Review: To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts (2019)

To the Abandoned Sacred Beasts (2019) was a Japanese dark fantasy anime with 12 episodes. The plot took place in an alternate timeline. The society is loosely based on the American Civil War (1861-1865).

During a protacted civil war that pitted the North against the South on the continent of Patria, the outnumbered Northerners used dark magic to create half-human, half-monster super-soldiers called Incarnates. These Sacred Beasts could transform into mythical beasts and quickly dismantle battlefields. As the war raged on, the Incarnates encountered a problem involving the beasts inside that the scientists were unable to rectify. When the war ended and a peace treaty was negotiated, the Incarnates were supposed to be destroyed. But an officer named Cain betrayed his superiors and fled with the surviving Incarnates across the continent. Aware of the horrors they faced during the war, former captain of the Incarnates Hank Henriette becomes a Beast Hunter. His mission is to exterminate the Incarnates who have succumbed to the issues they experienced on the battlefields. He is assisted by a young woman named Nancy Schaal Bancroft, the daughter of a former Incarnate soldier, who blames him for killing her father. But once she travels with Hank, she discovers hard truths about the lives of these Sacred Beasts.

I was fascinated with this series because it uses creative license to mix drama, fantasy, and tragedy from the protagonist's point of view. Usually, I avoid dark fantasy anime (Devil's Line is the rare exception; see my review on that vampire anime show), but the decision to use the American Civil War as the story arc was too intriguing to pass up. The characters are even dressed up as nineteenth-century Americans. The plot also incorporated beasts from ancient (e.g. Greco-Roman) and medieval mythology. While the episodes followed a predictable monster of the week format, it was fun to guess which mythological monster was on display. I hope there will be a second season so that fans can see how Hank and Schaal defeat the evil Cain (even his name is a giveaway that he will be the enemy). Once all the Incarnates are defeated, what will happen to Hank? An English dubbed adaptation is also available. I highly recommend the series.