Touka Gettan

Note: the following comes from a video review, links on my profile page.

It is playful. What it is meanders between comedy, fantasy, and romance, often all at once. It is not one aspect or another; some episodes consist almost entirely of one theme, but later combine them with not necessarily equal proportions. What it does seem to have as an underlying element is Buddhism, and this sense that the present is what matters, as in the anime when the past is thought of destructive fantasies come into fruition, and if it's the future doubt is thrown in, as in real life. Other than that, each ... episode is narratively distinct, although they all have a bedrock of characters that appear in nearly every one. It is, essentially, an ensemble cast, but some are more visible due to their specific function in the world of Kamitsumihara.

It doesn't shy away from much, which makes it fickle as a genre. Some fantasy may be comedic and serious at other times, but not many also attempt to present each story in its own specific frame, whether a theatre (and as such doubt its authenticity, in thinking the viewer is watching the watchers, but then viewers are still doing such an action outside of such a frame). It can have a meta-narrative, as per the implication that a character is also the writer, but still that somehow in-universe personalities are aware of subtitling. The latter is comedic, but the former is used more often in more serious narratives that serve as a commentary to what a 'flow' is, and how a subconsciousness may take over. The anime itself isn't told at all as simply as most other stories, and yet guises itself in typical shounen tropes, which may be distracting as to what causes this and that. Visually it synergizes with the script.

While anime like Katekyo may have stereotypical props that tell a fairly straightforward story (that can still narrate it with vigour, although more comedic), Gettan uses items like swords in a similar, but symbolic fashion. Most events are also almost metaphorical, like when the sword first appeared. This is what separates it from most shounen anime, although the comedic episodes have more similarity, despite usually ending with a supernatural twist. This is what makes this story more unique than most other anime with similar themes, along with the variable of sexuality (done in a subtle way), which isn't by itself positive or negative; it was like Inuyasha (with shrines and myths) if that wasn't so single-minded about Naraku. In far fewer episodes Gettan tries to be even more varied, and this is also evident in its music which can range from jazz to (what sounds like) harps.

Now, with regards to the average viewer's perception (as indicated by the decimals on various sites)... how exactly does a mind work? So, as long as one assumes Moonlight Lady 1 is seen by the same people as 2 (Gettan)... how? Was the prequel rated solely on how titillated one felt? Narrative and anything non-repetitive be damned? One is hentai, the other is a subtle narrative about meta-universes and existential possibilities... oh, but one can't possibly expect so much from the average viewer, can one? It's a world where Erica Friedman apparently complained it's not yuri enough. I mean, sure, it's unbelievable it even has such a prequel, so perhaps it's attracted the wrong sort of people, unable to appreciate both Yami and this.

An impressive analysis of this series was done in the book titled 'Anime and the Visual Novel: Narrative Structure, Design and Play at the Crossroads of Animation and Computer Games' by Dani Cavallaro, page 55 - after the writing about Yami. It is certainly a deep narrative that merits delving into.

What initially drew me to Touka Gettan was Carnelian's beautiful character designs, and I was definitely not disappointed on that front. If nothing else, Touka Gettan is very pleasant to look at.

The bottom line is that this anime is not everyone's cuppa. Touka Gettan is undeniably unique, but it's up to the individual whether that's a good or bad thing. I believe this series will most appeal to someone tired of cookie cutter anime, someone who's looking for something different.

In case you are not yet aware, Touka Gettan aired (mostly) in reverse chronological order. Now, while this is not a new concept, it is a ... rarely used device. As a disclaimer, I watched Touka Gettan in chronological order (episodes 26, 24-1, 25) because of the way my mind works, but despite this I can absolutely see the genius of the proper order.
Touka Gettan was not made and then randomly aired backwards. The order of the episodes plays on the world of Touka Gettan's concepts of time, complementing its lack of linearity. As I was watching, I considered how each scene would have been different and how the impact would have changed if I had been watching the series in reverse order, and I could see how clever it was. The beginning of the series is the end, and the end is the beginning.
So, I can't say that watching it one way is better than the other. Both ways have their positives and negatives.

Among Touka Gettan's unique characteristics is its atmosphere. I would describe it as the strangest combination of gag humor and and morbid seriousness. I'm still not sure how they got that formula to work so well.
It's hilarious in many place, adorable in others, and downright disturbing from time to time. A lot of the elements aren't things I'm normally a fan of, but somehow it all just worked.
A handful of episodes are presented in especially unique ways, and I found this an interesting way to break of the monotony of a traditional linear presentation.

Touka Gettan is not something you can casually watch; there's so much happening, so much depth. I felt like I should have been taking notes in order to keep up. The cast is moderately large, and just keeping track of who everyone was could be difficult at times.
While I was watching, I felt a number of the characters served no purpose, but after I had finished the series I discovered that most of those characters were crossover characters from Carnelian's other series, such as Yami to Boushi to Hon no Tabibito. I think the inclusion of these characters is a questionable choice as it only benefits a viewer if they're familiar with the other series, and they truly stick out in a negative way in this character-driven anime.
The relationships between all the characters are very complex, and are more or less left shrouded in mystery (I'm not sure how much of this is because they're explained in the corresponding visual novels).

So, in conclusion, many things about Touka Gettan are frustrating, but it's arguable whether those things are good or bad. You also don't get the answers to all your questions by the end, which is one of my personal pet peeves. What I enjoyed most about Touka Gettan is its uniqueness.
Overall, I think it's an anime worth watching, but you have to go in being prepared to pay attention.

Be warned that this anime contains: ecchi, homosexuality, gag humor

To be fair, the art and sound are reasonable. However. those are the only redeeming qualities to this anime.

Before you write this off as a flame because I'm the type who doesn't like complicated stories, I'd like to dispel that idea. I like interesting plots. This anime just didn't have one. I saw someone else compare this anime to the likes of Memento, one of my favorite movies of all time, and that just made me cringe. I feel sorry for Memento.

First of all, even despite the fact that this is a fantasy world (which means I pretty ... much tried to suspend disbelief whenever I saw something) I couldn't believe any of the things that were happening. Watching this, I kept finding myself thinking "really? WHY would this happen?!"

Secondly, the characters weren't all that likable, so I never found myself rooting for anyone.

Third, while watching you can feel how hard they tried to make this anime original, and it just feels really contrived and forced.

If you're looking for something to waste your time on, there are way more anime that are much more enjoyable than this one. If you're looking for a plot to sink your teeth into, there are tons of anime that really execute plot a lot better. I would not recommend this anime other than as a life-waster.