Katanagatari

The lessons learned every after episodes, the promises were all rejected and the sweetness we were forced to believe as the series progresses was made bitter. 1 - 1 = 0. Zero lessons. though there is something that is gain from this, and that is hate, for the time wasted, for making fun of its viewers.

This is deus ex machina. I searched the meaning for double checking and it is definitely this. If writers like rising up emotions to their books, stating them poetic or artistic, then sure. But if terribly done? Then surely, it can turn the sudden twist from a good review. ... I will not judge the book but the anime. The deus ex machina in it showed something unintelligible, I assume to garner action to its duel, for the kids I think, believing them better. less is more. They shouldn't have done that.

But what I'm so riled up about, again, refer to the first statement of the review.

== Story ==
It is episodic. One by one gathering swords. It was interesting and made me to continue. The lessons were real. But was spoiled, deceived, and wasted. I will spend a minute cursing the producers. The promises, sweetness.. gone. The dialogues are long, though quite intrigued by them most of the time, and for some, there were scenes where it should be appropriate to just say a word or two or none at all. If you aren't patient, this isn't for you. (I should have read some reviews, tsk, and maybe I could have been hinted and perhaps, I could have unmasked this terrible of a series.) The ending coalesce with the whole series, but the execution was rotten. There were more when there should be less. Action, promise, dialogue. and the lessons, was all undone.

== Art ==
realistic? unique? fitting? fluid? background? designs? character similar?
It doesn't possess the ordinary art that is usually portrayed in anime of today, and so I have to say it is unique. But I think it was most appropriate to the genre/story. The actions cannot be belittle. It was mind numbing. Fast and real-time.

== Sound ==
Musics enter in appropriate situations, though in my taste, too much. It is like frequent enough that you can guess when it's going to enter, and it is always bad when it comes to predictability. The voices was appropriate to the characters, the heroine for its perkiness, and the hero for its calmness and dependability. The opening and ending was golden. I couldn't say it was catching but it readies the viewers for the eventuality that is expectant of series, and the closing of curtain at the end of the episode.

== Character ==
I liked both the lead characters, the hero and the heroine but was ruined in the near unexpected... . Lessons learned, supposedly, promise stated, broken eventually. There is a narrator, an old woman I think, which is appropriate. the voice depicts a fragile sense, just like the fragility of life easily put out. Both are great at what they do. Ninjas are like clowns in their costumes and contrasts the seriousness of their scripts.

== Enjoyment ==
Overall, let down by the series. It felt lessons, all of it, were undone. Made me think it was no point. It's like letting a girl go to die in another place, or choosing between the life of your girlfriend and mother. I did not enjoy the series.

ps. If by chance of another me from an altered dimension visiting, and happens to read this review, do not, I repeat, do not watch this series.

burp!

This anime is beautiful, I don't really know how else to describe it.

Even after watching the entire series the second time through, It's difficult to articulate my thoughts about watching this. The quality put into each show is amazing, as I believe it was released monthly, with each episode spanning around 45 minutes. Katanagatari does a good job telling a folktale-like story which is compelling and intriguing. It takes place in a post-Sengoku era, aka the post-"warring states period" in Japan,according to wiki.

It's a story about the journey of two people, who were perhaps destined by fate, to travel together and ... collect 12 unique swords which each contain mysterious power, be it benign or supernatural. It focuses on their adventure traveling together throughout Japan and the mysterious encounters they undergo among the people who either foster or are hunting these swords simultaneously. Underneath the surface of their journey, there is an underlying love story and a gradual development of character between the pair. It is progressed with each successive encounter throughout the show, which is done is a very stylish and majestic manner.

This show is extremely charming. The style is unparalleled, and is befitting to the mini-culture portrayed throughout the show. I can understand the art being a hit or miss with some, but personally it was like looking at beautiful art.

It is not an action packed show filled with meticulously animated fight scenes, although there are plenty of badass moments. It is just a simple story that is filled with memorable moments via a well written script. I remember vaguely reading somewhere that this was based on a light novel. Either way, while watching the show I definitely felt like I was reading a good book rather than watching a generic show. There are strong but subtle emphases of destiny, history, geography, and japanese culture in this anime. Furthermore, the show is paced well as each sword is generally obtained per episode, in various ways which all lead to finding to resolve to fight.

In conclusion, this anime is amazing, and is definitely in my own personal top 10, maybe even top 5 I've ever watched so far.

Three things I love about this anime:

1) The music. There were probably only 1 or 2 times where I felt the music did not suffice, or was apropos. Other than that, the music is top notch. It gives you the feels. It's unique, I would bet some are made with some pretty old-school instruments specific to Japan. Violins, are also a welcome in any show.

2) The love. This is a great love story. It's the type of love where it develops & changes the character's perspectives within the show gradually. It's done tastefully and with class.

3) This show is very memorable. It is a stand alone story with a conclusive end. There will be moments where you will get immense feels, accompanied with amazing music feels at the same time. If by the end of the show you don't get any feels, you are most definitely a robot.

Katanagatari was a series that got a good deal of hype back in 2010 that I never found myself getting into at the time. Notable in that each episode aired one time a month on Japanese pay-per-view channels throughout the year and each one aired at 50 minutes a piece, the series focused on skilled martial artist Shichika and a military adviser named Togame seeking out the whereabouts of 12 legendary swords called the Deviant Blades created by a recluse swordsman named Kiki Shikizaki, as each episode of the series focuses on our pair trying to seek out one of the 12 weapons. Shichika and ... Togame aren't alone in this task as two other parties are trying to lay claim to the Deviant Blades in the form of a clan of ninjas called the Maniwa Ninja Corps and a princess named Hitei who is rival to Togame.

Katanagatari is different from typical feudal era titles in the fact that there is quite a bit of creativity put into the journey faced by Shichika and Togame. While the "collect them all" storyline with the Deviant Blades may seem like typical fare, a number of the weapons are not swords in the typical sense as some of them take on unique forms and many of them even have unique abilities that complicate the mission of our main pair in trying to collect them, especially as Shichika is not allowed to inflict any kind of damage to the Deviant Blades as he tries defeating their wielders. Some of these confrontations involve typical battles where Shichika tries to defeat their wielders, while others require him to get more creative under Togame's guidance to defeat them if conventional tactics aren't doable.

The series balances out its focus on the quest to gather the swords by offering solid exploration of a number of its major characters. Our lead pair and many of the Deviant Blade wielders get a good deal of focus in Katanagatari's unique run time as many of the latter group are focused on to explore their backgrounds, mentalities and why they wield the Deviant Blades they have possession of.

The unique pairing of Shichika and Togame lend a mixture of both comical and serious developments in their relationship and offer a fun foil to one another with Shichika being naive to the ways of the outside world in spite of his immense skill in martial arts and Togame trying to put on a regal facade in spite of her lowly status with the shogunate and her ability to develop tactics when confronting Deviant Blade wielders. Their chemistry is a genuine one as Shichika learns to develop a sense of self through his understanding of the outside world through Togame and our female lead grows to admire Shichika in spite of her original intentions to utilize his skills as a tool to gather the Deviant Blades for her personal gain. The series does drop hints of the two having a past connection to one another through Togame's rather tragic back story that are eluded to as the series progresses and helps add some engaging drama to the pairing's developing bond in later episodes.

Praises aside, I do have some issues with Katanagatari that hurt its quality to an extent. For anyone familiar with series creator Nisio Isin, you may remember his work with the Monogatari franchise. Much like that series, Katanagatari often likes to indulge in dragged out conversations between characters that cover ongoing elements of the show's plot and characters. Unlike the Monogatari franchise where this presentation approach worked because of the series being more character-driven, the heavy focus on conversations don't work as effectively at points for Katanagatari since the series is more plot-driven and causes the pacing of the series to often drag.

The series also has its bumps with characterization. While offering solid character depth with major players of the plot, there are some that don't get as much depth such as a number of members within the Maniwa Ninja Corps and Hitei's assistant Emonzaemon. And speaking of the former, their effectiveness as a threat in the hunt for the Deviant Blades diminishes quite a bit as the series progresses since the majority of their members get killed off rather easily in later episodes through Shichika and a few other characters.

Visually, Katanagatari is a bit of a mixed bag. While having beautiful background and scenic shots, character designs are a bit on the simple side sporting minimal details and facial designs looking rather out of the ordinary compared to more conventional designs. The series doesn't show off fluid movement often. But when it does, it creates some engaging action scenes that sport great choreography thanks to the unique abilities shown of the Deviant Blades and other fighters throughout the series, that include use of weapons, exotic abilities and hand-to-hand combat.

While some elements of its premise are a bit flawed and I do find the show's praise to be somewhat overhyped, Katanagatari is still a unique offering for a recent series offering fresh approaches with the character chemistry between Shichika and Togame, its "collect them all" premise and its feudal era action. Anyone looking for something different compared to many recent titles should give this title a shot.

Honestly? Katanagatari is a beautiful show. Because the show was done in hour-long increments, it truly allows the storyline to be flushed out successfully. The art is a little different from what one might have become accustomed to in 'mainstream' anime, in that it looks vibrant, and daresay whimsical, but it absolutely gorgeous. Every moment of animation in Katanagatari is brilliantly drawn and fluid.

The soundtrack, composed by Iwasaki Taku (Soul Eater, Gurren Lagann) is matched to the actions in wonderful form, and his work is as excellent as ever. The pacing is fun, with a good balance of humor, drama, and tragedy. From beginning to ... end, the journey featuring the two main characters is something enjoyable. The art may be a hurdle, to begin with, but the show is definitely worth your while! Let's also not forget that this is brought to you by Nisio Isin, author of Bakemonogatari and Medaka Box, and while this piece certainly isn't as ridiculous as either of those, it's a brilliant display of his work in animated form.

This anime deserves a full masterpiece rating, the story and how they bind you to the show. How they get you involved before you even realize it, you feel drawn into the show and like as if you're experiencing this journey with the other characters. There's so much fucking talking you can't help but feel that way in this show.

The ending is done and binded perfectly, almost like a puzzle. Ever piece is enjoyable and nice to watch, but when it all comes together its so perfect and amazing. You can't help but feel drawn in to the story and ... have connections with the characters.

Sigh anyways I'm gonna warn you all before hand, these are messages I sent on various sites (such as youtube) releasing all of my emotions at the spur of the moment, I have officially finished this anime for around an hour now but at the time I had literally just finished it. I will definitely (75% chance) be editing this if I don't feel too lazy, (that just dropped it down to a 30% chance).

What I'm about to paste onto here is essentially my review of the show but without any grammar editing or any cutting of any unneeded info. I did not edit this, nor did I or am I going to change anything. If I do edit this I will be simply making them into paragraphs and cutting out unnecessary or repeated words (like I did just now).

But right now its 430 am and school starts in 3 hours and I'm tired as shit. I like my review as it is, so I will not be editing what I am about to say (paste) but more so the details. This is also essentially three different parts of the review posted all together. Each one being extremely long. Which is why I will edit this later.

And without further notice, here it is. (part of what I said here by the way is what I say later on, so you have just read part of my review for katanagatari right now. On further note. This little introduction will be deleted once I finally edit my final review for katanagatari. This is simply notifying you why this will be so long and crammed)

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1st post

Just finished katanagatari and demo if you're reading this.. I just wanna thank you, that was by far one of, no, it was my most favorite anime that I've seen in my entire life. I don't even know how to describe it at this point, it left so many feelings that now, with such a perfect ending, such perfect words to the very end, I literally feel nothing... I'm sure this sounds sorta familiar. Relating to the show of course. This was one of, no, it was the best anime of all time. There is no denying that. Such a perfect ending, I heard one time that shows are determined by their endings, and if that's true, then katanagatari is truly the best show there is. I don't know what else to say. That anime has left such an impression I don't even know what to feel anymore. Like as if my emotions died with the anime. I've never felt this way before. What am I to do? I have no idea anymore....

This is alI I can say about the show. It feels as though you pour everything into it and once it goes away so does everything you poured with it. It draws you in, grabs your attention, and makes you feel a part of it somehow. It makes you feel like you were part of the journey the whole way through, with the narrating and the story, with the characters and their interactions. The ending of the show makes it poured into perfectly, with the words that are chosen, the narrating in the background, the affects of "reality." Everything being thrown away. I can't say much without spoiling it, but it wraps things up perfectly and there's simply no way to deny that this was one of the best shows that, no, it was the best anime that has been made so far. Its story, its characters, its narrating, its action. Everything about it was simply amazing and draws you in. There's no way to feel for the show on the last episode. There is nothing generic about this show. They saying what makes and breaks shows are the endings of them, and if that's true, then katanagatari is one of the best shows ever created.To the very end this show makes a huge impact on you that you simply can't resist. Once you watch this show, you will have started a full dive into a show that will completely draw you into its world and leave the impact of things behind. Once you do this, be ready for a joy ride of one of the best shows ever. Because currently, right now, I say with great meaning, I can not feel a thing right now after pouring everything I had into that show. You may not know what I'm talking about, but once you see it, you will understand completely what I'm talking about.

I make this a strong claim, it is one of the best (only stating it like this now realizing you can't compare oranges and apples) that has ever been made. It makes this show great, and its ending is truly one to die for. It's priceless, and if you haven't seen this anime you must, if you call yourself a true anime fan then you have to watch this anime. Or else you will be missing out on the greatest one you have yet to witness in your entire life.

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2nd post

Everything seems to be placed perfectly and nothing seems to be out of place. Like as if everything was just fitting so straight into a puzzle board that it almost looks likes as if they weren't individual pieces and for this show once all the pieces come together it becomes a perfect show with a beautiful ending. There's a lot of things to think about and listen to (CUS THERES SO MUCH FUCKING TALKING) and that can be a let down for some. But fear not cus don't worry this show isn't an anime that you need to repeatedly watch. I watched this show in chunks and I found it to be a beautiful and amazing show. What makes this show great is that every episode is a fleshed out story and the ending simply puts it all together to make it one of the best fucking puzzle pieces that you've ever seen in your entire life. The ending has so many plot twists and everytime you suspect what's going to happen something completely different happens and that's what truly makes this show amazing. You feel drawn in, and almost feel like you're gonna go into that world but at the same time you don't even realize it. There's so much fucking talking that before you know it you feel drawn in to it and like as if you were actually a part of it. But every show is like a whole fleshed out story that it doesn't need to be felt as rushed or anything of the sort. Warning though, on the last two episodes, you will definitely watch them in a pair or I swear to god you stubborn little faggots if you don't I will not let you live, anyways, enough cruelty, the show's amazing in how it brings everything together, and the ending is stunningly beautiful in the way it's done it's hard to say that there was a better anime than katanagatari.

There's a lot of spiritual messages and meanings in the show and it's not necessarily a let down, in fact it makes you feel as though the show's starting to get deeper and make you start thinking a lot more. Like as if it's letting you know "we're done dicking around, it's time to get serious and for you to start thinking because shit's about to get real." and it really does. With the introduction of new characters (which is every episode) especially in the last "Few" episodes. It makes this show great and spectacular in every way possible. You feel a connection with the characters before you even realize it and before you know it, bang. Shit starts to fly and things start to happen, this is when you feel the true essence of katanagatari (oh god like what demo said that feels so good to write) and there's no other word for this show other than spectacular. Everything is placed perfectly and there's nothing out of place or distorted. The show doesn't take any wrong turns and keeps a forward and straight path like a good show should. At the last episode, it binds you so perfectly to the show, you can feel everything that's going on and it ends up being one to feel and remember about for your whole life. I know I had just finished this anime but I have never felt a feeling like this, it will truly carry on with you for the rest of your life. There's so many spiritual and thought provoking messages in this show it can't be helped but to rethink your life one way or another after you're finished with this show. There's nothing else to say about this show, its simplicity, its style, its fighting, its art, its story, its ending, its characters, its development, its narrating, its all put together perfectly and wonderfully to make one of the best shows that you will ever see. There is nothing more to say about this show, if you don't watch it, you are truly missing out on anime all together. Because as I might say, this show, is one of, no, it is the best show that you will see in your entire life. How this show binds together, is mere perfection. There is no other word to set apart this show. How the story is put together, how it brings you along on the adventure with the characters, how it pulls you into the story, how you feel with the characters, this show is nothing but true perfection.

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3rd post *This one is a huge spoiler and if you are for some reason still reading or have skipped the others, then I beg you not to read this post.

I keep rethinking the scene when he remembers Togame and when she says "let the match-" which then proceeds to remember her all throughout his year of time spending with her. And it's done so perfectly and without rush that you can't help but just feel the emotional impact of it. I feel this weird feeling, almost like my heart just got damp and heavy and I've never felt it before, maybe its sadness...? I've never felt such a strong connection to a character before I wouldn't know what to think of otherwise now that I've felt it for the first time.. I don't know what to feel, other than what I'm feeling right now. How he closes his eyes, then proceeds to remember the one person he's ever cared so deeply for. He remembers everything that they've done together in no specific order and it leaves such an emotional impact behind that you don't know what to do with it cus you've never felt it before. The impact is so strong you almost feel like abandoning yourself from the dull realization of life. It's so petrifying and horrifying how things turn out for her that you can't help but just feel these strong emotions when you're hit by them. Even her final words were done beautifully as a plot twister, you don't know what to make of them but even so you still love her as a character because Shicika loved her for that. It refers back to the past with her, his life with her, even as he strikes saying "cheerio" at the end or says his catchphrase. How he eats at the same shop they've always eaten at, how he tries to draw Japan. Everything about it is done so perfectly and well with enough time given into everything you can't help but feel attached to this show. This show, is pure perfection. It's completed.

“People who work for money are no good. People who work for honor are also no good. That leaves only one reason. People who work for love can be trusted. Yasuri Shichika… fall for me!” - Togame

Katanagatari is written by the well-known author Nisio Isin, original creator of the –monogatari series. This means that, if you were expecting a show with a ton of fighting, you might be disappointed. There is, however, at the very least one (pretty epic) fight throughout every episode. The runtime of each episode is 50 minutes, and I believe that this is beneficial to the series, since it allows for ... both more dialogue and character building.

The story:

The premise of the story is quite simple. Because of events roughly 20 years before the story starts, Yasuri Shichika father, and his family, was exiled to a small, isolated island. After his father passes away, Shichika is now the seventh head of the Kyotoryu (bladeless) Sword Style. Enter Togame. She wants Shichika’s help in collecting the 12 Deviant Blades, the final masterpieces of the master swordsmith Shikizaki Kiki.

“Oh god,” you’re probably thinking. “That just sounds so bland! There’s no way I’ll like this.” But I’ll stop you right there. The power of the show isn’t in the story, like it is in some. The characters are what really bring out the goods in this series.

The characters:

Katanagatari features a wide array of characters, and somehow, most of them don’t fall into some trope or cliche. Each episode focuses on a wielder of one of the Deviant Blades, and even though we only get 50 minutes with each, they all seem fleshed out and realistic, almost to the same level as series like Cowboy Bebop and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood does it.

Yasuri Shichika is one of the most well-developed characters in any anime I have seen. In the beginning of the series, he might come off as someone that would fall into the airhead trope. He even states it himself, “I’m not very good at thinking.” The thing is Shichika has only ever had contact with three other human beings. You come to realise that there is more to him that just being stupid, and he only seems that way in the beginning because of his life devoid of social contact. Important to Shichika is the reason he fights, and this is where most of his development comes. But I honestly don’t want to say anything about it, since it would be venturing into possible spoiler territory.

What places this anime as my favorite is not only Shichika’s development, but also the dialogue between the characters. It wouldn’t be a Nisio Isin anime, if more than 50% of the screen time was talking, would it? The banter and dynamic going between Togame and Shichika throughout the whole series almost reminds me of something out of S&W.

Art/Animation/Sound

In my very biased opinion, this show features some of the best character design I have seen. Each character is unique and interesting. None of them are bland to look at.

Studio White Fox did an absolutely amazing job animating this anime. Yup, White Fox, the creators of series such as Steins;Gate, Hataraku Maou-Sama! and Akame ga Kill! All things I feel pretty safe assuming you’ve at least heard of.

Katanagatari has what is probably one of my favorite OSTs. It’s huge, and has everything from great battle music, to some kind of Vietnamese rap thing , and even to calming, tone setting melodies.

In Conclusion

I don’t really want to say too much about the show, since I believe that coming to some of the conclusions I have come to is part of the watching experience. So go watch it. Like, right now. Go. Do it. You know you want to.

Katanagatari is one of the more intelligent anime out there. Along with Tatami Galaxy it spread light over the otherwise dark year for anime 2010 was overall. It constantly builds up your expectations and makes you think you know what's gonna happen next, then proceeds to surprise you by doing something different from what you were expecting, and then laughs at you for thinking you figured it out. When it wants to it can also build up a peaceful atmosphere similar to the one found in Mushishi. It also contains a handfull of kickass action scenes, a refreshing art style, well developed characters, a unique ... story and some of the best, most well crafted witty dialouge seen in anime.

The characters are one of the many highlights found in this fun, weird package of a story. The male lead, Yasuri Shichika is definitely the most developed of the bunch. He starts off as the typical loveable but naive guy arcetype, who has lived on an isolated island his entire life, only knowing two other humans, being his father and his sister. You get a feel for him and you start to think you've figured him out. But after a couple of episodes you'll notice how he slowly but surely gets accustomed to living amongst more normal people. His development is really well handled. It's not so subtle that you barely know if he's changing, but neither, apart from a couple of times, is it completely spelled out for the audience. Other fun characters include Emonzaemon, Higaki Rinne, Togame and Tsuruga Meisai. Instead of explaining them I'll just say that they're all very witty and a ton of fun to watch and you have to experience them yourself.

The animation for Katanagatari is probably its weakest point. The character designs are indeed unique, the backgrounds pretty, and the art directing beautiful, but the actual animation, the motion of the characters is a bit of a mixed bag. On one hand the fight scenes, while short are very well executed with good choreography, smooth movement and high detail. But then on the other hand for basically any scene that isn't fighting or otherwise vital to the plot the movement is stiff and miniscule, though with good storyboarding, directing and constant dialouge Katanagatari does a great job of masking it's lower budget and it doesn't feel cheap and is ever hard or unpleasant to watch.

Katanagatari is a very talking heavy anime, and I'll just say that if you don't like that style of show, then well... Get over it! You'll like this one.

As for other things and stuff: There's no dub, but that's okay since the setting doesn't really fit a dub either, and the Japanese voices are very good either way.
The music is quite good, reaching a wide variety of musical genres. It even features the choir from the original Ghost in the Shell!
Sound effects range from eargasm quality right down to a point where it almost feels like a parody of 90's shounen, probably because that's exactly what it feels like. They also do something fun with the animation and change it a bit each episode, most noteably in episode 7 which was the episode that really got me to liking this show.

Overall Katanagatari is a fun show, that constantly ridicules other anime, you and even itself. There are so many fun little details in this very rewatchable, enjoyable nice bundle of an anime. It has romance, action, shounen-like hype moments, witty dialouge, enjoyable characters and heck, even a bit of parody. Definitely not something to miss.

Hmmm I wasnt so sure about this one. Overal I think it was sort of enjoyable.
The pacing was far to slow! I mean it. i went for this anime because of the promise of action and decent martial arts fight scenes, well i got them, but usually they lasted little under a minute and all the other time was taken up with pointless chatter and conversations, carried out while the characters looked on emotionlessly, promising death or injury without even the minutest change in their expressions. Anyway the fighting, I usually skip forward when watching something that bores me and because of this I very ... often found I had to go back and find the fighting bit again because even if I skipped only a few seconds forward i would miss it, I actually skipped whole episodes threw sheer boredom.
Anyway thats what I think of it, I found that some people liked the dialogue and I found, when I could be bothered to actually watch those bits then it was quite good, but im personally an action girl and the sheer amount of dialogue just ruined it.
Also the voice of Nanami (shichika's sister) was so increadible annoying I very nearly gouged my ears out, just the pitch and the way she generally spoke was enough, in my opinion, to cause wide spread mass suicide if heard on speakers of any kind! :(

Writing a review for Katanagatari wasn't easy. In the end I decided to divide this review into two, episodes 1-3 and then 4.

Up until episode 4 Katanagatari was pathetic,

To begin with the ART

Oh god the art, others who have watched this anime will claim that in spite of all the downsides including the dumb story, the pathetic characters and substandard mediocre villains, viewers will claim the artwork is amazing.

In one of my favorite arcs in Naruto, the developers used a similar animating style with a very powerful effect.

Art work of this type has one point it really shows the explosive intensity of the conflict ... to great effect as in Naruto. Katanagatari FAIL.

Limping along to the characters, the guy who has lived on an island his entire life, has a penchance for maple leave styled haircuts and skirts who is at the same time the comedic relief and the Warrior , the other is the other character that happens to be female that isn't interesting.

The final stinging point of Katanagatari is the plot line.

The story heads in one direction, but it's like looking down a very long highway that you can see the end too, it might meander a bit , but eventually it will go right to the expected destination and still suck.

Then I watched the fourth episode, and all of a sudden you realize how deep and dangerous this world is, it is plagued with decay, frustration, sadness and death, and all of a sudden what was simple straightforward and seemingly designed for children became virulent hateful and murderous.

All of a sudden the character I believed to be the comic relief shit character I started to realize is a prisoner of his own mind... there is depth, and it has built up behind a horrible horrible wall and when the truth smashes it's way out I want to be there to see it.

There are few animes that force me to wait for the episode in some state of anticipation, but I'm really looking forward to the next episode.

This is the only anime i've ever seen without ANY flaws. it is just perfect. You might not like artstyle or story based of your own preferences, but even so you jsut can't deny its good. Story is set in medival Japan, yet it has nothing to do with real history. It follows Shichika Yasuri and in general his story is almsot the same with every shonen protagonist. But that doesn't make it any worse. His growth as a character is seen in all 12 episodes of epicness. (BTW, he's not a bitch-protagonist, like a shonen character, so you don't have to see same thing ... over and over again). You may not like my review, i am not really skilled with words, but i absolutely would recomend this series to anyone, who's not against fighting in anime.

I will say at the beginning, sorry for the terrible English! Now, about Katanagatari... (without spoilers)

I don't really know what to say, since it has been a long time ago, since I saw an anime this good. I should start at the beginning perhaps. Despite Katanagatari is an action anime, I warn everyone beforehand, it has a LOT OF SPEAKING and fights even though they are epic, they usually last only a few minutes. So if someone expects a shonen anime, don't even being it.

Story 10/10

The plot of Katanagatari is really simple. The protagonist, Shichika is a child in a family using a really interesting ... martial arts, called Kyotoryuu. Basically, he is a swordsman without a sword. Since his father took part in a rebellion, he was exiled on an island. Where the story actually begins, the parents are already dead and Shichika is living alone with her sister on the island.
One day a mysterious girl appears, who invites Shichika to find 12 swords of a famous Blacksmith. Basically this is the plot. 12 swords, 12 episodes, 12 months. (Katanagatari was aired one episode/month)
After this each episode will have the same structure. They find the sword, then they get it. It doesn't sound really interesting, but since every last sword is unique in it's own way, it will be more, than interesting. And what I really liked, that in those few times, when the main story gets boring, the creators put in some really good secondary storylines, like the one with the ninjas, or the relationship between the two protagonists, Shichika and Togame. (this can be called a main storyline though)
The story is really epic, full of twists, and the ending is pure perfection, in my opinion at least.

Art 10/10

Generally speaking the art style is really strange, some may even call it ugly. I did so too. It was a mistake. Now, that I think about it no art style could match this anime more well. I liked how they could play with even the small things, for example at one point something will happen and a certain character's eyes will change form due to that incident, and just with that minor change they made the character have an absolutely new aura.

Sound 10/10

The voice acting is well done, the OPs and EDs are good as well and the OST is just perfect. Epic when it has to be, funny when it has to be, sad when it has to be. Simply really well done.

Character 10/10

Right now I'm not talking only about the two main characters, but also every last secondary one! Almost everyone has a unique background, we get to know almost all of the characters, their desires and so. I can't tell more without spoilers, just trust me. The characters are great. And the chemistry between Shichika and Togame is something, I haven't seen in a long time.

Enjoyment 10/10

I enjoyed every minute of it. I can't say more, siince this is already the border of pure personal opinion.

Overall 10/10

I would say Katanagatari is a perfectly done anime from every aspect. Also this is mabe only my opinion, but every episode of this show discusses some really deep psychological topic, like friendship, love, power, sibling love, family, pride and so on. But I would repeat once again, this anime is clearly not for everyone and this is absolutely not a common shonen anime.

Summary:

Great story, beautiful art, beautiful OST, good voice acting, well written characters, totally enjoyable and it even teaches you something about the world, you're living it.
At least give it a chance, I hope you'll like it as much, as I did. :)

Synopsis:

Yasuri Shichika, the 7th heir of the Kyotouryuu school(bladeless), lives together with his sister Nanami on a desert island where they and their father Mutsue, who put down a rebellion started by Hida Takahito against the shogunate, were exiled to after the events of the rebellion. One day Shichika meets a gatecrasher named Togame. The shogunate entrusted Togame with a very difficult mission: she must collect twelve legendary swords owned by the legendary masters of swordsmanship. Later on Shichika agrees to help a fragile strategist and becomes her protection servant. The two set out to a journey towards the cruel fate. Will they overcome it? ... Find out about it right now!

Story (10/10)

Yasuri Shichika, the 7th heir of the Kyotouryuu school(bladeless), lives together with his sister Nanami on a desert island where they and their father Mutsue, who put down a rebellion started by Hida Takahito against the shogunate, were exiled to after the events of the rebellion. One day Shichika meets a gatecrasher named Togame. The shogunate entrusted Togame with a very difficult mission: she must collect twelve legendary swords owned by the legendary masters of swordsmanship. Later on Shichika agrees to help a fragile strategist and becomes her protection servant. The two set out to a journey towards the cruel fate.

The storyline looks very simple and cliché: a boy meets a girl and they start their long journey. However, Katanagatari absorbed all these cliché and made a unique fable that the majority of viewers will surely appreciate. Those who like intelligent shows will have to be very attentive to understand the storyline; however, if you appreciate spectacular battles, Katanagatari will surely offer them to you, as well. The unusual format of episodes (50 minutes per episode) ensures enough time for both spectacular battles and a good story development.

Katanagatari is truly a remarkable show to mention. Every episode our duo will have to collect a magic sword, fighting against a samurai or some other person. It may seem to one that it is simply unreal to make such story interesting and unique. Yet, Nisio Isin proved one more time that he does have a lustrous talent. Every episode features something new, and after awhile you will probably think that Katanagatari will cease to amaze you and offer you something that you have already seen. No, every episode has its aim, its new characters and features something new. I guarantee you that you will NEVER feel bored.

With that being said, the whole story-line is flawless, as it hasn’t left any unanswered question and explained everything. It will surely take you some time to understand the plot, but when you understand it, you will understand the whole uniqueness of this show.

Art (10/10)

Saying that the animation is unusual won’t be enough to describe it, but for some reason this new style works well. Without a doubt, it will take you some time to get used to it. But it won’t take you that long, after an episode or two you will appreciate the abundance of different colors and it won’t be a problem for you.

From characters to landscapes, the animation is just something you won’t find anywhere else. All characters are different and well-drawn, the action scenes are definitely odd, but for some reason you will appreciate that oddity.

Sound (10/10)

Iwasaki Taku (Kuroshitsuji, Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Soul Eater) is famous for his bright talent. If you see Iwasaki as a person who was in charge of the anime’s OST, the outcome is obvious-- the world will get another masterpiece. Katanagatari is not an exception, Mr. Iwasaki took a mix of different types of music over Asia and made a splendid OST for Katanagatari. You will find some Vietnamese, Chinese and Japanese elements in his OST. You will definitely like this mix, as it is something you have never heard of in your life.

Katanagatari is only available in Japanese. You will probably find some fan-dubbed versions, but choosing them won’t be a good idea. I am not trying to say that watching the subbed version for 600 minutes (50 min x 1 episode) is good either, but Katanagatari is an anime that you shouldn’t be in haste with. With that being said, Tamura Yukari (Mine, Furude Rika, Takamachi Nanoha) and Hosoya Yoshimasa (Wave, Wataya Arata, Ginti ) did one hell of a job voicing their characters and you should, no you MUST, see it in Japanese.

Characters (9/10)

The unusual format of Katanagatari ensures enough time for the character development. All characters were given enough screen-time, but the supporting characters could have been just a bit more interesting. Anyways, those who have already seen Spice and Wolf (and fell in love with its characters), will surely appreciate the Katanagatari’s duo, Togame and Shichika.

Togame is a strategist and represents the brains of Katanagatari. Using Shichika’s strength, she defeats the enemies of the shogunate. You will see her ranting about luxuries or lecturing Shichika, but at the same time, she will play a cool strategist. Without a doubt, one may find her annoying, but her temperament does make her somewhat cute. After all, she is a fragile young lady, one should look after and protect. Don’t get me wrong, you won’t see a whiny tsundere, you will see just a normal young woman.

Shichika, having set off from his island, acts somewhat foolish and needs Togame’s directions in EVERYTHING. He calls himself a weapon and he acts as a weapon doing everything what Togame tells him to do. You will see him holding Togame’s hair, defeating the enemies of the shogunate, or protecting Togame from the sun. However, as the story-line progresses, Shichika becomes more humane and his character becomes simply splendid. (Note: Shichika in the first episode and Shichika in the last episode are the two different people. If you are ready to wait, Katanagatari will reward you.)

All in all, Togame and Shichika are amazing. They love each other and that love is obvious, but you will have a feeling that they don’t even know each other. Their development is simply splendid; the changes in character that they undergo are simply unforgettable.)

Enjoyment (10/10)

The good:
1)Storyline.
2)Art.
3)Music.
4)Characters.

The bad:
I didn’t find anything bad about this show.

Overall (9,75/10)

Are you tired of mediocrity and clichés? I know how to help you! Katanagatari will take you on a long-long journey, which will make you forget about all these "anime."

Fans of Spice and Wolf, Mushishi, Kino no Tabi, and perhaps Bakemonogatari, will be glad to discover Katanagatari. If the anime’s duration is the only thing, which stops you from watching this show, just forget about it. I wish you to enjoy Katanagatari as much as I did.

Please Read whole review before deciding if its not helpful and also iam sorry if i spoiled something or didin't write much because i don't want to spoil anything. My Apologies for many grammar mistakes.

Story: Katanagatari is about full of comedy swordplay which takes place in Edo era (17th - 19th century) there we got this deadly sword style called "Kyoutoriu" but this style isn't an ordinary sword fighting which we see in every swordplay animes this fighting style doesn't use swords in fact the ones who know this style can't use swords because they doesn't know how. 1st episode takes us to ... this inhabitant island in which "Kyoutoriu" style master was banished with his whole family after some time he died and left his son as the head of the family and a successor of "kyoutoriu" style his name is (Yasuri, Shichika) he lives on this island with his younger sister (Nanami). One day unknown woman who calls herself (Togome "The Strategist") enters the island in search for master of "kyoutoriu" style the banished warrior ... but it didn't go as she wanted. Later on they talk alot and after the whole talking , explaining things they enter into action zone which takes place another half of the episode. Action seems pretty interesting because fighting styles ar not so plain ... Bare handed battling , cutting ... is pretty awesome. After the fighting ends there are some comedy moments which changes the mood from fighting to laughing ... or something else. They leave the island leaving (Nanami) alone and up to the journey!.

Art Style: Well its something different from what we see in every anime we watch ... it takes some time getting used to this anime Art Style.

Sound: Well about sound nicely done sfx in battles with all the drums and such sounding.

Characters: At the moment i'v seen only few characters from the cast Yasuri, Shichika - who is kind of dull at life and can say such words as "i love you" or "I'v Fallen for you" out of the blue... , Togome "The Strategist" - who is clumsy and has superior character which you can see from such words as "Love me love me all you want" and etc... And also Nanami - who is as i think kind of weak girl but from what she speaks "That child is weak how they are going to succeed?"(Nanami talking about Yasuri) it seems she is stronger than Yasuri Shichika... There was also this "villain" supposed ninja ... who had unique fighting style and etc... don't want to spoil...

Enjoyment: Well this anime is enjoyable with all the fighting and comedy elements ... jumping from seriousness to comedy ... but despite all that there is a let down ... and it is talking just too much of it ... even in t he middle of fight they just stop and talk talk talk ... that was the only annoying thing...

Overall anime is pretty good at the moment if it doesn't get bad later on... If you got time you can watch it but remember one episode is 50 minutes ...

I expected it to take me on an entertaining ride. On an action-packed, fun-filled journey with romantic elements between the leads acting as spice to further enhance the flavor of the story. Would it be correct to say that it succeeded in proving itself worth my time? That it satiated my expectations?

Yes, it did. It did that and much more. Oh so much more. Some elucidation is in order, yes? Elucidate I shall -

Katanagatari is a story about swords. Contrary to what most people would think by reading the synopsis or watching the pilot episode, this isn’t a journey about collection of the swords but ... rather the focal point of the story is our main lead – a sword – Yasuri Shichika. It is his journey – a journey which shapes him; which showcases his metamorphosis from a sword devoid of emotions and feelings acting on the mercy of their master to an individual, a human being, capable of inhabiting emotions and expressing his feelings as a person.

It would’ve failed as a story if it didn’t possess a likeable cast. For a character-centered story to work, it is very important to make the character in question likeable. Which this anime manages to do quite well. He may seem like a caricature – a cardboard cut-out and a character as bland as he can be; in the beginning, at least. But the story intends for that to be the case. He is a sword, after all, and not a human being. Over the course of the story, he develops into a character. And the development feels organic and not very out of place. Togame, the other main character in this story, is the loud-mouthed female lead. She may seem like any regular protagonist or love interest that you’d find in any generic anime but that’s not really the case considering the fact that her character possesses layers – layers that only become visible over time. And which add up to make her a suitably complex character. The majority of the cast, other than these two, are secondary and episodic characters in nature. Needless to say, they don’t get to develop as characters as much as our main lead does – but that is irrelevant in the end because they merely serve as a means to further enhance the development of our lead. Their strong characterization and distinct persona help them build a strong first impression, no matter how insignificant they may be, and, as a result, they end up being memorable to a degree despite the minuscule screen-time some of them may get.

A story possessing likeable leads and sufficiently distinct secondary characters won’t mean much if the story itself didn’t pack a punch – which, thankfully, isn’t the case here. The overall story of Katanagatari is pretty strong. It packs in quite a bit of content in its 12 episode run, partially owing to its unique episode length, and it deals with themes like revenge, cursed fate and asks you questions about what it means to possess resolve, what is the reason behind people engaging in the act of war, what it means to follow your true objective – how you may have to discard all of your objectives to succeed in fulfilling your one true objective; all the while making commentary on things like correct and altered history – stuff that ties into the overarching story. Also, do not be fooled by its colorful visuals – it is a story possessing plenty of dark stuff. A good deal of the content on showcase here can be taken to attribute the show to possess nihilistic views. Some may argue against it and consider this story, at its core, a celebration of life itself but that’s a subjective view which may vary from person to person. Regardless, content-wise it delivers.

But a good story with shoddy execution ultimately ends up as nothing but a messy bundle of plot-threads. As a result, the question is – does the execution front fail? Nope.

The story is told in an episodic fashion. And each episode consists of the characters engaging in conversations which eat up a majority of the episode length. This may be an action anime but all of the action in the show merely crops up for about 5 minutes per episode at the very end. This would spell disaster for most shows. It works here because the dialogue has been given a lot of attention – none of it is irrelevant or inconsequential. It may serve to fill the viewer in on the personality or motivations of a specific character at one instance or may act as a means to foreshadow future events in a subtle manner. As a result, you won’t even notice that you’d watched an anime with 90% dialogue and 10% action well after you’ve finished it. That’s what happened with me. THAT is how well done it is. Due to that, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this show even to people who prefer action over talks – the same cannot be said of similar shows like Bakemonogatari and the like (other creations by the same author, Nisio Isin). But that’s enough of a digression.

With story and characters out of the way, it is time to discuss the presentation and the production values of the show. The only word that comes to my mind when I think about the visuals in this show is – gorgeous. The art style is definitely unique and may not be everybody’s cup of tea but it fits the story very well. Highly detailed vistas and intricately designed backgrounds are to be found aplenty in this anime. The character designs are highly distinct and they all stand out a lot from the generic characters that you’d normally see in any anime. Their designs reflect their personality perfectly – as a result, just their mere appearance can tell you a lot about the kind of character that they are. A good move on the part of the production team considering the fact that most of the characters in question are episodic in nature, and, as a result, do not get significant screen time over the course of the story. Adding shades to their personality via colorful characterization is something this anime does really well as has been mentioned multiple times during the course of this review.

Soundtrack is another aspect of this show where they hit the nail right on the head. They’ve nailed it – the anime boasts a good number of memorable soundtracks and they’ve been used exquisitely to further enhance the atmosphere of any scene in the anime. If it weren’t for the excellent soundtrack, this anime would’ve lost a great deal of its atmosphere and its charm.

All in all, Katanagatari is well worth your time. It deserves multiple watches, in fact, since some details may slip by your eye during the first watch (as it did in my case). A nicely written story possessing likeable characters, gorgeous visuals and an amazing soundtrack – all in all, it is a fantastic package that should satiate your hunger for a well-crafted fantasy tale for some time and may even end up as one of your favorites. Like it very well did in my case.

Anime these days tend to lack a key ingredient, that could very well make or break the series. No, it's not fan-service, nor is it a kick-ass OP theme. It's depth.

Katanagatari, or "Sword Story" strayed from what is now the norm in Anime, and managed to create a masterpiece. Of course, some may not see Katanagatari in such a way, but one should also stop to consider that you don't need hot anime girls to make a series interesting.

STORY - 9

At first the story would seem like your average "collect all the weapons". And for the earlier part, it would seem so. However, ... as the story progresses, the story gets deeper and deeper. It baits you in with a promising start, and build that up as you go. Be ready for a lot of twists, comedy, some romance, and some epic fight scenes.

On a side note, being based on a light novel series, this story is very dialogue heavy. Think along the lines of Bakemonogatari, or even Spice and Wolf. Saying this, the conversations are not boring at all.

ART - 9

The art for Katanagatari very unique. The characters are really fresh to look at, and the scenery is superb. The art is also very consistent all through out 12 episodes (which were released a month apart from each other) so yeah.

I don't believe there was a moment that the art disappointed me. The movements were very fluid and well drawn.

SOUND - 9

The OST for Katanagatari is basically...badass. We've got mellow tones, to fast paced music, all used to match the scenes mood.There was never an out of place score in it. A special mention here is the track they use in a majority of the fights, it sets up the mood really well. If you want, you can try to hear it for yourself. Just look up Bahasa Palus.

Voice acting was great. They conveyed emotions very well, and trust me...there's a lot of emotion here.

CHARACTER - 10

I believe this is what makes this show what it is. The main cast are all very unique individually. We've got an expert strategist, partnered to a swordless swordsman (right?) fighting with professional Ninjas and what not. It's a wide and very colorful cast.

Character development is done very well, as we see the main character, really mature within those twelve episodes.

ENJOYMENT - 10

Although I don't prefer the"one episode per month" in anime, I didn't mind it on Katanagatari. It gave me something to look forward to. And it never disappointed me.

Every episodes has it's laughs every now and then, but it also manages to mix it up with it's seriousness at times. It's a perfect balance really.

OVERALL - 9

Katanagatari is one of those anime that's easy to overlook, but hard to forget as well, truly a hidden gem for some.

If one were to give it a chance, I'm very positive, they will not regret it.

Katanagatari resembles a stock that has been declining for the past few days but for some reason it then rises back up so much it shatters the graph. If I had to describe my feelings for this show then I would probably say that it felt like a broken line which fixes itself along the way.

This is a show that compels you to appreciate the art style and quality, similar to Bakemonogatari. The story highly tests your tolerance. If you give up, it's over and you miss the positive byproducts which comes afterwards. Everything about the sound especially the soundtracks are kind of weird but ... it just works every time.

At first glance, you might think that this show is just a rip-off of Dragonball Z with katanas ( like literally ) and good art and quality. However, Katanagatari gets better as it progresses so if you think that you have enough patience then this anime might just be for you. Provided that you don't mind OP Mc, OP supporting characters ( a few ) and a story that doesn't really have a good nor bad ending as it simply tells a tale of a man who lived.

I guess I could say that this is pretty much the bakemonogatari version of Kill la Kill. Was very difficult to binge but it was worth it.

Talk about character development.

Ok so Katanagatari is about two people with really long hair that have been tasked with the retrieval of 12 sword and they have around about 12, 50 minute episodes to do it, so like a simple enough premise right? Well Katanagatari is a bit more than just 12 episodes of chasing after swords followed by a little development of the person wielding one of said swords, followed by the protagonist beating them and all that. The show actually gets into the WHY these people are fighting. If someone asked you that question what would you say? Money? Power? To protect the ... ones you care about? Because you were told to? It doesn't really matter but they get into it in the anime and do a bloody good job of why each person is there doing what they're doing. Now right along to the actually review.

The story takes an episodic approach, like I said above 12 swords, 12 episode to get them all, its a really simple story honestly and because of this it's easy enough to swallow, but they find time to build the characters really well amongest all the fighting and strategizing, more on that front later.

The art is....odd, but really good at the same time, this is the first time I've characters with two part eyes, watch the show and you'll see what I mean. there is one point where the art style shifts to being void of every color but red, and I remember that scene well. So basically the art is different and because of this you notice a lot more than you normally would in a generic (Hate that word) style anime.

To the sound I didn't really care as usual, I didn't even listen to the OP the voice acting was on pair, people should gather by now that if nothing from the soundtrack grabs me I'm not really going to talk about it.

Now to the MEAT of this anime, the character's. I'm going to paint a picture for you, imagine a sword, this swords soul purpose is to be wielded by you in anyway you see fit, now imagine that sword is actually a human, that is how the ML starts the anime as, but as the anime goes on he starts learning these things called emotions, example; early in the show he straight up murders someone, later on he kills another certain someone and actually feels regret, before a point he will kill anyone the FL tells him to, later on he spares someone of his own volition.

The ML just grows from this, because I can't think of better phrasing, shell to a fully fleshed out human, and come the end of the show I'm pretty sure it shows us what happens to a person who is REALLY good at fighting when the person they love has literally just died in their arms and they. Just. BREAK. That moment was fucking amazing.

To people who actually take my recommendations to heart (in which case thank you, nice to know some people listen to me) do yourself a favor and watch Katanagatari, you will be in for an experience.

Goodbye my brethren, see you in the next one.

This show left me breathless. Right after the final cut I needed to rewatch last episode all over again and enjoy the joy and pain once more. This is not some another action anime, this is piece of art.

Closest thing one should compare this show to is Samurai Champloo, not only because of the samurai theme but the main "plot" of traveling and finding what was lost is pretty similar, but where Samurai Champloo ends in story and character progression, Katanagatari only starts.

So much development in only 12 episodes (50min) is incredible. Characters are deep and are presented through very long but sensible dialogues. Many ... people say that its boring and there is very little action. But thats the point. This is show about human soul, about meaning of one existence and his place in the world. Action parts are just for background and progress of the story.

Through the show and collecting all of 12 deviant blades you will reach final episode and find yourself with the heart shattered to pieces only to be little by little again put back together but you will never see this show in same light again. I could mumble about how much of masterpiece the ending was and how the final fights was so much of a enjoyment, but one must see it for himself to truly understand that.

This review is not here to spoil anything or to give you some opinions on visuals or music, its about expressing how much of an emotional impact had it on my person and how it should also change your view on your everyday life, even if a little. Cheerio.

Show me someone who says this series sucks and I'll show you my hand mark on their face.

Yes, the art style is different. Yes, there is a lot of dialogue. And yes, this show IS amazing. Watch this show, just watch it you. will. not. be. disappointed haha. Very few times have I seen an anime as well made as this, and the saddest part is that not as many people have watched this compared to people who watched lesser shows like SAO( is said lesser, not dog s$&t)

Try out the first episode, watch the character interaction, at least give it that.

STORY 10: A ... story doesn't have to be this grand epic tale, and katanagatari does have one. This show is simple, two people are on a mission to collect swords, and with such a simple story, and fantastic journey is born( that sounded smart right?)

CHARACTERS 10: MANNNN there are parts in this series where I truly root for the 'villains'. Heroes------> Doper, Villains-----------> Doper, haha watch this show and I'll give you my phone number...........ladies.

OVERALL 10: This show is just great. Watch it, love it, marry it ( I will try not to judge you for it)

"Would you mind if I fell for you?"
- Togame

Story - 8
Shichika and Nanami, users of the sword style Kyotoryuu, are exiled on an island for their dad's crimes. They are scouted by Togame, who is off to seek twelve deviant blades, in order to gain status and whatnot. Togame is someone who has been betrayed many times, due to money or power. The difference with Kyotoryuu users, is that they seek none of that. Togame convinces Shichika to fight for her, for a reason that he can't betray her with, love. With the power of "love", they venture on a slow paced journey to seek ... twelve blades, following the pattern of one blade acquired, and one enemy killed each episode.

The last episode was really nice though.

Art - 7
Katanagatari has unique art. It uses ancient japanese styled backgrounds, but they look rushed, and at times look lousy. It's especially noticeable when compared to the characters which are drawn sharply and fluidly. The characters also have really interesting eyes. I like them.

Sound - 8
The sound used throughout the anime are fitting, but they aren't very memorable. There's that one soundtrack that raps which was interesting, but overall, the soundtracks were just decent. The opening and ending also weren't that great. They sound pretty intense, but don't match the slow paced story.

Character - 9
I loved the main characters. They developed pretty naturally throughout their journey, and they have an interesting relationship with each other. They say they're in love, but Shichika's idea of love is so damn innocent it's almost a joke. And that's cute. As for the side characters, they were kinda come and go, one dimensional fillers. Except for Chou-Chou and the bird lady who was kinda hot :(

Enjoyment - 9
I enjoyed it. They characters were cute and it was fun watching them develop throughout their journey. The fight scenes were also pretty damn cool. It was too slow for me at times though.

Overall - 8
It's slow paced.
It's based on development of Shichika and Togame over the story.
It has interesting art.
Main characters are cute.
Action scenes are cool.
Last episode was not a disappointing climax.