Saga of Tanya the Evil (2017– ) User Reviews

strategy in war and competent protagonist, it's rare these days

[staferxz · 9/10 · 30 April 2017]

I had a blast with this series. And that's because this is an example of genre "stuck in another world" done right. No gamer/comic reader/underachieving student/dreamer/unemployed/etc. as main character who would pander to us audience. Yeah, I'm boring guy who watches anime, I don't need such uninteresting character to go on adventure where he usually just gains harem of various anime girls and then saves the world to show how awesome he was all along.

Main protagonist of this anime is heartless businessman who doesn't care about other human beings and his only goal is climbing corporate ladder to the top. Almost sounds like antagonist, right? He is punished for his lack of faith to absolute bottom. Stuck as poor orphan girl in a world on brink of world war.

And it's endearing to watch this essence of "I'm not locked in here with you, you are locked in here with me" in a form of small girl. Tanya as a character is main asset of this show. Her main goal is to get to the top and safety far away from frontlines in a world that is specifically design for her not to get it. She is perfect mix of defiance and frustration slowly boiling as she faces unending hurdles in her way.

In animation department it has some really nice air battles. Everything else is pretty much good standard. With one exception. Faces of Tanya and second female in her unit. Tanya is drawn differently from rest of anime and so it was kind of unsettling in first episode. I guess it was intended as contrast for her being partly psychopath. But I got used to it rather quickly since she has whole palette of facial expressions which were just fun to watch. Second female looks just weird. And even after whole series, she looks weird. It just doesn't fit the style for me.

If we talk about sound. Guns, explosions, battles just sound engaging.

In summary, this anime is worth a watch. If you don't have a problem with the fact that main character isn't good person.

Ok. She's quite evil.

[TheGreatGreenBadger · 7/10 · 17 September 2020]

Tanya's got guts to do this stuff... Anyway, I really enjoyed this Isekai and Military anime. It really was a blast! It's probably the first dark anime of this kind, and honestly, I have to say, I'm impressed! Definitely worth watching!

Great anime, well made with a compelling plot

[mayank09876 · 9/10 · 3 July 2019]

I really enjoyed the anime, the plot and the characters are fun. The main protagonist is unique in her characteristics, a salary-man reincarnated into a female child soldier. She is one with a dark heart and in being a villain comes naturally to her. The setting is a world similar to our Earth only with magic present and during WW1. The anime got tons of super action, military strategy and laughs.

The animation itself is real good, top of production quality and the sound voice over and effects are equally good.

Really looking forward to the next season/movie.

Is Tanya Really Evil?

[watch-91239 · 9/10 · 9 July 2020]

Many years ago, I read a book called "People of the Lie". This book examines evil in its different form. Relevant to this discussion is the notion of institutionalized evil. What if the organization, in this case, the military is evil, and you are just dutifully following orders? Are you evil?

If you examine the deeds of Tanya in the TV series, she has pretty much done everything in accordance to regulation, at the same time trying to look out for number one. She is no different from many if not most of my coworkers in a big corporation. In some sense, she seems to show some genuine concerns for the welfare of her command. This is not really expected of her. The expectation is that she only need to feign concern. My feeling is that Tanya is not really evil, she is just a bureaucrat.

The TV anime has great sound effects. The artillery and aerial battles are accompanied by earth shaking acoustics.

The songs were amazing. I can listen to Jingo in the Jungle repeatedly.

I greatly recommend that you give this anime series a try.

This is a lot of fun and a must watch.

[peterfmodel · 10/10 · 12 August 2019]

While the first episode may make you think this is going to be another shallow Japanese adventure story featuring a lolly, by the end of the 2nd episode you are confronted by its actual depth. The name is misleading, as the Japanese name is "The Military Chronicles of a Little Girl" and boy is it's a roller coaster Chronicle. This is not a simple story, its very complex and the war that Tanya is involved in is only secondary to the real conflict, between Tanya and being X. Tanya may be talented, but against being X she is puny, yet her spirit and drive to survive is breathtaking. Her acts of heroism brought a tear to my eye in one episode, yet she is not perfect and a real SOB. This is a complex and rich story and a massive fun ride.

Is God Good?

[gacsogergely · 7/10 · 2 February 2019]

The question is not wether Tanya is Evil. Well, in a sense it is, as despite in the later part it more turns into an action/war anime than the original existential premise, in its core the purpose is the confront religion, and the actual existence of a god, with an atheist. The show mostly do a good balance between the two point of view, although in certain episodes they loose this for the favour of this or that.

A problem can be that the series relies on knowledge of wildspread arguments between religious and atheist speakers. To start with, Tanya IS evil BECAUSE she/he (watch episode 2 to see) does not have faith, according to the religious argument. Or if Tanya has faith, it is distorted, thus is the worshipper of Satan. It is a misguided argument full of prejudice, but that's the actual use of the word in religious circles.

Now Tanya is obsessed with "the end justifies the end", and is pretty selfish, though that selfishness is directed to living in peace, while Being X, aka. God is The Lord of Hosts from the Bible, and pushes the whole world in a world war in the hope of being worshipped. So while this Being X is(?) the creator, also looks a bit incompetent, lacking understanding of its own creation.

The biggest flaw of the show is, it reaches nowhere. There's no resolution for Tanya, no dealing with Being X, no dealing with faith. The whole thing simply deteriorates into oblivion. And throwing in at the end a LITERALY called Mary Sue? What was that for? Well, you could argue, that Tanya is actualy Satan in God's hand as tool to cause humanity to believe... But that's preaching, as has nothing to do with Tanya itself. Who you know, the audience should be cared for, being the POV-character and all.

Saga of Tanya the Evil - A little girl to spite god creates the best historical military anime ever

[gamekingchris · 10/10 · 10 March 2021]

"In a world with advanced Science where one's needs are met, there will be no faith". The existence of god and faith in our creator, or the lack of, is the underlying foundation of the anime. Tanya Degurechaff fundamentally rejects the idea of god, originally living as a salaryman in 2013, who is a rationalist, putting rules and personal prosperity over morals and empathy, was killed by a man who he had laid of. Just before he would die, time was stopped and he was confronted by god, or as Tanya would call him Being X. Being X decided, that because of the statement he made during the encounter (The quote at the beginning), that by putting him in a world, that is engulfed by the flames of war, where a peaceful life seems impossible, he would start believing. And so he was reincarnated as a little girl called Tanya von Degurechaff, abandoned by her mother and growing up in an orphanage, without any options to live a peaceful life. The world she was placed in, is an alternate version of early 1900's europe, just in the time before the great war would break out, where some people are able to use magic. Tanya had no options other than going to the military, there it was determined, that she had a high magic aptitude, and so Tanya would join the military at the young age of 9 years old. Tanya is very intelligent and is a good schemer, that's efficient at what she was doing and was ruthless in achieving her goals, so it was easy for her to climb the ranks all the way to second Lieutenant, as well as attaining the silver wings medal. But soon she had her first encounter with Being X in this new world. He made it so in order to fight, she would be forced to pray, allowing her to receive great power from the experimental computation jewel, that was blessed by Being X. That way Being X hoped, she would eventually start believing. After that Tanya transferred to the Rhine front, a brutal front, where like WW1, people would be consumed as resources. There she would receive the title of "The Devil of the Rhine". The first episode immediately jumps into a scene, where Tanya is fighting at the Rhine front. This is to serve for world building as well as a character exposition, the best one i have seen in my life. Tanya's powers are put on display right of the bat, where we see her absolutely destroying an enemy company of mages. Here we can also see the horrible and brutal conditions on the Rhine front. The second episode meanwhile serves to give us the backstory of her life as a salaryman, as well as introducing her twisted and ruthless personality. Out of any anime i've watched, this has to be the best introduction of the protagonist. It gives us an amazing understanding of her abilities and personality, on top of that we are given a great introduction into this new world, as well as the reason for her reincarnation into it. Tanya's character is of course the definition of gap moe, whilst looking like a sweet and innocent child, she has a personality, that even the devil would be afraid of. Over the entirety of the series, this character is built up on, there never are any moments, when she seems out of character, it's incredibly well executed. Aside from the characters, this is one, if not the best, military anime i've seen. The level of realism in command structure and engagements, as well as the amazing job they've done, capturing the madness of war, is exceptional. As a person, who loves military anime, this is an amazing experience. There are so many anime, where the logic just doesn't make sense, this is especially bad with military anime, but in here, none of that is the case. The story is so well executed it's scary, pretty much all logic used by Tanya and strategic HQ, makes sense. The way characters act is pretty much life like. And if that isn't enough, the visuals of this anime are stunning, they really make the story immersive. The soundtrack is also used perfectly to add on the atmosphere of the show, it gives you chills whenever major is happening. Saga of Tanya the evil is rightfully one of my favourite shows ever, i would never regret watching it 3 times already, and now that i wrote this review, i really want to watch it again. I can only recommend this anime, especially if you love military or historical anime, this is probably the best one you can watch.

World War One with magic

[glumski · 7/10 · 2 September 2023]

'Saga of Tanya the Evil' tells the story of Tanya Degurechaff, an orphan girl in what is very obviously Imperial Germany ("The Empire") during the onset of the First World War. However, Tanya is the reincarnation of a high-ranked business man in modern-day Tokyo, whose faithless atheism brought her/him to the attention of the god-like "Being X". In the alternate universe she has been reincarnated in, Tanya has the ability to use the magical technology the Empire uses to help fight the War. She tries to survive the War and reject Being X, who tries to force her into accepting him as her God.

The spiritual backstory is only used for the premise and to, at times, advance the plot; the main focus of the series is clearly Tanya's role as a military commander. The military side of the anime is indeed very well developed; especially in the later episodes, the strategic considerations of the writers are thoughtfully developed. This is the greatest strength of 'Saga of Tanya the Evil'.

Personally, I found the protagonist difficult to like, however. Usually I'm very much in favour of the more rational and pragmatic characters, yet Tanya has few redeeming qualities, often committing atrocities that are not considered war crimes only because of loopholes in international law. Her fight against 'Being X' may be interesting, but it is pretty much only achievable through subjugating the entire world under Imperial (German) rule. And, well, I find it pretty difficult to root for that.

The other characters are barely worth mentioning. There are a few Generals that feature recurrently, but the characters immediately surrounding Tanya are so thinly characterised that I can't remember the name of even a single one.

She show does a reasonably good job of showcasing the horrors of the First World War without turning it into a moralising and joyless slog (though, honestly, I'm not all that comfortable with how WW1 is glorified at times).

While I'm not a friend of the art style (I believe the developers tried to make their characters look European?), the animations are very well done. Aerial battles are especially gorgeous to look at, and clouds often have that "Renaissance painting" style to them. Similarly, the overall production is well-made, and the (English) voice acting is pretty good.

Nevertheless, personally I liked neither the characters nor the overall story, but I have to admit that I'm not much of a friend of the genre. If you do like media featuring the First World War (or warfare in general) and don't mind the addition of magical technology, you'll probably enjoy the series much more than I did.

What I found quite funny is that the series gives the disclaimer that all characters, places, etc. Are fictional and no parallels to existing places are intended, and then show you a map of what is clearly Europe with a (German) Empire, a (French) Republic, a (British) Kingdom, and a (Russian) Federation. And the capitals of those places are, for example, Berun, Parisee, and Londinium. And there even is a U. S. Army. All perfectly fictional, of course.

A logical human

[sadras-98211 · 10/10 · 1 December 2018]

You know I don't get the evil part at all. OK. She is not a friendly or warm_heart fellow but still, evil? She always try to find logical solutions and most of the time try to find a more peaceful solution. we see she even propose surrender to her enemy several times. she even trained her forces with best way. damn i can say she even care for her subordinates. Yes, for sure she don't believe in god and she is not one of those guys who sacrifice herself for other people. but still, why she is evil?

War in the magic '20es

[lupusferus · 9/10 · 7 July 2019]

This is one of the few cases where an anime adaptation surpasses the manga. The manga is a mess of aesthetics, mostly from the 40es in an alternative 1920es setting. The anime is much more coherent.

The main character is actually interesting in his thoughts and actions and the whole story is about a challenge to God where every success of the MC either brings greater challenges or forces God to intervene to up the game.

Worthy of note is also the expressivity of the MC, wether it is coherent with his feelings or he's putting on a face to achieve his goals.

High hopes for Tanya to be a great ultimate villain like Light and Lelouch but nope...

[Irishchatter · 3/10 · 12 May 2019]

I would have expected more from Tanya because her character is meant to be evil but instead rather an boring antihero which I felt didn't fit her character well in my personal opinion. I honestly had high hopes for the character because I really loved Death Note and Code Geass which had badass villains. Tanya is more of a Tinkerbell version with just a soldier uniform and having crazy outbursts. Other then those things, I felt there was nothing else there to get me liking the character a lot!

I know my opinion may involve a lotta rolling eyes but I really did want to like the anime especially watching 3 episodes of it! However I think the 3 eps is enough, I am disappointed...

Very good

[enricoshapka · 9/10 · 28 January 2021]

Very hard to get into, but very good anime. It's based on world war which is one of the topics I find to be most boring, but somehow this make it look interesting. Musics are dope and Tanya is cool.

Bad ass anime similar to overlord MC

[akarunkumar-48613 · 9/10 · 23 August 2021]

This MC is evil. More evil than the overlord MC. It's interesting to watch. Usually we wish the antagonist to die, but here we wait to see the end of the MC. 😈

The hilariously chaotic Tanya von Degurechaff delivers a nonstop barrage of bullets and action with her strong and unyielding personality to a being who she refuses to bow to.

[CasuallViewer · 8/10 · 31 December 2020]

Saga of Tanya the Evil takes something silly and absurd and makes it work. And though the use of absurd ideas is nothing new in anime, the protagonist Tanya von Degurechaff makes this show much more lovable with her twisted personality, albeit one grounded in logic and reality adapted from her previous life, only amplified this time.

Well-thought-out and creative mixture of some humor and subtle antiwar sentiments in its plot. This makes it all the more interesting with the chosen inspiration for the nation and protagonist from whose POV we see the war unfold. The supporting characters add value and conflict to warfare and combat tactics applied in the series. Seeing different mindsets and ideologies collide enhance the realities of war and the unforgiving physical and psychological toll it causes on civilians and the military personnel in combat. The magical aspect also adds another layer to the conflict, one that does not take time to explain and blends very well with the story.

Saga of Tanya the Evil is definitely worth a watch and is one of the stand-out anime series from the isekai sub-genre that has a lot of energy, personality, and madness to its name.

the best ever

[mnglika · 10/10 · 10 June 2021]

You need to watch this anime. One of the best anime i saw to far.

Dark and supremely enjoyable

[dameon_green · 9/10 · 11 March 2020]

Between a unique twist on the "rebirth in a new world" trope and a dark and devious main character who refuses to surrender to the god(s) it is a must watch.

I was interested until episode 6 then I realized that this show is just boring

[juliendussault · 3/10 · 28 April 2020]

I get it. Tanya is supposed to be like many people who have had the hardships in their lives, are rational thinking people and can't understand the concept of God and faith in said being. What makes it so interesting is that somebody gets a second chance in life to do better and to not live by the rules and actually live life instead of being rational all the time, and non-believing, but man does that get boring as the show goes on.

I've just hit episode 6 and finished it and honestly I'm not going to watch anymore. It's been the same format every single episode, with no real character Arc and no real interesting story being written. We get it, it's called Saga of Tanya the evil Antonia is evil, but at the same time as she is wholly human and the story is nothing new. It's just following history and trying to insert atheist ideals into your mind to make it seem like you're smart for not believing in a higher power, and that higher power can just be faith in yourself if you want it to be. Tanya is weak and so is her supposed Saga.

I wouldn't recommend this series because it is boring, the story has been told before and with this new retelling there's nothing new or interesting about it. This show is like a french fry that looks crisp on the outside, but once you bite into it and hold it up, it's just a soggy undercooked mess and not worth anybody's time.

As a final note the ending and beginning themes are amazing and how annoying and horrible they truly are.

I would like to watch a season 2

[jonasfontesgarcia · 10/10 · 15 March 2021]

This is the best war anime that I saw and I wait a season 2 soon

best in gener and then some

[justin-36277 · 10/10 · 21 November 2020]

It's a show that people can have a base understanding.of the context , the time period the situation, the main characters conflict and contradictions make her interesting, the art and voice work are top quality, a great question to ask is what is there not to like about the show

It's Great

[bdnahian · 9/10 · 5 June 2021]

This anime is great. I really enjoyed it. It's about a guy who got reincarnated as a girl in another world for the lack of faith in god. So,God punished her by sending her in a world of dire situation so that her faith can grow. I liked it because the story is unique. Although I expected something more given the reputation of this anime. But all that aside it's great. You should give it a go. You Won't regret.

I want you to imagine Izetta: The Last Witch and up the violence while toning down how memorable some of the supporting characters are.

[Amari-Sali · 8/10 · 2 March 2017]

Trigger Warning(s):

Beheading

The Introduction

The Imperial Empire is at war with the republic. At the point we're introduced to this world, the Imperial Empire is on the defensive and surrounded on all sides by what appears to be a Nazi-like government. One which, as does the Empire, uses mages, as well as normal guns and mortars, in order to defeat their enemies. However, while the empire is on the defense, they have among their ranks Lt. Tanya Degurechaff. This person, who appeared a mere two months before we meet her, looks no older than 10, is a girl, and yet has gained quite a fearsome reputation. Something that you'd think is because of her leadership qualities but is really thanks to her power and what's she'll allow to happen if you disobey her. Leaving her childlike disposition to be a falsehood for there is a Lucifer- like demon behind the façade.

Highlights

It's What I Wanted Izetta To Be and So Much More

Like Izetta, the world of Youjo Senki takes place in fictionalized version of Europe which seems to borrow from the history of the World Wars. Also like Izetta, magic plays a role in the battles and the ability of one side to dominate another. That is where the comparisons end, however.

In Izetta, our heroine was originally given some sense of guilt over killing which is completely absent in Tanya. With that, we are given the opposite in a way. We witness a character with blood lust whose ambition to rise in the ranks, defend their homeland, is done by any means necessary. Perhaps even if it means some form of friendly fire. Though what really pushes Youjo Senki is the violence. While we only see one trigger-worthy act, at the same time, even if the weight of war isn't necessarily seen in the characters, you feel it as you are reminded of the atrocity which is war.

On The Fence

So Many Names, But Hardly Any Are Attached To Memorable Characters

We are introduced to more than a dozen characters and only two really stick out. Our lead Tanya and this young woman named Viktoriya. The rest have no real distinguishing looks or personalities. To the point, the only reason you don't get confused by which side of the war they are on is thanks to the different colors of their uniforms.

Which is a bit worrisome to me since, as of episode one, Tanya's insanity and unforgiving nature is the sole thing to latch onto. There isn't an established story, villains, or even really heroes to grab hold of. Heck, even in terms of why this war is happening, that isn't established in episode one. It is pretty much built around establishing Tanya and showing the duality of her personality. On one side she seems like an extraordinary prodigy. A young girl who has worked her way up the ranks and desires to climb higher. Yet, at the same time, this desire for rank and power drives her to insane feats. Also, it makes it so she can be callous when disobeyed and almost take pleasure in those who disobey being punished.

Making it so while Tanya may snag you, the world and characters she is amongst seems almost lifeless in comparison.

Overall: Mixed (Stick Around)

While I will certainly review episode 2, I do feel this show has to do more than provide name, rank, and title to characters and actually give them tangible personalities. For while Tanya is interesting, her character doesn't have that oomph to carry this show. The world needs more building as do the characters in it. Otherwise, this show may seem good for the first few episodes, but once you get used to Tanya it will lose all its luster.

God is involved

[Sh31kh_H0kv5 · 9/10 · 29 January 2023]

I look down on soldiers are their faith for the country they fight for, family people beloved by one's who risk the life given only to be taken by uncertainty i say let them come, playing with guns is like wishing for battle with the odds against you only a pro can tell the difference, in this case it was her, despite fiction this is a book visualized by the screens and orators that brought u deep inside the game feel of how delicate the basics of war is, i highly recommend this to the ones who has high rigid hopes for the zone of fifty fifty as a gambler life is my game but here the wager is everything you've got this i learned from this anime LONG LIVE ANIME.

Better than overrated Code Geass in many ways.

[yellowfellows7 · 10/10 · 6 October 2023]

Underrated Isekai ahead of it's time before the isekai boom. Only thing this has in common with Code Geass is the military theme and that's all. Unlike the naive and incompetent characters of Code Geass including Lelouch w/ unrealistic plans that only worked because of plot armor, Tanya is just some narcissistic reborn salaryman wanting an earned leisurely life by which is realistic at it's core that we can relate to and happen for even us unlike Code Geass' cringe goal for world peace through being a naive marauder "big bad guy that the world can unite behind) despite that not being the case in real world history as we and Tanya know post WW1&2 being mentioned in her logic.

Have watched 1000 hours of Isekai since watching this in 2017 but rewatching this is always a breath of fresh air in the world of most of the time cringe isekai anime.

Epic kaboom Loli Hitler fun

[Aclib · 10/10 · 18 September 2023]

Been a Young Senki fan for years now and thought I'd give a review because why not.

I think this show targets a relatively specific audience so this might not be for you. However, if you enjoy the WW1 setting and the crazy anime ideas thrown in there you'll have a blast. The animation is some of the best you can get apart from insanely popular shows like AoT and demon slayer. And the sound design... damn prepare to have an eargasm.

Story wise it's a pretty unique comedic take on the isekai genre while introducing some actual profound concept like the battle with god that will be the main point of conflict in the entire series. I do not make youji senki out to be some incredible contemporary work of philosophy but I will say there's some good stuff in it. If you're interested in wartime morals this is for you, lots and lots of war crimes and loopholes everywhere.

As for my main point of interest which elevates this show to a 10/10 for me is the main character themselves. She's been my profile picture since 2017 because I love the warlock lunatic aspect so much. The only example I can think of that is similar to Tanya is that guy from Hellsing. While somewhat having established itself as a trope in media Tanya differs from her counter parts in that there's actual depth. It's not simply "I love war and killing", it's "I love war and killing but I want to achieve something with it". It may seem like that's not all that different but when you think about it, one concept is completely unrealistic and stupid while the other one makes more sense.

I highly suggest you give it a shot if it seems like it's for you. You won't regret it. And the manga/ LN is great also.