Master Keaton

“The master of life always lives his destiny as he chooses...”


Ex-SAS, Archeologist, part time lecturer, traveler, historian, Insurance agent; Taichi Hiragi Keaton is a Jack of all trades and a “master of life”. He is simple, intelligent, humble, and a moralistic goody-two shoes infused with the love of life and the possibilities it brings.

The show itself is an exact mirror reflection of its main character; a “Jack-of-all-trades” in that it touches a wide variety of genres and themes, from slice-of-life, romance, mystery to historical, war drama, thriller. It dips into almost everything an anime of its premise possibly can. And the result is ... a flawed masterpiece packed with enough surprises to make it an easy recommend for old-school anime fans.

For people who are on a lookout for episodic shows that are relaxing and can be watched slowly over time, Master Keaton could be a good choice. But the show can appear to be a bit too bland or simplistic for some, especially anime fans who prefer currently airing or recent anime; the reason for that is that Master Keaton is an old school “realistic” seinen, a genre that is largely ignored by a majority of anime viewers, and its animation is barely decent, even for an anime of its time. The show also lacks the bombast or extravagance of recent anime, which could be a good or a bad thing depending on what kind of a viewer you are.

On a related point, some of the sensibilities the show displays are quite simple at times, such as the mostly black-and-white morality, or the importance of bonds or friendship (a favorite theme in anime), or the single dimensional personalities of some supporting characters, but these characteristics are more preference based rather than something that could be singled out as a flaw; indeed, these “sensibilities” are a part of the show’s personality and make thematic sense, despite the fact that they result in simplistic cliche's at times.

On the flip side the anime is quite intelligent, in a sense that it is set in a real world setting, though stylized to suit the anime medium, and grapples with story concepts that haven’t been seen in any anime. Despite some episodes being predictable, and a few bearing clichés, most of the stories are very engaging. In fact, there are at least a handful of stories that I can safely say are among the most unique and well written in any medium of entertainment, and the show is well worth the watch for these few episodes alone.

Its greatest strength, though, is its simple yet charming personality, and the staggering variety of stories that it tells. The writers have made excellent use of the standalone format to give some of the best variety in episodic anime/manga yet.

For instance, in one episode we see Keaton in Burgandy as an insurance agent to investigate one of the most expensive wine bottles in the world, and in the next he is escorting a fugitive through swamps while his criminal buddies attempt to rescue their leader from his clutches. Another episode sees him deep in the mountains of Spain being hunted by a highly trained K9. And in yet another episode we see him spending summer vacations in Japan with his dysfunctional family.

Any other show with such a variety would either fall from the burden of its own elephantine ambition, or succumb to acute schizophrenia. But not so Master Keaton. Its stories are never convoluted or over-ambitious, and it never forgets its identity. Diversity may be the key here, but the aesthetic values remain the same.

In the sound department, the use of music is not always perfect but it’s quite fitting. The overall OST is among the more memorable ones I have heard yet and suits the series perfectly. The dub version does a good job of making the anime feel “global”, as different characters have accents that correspond to their backgrounds, which obviously could not have been done in Japanese. But the English VA direction falters at times, and the overall delivery is not always convincing. The Japanese voice acting, by contrast, is pretty solid.

Lacking in budget, the animation is not as great as some anime from the same period, but it is very much passable. The basic art style is very similar to Monster, which is not the only solid proof of Naoki Urasawa’s involvement in the project. The anime has a strong European feel to it, as the stories take place all over the world, especially that particular part. The art style, music and writing suits this well, and helps create the right European feel, without sacrificing the anime-specific elements.

Despite the flaws, "Master Keaton" delivers something unique that you will not find anywhere in the medium. Its niche oriented content might drive away some people, but its worth checking out for fans of 90s anime and episodic shows, and anime fans who are looking for stories that are more grounded in the world we actually live in.

If variety is the spice of life then Master Keaton delivers one hell of a spicy dish. It is hard to say what genre the shows is because it is almost everything. But is variety by itself enough?

Master Keaton's greatest asset is its variety. One episode it is a mystery, the next it is an action show, and the one after that it is a slice of life. The show really does end up getting it fingers in to almost every genre there is. To go along with the different genre, the show is in a different place every episode. In the rice patties of ... Japan and then in the hills of Scotland. Walking into the beginning of every episode and not knowing exactly what to expect is probably my favorite part.

Unfortunately as much as variety is the show's greatest strength it is also its greatest weakness. Any RPG player can tell you a jack of all trades is a master of none. The show ends up falling into that same problem. I wouldn't say that the show does anything down right poorly but it definitely doesn't do anything extremely well.

Mr. Keaton himself is kind of a James Bond meets MacGyver except he is really dorky. He plays the buffoon and no one ever really expects him to be good at anything until he makes his move and it is too late. Keaton has basically had every job in existence. I really like how the show handled Keaton's past. The show gives you little bits of information here and there; in almost every episode there is something new introduced about Keaton. It could be something important and explored the whole episode, or it could just end up being a few lines where one more job is added to his already long resume. Most of the other characters are only one episode characters. There are a few recurring characters, like Yuriko his daughter and Daniel O'Connell a friend of his. But even these characters only get a few episodes. I think all the characters are likable and well done for the time given to them but not a whole lot is done with any of them.

The animation is kind of interesting in that it looks older then what it is. The show came out in 1998 but I would have guess the early 90's to maybe even little earlier. I don't mean to saying the animation is poor, it just seems that art style is from a earlier era. Characters in the background tend not to be draw as well. It also has a more realistic looking than most anime but at the same time it is just cartoony enough to not look overly realistic either.

The quality varies a little episode to episode and it false to do anything particularly well. On the other hand it has great variety and I really enjoyed the lead character. Master Keaton didn't exactly WOW me but I could see someone else falling it love with it. I would probably recommend some other shows before this one to someone but I think it could end up being worth wild to check it out and see for yourself.

More people need to check this out, it’s great as an episodic show and at trying out many different genres and has a genius main, always a plus ;) Everything applies exactly the same to the OVA as well, be sure to check out one if you like the other.

Plot: ?
This varies from episode to episode to be honest, some are solid 10s, others are lower, but there’s no real bad ones to be fair, just ones that are more interesting than others. Plot episodes vary greatly, one episode Keaton might be disarming a bomb with chocolate, surviving in the desert, or making a windmill ... to bring water to local plants so he can finally have his perfect pudding. Therefore how much you’ll like the series depends almost entirely on....

Character: 9
Taichi Keaton is a great character, plain and simple. The only other non-episodic characters include his daughter, his business partner, and his father, none of whom get a lot of development, but that’s ok because Keaton himself is more than interesting enough. If you like watching smart characters, you will probably like this show.

Presentation: 6
Eh, it’s just not overly memorable. Naoki Urasawa’s signature character designs are well executed, but music, not bad nor good nor memorable and animation and art? So-so. It doesn’t bring the series down by much though unless you really really care about that stuff.

Overall: 8
This is the type of show you watch for Keaton alone, if he sounds like a character who interests you, go for it without hesitation! The dub has a lot of iffy sounding accents that I don’t think quite work, not the best of dubs either, but certainly and underdog that needs more watching. Everything I’ve said applies to the OVA equally as well.

Master Keaton is a great episodic anime eager to offer something new in every episode. Due to its episodic nature, it lacks a great plotline and significant character growth. But this does not make Keaton a dull anime, because of the fact that the original creator pours his vast knowledge of European history into the work and creates something interesting in every episode.

The story feels like the creator really loved history and countries of Europe and wanted to make a story to share his knowledge. Because of that the story though not great is kind of encyclopedic. Some episodes can be easily incorporated into ... the great anime Monster. Main characters of both anime wander mainly in different parts of Europe (although for different reasons).

Characters are enjoyable. Majority of them appear in one or two episodes, and although they are not impressive, all secure their distinct places. Maybe more important, the story and characters excellently merge together, which in return guarantees better enjoyment. Moreover, the viewer learns something new in every episode. That is the main reason I enjoyed this anime. Each character's life is related to some real historic events, and they brilliantly fit together. The main character, Taichi Keaton, has impressive skills. He is an archeologist and war veteran. He travels solving mysteries all around the world. He is likable but not memorable. He is dull. Many times he plays the role of catalyst in bringing characters together and relating their history/story.

Story and interesting facts are the main selling points of the anime. Animation and sound quality isn’t impressive. First of all, this is an old anime. But even in its own time there were a lot of anime with better animation than Master Keaton. Music is fine. You may not remember after finishing it, but while watching I listened opening and ending in every episode.

Overall Master Keaton is a good anime. If you are interested in the history of Europe I can guarantee enjoyment. If you are looking for high-quality animation and sound then this isn’t for you. The same applies to the OVA as well. It is the direct continuation of the TV series.

This series is all about the characters.

It is episodic; and every episode has its own main characters aside from Master Keaton which are really well written and developed and so emotionally relatable in one way or another. This series accomplishes something that most of today's long running anime/tv series can't even accomplish, in only 20 minutes of screen-time i.e. making you care for the characters.

I didn't care much about the plot in Master Keaton. I was too busy feeling for the characters. Most of the stories in the episodes were based on some historical events, myths or some classical like poisoning in Shakespeare's Hamlet.The ... episodes are arbitrary like in one episode Keaton helps a German businessman to locate his long-lost daughter, in the next one we meet an old lady looking for her childhood love in some foreign land, and in another we get to see Keaton's past.

I do have to say that some episodes are kinda predictable mostly in the second season. But who cares about the story when you have such great cast. Modern anime try really hard to be over-convoluted just to look cool but characters remain "shallow" as ever e.g. FMAB. On the other hand, Master Keaton is simple and therefore drama feels so realistic even in obviously predictable episodes.

Keaton is ethical who even sometimes helps people outside of his job and seems unrealistically perfect at first glance but later we see that he has his family issues, he is not socially well-off, he has no stable job and he is quite indecisive of what he wants to do with his life as an archaeologist and is not satisfied. He is only professional as an SAS agent and ends up saving the day because of his qualifications. He learned history, served army, taken survival courses so no doubt he is perceptive, strong, dependable. But there a few ass-pulls here and there. But like I said before, our main character for every episode is different and we care about that character even more than Keaton at the end of the day.

The animation and music are brilliant. Naoki Urasawa's art is undoubtedly one of the best. The character designs are so realistic and the art really fits the atmosphere like in Monster. I highly recommend you to watch it in dubbed as it takes place in Europe. English voice actors did a great job and they even used different european accents for different countries, really well done.

Master Keaton is serious, mature and at the same time lighthearted and optimistic and has realistic characters full of depth which modern anime lack. So underrated... it deserves so much more...

Master Keaton in my humble opinion is the best Episodic anime I've seen so far. Though I can admit it's not for everyone since this series requires you to have an understanding of contemporary history. The series touches subjects on the Cold War and many Geopolitical conflicts from the era.
The story follows Taichi Keaton, who is a veteran of the Falkland's War and a former SAS officer in the British Army. His combat training and survival skills help him land a job as an insurance investigator from a prestigious agency known as Loyd's of London. This line of work takes him in some ... of the most peculiar places and situations. Keaton travels to different cities in Europe, the middles east and even the desserts of China trying to solve insurance claims on inheritance, businesses and expensive items belonging to some of the elite members of society. These investigations often put his life at risk, where Keaton deals with Russian Mobsters and former KGB agents, deals with thieves and professional hitmen.
Each episode brings a new story and new characters that are very interesting, I only wish some of those stories could have been a bit longer but other than that they are very enjoyable.
Love how Keaton is a badass and yet very average, divorced middle aged man with a teenage daughter. the way he looks just screams average at best, yet in reality he is a professional in his line of work.
The art in this anime is immaculate and can see the 90s era portrayed really well in this series. Keaton is a man full of class and the series shows appreciation to the finer things in life.
Don't skip this hidden gem, you'll definitely love it.

An absolutely great watch! Highly recommended for people who are searching for traveling series based in Europe with Slice of Life, Naoki Urasawa is a great writer. The exploration of the outside world in those 90s feels gives really good vibes.

Animation was not extraordinary, but everything was moving in sync; the background was the most detailed and beautifully done; it wasn't looking flat like how some of today's anime looks; it really breathed life to the anime; there were some sakuga moments as in character animation; and lastly, there were no CGI cars, and they were animated perfectly.

The thing I most loved was its sound ... design. It was good that you could hear more natural sounds compared to today's sounds, like glass being put down on a wooden countertop, which sounds more realistic.

I'll highly recommend it; it's a good watch, especially the dub, which sounds even better.

Master Keaton is an episodic, dramatic thriller based on a manga series co-written by Naoki Urasawa. The titular Keaton is a half-Japanese, half-British investigator for the real-life Lloyd's of London, an unorthodox insurance company that works more like a betting house. Each chapter, which is largely self-contained, takes Keaton to various places (mostly in Western Europe) where he becomes entangled in criminal operations, suspicious murders, scholarly matters, and--sometimes--more lighthearted family affairs. The show's pacing and subject matter somewhat bring to mind American detective shows like Columbo: Keaton is intelligent, resourceful, and combat-proficient, though it's his deep well of knowledge which typically provides a solution to ... the matter at hand.

Urasawa's charming character designs and generally understated presentation are competently brought to life in this anime, though most scenes feel directly taken from manga panels, often lacking dramatic flair or inventiveness. Every episode directly or indirectly helps flesh out Keaton's character: as a failed husband, an absent father, an ex-military agent, an aspiring archaeologist, or just a man of the world. However, and despite the grim subject matter of most episodes, things are kept relatively light by Keaton's easygoing demeanor and an atmospheric, Celtic folk-inspired soundtrack.

Ultimately, Keaton can sometimes feel like a crash course in European and 20th-century history, as every single episode provides interesting tidbits on everything from the War of the Roses to the paintings of Degas to the inner workings of a rifle. While the plotting of each episode--whether it deals with a murdered heiress or with Keaton's plucky teenage daughter--is solid, the writing is often trite and heavy-handed, feeling like an expository lesson on whatever academic subject is relevant to the episode. The best stretch of this show deals with Keaton's family life and past, which provides a respite from the somewhat repetitive cloak-and-dagger fare of other episodes. Don't expect any sort of conclusion to the story, as it simply trails off wherever it stopped adapting manga chapters. Nonetheless, in a landscape of harem shows and shounen spin-offs, Keaton can be an enjoyably adult-feeling series.