Epithet Erased (Season 1)

Epithet Erased is a webseries created by Brendan Blader (aka JelloApocalypse) based on a tabletop RPG adventure. It boasts very limited animation, but its writing managed to win me over incredibly quickly.

Epithet Erased takes place in a world where a select number of people have these attributes called Epithet. Each epithet is a word, and the word can be utilized in a myriad of ways. For example, if your Epithet is "dumb", you can dumb down the noise around you, or dumb down any sort of pain you might experience. This is an incredibly unique and easy-to-understand magic system, and it's awesome that the show manages to derive a lot of cool abilities and comedic moments from a single word. The main storyline revolves around the Arsene Amulet which has the ability to remove someone's epithet. Each arc features a different lineup of characters (though the show all takes place in the same world) as they fight for the amulet. 

Season 1 of Epithet Erased contains two arcs, both of which are great. The first arc, the Museum arc, is about a kid named Molly who actually gets locked in a museum at night during an attempted robbery. The second arc, the Western arc, is about a police offer named Percy who tries to stop a bounty hunter going after the amulet. Personally, I prefer the Museum arc as I really like the cast of characters in it, Molly is adorable, Giovanni's ego is a ton of fun to watch, Indus is hilarious, and Mera is a great villain. However, even the Western arc has some entertaining moments, and Percy is a really funny protagonist. While the world-building and characters are great, though, Epithet Erased's greatest strength is in the writing. Every single episode of this show is sharp, witty, and endlessly quotable (examples include "real ass goddamn sword", "I'm evil on a budget", "He's consumed the debauchery!", "forklifts have no honor", and "You have officially been promoted to boy!"). The comedy is fast and relentless, yet it manages to land nearly every single time. It's easily one of the funniest and most well-written webseries I've ever had the pleasure of watching, and the consistency just makes it even more impressive.

The first thing you might notice when watching Epithet Erased is that it's not fully animated, rather it looks like a bunch of pieces moving on a game board. I wouldn't be surprised if this put you off the show, but I think it's a lot more well-done than people give it credit for. Epithet Erased is based off of a tabletop RPG and the characters narrate their movements as if they're playing a game, so the animation style fits perfectly. Even more, the show uses this narration and the characters' stiff movements for additional comedy that just couldn't work if it was fully animated. The art of the characters is still really well-drawn, and every arc ends on a big animated final battle that has so much more impact knowing that they're the only animated sequences in the show. While there is a part of me that does wish Epithet Erased was fully animated, I think the show does most with its limited animation style and the writing more than makes up for it. I'd also like to praise plasterbrain's background music, which is catchy, jazzy, and fits the tone of the show perfectly.

Even with only seven episodes, Epiphet Erased managed to churn out a bunch of highlights:

Bear Trap: While the pilot was funny on its own, this was the first really great episode for me, as it focuses on developing the relationship between Molly and Giovanni. Their dynamic and banter is super funny, but I really like how Giovanni slowly turns into more of a father-figure for Molly.

Reflection: Easily the best episode of the season, Reflection has some of the most quotable lines yet, it introduces Percy, it wraps up the museum arc in a neat little bow, and the big climactic fight with Mera is easily the most badass and well-animated moment in the show.

All's Well That Ends Well: The entire first half of this episode is just an extended bar fight utilizing all of the season's major players and it is hilarious. It's so chaotic and fast-paced that I just couldn't stop laughing until it was over. Not to mention some of the most unique uses of the epithet system yet.

Overall, despite its limited animation, Epithet Erased is a great webseries. It's sharp and well-written with great characters and a well-defined magic system, and I really hope that Jello can produce more seasons, this series has the potential to be a real gem.

4/5 Stars