(Military Fantasy) on the introduction of the fantastical
Hi all, big fan of the genre but curious to engage in some discussion on this topic in particular.
I have read and enjoyed many military fantasy works from classics like The Black Company to The Black Library's catalogue. Something I'm curious on is whether the introduction of fantasy 'races' takes away from the grittiness or 'realism' of the military aspects of novels like these.
For instance, in the Dark Fantasy anime series Berserk, >!we see a tone and content shift from human-based military fantasy/political intrigue to straight up dark fantasy with the introduction of demons to the setting.!<
Does anyone find this kind of thing jarring or do you think there are ways in which it can be done properly?
To summarize my question, do you think military fantasy should be strictly human focused or are there ways to incorporate other races into the narrative in ways that don't seem jarring?