“BHA if it was even wackier and more wholesome” an Epithet Erased Review
Written by Noswald95 20/11/2020
(The Writer is aware that they are writhing this way after the series’s release date and what the writer calls the ‘hyped up’ period in which large quantities of fans and watchers will gush about how great/bad a show is by frequently posting thoughts and meme material on social media within a week’s time after the show has been aired.)
(The Writer is writing this in an attempt to polish their writing skills and hopefully have something to add to their skill portfolio, and now for the review proper)
Epithet Erased is a 7-episode animated Indie show from the whimsical mind of Brendan Blader who has an online presence on Youtube through his Channel Jelloapocaylpse, where he uploads an assortment of animations and animated critiques about various cartoons and anime. But that’s not really important right now.
Epithet Erased stands out from the rest of the animated Indie darlings by being unique in it’s animation style… which is to say it uses less animation. Indeed,with the exception of the shows opening and a handful of scenes in the shows runtime (courtesy of the fine animators from powerhouse studios), Most of show’s format resembles a visual novel or dating sim.
Most surprisingly, this format works very well, and it’s complemented by it’s cast, story and characters that all combines together into something that is truly worth a piece of your time.
The World of Epithet Erased takes place in a world much like our own except that a portion of the world’s population are born with superpowers known as Epithets. (Think My Hero Academia without the focus of institutionalized heroism).
Molly Blyndeff, our initially unwilling protagonist of the show has fallen asleep inside a museum and wakes up to find herself involved in heist of dastardly proportions full of danger, mystery, and heart to heart sewing circles.
Writing wise, the story of Epithet Erased strikes a fine line between wacky and interesting by presenting a great story that would honestly feel right at home with any cartoon television network.
It’s also full of the sort of tongue and cheek humor that tickles that funny bones of millenials who have a refined taste for smart jokes and existential nihilism. Jokes that would not have hit as hard if not for the delivery made by the show’s characters.
Like a box of crayons, the shows cast are a colour bunch characters each with their own charming personality which brought to life by show’s great voice talents. From Molly’s timid yet adorable personality played by seasoned anime dubber Dani Chambers to the unrelentingly loyal and often times dumb muscle that is Indus Tarabella played seasoned non-anime dubber Anthony Sardinha.
Back to the presentation format, as mentioned before, the show uses a visual novel sort of look (minus the text bubbles, but you can turn on the captions for funny lines of narration). Characters are limited to full body sprites that have a set amount of expressions that change depending on what character is saying.
For movement, character “move” their sprite forms from one place to the next or they’re reduced to small portraits on a map when conveying large distances. No fancy shot angles here, no siree.
The latter might sound more like something out of a tabletop game rpg and you’d be right. Blader has admitted that the idea for Epithet Erased came from a modified Dungeons and Dragons that he ran with friends.
The music of Epithet Erased is nothing to scoff at either. True it does not have access to an entire orchestra at their disposal like a certain absorbent yellow sea creature. But what the show does have in the music department is rather catchy to the ear. Such as the various character’s theme music and the show’s outro: “We’re great at crime.”.
In conclusion and if you mind my repeating myself, Epithet Erased is an unconventional animated show that’s a clearly a labour of love what with it’s stellar cast, delightful music and wonderful writing that leaves the audience wanting for more.
Although the show does not a have a definitive release date, or even a production date for that matter for season 2. Blader has a patreon account that fans could contribute to support him and his hopes of getting enough funds for another season.