Is The Beginning After the End anime worth watching?

The Beginning After the End has been the most controversial anime adaptation in recent history. With constant criticisms about the series by the fandom as well as petitions demanding its cancellation, it may be overbearing for many hoping to start the anime.

Due to the widespread outcry, neutral anime watchers may be struggling to gain a clear understanding of the series’ strengths and weaknesses when deciding whether it is worth watching. The Beginning After the End anime is a mediocre adaptation when compared to the comic and the novel. However, it is far from indigestible and can still be enjoyed by those unfamiliar with the source material.

Created by TurtleMe, The Beginning After the End is an isekai tale following a king who is reincarnated in a magic world. Named Arthur Leywin, the protagonist, who had lived an unsatisfying former life, suddenly gets thrown into bright surroundings and a loving household.

Wishing to make the most of his second opportunity, Arthur experiences the joys of childhood while training his swordsmanship and magic. However, there is darkness hidden even in the happiest of places. Arthur discovers this soon as he faces powerful foes who threaten his loved ones, forcing him to mature and evolve.

The Beginning After the End’s original source material is a web novel that came out in 2017 and is still ongoing. Following this, the comic began serialization on Tapas in 2018 and drastically heightened the popularity of the story. Fans were utterly fascinated by the series’ expansive world, complex protagonist, and intense fights.

Given the continuously rising stakes and intensity, the source and comic only keep drawing in more readers. Unfortunately, the biggest stumbling block of the series has come in an unlikely form. This is the anime adaptation by Studio A-Cat. Right from the early visuals, the fandom did not hold back on stating their concerns over the adaptation and the studio’s track record.

Nevertheless, they still held some hope for the final product, which began airing on April 2, 2025, in the spring 2025 anime season. Regretfully, now that three episodes have come out, the tensions are at their highest among viewers.

The major issue with The Beginning After the End anime is its sub-par visuals. The animation is very wonky, the fights have little fluidity, and the character designs are not faithful to the source. Additionally, beloved characters like Sylvia are made using unimpressive CGI. Due to this, it is understandable why viewers are unhappy with the series.

Through a Reddit post, the creator TurtleMe himself expressed the various moving parts involved in the anime industry and how hard it is to keep control over all of them during production.

For a novel that is compared to Mushoku Tensei and a comic that is compared to Solo Leveling, The Beginning After the End seems to have been the only victim of a poor adaptation among all its peers. At the same time, this does not make it completely unwatchable.

Why newcomers can try The Beginning After the End anime

While the visuals of The Beginning After the End anime may certainly look unappetizing, they are not completely bad. Rather, they resemble the mass quantity of isekai anime that are made every season.

The hatred it is receiving, especially with a score of merely 5.57 out of 10 on the MyAnimeList platform, is largely from pre-existing fans who know the potential that the series holds. They believe it deserves a higher-quality adaptation to convey its layered story and exhilarating battles.

For newcomers who haven’t read the series already, however, the anime still offers a fresh take compared to the typical overpowered isekai story. Studio A-Cat adds extra scenes depicting the protagonist’s previous life as a king—scenes that are not shown in the comic.

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This provides important context for Arthur’s motivations and is a commendable change. Additionally, the advantages of the anime medium, such as voice acting and sound effects, may also appeal to those who do not read comics or novels.

Hence, we would undoubtedly recommend reading The Beginning After the End, be it the novel or the comic, to get an understanding of the author’s original vision. At the same time, if you are an anime-only fan, then it is worth giving the show a shot. It may not be an accurate representation of the source material, but it will still be enjoyable enough if experienced on its own.

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