of Pride). There are wanted posters of them, but, like most wanted posters, are really terrible and certainly do not look like them. (“Why can’t they get the nose right?”)

We follow their adventures as they gather up the squadron and reopen old wounds of hatred and distrust. For what is ostensibly a comedy, there are huge amounts of bloodshed and violence and death, death, death. I mean, Ban gets impaled and stabbed and speared and lanced so many times, you’d think he was a pin cushion and Diana takes damage so large, you could drive a wagon through the gaping hole in her. We also learn of the foul and fetid machinations of those ‘Holy Knights”, who have no problem in killing off people who get in their way, regardless of who they are. Some of them learn in time about things, some learn far too late, some never learn. Kind of like Freshman English class, eh?

Certainly the end of the first season demands that second season (as we still have not found Pride and the purpose of the show is not fully concluded) and with a real tease at the final moments means that you will have to stay on your toes. Ah, the ever-popular fan service. Yes, Meliodas makes Elizabeth dress up in that outfit and he has no problems fondling and groping and peering and ogling her, but it is reined in, so it isn’t over the top, even with a rather strange sequence during the Brawl for the Maul. I really liked this show, as it played against the norm, although some of these folks got rather bullet-proof, in that it took an Act of God or an Act of Congress or an Act of Toothpaste for someone to finally die really dead. Well, it isn’t a good idea to off the hero. Many folks frown on that.

On a scale of 1 to 10:

Artwork 8 (An interesting approach to things)
Plot 7 (Mostly done well)
Pacing 7 (Does run slack in a few areas)
Effectiveness 7 (Still a long way to go with things)
Conclusion 5 (It reaches a ‘coupler point’, but hasn’t ended)
Fan Service 4 (A similar show would be “Gurren Lagann”)

Overall 8 (there’s something appealing about it)

And remember, it’s first run until you’ve seen it. Let’s have another beer.