Karakuri no Kimi

It's short and has charm, so watch it if the premise appeals to you. But don't go into it thinking it'll be on par with series like Ninja Scroll, the Kage OVA, or Vampire Princess Miyu in terms of either fights or beautiful animation. It's got style, but at a fraction, but it's definitely got some things going for it that make it a classic.

Animation was alright, and I'm not just saying that for the time this came out. It feels like, surprisingly, despite this OVA being an almost 1:1 shot of the one-shot it was based off of, that the manga did it better. ... Fights were decent, with cool moments of violent blood sprays accompanied with great choice of music. The final fight was its best fight and most well choreographed. Sound design was mediocre, however, with sound affects for a few of the scenes being a little off.

Overall, it's a decent short that I rated as a 5 because it's got one heck of a fun concept and an alright execution. It feels lacking. When reading the one-shot, the art felt more consistent throughout, the darker, thick lines and the scenes flowing better than something that has movement—biggest exceptions being where they barged through the enemy and the final battle, which the OVA completely excelled at.

Watch for a quick fix of 90's (despite coming out in the early 2000's) styled anime set Feudal Japan, but keep in mind that it's nothing phenomenal.