Hello and welcome to Project Nitsuj. When it comes to ecchi and Shonen Jump, the relationship is interesting to say the least. Shonen Jump doesn’t mind ecchi moments in their mangas but tend to draw the line when it comes to series that has ecchi has their main plot point. However, with the introduction of their app, they’ve become more lenient with their content. Case in point, Chained Solder. Written by Takahiro, the same man behind Akame ga Kill, Chained Soldier made its debut at the start of 2019 and continues on to this day. While it had an underground following in its early years, it really took off thanks to the anime which was released in 2024 and produced by Seven Arcs (Dog Days). The anime brought in a bunch of fans who enjoyed the comedy and action as well as the ecchi moments. Some even going as far as calling it the Highschool DxD of this era.
(Seras): Excuse me? This series the modern day Highschool DxD. Oh this I have to see.
(Nitsuj): Well since we got a skeptic joining the review and me on the fence, it only seems fair to have a fan perspective for this series. Anybody a fan of this series?
*There is a moment of silence before Neo appears. Blushing and hanging her head down low to cover her embarrassment*
(Seras): You perverted little girl.
(Neo): I like the artwork and character designs!
(Nitsuj): Alright, looks like we’re ready to go. This is Chained Soldier.
Opening and Ending Theme
(Seras): The opening is “Dream Thread” by Akari Kito. It’s a good song that gives off early 2000s vibes. It sets the mood for the anime by letting you know it’s going to have its serious moments but it’s still going to be fun and enjoyable to watch.
(Nitsuj): The ending is “CHA∞IN” by Maaya Uchida. Catchy, sweet, and romantic. That’s all I can say about this ending and that’s really all you need to know to enjoy it. It’s also sung by Maaya so that’s a bonus.
Episodes 1-4
(Neo): So the anime starts off on a violent note (Seras: Best note to start on). A bunch of monsters or demons are attacking a village and killing people. After this, the anime takes a bit of time before explaining what’s going on so here’s an explanation. In Japan, these strange gateways began appearing and leading into an alternate realm known as Mato which was filled with monsters called, Yomotsu Shuuki (Nitsuj: Yeah, we’re shortening it to Shuuki. (Neo): Fair enough). The only way to combat these creatures is to use Mato peaches these magical resources that grant you mythical powers (Seras: And no doubt are evil in some way). However, only women can use these powers. Because of this there was a power shift in Japan as women rose to power and men were regulated to second-class citizens who cook, clean, and sow (Nitsuj: My God, it’s an anime created by the Twitter AI). We focus on a boy named Yuuki voiced by Yūya Hirose walking home from school one day when all of a sudden he gets transferred to Mato and attacked by Shuukis (Seras: That sounds a little dirty). Just before they kill him, he gets saved by a girl with white hair riding on the back of a chained Shuuki (Seras: Well we know what she’s into. (Nitsuj): Seras, let’s not label someone until we get to know her). This is Kyoka voiced by Akari Kitō (Suzune from Classroom of the Elite) a commander of the demon defense force who has the ability to control defeated Shuukis. It’s a weak ability according to others but she makes up for it with great swordsmanship. As Kyoka and Yuuki ride away from the Shuukis they rescue another girl who got transported to Mato as well and become surrounded. In order to save themselves Kyoka decides to use her ability on Yuuki, asking him to become her slave (Nitsuj: Okay, now we can start labeling her). At first he hesitates but quickly gives in and licks her finger to seal the contract (Seras: And we know what he’s into). Yuuki then turns into a pretty well-designed beast (it’s a lot better than the Shuukis. They’re just black bodies with skeleton faces. (Nitsuj): Yeah, they remind me of No Face from Spirited Away if he was on steroids and going on a roid rage) and takes out the Shuukis all by himself. After the Shuukis are the defeated Yuuki returns to normal and Kyoka impressed with his powers wants him to continue being her slave (scene here: https://youtu.be/URogLd8MzPM?si=CfKfpqQ1ADa6V1jl. (Seras): When you find a good pet you keep them). But first, a reward. The main drawback to Kyoka’s ability is that she has to reward her slave for any task they complete no matter what. The reward can be anything they desire from a slab of meat or in Yuuki’s case, getting a deep kiss from someone he just fell in love with. Wanting to be a hero Yuuki accepts Kyoka’s proposal and gets taken to her team’s dorm where he’ll be working as their caretaker (Baron: And sex slave but that’ll be for later. *Seras summons her scythe and slices off Baron’s head* Tis. . .but a scratch).
Episode 2 sees Yuuki adjust to living with a bunch of girls. We get introduced to the rest of Kyoka’s squad. There’s Himari who can turn her arms into guns, shields and swords (Seras: Favorite power so far) and doesn’t want Yuuki to be there. Shushu a lively girl who can shrink and grow herself at will (she’ll find a way to meet your fetish) and Nei an elementary student. We mostly focus on Shushu who takes an incriminating photo of Yuuki and uses it as ransom to make him her slave (Seras: He’s already a slave, there’s no need for this). Yuuki tries to get her phone by beating her in Street Fighter 2 but fails (he even used Guile and still lost. That’s just sad). When Kyoka, Himari, and Nei head out leaving the dorm in the hands of Yuuki and Shushu a giant Shuuki attacks the place. At first, Shushu grows big and fights but underestimates her opponent and gets in trouble. Yuuki tries to help by figuring out that he can transform if he touches stuff that belongs to Kyoka (wow, he’s down bad for her). He tries her glove and undershirt but he needs something more stimulating and goes for her boots (Seras: We are learning so much about him. Stuff I don’t wish to learn). This works as he’s able to transform halfway and last long enough to save Shushu and defeating the Shuuki (he even makes Shushu fall for him).
Not much to say about episode 3. We find out that as a kid Kyoka’s village was destroyed by Shuukis (Nitsuj: Classic childhood trauma). The Shuukis were all defeated except for one that Kyoka has dubbed the Unihorn. On there next mission they run into the Unihorn who has a Shuuki on her back that can talk and is female. Her name is Aobo and after making eye contact with her, Yuuki believes that this is long lost sister who got taken away by a Mato Mishap some years ago (Seras: And she’s a brocon). After harming her, Aobo retreats with Kyoka consumed by rage wanting to pursue them but Yuuki reminds her about everyone’s safety and they retreat. Once they return members of the 6th squad arrive and they take an interest in Yuuki. We also get Yuuki’s reward (scene here: https://youtu.be/GjNqippa4p8?si=Fkx7DJ2tIe5PF_Z5).
Episode 4 focuses on Himari. With the appearance of the humanoid Shuukis, it’s been decided that squadrons will work cohesively with each other (an army divided will fall). To gauge each other’s strength, Kyoka calls for an exhibition match between her squad and the 6th which they accept. Himari, more than anyone is determined to win and beat her older sister who is in the 6th squad. We find out that Himari’s family have major accomplishments in Mato. All of her sisters became soldiers just like her and she’s considered the runt of the litter. Any time before an important event Himari would overexert herself and have to pull out resulting in her not getting any recognition and being teased by her sister, Yachiho, but now she has a chance to prove them wrong. Yuuki gets forced to be Himari’s slave during her training where we find out her true ability is being able to copy the abilities of others. The only drawback is the copy isn’t as strong as the original. For example, when Himari copies Kyoka’s ability and uses Yuuki, his form changes and he becomes a lot quicker. However, his power takes a huge downgrade (Nitsuj: Tends to be the case when you substitute power for speed. (Neo): Also, reward time: https://youtu.be/aqTtHuNgWuQ?si=OWyM694hoSWmbZmG). After days of training they manage to come up with a move to combat Yachiho who has the ability to stop time (Seras: Do it with me now. ZA WARUDO!)
Episodes 5-8
(Nitsuj): We get the fight between Himari and Yachiho in episode 5. As far as fights go it’s decent if not a little cut and dry (Neo: Time battles are always tricky. I can’t really think of one that was great). In the end, Himari wins thanks in large part to Yuuki who encouraged her when she was about to give up and literally took the bullet in order to give her an opening to win. After the fight, Yuuki gets quite the reward from Himari as she kisses him and seems to have developed feelings for him (scene here: https://youtu.be/TsINAsMYSrM?si=00zLMRqI6k7etCpE).
In the first half of episode 6 it’s Shushu vs Sahara the airheaded mother figure of squad 6. Both characters are close combat experts and have powers that enhance their bodies so this should be a hard-hitting affair. It starts off good with some pro-wrestling only to quickly shift to their powers and become a pretty decent fight. Sahara’s ability pretty much turns her into a super Saiyan (without the flying or hair color change) and she manages to win with her overwhelming strength. Shushu hides her tears from Yuuki because she likes him and wanted to appear cool in front of him like Himari (Seras: And you failed). When Yuuki goes to check up on her, she kisses him to hide her sadness and vows to make him fall for her. Before we can get to the rubber match, a bunch of Shuukis led by a humanoid Shuuki arrives to fight (Neo: Every time). Everyone fights back against them with Yuuki getting a major upgrade with Himari and Kyoka teaming up as his masters (Seras: Didn’t think they get here so quickly). Tenka, the leader of squad 6 (Neo: And hands down the best character) also takes the field where she easily wipes out an entire army of Shuukis single-handedly and prepares to fight one of the humanoid Shuukis.
At the start of episode 7 we see that Himari and Kyoka’s team up to give Yuuki quite the power boost allows to easily wipe out much of the Shuukis. Tenka fights the humanoid Shuuki where we see her powers is creating black holes. She nearly succeeds in killing the humanoid Shuuki but it got saved at the last possible moment. In the end our heroes win and decide to call it a draw. Once things settle down Kyoka along with Himari and Yuuki go to visit Tenka’s team where Yuuki helps out around the dorm (Seras: That boy is whipped like the youngest sibling in a family). As he cleans up around the dorm he discovers a few things. First off, Yachiho is a hardcore siscon who loves Himari and desperately wants her to come back home so that they can be together (Neo: Was not expecting her to be a tsundere). Sahara likes to sleep in her underwear out in the open and Tenka wants Yuuki.
Episode 8 begins with Tenka telling Kyoka she wants Yuuki as her pet and asks Kyoka to hand him over (Seras: Man, how did the manservant pull in all these girls so quickly? (Nitsuj): That’s harem for you). Kyoka says no saying she has no control over Yuuki’s personal life (Neo: You kind of do). That night, Tenka sneaks a visit to Yuuki’s room where she confirms her feelings are legit as she admires his bravery and housekeeping skills. While Yuuki isn’t against it and even sees how beautiful Tenka is and how lucky he would be to date her now isn’t the time. She makes out with him for a bit before it gets interrupted by Shushu and she’s forced to leave but makes it clear she’s not giving up. In the second half of the episode, we find out that Kyoka can lend her ability to others (when could she do this?) and lends it to Shushu and Nei to see what happens. It works and Yuuki gets some new forms but it takes a toll on Kyoka. When Tenka swings by again she flirts with Yuuki making Kyoka jealous and won’t allow this to keep happening under her watch.
Episodes 9-12
(Seras): In episode 9 Yuuki gets captured and is reunited with his sister who explains that she and the others aren’t Shuukis but instead half-human half-monster hybrids and it’s all thanks to the Mato peaches (https://youtu.be/inurD24S944?si=jj5YFRTdM88IhVkb). Back with the others, Kyoka is able to sense Yuuki’s presence (Nitsuj: Must be love. (Seras): I can assure you it’s anything but love). The squad teams up with Tenka’s squad to go and save Yuuki from his brocon sister.
Episode 10 opens up with Aoba explaining to Yuuki what happened to her and the others. After they each took a bite out of the peach, they became humanoid Shuukis thanks to the miasma in Mato. They were captured and taken to a secret facility that performed unethical experiments on them but managed to escape. There are still others trapped in the facility and their plan is to raid that place and save everyone even if they have to kill to do so. As they continue talking, Kyoka and the others arrive. Kyoka and Tenka easily save Yuuki (Neo: That was too easy) and manage to find a place to hide only for Aoba to find them (it’s her brocon senses at work). Before a fight can break out, Yuuki manages to play peacekeeper and tells everyone what’s going on, but Aoba won’t back down. She won’t trust Kyoka and the others, and their plan to attack the facility won’t change. This leads to both sides fighting where Tenka takes on Aoba and quickly gets under her skin by saying she’s dating Yuuki (Nitsuj: Are you asking to die?). Meanwhile, we see another humanoid factions of Shuukis led by a girl named Shikoku getting ready to make their move.
We get a lot of fighting in episode 11 (good. Everyone was getting far too friendly these last few episodes). It’s the defense force taking on Aoba and her friends, Koko and Naon. The fights are decent and see the defense force win in clever ways. When Tenka has a chance to take down Aoba she hesitates because of how much she means to Yuuki. This allows Aoba to attack her and everyone meets up for the final battle. However, it gets interrupted by the arrival of Shikoku and her faction the Eight Thunder Gods (honestly, not a bad name). Unlike Aoba’s faction these guys want to wipe out all of humanity and will eliminate any obstacles in their way. Shikoku manages to take control of Unihorn and have it go berserk. Kyoka and Yuuki team up and get ready to fight to end the episode.
In the final episode, Kyoka and Yuuki to take on the Unihorn. Through their combined power they manage to beat it, but Shikoku accomplished her objective and managed to capture Koko and Naon where she feeds them to a Shuuki later on. After this, Aoba decides to trust Kyoka and Tenka but still won’t trust the defense force entirely. She decides to take the other Shuukis like her and go into hiding for the time being. Yuuki and the others return where after some bedroom aerobics with Kyoka (scene here: https://youtu.be/GSZkNVilXE8?si=072dgUS0qe0Qvzqb), the squads have a feast celebrating their victory before it’s time for them to head back out again.
Final Thoughts
(Nitsuj): And that was Chained Soldier. A little underwhelming but not a bad show.
(Seras): The premise is interesting. The whole servant/master thing is funny and definitely someone’s fetish on full display here.
(Neo): The fanservice is good but definitely tamed by the producers at some points and the animation/music is basic.
(Nitsuj): As for the characters, they’re alright. Yuuki’s desire to get strong and help the others is admirable and his steady growth was handled well. The main girls and his relationship with them was also good, but my favorite so far as to be Tenka. At first I thought she was doing this to get under Kyoka’s skin, but no, she legitimately likes him and the other girls have also developed feelings for him as well. I also like how Yuuki has different forms with each girl. This opens the door for a lot of combat possibilities down the line they can explore.
(Seras): Here’s hoping they do that.
(Neo): The reveal of his sister being a Shuuki was something you can easily predict but I do like how she’ll be more a neutral party moving forward instead of an enemy the group will continuously have to face.
Final Score
(Nitsuj): My final score for Chained Soldier is a 4.5/10. Not a bad show but underwhelming. Here’s hoping it gets better in the next season.
(Seras): I’m giving it a 4.5/10. I found it basic but I’m curious to see where the anime goes.
(Neo): I’m giving it a 5/10. This brings the final score to a 14/30 which averages out to a 4.6 and going by our scale we end with a 4.5/10.
(Nitsuj): The anime definitely has a lot of promise and with the second season coming out soon we’re hopeful they’ll capitalize on the story and its setting. Until then, thanks for reading and we’ll see you next time on Project Nitsuj.