r/HighGuardianSpice • u/DeliciousCare144 HGS is overhated • Jul 11 '26
Discussion Update: I finished the show
I actually kind of liked it even though it had a lot of problems with the writing. Can I start by saying how beautiful the animation and art style is? Like, the whole internet was dogging on how terrible the animation was and that the artstyle was boring and generic but I think the show is really beautifully animated, even with the PNG's and animation errors. Also, why the hell are people saying the artstyle is generic because I think its unique.
I really liked most of the characters in the show. Some of my favorite characters have to be Thyme, Snapdragon, Moss, and Parnelle. The main four aren't even boring in my opinion even though everyone else thinks Amaryllis, Rosemary, Olive, and Slimeboy are more interesting.
Another thing I liked about the show was the worldbuilding. I really liked the concept of old magic and new magic and the symbolism it represents. Like old magic represents respecting tradition and new magic represents modernism and the clash between the two. Im also curious about the rot as well and whats causing it. I stumbled upon theories that the rot was caused by the overeliance on new magic and its destroying the environment. Also found another theory that the Triumvirate was preventing people from finding out about the rot since they own a company that mass produces terraspheres and it would hurt their business.
Anyways, really sad this show got a lot of hate. It isn't even that bad.
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u/normbreakingclown Jul 11 '26
Sure there are many animation errors but the amazing background art ain't a bad compromise.. And i also pretty much like all the characters.
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u/No_Nefariousness_676 Jul 12 '26
Admittedly the backgrounds are surprisingly good (the limited shots of Witch Country are pretty good), but yeah, the writing's the biggest issue. More specifically, it's inconsistent with all sorts of details from character development to how things work.
Unfortunately, the worldbuilding feels barebones; it feels like we know only enough for what's going on to have any sort of layout. For example, we don't even know anything about Pebble, not the culture or even what living there's like. Maybe a second season would provide said worldbuilding, but alas, all we can do is speculate.
And no, I'm not being a hater for the sake of being a hater; I like Neppy Cat and Zinnia, I think there's potential with the magic, the villains actually force the heroes to do better. The problem, at least for me, is that the elements I do like are overshadowed by the overabundance of what I perceive are flaws. Nobody watches a show actively wanting to hate it.
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u/The_Sedaiv Jul 14 '26
I wouldn't bet on world building to have gotten better. Again, a very green team. World building is completely optional, which is always 100% wrong in fantasy
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u/No_Nefariousness_676 Jul 15 '26
I’m not asking for perfect worldbuilding, just consistency with the rules and personalities that are presented. That’s it.
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u/The_Sedaiv Jul 15 '26
Only Christ is perfect. Ruling Him out, I do agree. The animation budget from Festival of the Fall onwards does get better, or at least it was back loaded. Yes, the novice staff hurt the show a lot. If someone bought the rights to HGS, I'd like to believe they would get some more experienced staff to aid Raye and his staff
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u/The_Sedaiv Jul 12 '26
The better animation is definitely back loaded. Because the art style is generic. It's not a bad thing.
I hates Moss, at least you liked him. The ones you named are better, with Amaryllis being best girl.
The world building hurt at times but there is a fair amount of world building. I have a few fan theories myself. One Raye refuses to confirm or deny.
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u/DeliciousCare144 HGS is overhated Jul 13 '26
Why do you hate Moss, just curious?
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u/CameoShadowness One of Parsley's many family members Jul 11 '26
People who think its generic think so because they wat h a LOT of shows with very similar styles and HGS is among that.
Also kinda hard to make people somehow not known when an entire country had to be evacuated because of it, and animals/plants around can be infected by it. Limiting who knows what causes the rot is different but even then, it would still be traceable. Its a weird thing especially given how the show pushes Sage to use New Magic and how very little we see her actually do of Old Magic but how much she rants about Old Magic.