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| A promotional image for the series. |
I posted my review for Death Race! here a short while ago - spoiler alert: it's definitely a series worth watching. Now I choose to post a review for a new Rooster Teeth series that isn't part of the Death Battle! franchise but I chose to watch at the same time and also lasts about four episodes. I found out about this series earlier on in the year via a video that Rooster Teeth released and already this was something that was grabbing my attention.
What has been shown of Recorded By Arizal so far is actually a "prelude" - it serves as an introduction to an upcoming series and allows for some worldbuilding and character development. For those who are not familiar with this series or with the Rooster Teeth website, the creator Yssa Badiola has released some additional vlogs about behind-the-scenes work that I recommend you check out here (the last episode is particularly emotional to watch). There's also an interview with her here that discusses her reasoning for certain inclusions in the show.
The protagonist is Arizal, a bright yet somewhat socially-awkward student who wants to become a record keeper. Her vlog is her way of discussing her hopes and dreams for her job, as well as a way of carrying out tasks set out for people vying for the same career path that she is. Let me also point out that Arizal is a downright cinnamon roll. She loves her books and is very friendly when presenting her vlogs, though she is prone to being a klutz and getting easily nervous about certain problems at times. Christine Marie Cabanos (who you'll probably know best as Madoka Kaname from the Puella Magi Madoka Magica franchise or the titular Squid Girl) does such a great job voicing her too. She makes her sound cute without using a grating high-pitched voice, instead giving her a soft-spoken voice that is still prone to enthusiastic tones. Overall, she's definitely one of my new favourite characters from Rooster Teeth.
The vlog format is very interesting. Death Battle! has the format of characters hosting something as well, but its more of an informational series about pop culture characters as well as one that features amazing fight scenes. This doesn't happen in Recorded By Arizal - the prelude lacks any fight scenes for starters, in contrast to many other Rooster Teeth shows. Most of the episodes take place in Arizal's bedroom, with the exception being the fourth episode. Not only does this mean that the story has to follow vlog conventions such as a lack of a musical score, but it also means that the only parts of the story that we receive are presented in the current moment, meaning that flashbacks cannot make an appearance it. Honestly, the show manages to present this format well and it helps it to stand out from its other shows as a result. I also see this prelude as a refreshing break from some of the other story-heavy vlog series online, which tend to get really dark. This series does have its serious moments, but never to the point in which it becomes super disturbing. In short, it's more about Arizal doing some soul-searching and deciding on whether she actually wants to pursue her dream job or not.
Another thing I liked was the interaction between Arizal and the other characters. First there's her aunt, known as Tita Cherry. Besides the fact that "tita" is a Filipino term for "aunt" and one of the many cases in which Filipino words are effectively used in the series, Funimation veteran Monica Rial does a good job making her sound like a strict carer figure in the first episode. Even better is her performance at the end of the fourth episode, in which she sounds genuinely anxious and concerned as she messages Arizal with some rather distressing news. Arizal also mentions her "tito" (i.e. uncle), and my only real disappointment is that he didn't make any appearance himself. Hopefully, he might make one in the main series.
Arizal has two friends that she interacts with as well. Her first friend Rizella does not have a voice actor, but her messages towards Arizal perfectly paint her as a caring big sis type of character who anyone would be lucky to have. I was instantly concerned when she became the focus of Tita Cherry's message in the fourth episode (we are never given any specifics on what actually happened) and I seriously hope in the main series itself that whatever happened to her isn't as bad as it seems. I was not fond of Arizal's other friend Lia (voiced by Christine Stuckart) at first, finding her to be rather rude and pushy towards Arizal at times and demanding that she join in with more social events rather than just focus on her project. That said though, she did manage to help her out of her funk at the end of Episode 3, so I guess she can't be too bad of a friend.
Arguably the most significant side character is Dante, a veteran record keeper that Arizal interviews in Episode 2. He's a very relaxed and friendly young man who has had many adventures, though Arizal is left disturbed by some of the job pitfalls that he brings up. He doesn't want to discourage her at all, but what he says has two outcomes - it foreshadows the pros and cons of being a record keeper that Arizal may have to face later on and it affects the rest of the prelude and how Arizal learns to evaluate her life choices.
There are plenty of interestingly references in the series. First of all there are the references to the Filipino language (e.g. the aforementioned term "tita"). Rooster Teeth has been trying to incorporate more diversity into their shows (Gen:Lock was one of their main attempts at doing so), and seeing this occur in this series is already satisfying, especially since Badiola is Filipino-American herself. Additionally, I have not really come across many work with leading Filipino characters (I may need to research more of them), so it was nice that this series has one. Additionally, there are subtle archaeological, biblical and historical references, which contrast nicely with the somewhat futuristic setting of the series.
So my overall opinion on the prelude? It's just gorgeous. Arizal is a relatable and likeable protagonist and even the side characters are memorable. The vlog format works really well for the series and introduces a new formula to Rooster Teeth Animation, and the references to the Filipino language and culture work really well too. The animation is good and the character designs and background designs look great. I am so hoping that this prelude helps to lead into the main series that Rooster Teeth has planned - they showed a snippet of it in their 2020 hype video here and it has already got me excited about the adventures that Arizal will embark on next. In short, definitely check out this prelude - it's both really thought-out and will certainly prepare you for what comes afterwards.
