Kemonozume

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Alternative Titles

Synonyms: The Beast Claw

Japanese: ケモノヅメ

Information

Type: TV

Episodes: 13

Status: Finished Airing

Aired: Aug 6, 2006 to Nov 5, 2006

Premiered: Summer 2006

Broadcast: Sundays at 00:30 (JST)

Producers: WOWOW, Imagine

Licensors: None found, add some

Studios: Madhouse

Source: Original

Genres: Action, Horror, Romance, Supernatural

Theme: Mythology

Duration: 23 min. per ep.

Rating: R+ - Mild Nudity

Statistics

Score: 7.35¹ (scored by 19,165 users)

¹ indicates a weighted score.

Ranked: #2288²

² based on the top anime page. Please note that 'Not yet aired' and 'R18+' titles are excluded.

Popularity: #2363

Members: 72,267

Favorites: 454

Resources

AniDB

ANN

Synopsis

Creatures known as Shokujinki have been secretly living alongside humans for hundreds of years. Though they may look like humans, Shokujinki are able to transform into uncontrollable beasts with gigantic claws and consume humans to survive. The equally secretive Kifuuken dojo specializes in killing Shokujinki by cutting off their arms, and is the only force preventing unchecked Shokujinki domination.

Toshihiko Momota, the son of the leader of the Kifuuken, is instantly charmed by a mysterious woman named Yuka Kamitsuki. Their relationship is complicated, however, because unbeknownst to them both, Yuka is a Shokujinki and Toshihiko is sworn to kill her. Meanwhile, the Kifuuken is having a crisis of confidence as Toshihiko's brother Kazuma pushes against tradition and tries to modernize the Kifuuken. As emotions are strained and the secrets of both the past and present are revealed, who will live, and who will be eaten?

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Kamitsuki, Yuka

Main

Shiina, Hekiru
Japanese

Momota, Toshihiko

Main

Kiuchi, Hidenobu
Japanese

Saru

Supporting

Ooba, Kyuutarou

Supporting

Utsumi, Kenji
Japanese

Ooba, Saiji

Supporting

Gouri, Daisuke
Japanese

Momota, Kazuma

Supporting

Yoshino, Hiroyuki
Japanese

Kakinoki, Rie

Supporting

Kakinuma, Shino
Japanese

Momota, Juzo

Supporting

Hazumi, Jun
Japanese

Hoozuki, Shin

Supporting

Katsu, Anri
Japanese

Hoobari, Gakuto

Supporting

Yanada, Kiyoyuki
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Yuasa, Masaaki

Director, Episode Director, Script, Storyboard, Series Composition, Key Animation

Nakajima, Toshihiko

Sound Director

Yamamoto, Sayo

Episode Director, Assistant Director

Nakamura, Kenji

Episode Director, Script, Storyboard

Edit

Opening Theme

"Auvers Blue" by Katteni Shiyagare

Edit

Ending Theme

"Suki" by Santara

More reviews

Reviews

Dec 21, 2007

Phill-z

Recommended

10's all across the board eh? Now I'm going to really have to defend that decision aren't I? This will be interesting because for something like Kemonozume there just aren't adequate words to describe how and what it is.

Story: I almost want to say it's Romeo and Juliet. But....it isn't. It sort of starts out that way, two groups of people who hate and kill each other....but it definitely evolves from there. It's a beautiful love story, the two protagonists go through quite alot...and not just with each other. The blend of characters that contribute to this story were ... quite amazing, each character shaping pieces of it as it went along. There were a couple things I saw coming from a mile away, but I wasn't at all disappointed by that, it was beautifully done. It's 13 episodes long, which is a perfect length for something like this. It did kind of slow down near the ends of a couple of the episodes but it was almost always very engaging.

Art: What is there to say about the art? Kemonozume is art. I remember seeing Kemonozume featured on a different site and every single person commented on the art. It does take an open mind to view this. The art is completely sporadic, sometimes it's absolutely barbaric and crude and choppy, while other scenes are beautiful and smooth. But the fact that the art is all over the place makes this a truly memorable anime. I've never seen this art used in any other anime, except for Mind Game. It's incredibly refreshing.

Sound: The entire soundtrack is jazz. I don't know why they chose jazz, considering that it's set in Japan in a relatively recent time peroid....but they decided to go with jazz. And it definitely works. It's all up-tempo stuff and it really does a great job of furthering the mood in this piece. They re-use some of the songs a bunch, and it's cool to see how the same song can be used in a completely different scene and give a completely different feel to it.

Character: They did an amazing job with characters in this anime. Some are kind of cheesy, and contain traits that are a little...stereotypical. The way they made each character interact with each other is great. I could imagine each character as a person, the emotions they exhibited were incredibly real. I found myself genuinely caring about these characters, something that doesn't happen to me as often as I would like it to.

I watched Mind Game, then I decided that since Kemonozume had the same style of art that I would watch it. I'm glad I did that. It's not the kind of animation from Naruto or Gankutsuou or any other kind of anime. Unique, is a more than perfect way to describe this entire anime. There aren't any annoying anime cliches in this. However you have to have an open mind about your anime to watch this. It's not something that can be enjoyed if you're only in to one kind of anime..like Mecha or Shoujo. And if you are interested in watching this, please download Mind Game first, just so you know what you're getting into.

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Nov 27, 2010

Moonlith

Recommended

How many times have you accused someone of not having an open mind when they judge your obsession with japanese cartoons, or anime action figures, or 2-D little girls, or whatever? I sure have a few times, yet even my supposedly "open" mind was put to the test right from the very first minutes of Kemonozume.

Its not just about the fugly art, mind you. Weird little monkeys, tower-sized detectives, man-eating monsters that look like right out of some simple children's picture book with their overly round and stubby shapes. I began watching the show all like "dude, finally an artsy and refined piece for such ... a mature and elite anime viewer like myself" and ended up almost dropping the show after the first episode. Why? Because it caught me completely off guard and didn't match my usual tastes at all.

Good thing I gathered my wits to go on watching, however, as Kemonozume showed me that "unique" isn't always an euphemism for just plain "shit".

To start with the art of which everyone seems to have an opinion when it comes to this show: yes, it's "unique". Yes, in that euphemistic way. But as someone with a way better way with words than me once said, you get used to everything except an icicle up in the ass ('cause it melts before it gets comfy), and such is the way with Kemonozume's art as well. Or perhaps it isn't as much about getting used to the crappy art is it is about realizing it's grotesque genius in this very anime? For just like Kemonozume's story and characters vary in their nature, the art varies from raw, murky, surreal, and sketchy to light, joyful, and truly beautiful.

Character-wise, Kemonozume is a treat for anyone tired of angsty teens all across their usual anime. Not a single character under 20 years of age in this show. The average year count ain't the only mature aspect about the characters either, for the chemistry, dialogue, and interaction they have with each other all clearly depict we're not talking about a middle-school drama here. Instead of the stuttered "I like you" and a hesitant, clumsy peck on the cheek, the two lovers in Kemonozume meet each other on a dark beach, exchange not a word, meet again, and fuck. While perhaps a highly romanticised setting (a beach, a girl literally falling from the sky, and BANG [get it?], love at first sight), it is a rather realistic portrayal of young love's carnal nature.

The story of Kemonozume manages to be both simple and multi-layered at the same time. "Simple" meaning that the viewer can easily grasp what's going on instead of having to endure pointless overphilosophicalpsychologicalwhatevermindfuckshit, whereas the plot's different aspects can be seen how, on one hand, it's a conflicted love story about two people so obviously representing two opposite sides, a story about the characters who all have their own goals and ambitions and trying to find their place in their environment, a story about the distinction between man and monster, and so on. Yet even with all these different sides, Kemonozume's story feels like a whole in which the varying aspects support and fulfill each other instead of annoyingly pulling it into a myriad of ways. Which, in turn, makes the story that much more enjoyable and intriguing, and unlike with many other animes, it doesn't end with a more or less horrendously disappointing conclusion.

Unlike with some of my previous reviews, I think I'm going to skip the part about how unnotable I found the soundtrack and go right to the ending rants. Overall Kemonozume was very much an enjoyable show once the eye got adjusted to the unique artwork and I learned to swallow the mindfuck-ish aspects which I usually hate with vehemence. A fair word of warning here, btw, if you're generally of the same mind and would prefer your anime withOUT any overt surrealism: prepare your...selves. Kemonozume does twist and turn all sorts of laws of physics and logic but worry not, it's not about bombarding you with lame philosophy as much as it's just another aspect of the artwork where, just like in Kemonozume in general, all sort of groundbreaking is abound.

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Aug 6, 2010

RandomChampion

Mixed Feelings

I'm looking over all these reviews, the majority giving this anime 9 or 10, and am thinking to myself that it must be some kind of joke. I have watched a good amount of anime and cannot understand how such a bogus-ass anime could garner such high ratings.

Story: 5/10

This is pretty much a story revolving around humans and their relationship with monsters known as "flesh eaters" who are cursed with an appetite for human beings. The general story starts out pretty solid and interesting - a typical situation in which a person has to choose between his human comrades and ... a monster. One would think that it would be pretty hard to botch this tried-and-true plot line. However, this anime manages to turn what could have been a relatively decent story into one of absolute bullshit and nonsense. The episodes turn from engaging and suspenseful to utter crap that simply drags on. By the closing of the series i was forcing myself to hang in there till the end. Good thing it's only 13 episodes. I would stay away from this anime unless you like watching mindless, uninteresting crap pulled out of the director's ass. the only reason i give it a 5 is because the first few episodes were somewhat interesting.

Art: 3/10

Sticking a paintbrush in my ass and attempting to draw human figures on a canvass would produce a better picture than what would be found in the "art" of Kemonozume. i can understand the artist wanting to create a rushed, violent, and haphazard look to try and match the mood, but not to the point of looking like something out of a 10-year-old's doodling in a school notebook. I for one do not hold art in high regards when judging and anime, but for those who do - I think you will need to be a very "special" person to appreciate this lousy, half-assed artwork.

Sound - 6/10

The sounds and music used are nothing special. They consist of mostly jazz/jazz related music. The music is neither outstanding nor mediocre and sufficiently plays its roll in this uninteresting anime.

Characters - 5/10

The characters in this anime are adequately interesting. However, many of the main characters are very inconsistent in their behaviors, ideas, and actions. It isnt really clear why some actions are carried out by some characters. Many of the actions seemed to be pulled out of the director's ass in order to boringly further the plot. None of the characters appealed to me or stood out as is usually the case in animes/mangas.

Enjoyment - 3/10

The beginning of the anime gave me the idea that i would be in for a decent ride. However, the episodes/series turned to crap as they became filled with a third rate plot; shitty, pointless, weird ass sex scenes; and lame fight scenes. This anime was a struggle to finish.

The only reason i can think of for the various high scores given to this anime is that people fall for the third-class plot line that tries too hard to be deep and philosophical. People also probably find this anime "artsy" for its use of jazz and broken-looking drawings. It is a shame that in its attempt to be philosophical and mature, this anime turned out to be inconsistent with a plot full of holes.

Overall: 5/10

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Poll: Kemonozume Episode 13 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Naruleach - Mar 23, 2009	56 replies	by Ashhk »» Mar 5, 5:11 AM
Poll: Kemonozume Episode 12 Discussion botch - Jun 10, 2010	22 replies	by Ashhk »» Mar 5, 4:42 AM
Poll: Kemonozume Episode 11 Discussion Beatnik - Jul 28, 2008	26 replies	by Ashhk »» Mar 4, 4:22 PM
Poll: Kemonozume Episode 10 Discussion Beatnik - Jul 28, 2008	24 replies	by Ashhk »» Mar 4, 1:04 PM
Poll: Kemonozume Episode 9 Discussion kenny35 - Mar 9, 2009	26 replies	by Ashhk »» Mar 4, 4:58 AM

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Kemonozume

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Characters & Voice Actors

Kamitsuki, Yuka

Momota, Toshihiko

Saru

Ooba, Kyuutarou

Ooba, Saiji

Momota, Kazuma

Kakinoki, Rie

Momota, Juzo

Hoozuki, Shin

Hoobari, Gakuto

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Kemonozume

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Synopsis

Background

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Characters & Voice Actors

Staff

Opening Theme

Ending Theme

Reviews

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