This certainly started out interestingly enough. We are in an Alternate Universe, where Man is the subservient creature, bending to the will of the Beasts. They are in a second-class citizenship status, not much more than how we treat animals. There are all grades of beasts, from those with human features, but the ears and tail, all the way up to full beasts. Into this mix, we find Kyrie Illunis (he’s in the number one slot), just your normal wolf-beast, slaving away at a local eatery. There are whispers afoot about a mysterious woman, Morte Asherah (number two slot), a member of the World Destruction Committee, who is in possession of the Destruct Code, a weapon of unbelievable power and fury, which has the might to destroy an entire planet, reducing it, and everyone and everything on it, to sand.

It is a busy lunch hour and Kyrie is bussing tables and slapping down food, when a hooded figure comes in, asking for a meal. As he serves her, the local constabulatory comes in and confronts his woman, who is no other than the aforementioned Morte. Angry that she spent the last of her money on a meal she cannot have, she takes Kyrie hostage, brandishing a huge sword blade. If she cannot go free, many will die, starting with Kyrie. At that point, Kyrie’s ears fall off. He was wearing a costume? He’s a human? Well, he needs a job. They fight their way free from the café, enlisting the help of Toppy Toplan (number six slot), who is a dwarf bear of incredible strength and power. In rescuing them, he also becomes part of the World Destruction Committee.

Hot on their tails is the World Salvation Committee, consisting of Lia Dragunel and Nadja Gref (slots four and five). She is a dragon, he is a half-human werewolf. They have to stop Morte from employing the Destruct Code. The problem is that Morte has no idea how to detonate it, as it was a gift from her now-dead brother, the reason she wishes to destroy this world.

Oh, the person is slot number three is Agan Mardrus, a trader by chance, a smuggler by choice, who always manages to help the WDC out of a tight jam. They are spending their time running away from the WSC, but since there is a bounty on them (and some really awful wanted posters trailing after them), they lurch from one pickle to another. They end up in a coliseum, where they have to fight for their life. They end up in a hospital, where man and beast live in harmony, but the Head Doctor has a dark secret. They end up trapped in the bowels of a sand sub, stuck WITH the WDC, awaiting death at the hands of others.

They have to find out what it all means and what ultimate power is all about. They also come to learn that Man and Beast can live in harmony, but that it requires more than most are willing to give. But they are at the start of a long and perilous journey, one of self discovery, one of a person’s place in the world, one of what true honor means.

Well, that sounds all nice and wonderful, but when we get to the closing arc, where a Lizard Wizard is keen on wresting the Destruct Code (which looks like a Magic-8 Ball) from them, we reach the stunning climax and……run out of gas. I mean, the show literally and actually comes to a dead halt and that’s it. Perhaps it was a situation where they felt that they couldn’t string it out for 26 episodes, but 13 feels more of a lop off. There is still so much unfinished business; however, that’s all you get. We’re done. Next!

On a scale of 1 to 10:

Artwork           7 (Good overall design, but the people pale to the animals)
Plot                  8 (It pulls you in, but it then falls short)
Pacing              8 (nice and steady, even with a bit of a filler show)
Effectiveness    6 (Good until the betrayal at the end)
Conclusion       4 (I am angry at a cheap out close-out)
Fan Service      4 (A similar show would “Gurren Lagaan” ”)

Overall            7 (A lot of work for nothing)

And remember, it’s first run until you see it. Care for some stewed sand jellyfish, kuma?