Ranked #1042

Witch Hunter Robin

Witch Hunter Robin (WHR) is a dark, mysterious Anime centering around Robin Sena, a witch. Though technically, Robin is no witch, but actually a "craft" user. I won't go into details, but craft users hunt the witch users. Sound interesting? It is.

The story behind this show really draws you forward throughout each episode. It's not a boss of the week show, and it's not a mindless action flick. You'll follow Robin as she finds out more and more secrets about the witch hunting organization she works for. The trials she goes through in order to achieve these hidden secrets are quite entertaining.

The animation is nothing amazing, but far from mediocre. Most of the series is shot in a dark environment, so be prepared to possibly turn up your screen/video gamma or you might miss a thing or two.

By far the biggest plus for WHR is its music score. Absolutely superb opening song "Shell". All the other background music throughout the show fits in wonderfully too. I could not have asked for a more perfect soundtrack.

The relationship that grows between Robin and her work colleagues is well drawn out. Robin's motives and actions are appropriate for her personality, and we see her change throughout the show as different things are presented before her.

All in all, I really enjoyed this series. There's even some romance development, which is just enough to keep you hoping for something more. Gotta please us Robin fans. :) read more

Witch Hunter Robin is one of those shows that draws you in unconditionally. While some people might not appreciate or enjoy the genre or story, either after the fact or at first glance, I believe that anyone who loves intellectually grasping stories and characterization should at least try out the first few episodes of Witch Hunter Robin.

While the story and plot is slow (sometimes tremendously), the overall plotline and conclusion to the anime makes you really see the epic and vast nature of just what was being approached with this series. Starting like any normal "monster-of-the-week" series, you are compelled into the daily investigations of the STNJ, a "secretive" detective agency (ala Men in Black) that hunts down abusive witches, individuals with various sorts of powers. Even some of these STNJ members are witches themselves, including the protagonist Robin. Robin is one of those characters that, in my opinion, stays with you long after you forget everything else about the series. As simple as she may seem on the outside, her personality and emotions unravel and become apparent later on in the series, and it does not disappoint. Robin is not the only highly characterized individual in the show, however. I found all of the other characters we met with just as comprehensive a background.

The art and sound in this show are very, very good, sporting a soundtrack by the same person who did the music for Rurouni Kenshin.

Overall, it was an unforgettable show for me that I both enjoyed and basked watching hours at a time. read more

Witch Hunter Robin is part mystery, part supernatural drama. There are no fights against uber villains or anything of that kind, just brief skirmishes with small fries. Instead, this is a slightly more mature anime that is centered around characters and an underlying plot.

The creators of this anime tried to keep the characters as true to life as possible while maintaining this kind of supernatural setting. You see that realism in the dynamics between them at the office (some character are older than others, for example) and in their histories as they're revealed. I thought that the characters could have been explored further, however. We're really only offered a superficial view of the characters. There aren't many soul-searching monologues in this series as you may see in others. There is not a lot of dialogue at all, in fact. More often, you'll see pointed glances or pregnant silences underscored with muted, suspense-building music. Subtlety is key in this anime, but in the end, we don't know the characters in this show very well, and we're not very attached to them, unfortunately.

In each episode you learn a little bit more about Robin, the other witch hunters, and the agency where they work. Apparently, though all of the hunters besides Robin have worked for the agency for some time, they do not know much about the true purposes of their company and as their work continues, moral questions arise. Ultimately, this is the major question of the series: are witches evil and what is the purpose of the witch hunters? You'll find that not all of your questions are answered by the end of the series, but this dangling ending seems intentional on the part of the creators of this show. They leave the possibilities open.

At the same time, Robin struggles with her identity as a "craft user" herself and the seemingly cool and professional Amon has to choose his loyalties. These were interesting aspects of the drama, but you have to be patient with this anime. The pacing is slow. Action is infrequent. You learn in bits and pieces about the organization and the world of witches in which Robin moves-- just as Robin, herself something of a newb, does. In fact, at one point in the series, there is very little action at all and it is almost slice of life, albeit a gloomy slice. It's interesting to watch as her relationship and trust with Amon slowly progresses, though this anime never approaches anything verging on romance (pity). The music, meanwhile, is is atmospheric and accomplishes its goal of intensifying the action, well-suited to a mystery thriller.

While not exactly fast-paced, if you appreciate a story that gradually unravels with darker, subtle artwork, you may like this show. It's worth watching just to experience the unique mood that Witch Hunter Robin builds through skillful scripting, art, and pacing. It truly defines mystery. read more

Witch Hunter Robin, anime by Sunrise, made in 2002, something I've unexpectedly picked up one day. Well no harm done. Let's start dissecting my classification shall we?

Story-wise, it all starts slow as most introductions are want to do. The STN-J, witch hunts, the replacement from a convent in Italy and all that jazz. Most of the episodes were predictable, which left me with nothing to go on but character irony. It could only take me so far however. Sure enough a person whose three main weapons include surprise, words and a machine were enough to get the ball rolling. This is when the conspiracy starts, drawing you in, shyly stripping away whatever is hiding the truth. At this point, the viscosity of the plot is just perfect and proceeds nicely along as it builds up to the end.

Next along we have the artwork. Pleasantly above average, with enough variations of shade that seem to be everywhere. The characters themselves are fine, but its just personal bias that has me nitpicking on how they draw mouths. Additionally, astute watchers may be able to derive that Sunrise also does publication.

How does a gun that fires bullets using compressed gas only sound? Pretty damn realistic, that's how. Every cut, graze and slice will give you something that's close enough to life but still loud enough to emphasize it's point. Still, I'll be comparing the sound of the P90s fired in the anime to the real deal sometime and that may affect my score but right now, sound effects are good. What really does it for me in the sound department, is the music. I'm such a sucker for the stuff. The various compositions easily set the mood, whether it be eerie or discordant. The opening, Shell by Bana, is best listened to only as an instrumental in my opinion however, especially since the electric guitar is a bit more active. The ending, by the same artist, is passable, I skipped it after the first episode. That didn't hurt the score too much though.

The focus is really on Robin, our titular character, setting up trials for her to overcome, seeing her mature from the, I would say, introvert into someone with more confidence. That is not to say the rest of the cast should be forgotten. Each and every one of them brings out something unique to them, whether it be Amon, the stoic and aloof big brother, or one of Nagira's staff, who may not have a single line in the whole anime but is able to communicate in his own subtle way.

Enjoyment, well how hard is it to enjoy something this good? Do I even have to explain myself here? Enjoyment for me, its pretty much the Overall score, just averaging out everything. Even after the whole event subsides it leaves me with a tingly feeling, that feeling of wanting more. A good indicator that I enjoyed it. I feel like I'm repeating myself at this point so this review comes to a close. Should you like to take a dip into this world, be sure to watch out because nobody expects the Solomon Inquisition. read more

Those less familiar with the gothic/horror/scifi crossover genre might enjoy this series a lot more, at least 1 or 2 points more, than I did. If, on the other hand, you've seen a lot of this sort of stuff, this series will inevitably seem somewhat predictable.

I'll not go into details to avoid spoilers, but let's just say that everything in the plot basically ended up doing what I thought it was doing. Masked soldiers, young girl with powers, weirdo green liquid, brooding hero-type, they were all unable to surprise me. Another annoyance was that I couldn't identify with any of the characters, which seemed emotionless, even frigid, to me. Lastly, the plot takes way to long to develop. Nothing of consequence happens in eps. 2-10.

So what is good? Well, all of the above may just be a way for the director to allow you to focus on and enjoy the atmosphere of the show. Even though I never managed to "get into" it, I still noticed the obvious attention that was payed to the every scenery, location, costume and just the overall detail. This also means that every now and then something comes up that is not explained, simply because it's part of the scenery and not part of the plot. In all, this anime does a very good job of presenting an alternate reality that is fully believable, and aestetically pleasing to look at.

So, this is probably a very good series for those that enjoy atmosphere but don't usually like the action / macic / supernatural genres, because those elements tend to overwhelm a series' to the point of becoming rediculous. Well, here they don't. read more

I had wanted to see this series for a number of years. I finally found the complete series at a reasonable price. To say it was a disappointment would not do the series justice, it was a good watch; it just didn't thrill me either.
The main characters proved very interesting and developed as the story unfolded which kept me engaged despite the slow pace at the beginning of the series.
I personally thought that with a wealth of folktales and history associated with witches and demons the plot could have been much more interesting.

Ill just start with the honest truth. This is probably the worst anime i have seen from start to finish. I am usually a person that wont give a show really low scores like I have this one, but I just couldnt hold back.

Ill start by telling you what I liked then disliked.

What i liked was the idea that the people with the special powers, aren't aliens or people that have had crazy scientific studies done on them and got special powers, they are witches form the ancient times. Thats right those witches they talk about drowning and hanging in Salem. That is what had me first go O.o this may be a great show.

Sadly that is where it stops being good, and starts going down the drain. Lets start with the main character. You would think you get to see a lot of uses of her ability and get an interesting look at her mindset since she is one of these witches. You are wrong just as was. She is in an agency that hunts the bad witches that kill people and yet her power just consists of her catching things on fire. Believe me she does not do this in cool ways nor does her power get better as the show progresses. Her lack of power is not her only flaw, she is a horrible character!!! She is so very boring and is just depressed 99% of the time. And she hardly talks to anyone, nor do you hear much thoughts going on through her head. In this show there is so very little dialogue its annoying.

Then there are the fights with the evil witches. They are horrible!!! They are just like the main character, their powers are not interesting int he least bit. One person uses the wind to cut people, and another uses the ground to make you trip and fall. And then these fights last like 4min max, and since the show starts off as a weekly episode witch hunter for the first half, this makes the show so lame and so boring.

Then the second half of the show comes and gives you this completely awful story! Its awful because you start to think, who cares about any of this and this show really needed to be turned in a different way. Then trust me, the end makes you go, why did i watch this whole series and why was it so bad.

I only watched this show because people on MAL and other sights all have it as such a great show, and it was a total freaking bust. Do yourself a favor and just don't watch this show.

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This anime kept my attention only because of the battle scenes. Whenever there wasn't fighting, the series seemed boring and slow.
The music was wonderful, but very repetitive.
You learn nearly nothing about the characters throughout the series, nor the plot. They seemed to wait until the very end to explain every single detail and the background of the main character. It was frustrating, because the entire series you wait for some more information and you get nothing but more questions.
Every person will have a different opinion of this anime, but in mine, I did enjoy it, but I think I forced myself to watch it to simply find out the ending. read more

i had a look at this anime. Watched 3 eps, nothing happened. There were indications of the typical "character-with-tragic-past" plot. Nothing speacial. Ppl into emo stuff might like. They 'might'.....

OK, so I watched this some time ago..or atleast started to. I planned on finishing it but THE STORY LINE IS SOOO SLOW. The characters are intreging and sorta make you want to know what is gonna happen...and when..but after about 7 or 8 episodes...I am thinking to myself...ok ok...now what jeeze so slow. Then it got some what interesting but I had to stop watching it. The artistry is really cool. very dark and some of the characters are very odd and mysterious. I wouldnt watch this one more than once though.