Kyoukai no Kanata

Mirai Kuriyama is the sole survivor of a clan of Spirit World warriors with the power to employ their blood as weapons. As such, Mirai is tasked with hunting down and killing "youmu"—creatures said to be the manifestation of negative human emotions. One day, while deep in thought on the school roof, Mirai comes across Akihito Kanbara, a rare half-breed of youmu in human form. In a panicked state, she plunges her blood saber into him only to realize that he's an immortal being. From then on, the two form an impromptu friendship that revolves around Mirai constantly trying to kill Akihito, in an effort to boost her own wavering confidence as a Spirit World warrior. Eventually, Akihito also manages to convince her to join the Literary Club, which houses two other powerful Spirit World warriors, Hiroomi and Mitsuki Nase.

As the group's bond strengthens, however, so does the tenacity of the youmu around them. Their misadventures will soon turn into a fight for survival as the inevitable release of the most powerful youmu, Beyond the Boundary, approaches.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Kuriyama, Mirai Main

Taneda, Risa Japanese

Kanbara, Akihito Main

KENN Japanese

Nase, Hiroomi Main

Suzuki, Tatsuhisa Japanese

Nase, Mitsuki Main

Chihara, Minori Japanese

Nase, Izumi Supporting

Kawasumi, Ayako Japanese

Shindou, Ai Supporting

Yamaoka, Yuri Japanese

Shindou, Ayaka Supporting

Shindo, Naomi Japanese

Inami, Sakura Supporting

Toyota, Moe Japanese

Ninomiya, Shizuku Supporting

Watanabe, Akeno Japanese

Kanbara, Yayoi Supporting

Konno, Hiromi Japanese

Nakamura, Shinichi Producer

Saitou, Shigeru Producer

Senami, Riri Producer

Yarimizu, Yoshifumi Assistant Producer

Reviews

Jun 21, 2014

Mchi

Recommended

Damn, I feel like one of the few people who really really loves Kyoukai no Kanata on this damn site. I guess it's explaining time because as I really really like it I want it to have a halfway decent review. (especially since most of these seem written from a bias perspective from someone who only watched the first 3 episodes.

Kyuokai is not perfect, but it makes up for a lot of its flaws with gorgeous animation good laughs and a completely enjoyable ride the whole way through. The story of KnK definitely isn't original in the slightest to start off. Like everyone is saying ... supernatural girl meets immortal boy and they fall in love, and while people may whine that unoriginality just leads to a total shit fest I think that if something works and is enjoyable that's what matters the most, and while originality is always a plus (like in SnK's case) it is not necessary for a good anime.

Where KnK shines is in it's art and it truly is breathtaking. There are so many scenes that evoke emotions beautifully and really just make it an artistic masterpiece in it's own right. It's one of those anime that could be absolutely terrible and the art alone could save it. Luckily the rest is not terrible it's all at least acceptable.

The character's and character development are also high points in this anime. The characters all interact very realistically even if they are reused tropes. The animations of the characters face in a particular scene helps portray the emotions in that respective character in a very real well that leaves it so that there is no need for talking and there is a lot of silence in this anime that leaves the watcher to just look at the beautiful scenery which is where KnK shines the most and it definitely knows it does. The characters also develop so well having episodes where characters slowly become closer to each other instead of leaving it to be implied and that's a very good thing. (Funny enough a lot of people see these episodes as "filler" episodes, I do not agree, but maybe I'm just more optimistic and think Kyoani is smarter than that)

Another very enjoyable aspect of KnK is the level of mysticism it portrays and even if it is an overused overarching story it does a very good job at not feeling stale in the slightest. I believe it does this best through the soundtrack which is absolutely stunning and great to listen to.

Many people are shit talking the story in KnK and I believe that while it is partially justified it also partially isn't because KnK isn't linear. There isn't one story and it seems to fly by very fluidly instead of feeling like there is X arc then X arc it just feels like it passes very nicely. The pacing feels nice and it's overall just very enjoyable to get through.

In the end KnK is enjoyable, the art is great and the characters and story feel to flow very well. There are flaws and those are not to be ignored; however, it is DEFINITELY not nearly as bad as people like to think it is. You will laugh, you will cry, and you will feel satisfied at the end of it.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Dec 18, 2013

Stark700

Mixed Feelings

Watching Kyoukai no Kanata is like riding a train but as it moves, it goes down spiral, into the abyss, and finally reaches trainwreck at the shadow of the pit. Don’t get me wrong, the show has quite an promising premise with the style of a dark fantasy genre. It’s something that Kyoto Animation haven’t tried before in the past so Kyoukai no Kanata should set its par high with this new style, right? Wrong. This series is fails at various levels and if you’re expecting a deep engaging story with well developed characters, then look somewhere else. It doesn’t break any boundary or go ... beyond its generic setting. Instead, it presents a story that is almost laughable. And no, I’m not laughing.

Kyoukai no Kanata is an animated series based off the light novel of the same name written by Nagomu Torii. (artwork: Tomoyo Kamoi) The series takes a new turn by adapting the style of dark fantasy in a modern time era involving a group of students whom seems normal at first but contains a dark secret. That secret being that some of them are not human but instead are gifted with abnormal abilities. They use those abilities to save people and combat against the youmu. Ironically, one of the main characters is half youmu but finds himself fighting on the side of humanity as he embraces his destiny.

Kyoto Animation is known for animating various titles with a school life setting but rarely ever incorporates the usage of actual supernatural themes into them with touch of darkness or despair. Series such as Hyouka, Chuunibyou, and the recently Free all never ventured into the supernatural zone that bought viewers to attention. Now finally in this show, there’s actual otherworldly elements that and fans should be grateful for. The initial premise also brings forth a promising start with its small cast of characters and plot. It starts out with an attempted suicide by a young girl named Mirai Kuriyama. After saving her, we witness strange events among its residents as the world they know it becomes a distorted by supernatural entities that threatens their very own existence.

The setting of the series takes place in a modern time era with the typical school life of our characters. Among our main characters includes Akihito Kanbara, a half-human and half-youmu with a gifted ability of regeneration, Mirai Kuriyama with the talent of blood manipulation, the spirit warrior Mitsuki Nase, and her older brother Hiiromi Nase. These four characters makes the ingredients of this show that give Kyoukai no Kanata its odd flavor. Most of them hardly connect at all with their lack of characterization. Almost all their conversations lacks any sort of dynamics but is instead replaced with irrational jokes, meaningless development, and overall a fragile depth. None of the characters stands out on their own either. Mirai is decorated with adorableness that is further evidenced by those noticeable round glasses, petite figure, and nerviness around others. Perhaps also colored as a natural klutz, there is almost nothing that stands out with her being part of this series. On the other hand, Akihito makes more of a presence but for absurd reasons such as his glasses fetish and preposterous humor. His relationship with Mirai is quite empty and can hardly be noticeable at all. In fact, there is hardly any romance between the duo nor any depth. They seem to exist the complete opposite together like oil and water. The Nase siblings aren’t any interesting either considering their constant bickering and Hiiromi’s heavily implied sister complex.

This series’ overall plot execution should be considered a travesty of justice. The plot has many holes that are left wide open thanks to the way of its execution. The way most of the characters are part of the series’ plot often ends in what I can see as rushed sequences. Conflicts are resolved abruptly without proper morals. Back stories seems interesting at first but overall lacks any depth or interest because it’s hard to relate to the characters. This is also shown with the way characters are designed. Mirai is a prominent example as her history with a certain character of the series left her with “scars”. However, her present character shows little to none of those scars until confronted directly. Even afterwards, her interactions with that character is seemingly blushed off as just another event in her past life; a rushed one at that as well. There’s also hardly any depth into the story except sticking with the concept of fighting youmu and saving people. This doesn’t always go in the way they want either with one particular episode that becomes an absurd parody with dancing aesthetics. Least to say, Kyouki no Kanata didn’t go beyond the boundary. It didn’t hit anywhere near home because of its poor writing and construction. There are backstories and reasoning revealed later on but to save them near its ending phases and makes viewers to wait patiently doesn’t cut out right.

Action wise, the series is executed well thanks to Kyoto Animation’s fluid execution. Scenes involving fighting are presented with rapid movements accompanied by its majestic atmosphere. Mirai’s rare ability also spills blood that marks the trace of its grim reality of dark fantasy. The youmu race also present a supernatural feel of explicit malevolence because of their existence; it is mentioned that youmi exists as result of negative emotions. Because of this, they spread that negative influence towards others.

Despite the show being dark and perhaps explores a more psychological side to its story, the series also contains comedy. Unfortunately, the presentation and delivery of that comedy is laughable in the wrong way. There is little chemistry in the way dialogues are delivered because the character interactions of this series lacks depth. Mirai’s character is generic with her annoying catchphrase that fits perfectly with its uninteresting style. The implied sister complex throughout the series becomes a distraction that’s hard to take seriously. And although the series avoid the typical beach episode, it doesn’t evade its poor parody or oddly coordinated fan service scenes. If the series wants us to take it seriously, then it should follow that pattern. But if it wants to make a few jokes here and then, it should at least make sense. Nonetheless, it follows down a path of despair with no decent delivery. I honestly don’t know what went wrong here. Perhaps it's because of the director Taichi Ishidate but he was known to deliver series such as Full Metal Panic: Second Raid that actually explored psychological of despair. Here, the direction is off and the timing is misplaced in many of its moments. Overall, it’s hard to take this show seriously despite its dark genre as it sometimes falls into the slice of life zone, other times with some story depiction ending in senseless solutions. You’ll see some of this yourself if you decide to give the series a try. It’s almost like dichotomy and becomes intolerable.

Thanks to Kyoto Animation’s production values, it’s safe to say that the series is saved in some ways by its scenery and visuals. The artwork for this show is magnificent with rich depth in terms of visual production. Most of the youmu gives off their threatening appearance that makes them a dangerous adversary for the Spirit Warriors. The character designs are typical with Kyoto Animation involved such as Mirai’s dose of moe. Mitsuki’s character gives off her coldness towards most of the others that is a reflection to the way she looks. Background wise, everything fits well and makes sense when the series decides to venture into the dark fantasy region.

The soundtrack is consistent with its tone. Because the series takes on a dark fantasy theme, it adapts a more eerie OST. Comedy wise though, there are moments when the OST loses balance of itself thanks to its poor execution. The action scenes incorporates good usage of its soundtrack especially with the intense atmosphere it gives off. Likewise, more emotional scenes makes decent usage of its OST to reflect the mood. Both the OP and ED songs also gives off a soft pacing for its mood. Mirai’s VA (Risa Taneda) plays her role well that fits the voice of a shy character. Others such as Mitsuki and Akihito also are consistent with their voice mannerisms.

Overall though, this series didn’t meet the expectations I had in mind. The initial premise had potential. Unfortunately, the characters becomes a major problem with their lack of characterization, interactions, and personalities. Most of the plot/arc hardly makes any sense especially with their resolutions. This doesn’t help by the fact that there is a improper timing with comedic scenes or dialogues. Instead, the dialogues usually falls apart with odd conversations such as involving the male characters’ fetishes. The technical aspect of this show is decent in terms of production especially with its powerful visuals courtesy of Kyoto Animation. The action scenes also makes up a decent base for shounen like battles with touches of dark fantasy. However, this doesn’t excuse the ultimatum of the show being mediocre.

As Mirai would write in her blog that she often gets flamed for, I would also say that Kyoukai no Kanata/Beyond the Boundary is best concluded with “how unpleasant”.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Dec 18, 2013

jiroutachi

Not Recommended

For quite the long time, people have exposed their wishes for Kyoani, notable for their several slice of life series with high quality animation, to do something else other than the slow moe-filled series they're famous for. After years of exploring safe territory, they finally announced the highly antecipated supernatural series Kyoukai no Kanata. And with that, set themselves up for what is probably their biggest failure in the last few years.

Whether they failed because the transition from slice of life to dark fantasy was too abrupt for them to handle or because they simply do not care for quality anymore, we can't be sure. ... We can just say for sure that Kyoukai no Kanata went wrong in every single aspect you can imagine, for simultaneously doing too much and nothing at all.

The premise is simple and somewhat cliché: half-human, half-youmu high school boy meets fighter girl who manipulates blood and kills youmu for a living. From this encounter, various events unfold. And that's just how it goes. The plot is all over the place; it constantly jumps around between episodes with moe and plain fanservice at its finest to plot-relevant episodes that actually accomplish nothing at all. It goes from fighting to unappealing drama to unfitting comedy to dancing idols. Yes, you heard me right: dancing idols. You should get a feel about how hard they are trying from that.

It's like the show can't decide whether it's light-hearted or dramatic. The "dark fantasy" label loses all of its meaning when over half of the screentime is spent on flat jokes and the protagonist dressed in costumes for fanservice purposes. The flow of the plot is ragged and it feels like a lot of scenes are incomplete or were cut out from how things are thrown in out of nowhere. Even when things do start to get half-decent, it means nothing when all of the scenes and episodes before that were messy and unfocused. They just feel like lucky pieces of candy in a colorful box full of rocks.

As if that's not enough, there is also an incredibly high number of asspulls happening for the sake of melodrama (the final scene alone is one of the single most gigantic asspulls I've ever seen in any piece of fiction), and roughly one or two out of all the plot-related points are explained. The whole story is weak, sloppy and unsatisfying from beginning to ending.

That being said, the cast of characters is very fitting to such plot. There's more of them than the show can handle, and they all feel ultimately forced. Our female lead, Mirai, is a typical bland airhead ditzy moe uguu anime girl who's more defined by her overused catchphrase than by her personality traits. Our protagonist, Akihito, seems to be defined as a whole by his fetish for glasses and nothing more. The main cast closes with the Nase siblings Mitsuki and Hiromi, who are an obvious pretext for shoving incest jokes where they don't belong, but are surprisingly the best characters in the show.

Like the plot, they are more like sketches that jump around inside their respective stereotypes than actual finished, fully-written characters. They have every kind of adornment you can ask for - catchphrases, defining quirks, canon hobbies, superpowers, fetishes and whatnot - but lack what matters the most: depth that allows them to break free from their respective archetypes. They abuse of Mirai's "how unpleasant" catchprase, Akihito's fetish for glasses and Hiromi's siscon so much that watching them becomes absolutely cringe-worthy at some point. They're so empty that sometimes the dialogue about their motivations needs to be filled with these things when the pseudo-depth inserted by unecessary drama won't cut it. The only one out of the main four who actually feels like a character and not a scribble on the last page of a notebook is Mitsuki, but she alone isn't enough to save the character interactions from being a feast of awkward catchphrase exchanges.

The supporting cast isn't much better than the main cast. Some of them instigate conflict for reasons that are never explained, some of them just exist without ever doing anything relevant or even being fun to watch (I'm looking at you, Ai Shindou), some of them are likeable but butchered by terrible writing. The main antagonist is bland and unreasonable. Some of the characters literally just fade away in the very last episode with little to no explanation given. Most of them never go through character development of any sort, and reach the ending of the series without having gone through any changes at all. They are a group of characters with a sparkle of potential that was thrown inside of the water, making them useless - there's really no other way to put it.

The animation is decent; it is Kyoani after all. The action scenes looked pretty fluid and the characters had good expressions and movements. Not their best, but definitely not bad. The character designs, although not ugly, are really boring and generic. Not much to say about the sound. The voice acting was fine, so was the music, and the only thing that stood out were the OP and ED themes. The art and sound were overall fair and not really bad.

Lastly, is Kyoukai no Kanata enjoyable? In some sort of twisted way, it is. As much as you can't help it but noticing how ridiculous and poorly done the whole thing is, it's most likely that it won't bore you. You may get increasingly frustrated with the amount of wasted potential and lazy writting, but you won't get bored. Kyoani's biggest disappointment might be a good thing to go with if you just want something silly to kill time.

Final scores, tl;dr
Story: 2/10 - Jumps around, plot is all over the place, tries to focus on so many things that succeeds in nothing.
Art & Sound: 6/10 - Not too impressive, but overall pretty decent.
Characters: 2/10 - Empty, defined by their quirks and catchphrases, lacking depth and development completely
Enjoyment: 6/10
Overall: 4/10

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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