Ranked #956

Hatenkou Yuugi

Overall I think this anime deserves an 8.5 on my scale, but unfortunately there isn't that option.

Story: The story itself is fairly basic, but has some interesting back story thrown in every once in a while. However, the anime does seem rushed. I think a lot of people did not give this show a chance because the beginning is so chaotic. The first episode does not feel like an introduction at all, in fact you are pretty much thrown into the story.

Art: I really enjoyed the animation. It seemed to be well done (it better for being 10 episodes). Maybe, it is the little girl in me, but I appreciated that they changed the main characters clothes and hair throughout the show.

Sound: Characters voices were fitting. The music throughout the show was very nice and enjoyable. Originally, I didn't like the intro song but it grew on me.

Character: This is one of my favorite things about this show, but at the same time could've been better. Rahzel, the main character, was AWESOME. She had a great back story, was interesting, kicked butt and was everything I wanted her to be. However, the other characters could've been so much more. I really saw potential for interesting characters and there were definitely moments, but I think the anime just didn't flesh it out well.

Enjoyment: Basically this show just captured me and kept me hostage. There is such a great mixture of humor, action, and friendship/love that I kept thinking "I'm going to rate this a 9!" I couldn't justify that high of a score overall, but the enjoyment level was definitely a 9. read more

It is not every day a fourteen-year-old girl gets the boot out of her house and is told to make it on her own and see the world. And it is not every day that you see that very girl simply dust herself off and actually go to do that very thing.

Hatenkou Yuugi is an anime quite like many others yet it still manages to be so terrifically unique and unusual. The paradox lies in that many of the parts are the same, but their piecing together is something unlikely and hardly ever seen before. The effect is much like making something with building blocks; we know exactly what parts exist, but it is what is done with those blocks and how they are put together that lets it be potentially anything. And that is what Hatenkou Yuugi is like--it is something with great potential that is not what we expect it to be despite all the familiar parts.

The anime is fairly episodic, launching into arcs eventually coming towards its end. There is one general story, however, this is placed on the back-burner for all the individual stories that take place within the larger plot. One marvellous element of Hatenkou Yuugi is its ability to balance a sad story with comedy, and its ability to turn a sweet story into something horribly grotesque. In fact, the arcs progressively get more brutal and shocking, and the stories become deeper, richer and more emotionally involving.

Perhaps the greatest downside to the anime is the plot. The plotting is not nearly as good as the stories themselves. In fact, the anime launches immediately into the story and it barely makes any sense, and we ride along with it. Sometimes the pacing itself needs work, however, these flaws are minor compared to the overall effect of Hatenkou Yuugi's storyline. The comedy, the drama, the quirkiness and strangeness all contribute to make a fascinating story in the end.

Despite all the goodness of that aspect of the anime, the production values seem to suffer the anime the most. The art seems rather hurried and there is a lack of detail for most of the settings. Even the character designs are a bit too much, and a bit too generic. There is a dull overtone for the artwork and the animation is not the best. There are a lot of shortcuts and cost-cutting measures taken. Which is such a shame, since this anime (under more adventurous, vivid or creative direction) could have been a visual feast, considering all the magic and the rustic towns present.

The sound also is not a memorable aspect of this anime. In fact, it sounds downright dated and the techno riffs are a bit cheesy. What this anime needed is not a score that sounds like it was recycled from an episode of Captain Planet, but it needed a whimsical score, one that captured the eerie and magical folksiness of the stories being told.

Unquestionably, one of the best things about Hatenkou Yuugi is the character interactions. The characters themselves are little more than special, but their relationships with one another are so odd, so strong, and so interesting that it truly is fascinating to watch the trio together. The offer and acceptance of the dialogue between the characters is absolutely marvellous as well, and this is one of the few anime in existence that actually does not have the characters interact with one another simply to facilitate action; they interact with one another because they are comrades and companions. There is the feeling that they are together not for the convenience of the story, but because they WANT to be around one another.

Individually, the most outstanding character is Rahzel. She is a confident girl, self-assured and has a good sense of humour. Despite her age, she is actually quite competent without seeming too professional or uptight. What makes her likeable is her ability to hold her own in any situation. She is the type of person who would break her own bones if they were getting in her way. Alzeid seems to be the typical dark and mysterious fellow, but he shows so many moments of sincerity and humanity that it seems too unfair to just label him as cold and aloof. Baroqueheat is meant to be the charmer of the anime, and he certainly flirts a lot and provides the most comic relief, but he is actually the most enigmatic and questionable character of them all.

Hatenkou Yuugi is indubitably a good anime. What is also undeniable is that it is heavily flawed in various aspects. Its sharp dialogue, quirky character dynamics and unusual stories that are unfolded are satisfactory and quite enjoyable. It even plays with some elements of the classic fantasy and horror genres. For instance, in one of the earliest episodes, a ghost tries to divulge her tragic tale to Rahzel and Alzeid and they pretty much ignore her and tell her to finish up her sob story quickly. The anime is filled with this goofball humour amidst the action and seriousness, and it is this that makes this anime worth the watch.

The greatest downfall is the abrupt ending. The series concludes with a cliffhanger, and not in the way that horror movies do, with the "dun dun DUN!" in the background and all that. No, it simply ends at a point after introducing an element which the producers should not have even bothered with if they were not going to animate it.

Hatenkou Yuugi makes itself into something that we do not expect out of old parts that we know too well. It is like watching a cocoon wondering whether you will get a moth or a butterfly.

It simply is a surprise what eventually hatches and takes flight. read more