Some suspension of disbelief is required to fully accept Kurenai's story, though that can be said for a lot of anime. Our protagonist, the titular Shinkurou Kurenai, is a regular high school student at first glance. However, outside of school, he works as a mediator for an underground organization; a "problem fixer" of sorts, as he puts it. His next assignment is a big one, he must look after a precocious 7-year old girl named Murasaki Kuhouin, who escaped the cruel fate of women of the Kuhouin clan with the help of Kurenai's mentor/employer, Benika. This will be no easy task, as the Kuhouin clan is searching for their runaway. The other meddlesome tenants of Kurenai's apartment building don't help matters, either.
The focal point of Kurenai's plot is the relationship of the two leads. Kurenai and Murasaki are interesting all on their own. Kurenai was orphaned at a young age, when his parents died in a terrorist attack. He has a deep admiration for Benika, and he aspires to be as strong as her one day. He works under her in order to reach that goal. Still, he is rather meek and humble, and doubts himself. Murasaki is articulate and mature for her age, forced to grow up quickly by her clan's traditions. She's also rather haughty from being pampered, and naïve about the outside world which she was raised to have no connection. The bond between the two is one of mutual growth. In the case of Murasaki, she learns from Kurenai (an the other tenants of the apartment building) the mannerisms and ways of common people. She also learns do deal with strong emotions as the relationship between her and Kurenai deepens, as well as how to truly treasure a relationship. For Kurenai, Murasaki becomes someone to fight for, someone to protect. This not only drives him in his attempts to grow stronger, but builds his convictions; even to the point of defying Benika if he must.
It is good that the relationship between Kurenai and Murasaki is strong, because it is ultimately what holds the show together. The narrative of this show is not the best constructed; it consists of very loosely structured arcs, which can become unfocused. The mid-series episodes in particular are meandering and sort of aimless. This does not mean there is no development, Kurenai and Murasaki's relationship grows slowly, but the plot just sort of comes to a halt. The episodes themselves aren't unenjoyable, there are some fun situations and misadventures. However, the novelty of seeing things like the residents of Kurenai's apartment building practicing for a musical wears thin quickly. It is a godsend when the plot finally gets moving again in the last third, though the use of coincidence in kick starting the plot is a bit irksome. From there, the show delivers some hard-hitting emotional scenes, majority of the show's fights, and a mostly satisfying conclusion.
The supporting cast is a bit of a mixed bag. The brightest piece in the bag being Benika, who fills her role as Kurenai's mentor and employer very well. Their relationship is somewhere between business and personal. She holds the reins loosely on Kurenai and her other subordinates, but doesn't hesitate to exercise authority when it is necessary. She genuinely cares for Kurenai, but keeps a professional distance from him most of the time. Kurenai's mischievous land-lady, Yamie, is fun comic relief. As is equally as mischievous college student Tamaki. Their shenanigans with Murasaki provide most of the enjoyment in the meandering middle episodes. The same cannot be said for Kurenai's schoolmates/ potential love interests, Yuno and Ginko, who are essentially just window shopping. Both have feelings for Kurenai, and neither goes anywhere. The Kuhouin provide some note-worthy villainy, mostly from Murasaki's menacing older brother Ryuuji and the battle-crazed Lin, but aren't given all that much screen-time.
This show was animated by Brain's Base, but before they hit the peak of their popularity, and is one of their lesser known works. The show is a testament to the studio's quality work even before it gained notoriety. This show looks really good. The character designs are distinct, vibrant, and expressive. Murasaki's design in particular is fantastic; it hits the right balance of childish youth and demure beauty to illustrate both Murasaki's age and her upbringing. Benika's casual and yet commanding appearance fits her perfectly, as does the very formal look of her subordinate Yayoi. Ryuuji looks every bit the well dressed sleaze he is, and Lin's facial expressions are fittingly deranged. Kurenai's design has a bit of bishounen flavor to it, but is still distinctive compared to the worn generic designs that plague all too many male anime leads. The animation overall is good too, but there are some rough spots. These rough spots are most evident in the show's fighting scenes; characters don't move quite as fluidly as the trained combatants should. Sometimes their movements look kind of unnatural. Editing-wise, the transitions into fights sometimes feel choppy or abrupt, though some of the editing also makes up for the animation short-comings.
The music is dominated solemn orchestral and jazz pieces. Piano in particular is heavily used in the soundtrack. Usually, a show will have more energetic pieces with high tempos for action sequences. However, with a few rare exceptions, this is not the case in Kurenai. Slow solemn pieces are often used for fights, and remarkably, this actually works. The melancholic tone of the music is used to give gravity to the fights, making them serious and visceral occurrences. At times the music choices can get a bit tiresome as a few tracks are often repeated, many times in the same episode. However, this does what a good soundtrack should do: support the visuals and content of the show.
Kurenai is a solid little show worth watching despite its various flaws. At its core is a strong central relationship that carries the show through its rough patches and remains endearing throughout. The middle episodes do drag and lose focus, but once the plot pulls itself together, it delivers some emotionally gripping moments that really accentuate the relationship between the two leads. It even throws in a few good laughs and fights when it is at its best.
