Allison to Lillia - Episode 1

Rather confusingly Allison to Lillia is in most senses two anime series rather than one, with its twenty-six episode run actually covering two different novels.

The first half of Allison to Lillia devotes itself to Allison, introducing us to a world of two frequently warring factions split by one massive river, one side (Roxche) for whom Allison is a pilot in the air force. The opening episode begins with Allison dropping in on an old friend of hers, Wil, and after much of the first half of the episode is spent showing gentle reminiscences and catching up between the two, the closing segment cranks up the action somewhat, setting the scene for everything that is to follow for this pair.

For some reason, I just couldn't find myself immersed in the world offered up by Allison to Lillia here, it just all seems very bland. Even when the pace of this episode moved up a gear, the show had more of an old-fashioned and dare I say goody-goody Tintin-esque feel to it, rather than the perhaps more realistic and gritty depictions that suit me. I'll probably persevere with the series for the time being to see where it heads, but I get the distinct feeling it's going to be a little too 'old-fashioned' in its outlook for me.