Kuromukuro

During the dawn of the 21st century, the United Nations Kurobe Research Institute was established in Japan to investigate an ancient artifact, which was discovered during the construction of the Kurobe Dam. Scientists from around the world have gathered in the facility to study the object, while their children enjoy their everyday lives attending Mt. Tate International Senior High School.

Yukina Shirahane, a reserved high school girl, is the daughter of the facility's head scientist. While visiting her mother at the facility, Yukina manages to solve part of the artifact's puzzle. To her surprise, what appears before her is Kennosuke Tokisada Ouma, a young samurai from the Sengoku era.

As a threat approaches from outer space, Yukina, along with Kennosuke, finds herself defending Earth against the invading forces. Along the way, she discovers the mystery behind Kennosuke and the reason he is determined to protect her.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Edit

Background

Kuromukuro is the 15th anniversary production of animation studio P.A. Works.

More characters

Characters & Voice Actors

Ouma, Kennosuke Tokisada

Main

Azakami, Youhei
Japanese

Shirahane, Yukina

Main

Ichimichi, Mao
Japanese

Noël, Sophie

Main

Ueda, Reina
Japanese

Muetta

Supporting

Toyosaki, Aki
Japanese

Zeringer Mundef Bischlei

Supporting

Soya, Shigenori
Japanese

Borden, Tom

Supporting

Kimura, Ryouhei
Japanese

Shirahane, Koharu

Supporting

Asakura, Momo
Japanese

Liu, Shenmei

Supporting

Ueda, Hikaru
Japanese

Akagi, Ryouto

Supporting

Ishikawa, Kaito
Japanese

Ogino, Mika

Supporting

Seto, Asami
Japanese

More staff

Staff

Horikawa, Kenji

Producer

Nagatani, Takayuki

Producer

Okamura, Takema

Producer

Fukuda, Jun

Producer

Edit

Opening Theme

	1: "Deathtopia (デストピア)" by Glay (eps 2-13)
	2: "Chou Onsoku Destiny (超音速デスティニー)" by Glay (eps 14-23, 25)

Edit

Ending Theme

	1: "Deathtopia (デストピア)" by Glay (eps 1)
	2: "Realistic (リアリ・スティック)" by MICHI (eps 2-13)
	3: "Eien Loop (永遠ループ)" by Ami Wajima (eps 14-24, 26)

Reviews

Apr 18, 2021

OneFaintingRobin

Recommended

I'll be honest up front and say this is probably the best mecha show I've seen in a few years (having watched this in 2021). I've had quite the spell of bad luck with show endings recently, with most of the last seven or eight non-seasonal shows I've made my way through having had endings that just haven't quite worked for me. And, to give this show credit, it did play a bit with my heart with that; the two episodes preceding the finale were both a bit clumsy and messy, and even with the last episode there was some weird pacing. But I'm getting ... ahead of myself.

"Kuromukuro" is a mecha show with a distinctive samurai-inspired flavour, with the story in the present day stemming from flashbacks to a medieval backstory that could probably have been its own show. It's probably one of the most unique vibes for a mecha show I've seen, with how the worlds of edo period Japan and the modern day (albeit with a very sci-fi feel to it) merge into themselves. This is seen perfectly in the titular mecha, which uses hi-tech katana to fight; it gives the fights a really cool feel, and isn't like anything else I can recall.

Generally speaking, those fights are well executed. CG mecha rarely come across as quite as impressive as their 2D counterparts, but, while the fights still sometimes lack a sense of physical weight (a common problem with CG mecha in my experience), the choreography is nonetheless imaginative, with a lot of really creative mechanical designs, especially in the enemy mechs. All the mecha in the show feel distinct and yet comfortably like they're from the same world, which serves the show well.

But, despite being a mecha show, this is very much not all about the robots. The real pivot point of the series comes in the romance between the two protagonists, schoolgirl Yukina and medieval-samurai-out-of-water Kennosuke, and honestly, their relationship really grounds this show perfectly. From their very rocky start, to seeing them grow closer together, to their eventual dedication to each other, the growth towards this relationship feels natural, and was probably one of the most enjoyable romantic storylines I've seen in anime for a while. And they're nicely held up by a mostly solid supporting cast, who generally get enough development and focus not to feel like they're taking up space needlessly, but who don't generally distract from the characters that matter.

And it's their romance, and the way it blends with the story's resolution, that ultimately secured it's score for me (the highest score I'll give a show that I don't consider a favourite (a 9/10) or a masterpiece (the full 10/10), so high praise indeed). See, I generally don't love open-ended or slightly unresolved conclusions to stories. Many of the endings I've found disappointing recently, I've found disappointing precisely because I haven't felt like there was adequate resolution. Here, however, I was presented with a somewhat open ending, that certainly leaves things in an open way, and which definitely doesn't spell out its resolution for us, but, where many such endings left me with a slightly hollow feeling, this ending felt perfectly suited for this show. Because, honestly, I don't think it was that open at all. The strength in it is, when the final scenes play out, it feels like what happens next is almost obvious. And that's because of the strength of that romantic storyline; at the end of the day, whatever forces conspire to keep them apart, they really feel fated to be togther.

"Kuromukuro" was a surprising show, that kept my attention for the whole time, and which gave me an ending that felt genuinely satisfying, in a way I wasn't quite expecting. If you're not a big mecha fan, this probably isn't going to keep your attention, but if you can enjoy the robots, there's a whole lot on display here to really enjoy.

Open

Gift

Feb 14, 2023

dr_prof_germann

Mixed Feelings

Slightly above average. Not that great though, but if you have nothing to do and you already watched all good titles in your season - it is worth trying. It's not mecha heavy and it's not totally predictable even if you are an anime veteran, so why not?
Characters are not that bad and pretty likable. There are a couple of twists that were interesting and it was pretty nice mix of genre.
Main character are also not bad, but you doubly will remember them latter. Ending is also pretty smooth and don't made you grab your head. Just remember to grab something tasty, because filler ...

Open

Gift

Nov 6, 2018

ekko_wolfgang

Not Recommended

This is a shitty remake of Evangelion with a less interesting cast and borrowed storylines from all over the place. Idc if it got melee fighting or stuff like that, it got 0 original character development, some of the scenes are as unimportant to the main plot as scenes in later Gundam, the dialogue is nothing. This is what i call a A4 or a netflix anime, a anime created purely for the sake of cashing in, following the most basic of storyline formulas and executing it poorly. The focus is all wrong, looks like the creators took more time creating good nature scenery instead ...

Open

Gift

More stacks

Interest Stacks

Super Robot Wars: 2010's & 2020's Part 1

by AcidTyphoon

50 Entries · 17 Restacks

All Anime Available on US Netflix (Non-Original Series, Part 1)

by MeanMrMusician

50 Entries · 6 Restacks

Reverse Isekai

by RobertBobert

27 Entries · 53 Restacks

More recommendations

Recommendations

More news

Recent News

North American Anime & Manga Releases for July

Here are the North American anime & manga releases for July Week 1: July 4 - 10 Anime Releases Bakemono no Ko Blu-ray & DVD Combo Collection's Edition H...read more

Jul 3, 2017 11:26 AM by Sakana-san | Discuss (9 comments)

North American Anime & Manga Releases for June

Here are the North American anime & manga releases for June Week 1: June 6 - 12 Anime Releases Ajin (incl. Part 1: Shoudou) Blu-ray & DVD Combo Limited Editi...read more

Jun 5, 2017 11:01 AM by Sakana-san | Discuss (12 comments)

More discussions

Recent Forum Discussion

Poll: Kuromukuro Episode 26 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Stark700 - Sep 29, 2016	106 replies	by gswelcome »» Aug 19, 2023 9:54 AM
Poll: Kuromukuro Episode 8 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - May 26, 2016	66 replies	by lisalosthername »» Apr 24, 2023 3:24 AM
Poll: Kuromukuro Episode 18 Discussion Stark700 - Aug 4, 2016	46 replies	by L01MK »» Feb 3, 2023 3:50 PM
Poll: Kuromukuro Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) Stark700 - Apr 7, 2016	141 replies	by Ronninn »» Aug 29, 2022 1:32 AM
5 Years Anniversary Event bastek66 - May 11, 2021	1 replies	by Cabron »» Mar 26, 2022 12:54 PM

Recent Featured Articles

Spring 2016 Anime Originals To Look Out For

The most exciting and intriguing anime of a new season are always the original material. You never know when one of these series will blow up and become the next big thing. Our writer is here to tell you which anime originals to keep your eye on this spring 2016.

by 5camp

34,669 views

Recommendation Collection

Kuromukuro

Alternative Titles

Information

Statistics

Available At

Resources

Streaming Platforms

Synopsis

Background

Visit MALxJapan
MALxJapan -More than just anime-

Characters & Voice Actors

Ouma, Kennosuke Tokisada

Shirahane, Yukina

Noël, Sophie

Muetta

Zeringer Mundef Bischlei

Borden, Tom

Shirahane, Koharu

Liu, Shenmei

Akagi, Ryouto

Ogino, Mika

Staff

Opening Theme

Ending Theme

Reviews

Interest Stacks

Recommendations

Recent News

Recent Forum Discussion

Recent Featured Articles

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

MoreMost Popular Characters

Kuromukuro

Alternative Titles

Information

Statistics

Available At

Resources

Streaming Platforms

Synopsis

Background

Visit MALxJapan MALxJapan -More than just anime-

Characters & Voice Actors

Staff

Opening Theme

Ending Theme

Reviews

Interest Stacks

Recommendations

Recent News

Recent Forum Discussion

Recent Featured Articles

MoreTop Anime

MoreTop Airing Anime

MoreMost Popular Characters

Visit MALxJapan
MALxJapan -More than just anime-