However, by that point you'll have been torn to pieces.
Dear those who want to watch Katanagatari...
You may have witnessed a lot of disappointment from those who watched this show. The main reason (and sometimes the only reason) behind these instances of disappointment is the extreme lack of action. People start watching this show expecting high octane martial arts fight scenes filled with badassness, but really, that's not the focus of this show at all. Instead, what people get is talking. At least 90% of this show is just pure dialogue.
I was one who knew about this dialogue thing before I watched the series, and not because others told me about it beforehand, but because I noticed that this show is the pinnacle of the anime medium, a LIGHT NOVEL ADAPTATION! And who is light novel by? By none other than Nisio Isin, who is well known for the Monogatari franchise. If you keep in mind this fact, starting this show expecting anything other than talking is stupid in its own way.
So why do I love Talking: The Animation so much? It's simple. Katanagatari may be the least boring anime that I've ever seen.
The Monogatari series makes dialogue fun to watch in its own unique way, and that is SHAFT VISUALS. Through the constant transitions of scenes, imagery, weird poses and head tilts, the dialogue becomes bearable due to the weirdness happening around it. Katanagatari doesn't do this. When people talk, it just shows their lips moving real fast, with a couple of facial expressions here and there to spice things up. What makes Katanagatari's constant dialogue not boring is the sheer quality of the dialogue. Full of wit and borderline Gintama levels of self-awareness, the interactions and conversations that the characters have are just simply... entertaining.
There have been moments in almost every anime that I've watched where I had to check to see how much time was left in an episode, even in thrill rides like Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann. Even despite the 50 minute episode length, this has never happened once during my watch of Katanagatari. 50 minutes just pass by in a flash, to the point where I watched 6 episodes in one day and had to force myself to take it slower.
Of course, I can't mention Katanagatari without mentioning the incredibly unique artstyle. Katanagatari is drawn like a Japanese painting, and while some may think that this classifies Katanagatari as an artsy show, it really isn't. It's just a simple adventure filled with wonderful character interactions. It doesn't have the incredibly deep themes, mysteries, and other philosophical ideas like other artsy shows, such as the Tatami Galaxy and others.
So what is the story of Katanagatari? It's basically a fetch quest. Well, I actually like to call it the epitome of "It's about the journey, not the destination." These are words that I've always lived my life by, and Katanagatari expresses it very well. The fact that the show focuses more on the character interactions, no matter how insignificant, rather than making a complex story, is basically telling you to enjoy all the things in between, not the beginning or the end. The relationship between Togame and Shichika is also a great example of living the present, while putting aside the past and future. I would go into more details, but that's spoiler territory.
And what else about our dynamic duo? Well, they are dynamic. In fact, they are probably the most dynamic pair of anime protagonists that I've ever seen. Togame and Shichika have incredibly contrasting personalities, to the point that they are almost polar opposites. This makes their interactions, both little and important, very refreshing and enjoyable. Shichika is emotionless, but not like the Kuudere type of emotionless, but like the innocent child who knows absolutely nothing type of emotionless. He also delivers a lot of punch lines, albeit unintentionally. Togame sets up all the comedy between them with her self centered and confident attitude, only to have her confidence shattered in the most hilarious of ways. Did I mention that this show is self aware? It really is. Togame almost breaks the 4th wall so many times, which I absolutely love. I really can't go into detail about their development together, so all I will say is...
I love the way they loved each other.
Oh, and that noitaminA opening? Absolutely EPIC!!!!!
TL;DR: Cheerio!
