Plunderer (Season One)
A girl receives a strange orb from her mother before she’s pulled into the abyss by strange hands. Alone in the world, she follows her mother’s final words and searches for the Legendary Ace.
What did you watch?
So, I started watching this series in the Winter of 2020 and picked it because the promotional image looked cool. I also reviewed it episodically for EcchiHunter.com and that is the only reason I finished it. Beforehand, I had no idea it would be a twenty-four episode season. I really wish they would get better at announcing that from the beginning. Anyhow, I started it and was reviewing it, so I had to finish it. There will be spoilers and probably a lot of ranting. You have been warned.
What happened?
So, Hina had been given the orb by her mother is tragic and terrifying circumstances and spent the next however many years searching for the Legendary Ace. After an odd encounter with a man in a mask, she met another man claiming to be a Legendary Ace. He was from the military and asked Hina to come with him. At this stage, it’s worth noting that everyone has a count that determines their strengths and ranking. It’s different for everyone and changes based on certain criteria. Hina’s was based on walking and it was pretty high. The main claiming to be Legendary Ace wasn’t and was just trying to get lucky with Hina. After he challenged her to a battle, which she of course lost, her count was transferred to him.
The lecherous masked pervert that Hina met earlier arrived and demanded he gives Hina her count back and then challenged him to a battle. He, however, was the real Legendary Ace and made quick work of the imposter. Following that, he stole the orb from Hina and left. At that point, his count dropped to minus nine-hundred and ninety-nine. This is the point where I should tell you that when your count reaches zero, you get dragged into the abyss… but not Licht Bach, the Legendary Ace and very few people seem to spot that. Anyhow, that’s how it all began…
What did you think?
This is honestly one of the worst and most infuriating seasons of anime that I’ve ever watched. To make matters worse, it went on for twenty-four episodes whereas at twelve, I think I would have been just annoyed. The pacing is horrible and anything worthwhile happens in the blink of an eye while they will happily spend an entire episode on a cook-off to decide who should be with Licht, the guy that forcibly tried to grope them and open their legs to look at their panties. Sure, but it’s ecchi… Is something you might say at this point. Only, that’s not true. Ecchi may be rude and often a little invasive, but it’s not sexual assault. That makes it that much harder when the girls start falling for Licht and justifying his actions.
Oh, but that’s not all. The story was a complete mess and was mostly delivered through lots and lots of exposition. Everyone would be talking, talking, talking. There was also very little in the way of logic or reasoning. The counts didn’t really mean anything in the end as one character with a count of one was able to beat an ace because he had more conviction. There were so many inconsistencies and bizarre things happening that it was impossible to enjoy the series, which I will admit had some interesting ideas. Just the execution of those ideas was deeply flawed.
What was your favourite moment?
This is a tough one, but I’m going to select an ecchi moment. So, Licht is a pervert and always has been. At one point in the series, the main cast is sent back in time to stop the future from happening, but because they’re a part of that future, they ultimately decide to do nothing. We see Licht trying to peep on the girls in the bath and they decide to set a trap for him by switching the signs to the men’s and ladies’ bathrooms. They catch him and give him a beating. However, poor Jail is busy reading his book when he goes for his bath and without realising walks into the ladies’ bathroom, because of the sign. He makes it all the way to the bath before realising his mistake. It was a classic ecchi set up and probably the only one that I felt worked.
What was your least favourite moment?
There was an early episode where Lynn and Pele met Licht, only he was disguised as a pudding… Then, Lynn saw his count, remember it’s a negative number that shouldn’t be possible, and takes pity on him and agrees to go on a date… with a guy dressed as a pudding. After a couple of random date type things, Licht decides to engage in some light groping…
But, wait that’s not all. In the past, Licht is the central figure around a decision for the new recruits to form an army that doesn’t kill. A fancy idea that is totally unrealistic in the current situation. This is made even dumber by the fact that they are being attacked by another army whose only purpose appears to be to push Licht into killing and thereby breaking his promise. They have no agency and it makes no sense for them to push him like that.
Who was your favourite character?
I’m going to say Lynn and not just because we share a name. She was the most interesting of the characters, however, she did fall for Licht which I’m putting down to something akin to Stokholm Syndrome. On top of that, there was a regular joke (an unfunny one) about Lynn’s weight. It got old incredibly quickly and for that reason alone, I think she deserves more.
Who was your least favourite character?
Licht Bach is the worst protagonist ever. He basically sexually assaults every female character he meets, spends all his other time moping around like some sort of emo teenager, and has no drive of his own. His idea to create an army that doesn’t kill was wishful, but then to decide to kill everyone so that his friends never had to was absurd. When the plot isn’t just giving everyone the solutions, the characters seem to do it by changing their minds all the time. Everyone is hiding their true power levels and even then, they don’t really matter unless you have convictions.
Would you like some more?
Absolutely not! My convictions can only go so far. I sat through twenty-four episodes of this trash and I shall not be wasting another moment on it. I’m sure there are people out there that have enjoyed it and all the power to them, but for me, it made no sense. I understood what was happening, but couldn’t fathom the reasoning behind it. There were so many things that just ruined the experience and it’s even more frustrating because I think there are some good ideas in there, but they never got the chance to step up, probably afraid that Licht would molest them.
What have you learnt?
I have learnt a lot from Plunderer and it mostly falls into the what not to do category. However, since finishing the series I have purged all of it from my mind and there’s no way I’m going to rewatch it. The main thing I will say is that if you introduce a story about people with counts and that impacts how strong they are, you should probably stick with that idea. You’ve set up a premise and the audience has bought into that, so if you break the premise, you will lose a lot of good faith from them. If you are going to change things, make sure it makes sense within the context of the story. Small details can ground an outlandish idea and make it acceptable.
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Dude, I dropped this after like one episode. The fact that you stuck with it is amazing.
Godspeed.
This is a situation where my stubbornness did me wrong. I wish I had dropped it after one episode and I had no idea it was going to be 24 episodes long…
It’s quite possibly the worst series I’ve ever seen.
Omg, is this your Shinmai?
Shinmai to the power of Chivalry of a Failed Knight.
With the ending of Domestic Girlfriend for good measure.
[…] less than impressive series that I would then be forced to continue… I’m looking at you Plunderer, Gibiate, and Shironeko. Nothing saps your energy more than feeling like you’re being forced […]
I’m just glad it didn’t get another season renewal because the manga later arcs went off the rails with so much clichéd nonsensical reveals just like how this anime adaptation did. It’s ashamed that an interesting premise has turned into a trainwreck due to “many good ingredients can become a nasty dish without proper preparation” type of writing. I too must take heed of this precaution while writing my ongoing series’ later arcs.
There’s often more to learn from a poorly executed story as it’s easier to see why it didn’t work. This series had an interesting idea but then gave up on it to focus on Licht being a pervert and a series of convoluted twists.