It's hard to find an anime that acts like a proper mystery. Either the core secret to uncover isn't treated with enough focus in the story, or the mystery doesn't provide enough clues to let the viewer in on the fun of guessing alongside the characters. That makes "Rokka - Braves of the Six Flowers" a refreshing story, for while it seems to a fantasy action-adventure, it's plot comes down to revolving around a big mystery of secret identity among a sparse cast of characters.That initial world-building is pretty impressive, with enough visual style to stand out in its own right. Set in an alternate old world loosely inspired by Aztec culture (with some odd arbitrary rules and magic that seem more appropriate for a game or a visual novel), the viewers are told of the legend of the Six Heroes ("Braves of the Six Flowers") who locked away a powerful demon generations ago. But that demon is soon to return, and the new chosen heroes (magically chosen each generation by the flower's spirit by a mark on their skin) must travel out to face it. We are introduced to a band of strange warriors from different tribes, some who get along well and some who don't, each with unique abilities. And what a unique bunch they are! None more so than Adlet Mayer, arguably the lead in a well-balanced cast. He proudly claims he is the strongest man in the world, but while he is capable in a fight, he relies much more on speed, wit, and a bevy of home-made gadgets and weapons to outsmart his opponents, never really showing sign of immense strength. His sheer confidence and outspoken pride matched with an unorthodox upbringing and training make him memorable and fun to watch. The other characters also have their distinct personalities, although their character designs speak louder than their other traits. A woman with buny ears? A sniper with a barely-covering strap as a bikini top? A cute little girl with real strength and a hunger to kill things? Yep, this is anime, all right.But when they do finally meet, the real plot of the story reveals itself. At the destination, not six heroes, but seven appear. They all bear the flower brand, but one of them must be a fake. But who? And for what reason would they lie? Within the twelve-episode season, we never do see the heroes carry on to defeat the great demon, instead only focusing and concluding the mystery of the imposter hero. And that is perfectly fine. I enjoyed the tighter focus this allowed, and the theme of trying to determine the mole makes for a fun story. There is a geniune sense of suspense and mystery, for at no point is the culprit made obvious until the reveal at the last episode. Everyone is a suspect, even Adlet, from whom we view the story. At one point, Adlet even doubts himself as being legitimate. But enough clues exist to make your own theories. Of course, rewatchability doesn't apply as well for "Rokka" as it might with other shows, but in the moment, it is told effectively.
Overall, the production is fairly solid. The animation itself doesn't work hard to impress, but keep up well enough with the inspired visuals. It's a shame the American release would be owned by Pony Canyon USA, who was experimenting at the time at outdoing Aniplex USA in selling overpriced Bluray volumes. The boxes are huge, like a DVD box that grew to 4x its size, but it isn't particularly attractive. One thing I did like about Pony Canyon was their unique art-inspired pre-order incentives: while it wasn't certain you would get one, its because of them that I own real keyframes of an anime, including one to "Rokka." Their business quickly struggled however, for none of their licenses were as exciting as "Kara no Kyoukai," "Fate/Zero" or "Madoka Magica," a important warning for all licensors to heed. While the Japanese voices are solid, it is a shame the planned English dub didn't get included in the US release. Alternatively, the UK would receive a later release, but with a full English dub and a more reasonable-looking and priced boxset. While it isn't easy to own a copy of the show in North America, I still count "Rokka - Braves of the Six Flowers" as one of the better shows of 2015, and certainly one of the more unique. It has a style and tone that isn't common in anime, and despite the unfullfilled hope that additional seasons would finish their story, there is a satisfying mystery adventure in this season alone.