Juuni Taisen

I'm sick and tired of seeing people treat Juuni Taisen like trash because the plot is predictable.

It might just be intentionally predictable!
I know, how blasphemous!
As if its intention was to besmirch the name of our beloved Fate and the tarnish the genre it birthed into existence!

Did it really take everyone 12 episodes to realize that the show reveals the order of every characters’ death by the end of the first episode?
Would it be so far-fetched to imagine that Juuni Taisen actually wanted to put an original spin on the battle royale genre?
Or does every battle royale show have to be like ... Fate to be deemed “good”? Instead of trying to stand out with spectacular visuals, Juuni Taisen offers compelling characters and lots of new spins on the genre to keep you engaged.

Positives:
+Exhilarating Music
+Interesting Character Backstories
+Tense Action
+Solid CGI
+Innovations to the Genre
+Grimdark Aesthetic

Negatives:
-Lacking World Building
-Dragon and Snake's episodes
-Visual Quality Inconsistencies

[Story: 6.5/10]
In coming up with the score for the story I included both the actual plot and the way that the story is delivered because it is a crucial part of the experience.

Juuni Taisen understands how predictable stories in the Battle Royale genre can be, and it plays with this idea of predictability. It’s a show that acknowledges the nature of its genre, all of the opponents in a death game but one will die eventually. It rubs its predictability in your face and forces you not try to figure out who will die next, but to analyze the show’s other aspects. Namely, the characters, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there.

As for the setting and plot themselves, they are fairly barebones but sturdy enough to hold up the exciting action and character stories. Whenever the show draws attention to the behind the scenes of the zodiac war it feels very apparent that it’s the most undercooked part of the show. Occasionally we see anonymous bidders watching the battle, but there is little reason for these segments other than showing us important people view the game as a form of entertainment. In the backstories side characters offhandedly mentioning how the zodiac war is some myth that is typically referred to as very important, but that doesn’t come across at all during the actual war itself, as it mostly focuses on the characters.

The city that the competitors battle in is entirely devoid of life, with little explanation to the why and how. Characters have special powers connected to their zodiacs, although the powers are cool and well implemented into the action they have no explanation for their existence in the real world. Very little of the actual plot is clear, but each character’s backstory is enough to make up for its issues. The backstories worked so well to get me invested that whenever the characters engaged in combat I was on the edge of my seat hoping for the more developed character to survive despite knowing the inevitable would come.

The ending will no doubt disappoint some people, but its tameness didn't bother me. For me, it concluded the characters' stories in a satisfying way and it gave me everything I expected from the ending.

[Character: 8/10]
Most of the entertainment from Juuni Taisen comes from the characters, as you’d expect from a battle royale show with a paper-thin plot.

The cutthroat cast of twelve mercenaries/warriors are each represented by one of the twelve zodiac signs. Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Boar. They all have special abilities related to their sign which are revealed over time, another mystery that adds a layer of tension to the thrilling atmosphere. Even their deaths are directly tied to their zodiac sign. This opens another avenue for analyzing each character, and frankly, it's not surprising to see a writer as impressive as Nisio Isin try to innovate the battle royale genre like this. Also, they’re all edgy as hell. All of them, it's funny how on point they are to the edgy battle royale genre style the show is aiming for and successfully hitting it. Their personalities are all very distinct and are represented by their character designs. Their designs also have elements that represent their zodiac sign. Whether it be Usagi’s bunny ears and high heels or Niwatori’s chicken style outfit and pitchfork for a weapon. They all look absurd and have the strong personalities and backstories to justify their designs.

Their personalities are quite overdone, but once you see the explanation for why they behave the way they do you’ll be more inclined to embrace them. Although a couple of the character backstories didn’t quite do it for me (namely Dragon and Snake) because of their stories, while funny and full of action, blatantly disregarded what made the other character so well developed. Even with all the absurdity, a majority of the challengers evoke empathy from their backstories and make you think, oh now I get why that character is trying so hard to look cool. At first, they’re vicious killing machines, then the show makes you pity them and you'll become endeared in their struggle to win, no matter how futile it may be.

[Art: 6.5/10]
The quality of the art and animation varies, it starts off great but has a noticeable drop-off in quality in the later episodes. While in the actual present-day Zodiac War the visuals are quite good, solid character art, a dark and moody desolate city, and sometimes really great battle animation. During the flashbacks is where the art quality starts to drop. In the early episodes the art and animations look good all around, but as the episodes go by the flashbacks have noticeably less motion and become mostly conversation scenes. Not to say that the conversations aren’t interesting, but the show is at its best during the high stakes action.

It’s understandable that the budget isn’t huge considering it’s a new story from a fairly small studio. I can commend Graphinica for subtly swapping the art style to CGI to save funds in the later episodes because of how great it looks. Don't expect to see low frames CGI like what we got with Ajin in this show. Graphinica previously worked a fairly good looking CGI movie, Expelled from Paradise, so it’s great to see that they’ve only gotten better through practice. I didn’t struggle to forgive the issues with the visuals while watching the show, but I have to knock it a few points for some distracting quality dips during the middle episodes.

The greatest saving grace of the show's visuals is its grimdark aesthetic. You might just call this "edge" and you'd be right, but it's consistent edge that is totally in keeping with the rest of the show. Scenes are full of shadows, dark colors, and the fact that the war takes place during mostly the nighttime with rain and clouds during the day. Every aspect of the show contributes to this style and the visuals pull plenty of the weight. While the art is far from perfect, I can say it makes up for enough of its flaws with a memorable personality.

[Sound: 8.5/10]
A nice tense soundtrack that gets the blood pumping during action sequences. It ranges from orchestral music to EDM and I liked all of it. It’s also present during the slower scenes where characters are conversing to add a layer of tension, reminding you that they have to kill each other as soon as they finish talking. There are times it strikes the audience with some more sad songs to hammering home the brevity of some of the show's tragic situations. I feel safe saying it's one of the best OSTs of the season, as well as having a great alternative rock OP. The ed has a good song that’s more subdued than the show that precedes it.
The voice acting is good across all 12 contestants and there's a dub as well that's not as good as the Japanese voice acting but it's nice to have the option.

[Enjoyment: 9/10]
Despite having exciting action, a majority of the show’s screen time is flashbacks and talking scenes. I liked a lot of the backstories, but as I said earlier not all of them are interesting. Your mileage may vary when it comes to enjoying Juuni Taisen, I really liked it but it may not be for everyone. If you can embrace the edginess regardless of the absurd plot then you’ll probably find it to be an enthralling watch.

[Final Score: 7.7/10]
When it comes to entertaining action, Juuni Taisen pulls it's weight with interesting characters and the lore behind them all. It doesn’t have the luxury of being able to slack off because its visuals aren’t anything to write home about. That's why it devotes so much time to its characters and offers up some intriguing hooks. In the end, it’s just a good time. If you go into it expecting the next Fate you’ll be disappointed.

[Spoiler Warning]

Do you know what Juuni Taisen lacked? The music in comedy anime where someone does something stupid. Everything was so stupid here that it might've been better to just make it a comedy anime. And even with that my score would've been maybe 5 instead of 4


After watching all of the show, I want to say that this anime... Had potential. And a lot of it. But it went downhill really fast.

I'm going to talk about the pattern of the anime, which makes almost every episode the same, the poor "border story" and why the anime which is tagged only as "Action"- doesn't do ... anything interesting with action. Minor spoilers but I do not specify names.

So, when I first saw Juuni Taisen, I got hyped "Another Fate? Sounds cool!" and the story is pretty simple. 12 fighters, 1 wish, fight to death, last one standing (probably).

Where did it fall off? Basically at the end of the first episode, but you only realize it later.

Juuni Taisen repeats a pretty bad pattern for almost every episode.

Show flashbacks of character->Show character's amazing plan how to win->Character dies a random, quick death. (You sit there afterwards and ask yourself what the hell has happend)->Show next episode's title which contains an animal and spoils the next death in the next episode.

I have been watching it and hoping- Will the pattern break? And also, we are spoiled the order of the deaths, I do not want to spoil where, but once you see it and realize and doesn't break pattern and unlikely to.... You lose 80% of the enjoyment.

The border story? None. They fight for a wish, that's it. Oh and there's some guy who started all this and introduces them in the first episode to that Juuni Taisen, we don't know who that guy is (....yet?).

I wanna give props to the music (kinda), the OP and ED were top notch. The soundtrack.. Mostly forgettable.

But the art on the other hand... Went downhill real fast.

In conclusion, my score is 4/10. And if you're looking for a Fate alternative, you better watch Kiss X Sis because at least it's better than Juuni Taisen.

Before the start of the fall anime season, Junni Taisen was one of the animes that caught my eye. The reason why is because it had the term Novel on what material it was adapted from. As in it wasn’t a light novel series or a regular novel series, but rather it was one single novel. As in all it needed to do has been done, and all that’s left is to adapt it to animation that has an ending in sight that will leave little to no loose ends. What started as mild intrigue was quickly overtaken with dissatisfaction as the first two episodes ... rolled around.

Juuni taisen starts out in terms of its premise, as a very simple battle tournament between some of the best “warriors” in the world. The gimmick in this story is that each the the contenders is representative of each of the chinese zodiac. Add on top of that a desolate city where the contenders can do whatever they want, and you have a formula for some fun. It may not be the most smartest of stories, but it has the ability to bring many great fighting scenes which sadly never becomes the case.

Backstories and their utilization

One of the most noticeable aspects of this show, mostly because of how much time it takes from the show, is that it has a lot of backstories. Almost every episode has a backstory for one of the characters which is fine, I mean there are 12 characters and only 12 episodes worth of screen time for them. The problem is that each backstory is too long, and even worse is that it's the only shreds of characterization that we have for almost all the characters. I mean i’m fine with backstories as a way to develop a character and give them more depth, but it should be used as the base not the entirety of the character. It’s because of this that all the characters feel shallow, and it’s difficult to get engaged with them which in turn removes a lot of tension that could have been given to the anime.

It’s also because of the overuse of backstory that during my time watching I began to wonder, how are backstories are used in a story? One of the answers i came to is the one i used a paragraph above, as a way to develop a character and give them some depth while serving as a base and point of reference for how far they have or haven’t changed through the course of the story. It could as be used as a way for characters to interact as a way to sympathize or persuade each other, as well as the characters and readers getting a chance to know the characters. Now how are they are inserted into the story? Well as stated above it could be through character interaction, but another way is through characters reminiscing over their past. A majority of Junni Taisen’s implementation of backstory is through reminiscing, which also becomes another of its faults. Reminiscing over your past is better used during the low points in the story when there is not much conflict and characters are allowed time to think about things without interruption. However since Junni taisen is mostly conflict it seems unreasonable for characters to think about their past, since they should be more busy thinking of strategy plans. It’s only used properly twice and that’s because it was before and after the battle royal, which is basically the low point, and it also does backstory via character interaction maybe once. All other backstories feel hamfisted into the story as a way to give the characters some form of depth. They should have also thrown in a record scratch and a freeze frame before delving into their backstories because at least that would give them some value even if comedic. Even worse is what comes after each backstories that turn the show into a bore which leads to.


Character focus and the wheel of predictability

Junni Taisen doesn’t really have a central that the story focuses on, but insteads puts focus on almost the entire cast, with each given an episode each. It did comes as quite the surprise during the first episode when only one character was given the most focus to, as well as a backstory, to the point that it was made to believe that they were the main character. Of course that thought was dashed away as they died in the very same episode. It was a nice subversion of expectations, but the problem is that it didn't go anywhere with this. It kept on doing the same thing over and over again with each character. If they are the main focus of the episode, and are given a backstory than they are likely to die soon. It may not be in the same episode, but they still die in a certain manner that holding back their death for an episode or 2 didn’t really matter. Another thing to add on top of that is the order that the characters die. All you need to do is look at the chinese zodiac wheel and after the death of the three contenders, it’s easy to see how the show is going to play out.

It seems that the people of the show were aware of the predictability of the show, and made heavy hints on how it will play out via the ending title, and the name of each episode. Even so it really adds nothing to the show. The show tells you what it’s going to do and does it, and does nothing else. It’s fine but leaves nothing for the viewers imagination, and removes even more tension from the show. With a predictable story and shallow characters, it’s hard to see the point in the story as it drags on.

the fuckery of the junni taisen world

The world of juuni taisen doesn’t make any fuckin sense. At first there wasn’t much to the world other than a group of assassins wearing costumes corresponding to their zodiac animal meeting in the middle of a desolate city to duke it out in order to have their wishes granted by the host. Gimmicky and simple sure, but it allows for things to be straightforward and brush of things that are never explained such as, how are they able to fight in a city that seemed to be abandoned recently? Well if they are able to gather the best killers in the world than they must be stinkin rich which also could explain how they are able to grant a wish and have people evacuate the city, via money and power. However in the same first episode near the end magic is also introduced through the use of necromancy. So that leaves questions that weren’t questioned now difficult to explain because now the wish and the the abandoned city could have been explained with magic or money, but it seems the writers weren’t bothered now to actually explain it.

So now you have a world where there is some sort of magic in the world and the contenders are able to use them, but it seems that one ability is restricted to one character each. It’s never explained why only one ability or how abilities such as theirs play in the world outside of people being assassins. It also leads to a power imbalance as it could be possible for one of the characters to have an op ability that can beat the rest of the contenders.

I think the thing that bothered me more was the entire point of junni taisen was that it served as a proxy war so that unknown people can make bets to take counties, and the whole thing is just dumb. There’s been enough flashbacks from the series to show us that there is still war between nations and fighting over land outside the battle royal. Is there going to be a change of government are borders going to be redrawn especially for something that happens every 12 years. Even then it’s not like the citizens will be happy which can lead to civil unrest and rebellion.

I was also going to go into the 12 families and the happenstance of the character aesthetics to their respective zodiac, but at this point it’s too much. Basically as more about the juuni taisen world is shown the more convoluted and contradictory it really is. It looks like a bunch of things slapped together with not much thought in the big picture.

Production Value and other final thoughts

The production value during the beginning was fine to say the least. I liked the character designs of the warriors mostly because of how gimmicky they are just so they can be identifiable to their zodiac. Although backstory boars combat outfit looked nice as it had a metal gear look to it. The animation was smooth although it had a rough looked to it which i personally liked even some of the cg animation was good. But that’s just the beginning as the quality in terms of both art and animation go down. Animation starts to look jagged and cg is used even though the characters are standing around which looks ridiculous. In terms of sound there’s nothing to harp about as most of it was forgettable. Characters sound like how they’re supposed to sound, and music play when it’s suppose to, but nothing truly stands out.

Going into this show i was at least expecting some action shlock, but it seems that wasn't the case. There were interesting things in the show for sure such as the backstories which themselves could make interesting stories, but they are confined to this one. There was also some “witty” writing when it came to the characters and what they represent, but nothing mind blowing. This is a show that said it will do a thing, did it, and nothing more.

Some spoilers.

It's unbelievable how terrible this anime is. The premise of the show is that these 12 "badass" mercenary warriors each representing a zodiac animal are pitted against each other to fight to the death for the victory to be granted any wish much like that of the Fate series. The battle that takes place every 12 years (like the zodiac calendar) is supposed to be a war that replaces all other wars in the world to prevent the unnecessary loss of life, but yet the show constantly flashback to each warriors history of years of war experience. This completely contradicts the whole premise.

While ... the concept seems like it'd be fun to watch a bunch of people killing each other, the story telling aka plot progression completely ruins any enjoyment. It starts off with a interesting character you think is the protagonist by telling you the backstory and then kills them off. What a twist right? Then the show proceeds to replicate this formula for EVERY single character for the whole show. It's so predictable that there's no reason to even guess who's going to die next. Also these heroes are constantly dying in the dumbest ways to the point that each build up become anti-climactic.

I don't know how anyone would think this was worth making into an anime. There's no character development and there's no concept of storytelling.

Every season nowadays, we get one of those “dark, edgy” shows that can make our stomach growl. From this year, we had plenty of those. Titles such as Kakegurui, Chaos;Child, and even Vatican Kiseki Chousakan tried to sell its ideas to viewers with mixed results. Then, there’s Juuni Taisen, a show that features a battle royale theme. Based on the signs of the Eastern Zodiac, it’ a character battle for the ultimate grand price of having a wish fulfilled. But honestly, Juuni Taisen is a show that betrayed expectations. It didn’t fulfill my wish of a show that is memorable. Instead, it delivered a half-assed ... TV anime that makes headlines for the wrong reasons.

Juuni Taisen is interesting to note for its creator, the brainchild behind the Monogatari novels. While that franchise takes on a more narrative approach, Juuni Taisen tried to do something different. It became a show that heavily focused on its characters, ones that I honestly found to have many problems by their standards. That’s another subject by itself though. For this anime to succeed, it had to really get viewers invested into the story and be something unique of itself. Unfortunately, the battle royale theme is hardly original. The popular Fate franchise already had a similar premise while other shows in recent years also took on such an approach. (ex. Btooom, Mirai Nikki) What Juun Taisen failed to really do is not bringing in characters that are worth watching for but instead kills them off like they are some failed experiment. To say the least, that’s just awful to realize.

Watching this anime will probably get you to realize what it wants you to like. The bloodthirsty action, tragic drama, and emotional storytelling is what people should really expect from a show like this. Unfortunately, it only capitalizes on a small percent of that. Its straightforward storytelling is very predictable as you’d expect from a battle royale theme show. Every time you see an episode filled with storytelling based on a certain character, almost always expect that character to die sooner or later. As for the storytelling itself, this show took a risk and it didn’t truly pay off. Most of the characters in this anime has some sort of background story, motivation, and apparently goal for themselves. However, it doesn’t really evoke any feelings in the end as it’s hard to get attached to them. With perhaps the exception of the Tiger, almost every episode made me feel less sensitive about the characters. I don’t feel much sympathy for them because there’s really no point to after realizing what their fate awaits them. It’s so predictable that you can almost guess exactly what may from scene to scene for some episodes. The worst offender is the Usagi (Rabbit) because this anime omits any sort of character development for him. He is literally portrayed as a psychotic abomination who tries to make “friends” and enjoys the thrill of killing. It doesn’t also help that the character lacks a personality and is there to fill the bloodthirsty action part of the show. By storytelling context, I do want to say that the show provides reasons for the battle royale itself and that there’s a larger end-goal than just making a wish come true.

If you came for a show with graphic content, then this may end up being somewhat of a crowd-pleaser. The body horror, bloodshed, and overall psychology lives up to certain expectations. So really, if you plan to watch Juuni Taisen, you won’t be disappointed for a show that offers its violence. I also have to add that through its battle royale theme, the show sometimes gets creative with how characters uses their approach to kill. While it’s far from being an intelligent anime with strategies and clever psychology, some characters are deceptively cunning. The anime makes it clear that there will be one victor so death is something that you’ll see often. The way these are carried out can occasionally be impressive despite the extreme predictably.

Adapted by studio Graphinica, I will admit that the overall visual quality gave me some favorable impressions. From the character introductions to the battle choreography, Juuni Taisen knows how to get viewers pumped up for some of its episodes. As dark and edgy as this show can be, it does live up to some expectations in regards to its technical content with graphic horror. Body parts are shredded, blood is spilled, and mentality is tested through facial character expressions. There isn’t much censorship either. Tragic background stories has a black and white stylish tone that expresses a sense of vulnerability. Most of the animation also remains fluid without questionable raw quality. The character designs are interesting to take notice ranging from Usagi’s man service to some of the sci-fi gimmicky outfits such as those wore by Tsumita siblings. The animal motifs and characteristics are also evident to represent the Chinese Zodiac.

When it comes to soundtrack delivery, there are several qualities that makes this barely watchable. First, the battle OST is far too generic. It just seems to be there and isn’t unique by any standards. Second, there are the character voices. Some of them really doesn’t make an impact while others are memorable just by their voice alone. The guiltiest example is Usagi, a character voiced by Nobuhiko Okamoto. His voice from this show channels the craziest and ridiculous lines I’ve seen from this show. On the other hand, the theme songs gives a feeling of melancholy and grimmer mood. I mean, it is a very moody anime after all.

Should you really watch Juuni Taisen? As a light novel adaptation with 12 episodes, it’s about as predictable as it can get. Expectations were shattered in pieces once you realize what you’re in for. Beyond the predictably, the anime fails to get over most or if any of its character cast. Even when there are characters that you try to feel sympathy for, it ends up being wasted in the end. It’s a show that I tried to accept for what it is but ended up being a dumb action flick that ran dead on its shoes.

This is an extremely fast-paced show so if you are the type of person that likes deep character development and to bond with the characters in a killing game story this might not be for you. If you are the type of person to like nonstop action with a small amount of character development you've come to the right place. Every episode we learn the short backstory of a character then we watch them fight. The story itself is about 12 people representing the zodiac killing each other to retrieve a poisoned gem from each other bodies and then getting the one inside you ... taken out upon victory. Somehow we have pacifists in this competition but that's not important. We don't know exactly why people showed up for this tournament but maybe we will learn. I do like any killing game plot and this is no different but I like character development also so I have a love hate relationship with this show maybe you won't.

The art is amazing as shows like this need good art because there is so much going on and people will drop janky and bad art like a sack of rocks. They have nothing to hide behind with this show and I appreciate the effort.

The music is also pretty nice and fits everything the show needs well. You know what you're getting just from the music used when it shows up. The voice acting is also pretty good.

Like I said before we get a short backstory every episode for each character then we don't learn much more about them. I don't mean that as a bad thing though. So you can't make bonds with everyone except for maybe the pacifists if they live long enough. What I will pick out is the powers. Every character has an ability related to their zodiac even if it may not seem like it. the chicken can control birds, the boar holds ammo like a pig does it's slop with endless reloading so she never has to stop firing her gun as long as she has ammo like a pig never stop eating as long as they have food. The rabbit has necromancy so the people he kills does his bidding for him with their powers intact I don't know how to compare that one. The dog can control poisons I guess because dogs can sniff them out and etc.
I like the way they balance this powers out so no one is too overpowered even though all the dog has to do is sit around until everyone else dies since he is immune to poisons.

Overall I'm loving this anime and can't wait for a new episode every week especially since we have so many duds this season. I'm somewhat liking everything about this show and hope it keeps it up. They even keep you on your toes by throwing you things you may never expect.

I am sick of people saying that this anime is a non-sense. I loved the anime from the beginning. The first 2 episodes were totally unpredictable and then it got predictable. The unpredictability once again returns in the last episode. I mean who would've thought that.
This anime is not just about action but also has awakening meaning.You get pretty awesome action. Intense strategizing. All 12 characters different in their thinking (except for the Dragon & Snake Brothers). Overall I loved it. I was excited every single episode. the OP is excellent. Art could be better though. One Bright spot in the Fall2017.

I think this may be the most underrated anime of the season... but for good reason.

Juuni Taisen is a battle royale anime, pitting 12 characters against each other in a fight to the death. A simple enough premise right? Every character is explored and as a result you do feel some connection or sympathy with a character when they die. And as its a Battle Royale, nearly every character... well dies. Written by the same writer of Katanagatari this anime is NOT meant to be a Mystery anime. People come into this show and somehow become upset when a character they like dies - if ... you can't stand shows like Game of Thrones or Breaking bad where characters that are built up die because thats the context of the world they are in, this show isn't for you.

Putting aside the obvious which apparently needs to be said, this show is moreso like a character study instead of a pure action anime. When put into a situation like this, every soldier/warrior has a different creed/way of thinking that leads them to act the way they do both in everyday life and in this said situation. What makes this show incredibly enjoyable is that we get to see multiple perspectives of how to handle a situation like a Battle Royale with every character receiving a thoughtful depiction. Yes there is gore and yes there is violence, but stripped to its core Juuni Taisen is more like an episodic case study show of how characters would act/behave within the given world of Juuni Taisen.

Its a fairly straightforward story -> Characters connive, plan, team up and kill. Art is alright. Only thing to really note is CGI is used for once in an anime fairly seamlessly within the show, which not many shows have been able to manage to pull off. Sound fits the show and helps with characterizations. Again, despite this being an action anime this show shines the most at being a set of individual character studies. Some of the other reviews here dislike the fact that characters they became attached to... well died. If you are willing to accept that fact, this becomes a thoroughly enjoyable show to watch.

This show isn't going to have you thinking about large philosophical questions like a Shinseaki Yori, but it does what it sets out to do. Provide a Battle Royale where every character is provided characterization and their methods/ideas are explored and examined. I would sincerely say this is one of the most enjoyable anime of this season.

Sometimes it is easy to grab a club and hit a series as hard as possible with an unconvincing criticism, and we forget that our tastes are not the same as those of the readers.

The plot is about a group of assassins (zodiac configuration) who joined a fight to death called Juuni Taisen, that's all.

First, let me ask you something. What story do you expect from a fight to the death or deathmatch? All the characters will die, so the story is easy to follow. The substantial part of the spectacle is not in the fight against death itself; it is in the background from ... the secondary stories. Besides, all the personality, skills and reasons to be in the battle are explained in the secondary stories. Why should an author focus on the deathmatch, knowing the predictable outcome? The anime gives constant clues about WHO will die later, so pretending to be surprised by the plot is a big mistake. Do not have high hopes for the story, it is predictable but you can enjoy the small stories and the animation instead. Remember, it is not Death Note, Made in the Abyss, etc.

Furthermore, ¿what will you expect from these characters? In summary, they all are assassins, murderers, most of them are psychopaths and antisocials so what background do you want to see? A killer lover of all living beings? ¿A killer, that have some morals and will cry at night for all the persons that died? They are not like Monkey, and that character was a killer as well. Please, do not overthink a deathmatch plot and do not try to explain it either with false and bold arguments.

The art is normal. The show is predictable. Moreover, for an animation studio is hard to invest a significant amount of money and time in some fights when the outcome is evident for the audience. Also, the chapters try to explain the character's perspective, so the animation used is acceptable for this purpose. On the other hand, the sound is typical, it helps with the fights and boosts the events but nothing more. The OP was ok.

In conclusion, the show gives the casual enjoyment when you watch any predictable show. For example, you could enjoy the character's short stories, but you already know the outcome, so you will feel a bit disappointed at the end because the show did not fulfill a more significant plot.

Overall 6.5 rounded 7.0

Finally, the show has some remarkable short stories, but not all them are fascinating. The plot isn't hard to follow, and it is very predictable. However, the outcome fits the adaptation's objective and relinquish some information about the characters using short stories. Sadly, the pacing could be a problem because the time between the short story and the dead of the characters do not allow any further character progression. Besides, the show isn't as bad as some reviewers are trying to manifest. A lot of spectators will enjoy that genre and the story, but the show isn't fantastic either, so if you expect too much from it, you could receive a hit in the face.

Juuni Taisen is one of the best examples of a bonafide "what if" anime: What if the show was 24 instead of 12 episodes? What if the art and animation were more consistent? What if half the show wasn't pure flashbacks? What if the character deaths weren't so laughably predictable? I really could go on, and it's a shame imagining what could have been an outstanding show.

The anime is plagued by a myriad of small problems which by themselves would be insignificant and ignorable, but when you account for so many of them, it becomes detrimental to the viewing experience. On its surface, Juuni ... Taisen aspires to be an epic, exhilarating battle royale where 12 warriors representing the signs of the Chinese zodiac volunteer or are chosen to partake in the brawl, with the winner to be granted any one wish.

Naturally, comparisons will be made to the Fate/Stay Night series, and while that juxtaposition isn't too far-fetched, Juuni Taisen is far more character driven and in that fact lies the show's greatest strengths and weaknesses. On principle, most of us can't get attached to characters if a said character received little to no screen time, or barely any development or backstory. To meet this principle, the anime dedicates one episode to most of the characters, where we see the conflict from their point of view and learn about their past. The problem here is that their backstory is told through an often intruding and abysmally long flash back that takes up the majority of their episode. I'm not one of those guys that hates flashbacks, heck I loved the original Naruto, but the difference here is that Naruto had dozens of episodes to tell its story and flesh out all its characters; Juuni Taisen does not have that time or liberty, so to see almost all of a character's screen time be dedicated to a flashback feels like a superfluous disservice to them, however effective it might have been to their development.

Speaking of disservice, one thing I'm sure that bothered others besides me was how suddenly the majority of the characters are killed off. About 80% of all the characters perish instantly to a sneak attack or die sacrificing themselves for another character. You can hardly call this an action anime if only 2 or 3 of the characters die fighting, while the others never really even got a chance to shine in the combat they so loved. Again, I'm not an action enthusiast, but if you're going to dump a huge flashback on us only to suddenly kill the character off afterwards, you've wasted any potential for growth that character might have had, as well as what could've been a great fight.

And that leads to the other problem: Predicable deaths, very predictable deaths. The anime is very formulaic --- The episode focuses on one character, they get a 15 minute long flashback, and about 2 or 3 minutes after the flashback ends, they die, usually without a fight. While this isn't always the case, you can usually guess with surprising accuracy the next character to be killed off by just figuring out which character that previously got no screen time is suddenly getting lots and go from there. In this anime, flashbacks are the death flags, and screen time is the precursor to that.

The last bit of bad news if you're interested in this anime is the often wonky art and animation. It's all over the place to be honest, bouncing between amazing and sluggishly lazy. Honestly, at the times when the animation is downright jaw dropping, it only irks me even more for the lack of action scenes that could have greatly utilized it. Even the CGI is fluid and alive, might even be the best CGI I've seen in anime. But again, it all varies as sometimes the art devolves significantly past the point of saying its the anime's art style and just leaves me wondering "why?" But of all the negatives, this one is probably the most ignorable.

As for strengths, the biggest one is that its very character driven and knows how to make us care for characters in such a short amount of time, but it comes at the cost of the above negatives and due to the nature of the anime, the characters would not live long enough anyway to solidify a deep connection to. More episodes would have been amazing for this show, but we have to consume what we have been served. I can also say with certainty that not one of the problems I listed was enough to affect my overall positive enjoyment of the show, and my lower overall rating of 6 is mostly due to objective critique. I'm a firm believer of watching a show for the enjoyment rather that to look to criticize it, so if the synopsis interests you at all, I still recommend you give it a try. Just bear in mind the above qualms and perhaps lower expectations accordingly.

In all, Juuni Taisen presents a simple yet effective story with compelling characters, though both of these are mired down by easy predictability and a lack of focus on action where there should be more of it. There was a lot of missed potential here, but at the same time it hit just enough right marks to distinguish itself as something truly unique in its field.

This work is not a battle royale cliche you see dozens of times adapted, but a mere mainframe to explore the way of the warrior with heavy character emphasis. From the start it's just 12 people, essentially and aesthetically bound by symbolism ties which alone should have rang a bell for anyone with more exposure to books rather than mainstream media.
Looking at how the story is build around 12 episodes, there is almost no room for more world building or entertainment candy by prolonged character study and stretched EPIC fight visuals. It's bound to realism even with the fantasy elements in it. I could ... even call it cruel; how all aspects of life are finite in the end - if you are to strong, fights are one sided and quick, deception and technology can fight on equal grounds against the strong, but no matter how strong anybody gets, no one can be a one man army in the end. Thus, the value of the warrior lies in his led life of fighting, not in a single moments confrontation with reality.

Sadly, the stories Achilles heel lies in the constrains of symbolism it chose to delve into. You just can't ignore the hint's so blatantly put in your face and make assumptions on face value alone. It isn't innovative by any means to make an long lasting impression to the mass media consumers, but as a standalone story it has enough quality for people that like character driven stories.

Warrior of the Dragon: killing for upvotes!

It's a good anime, but I see some problems. Like, if you really pay attention you can see the order of the deaths by just looking at the ending animation. And on the episode 9 the animation is not that good. But still funny to watch everybody dying in different and unexpected ways.

The anime doesn't give you time to enjoy the characters fully, but the flashback on their stories makes us like them a little more, even though they die very easily.I like the way lifes are so volatile and end so quiclky, it gives tension to the work and gives us more expectations.

The premise is like Fate zero, the animation is good, another than that there's nothing good. i didnt feel like I connected with the characters and apparently, some of the strongest competitors are weak and die so fast. it felt completely random who was going to die(with some exceptions) and most of the reasons for the death were completely stupid(i.e out of carelessness and honestly I think that's how most if not how most people died so far). I watched until ep 7). Also like the most helpful post said they just kill everyone then spit out of exposition(either before or after they die), it ... barely lets you connect with the character if you even did connect with the character.

Juuni Taisen is a very unique breed of anime. It's left me with more mixed feelings than most shows I can honestly think of. Some of it's good, some of it's bad and what we're left with is a very strange package to unwrap right before Christmas. Well, let me try and tackle this with some structure.

The three key things that define Juuni Taisen as a show are it's characters, it's thematic storytelling and it's anti climaxes. And all of them have their ups and downs.

So i'll start with characters. It's hard not to be immediately drawn in because all the characters have pretty ... stellar designs, both visually and how they're written. None of the 12 participants feel interchangeable and clear work has gone into making them interesting and fun to watch. A lot of the good stuff in Juuni Taisen is just watching these characters interact and deal with one another across the show's runtime. We're given a decent amount of time to learn about most of their backstories, their motives and their goals and they work well with their actions.

Unfortunately the strength of these characters is cut short as, since this is a death game, the characters tend to die off very quickly before they can have any actual development in the show. Once you know a character's backstory, for the most part, it's just a countdown to when they'll die, so sometimes it can be hard to get attached to them, especially early characters. There are some exceptions to this, for instance Tiger is easily one of the more standout characters and Rat also have some development, but they're drops in a bucket.

Onto the plot, the strength of it is definitely in the themes of the show. Every character having clearly defined goals and methods means their actions and even deaths are particularly fitting. It's nice as well that it's not drawn a huge amount of attention to and there to expand on for the more eagle eyed viewer who spies a cue in a certain backstory or in dialogue.

However, the plot itself is very bare bones and basic. It's your standard killing game affair with a rich group betting on it and somehow being able to grant wishes, none of which is given any detail. And on top of that, the plot does get predictable quickly, thanks to the show being based on the story of the Chinese Zodiac, if you're even vaguely aware of the story, you already know who the winner is and who will die in what order, which for a killing game is kind of detrimental.

What will surprise about Juuni Taisen is its use of anticlimaxes, something not often seen in anime. These tend to be both good and bad, sometimes they will earnestly catch you off guard for how sudden an action is or how shocking an event was and other times you'll feel somewhat robbed of a potentially interesting payoff.

The animation itself can be pretty good when the show actually decides to use it, certain fight scenes later in the show are pretty good but unfortunately a lot of the actual 'animation' is just used on simple talking scenes and it's something of a shame because when fight scenes are present, they tend to be pretty good and make you want more.

Overall, while I personally got some enjoyment out of Juuni Taisen, this is definitely not a show for everyone. I'd say give it the three episode rule and if you're enjoying the characters and can get over the predictable nature of the plot, it's a fun but bumpy ride right until the end. If you're just here for action and violent scenes, you'll get some of it, but probably not as much as you're craving.

I'm glad I watched Juuni Taisen, but it's only getting a polite round of applause from me.

If you were given one wish to have anything you want, what would you choose?

This is the question our 12 combatants have over their heads as they try to survive in this battle royale anime where only one can survive. It is the formula that been used in many battle royale anime and so it also applies here. Who will win? Who will lose? But, most importantly, who will get the longest backstory?

So sit back, relax and "Everybody, clap your hands!" as I present to you the anime review for Juuni Taisen. Lets begin:




Story: 6/10
...
So like I said, the anime is about the Juuni Taisen. A battle royale where 12 combatants compete to kill off each other in order to win the prize of having one wish of their desires; that's about it. Honestly you don't need to have a complex story for a premise that is this simple. You are given the premise and then you move on to see what happens next. It is the kind of story that develops depending on the actions of the characters and what they do to survive.

Now one of the things that Juuni Taisen does that I like is that there is no true protagonist. Almost every character gets the light shine on them for an episode or two and we get to see how they plan to win the Juuni Taisen what actions they are planning to make. We also get to see what actions they took before they entered the Juuni Taisen to get an idea of kind of character they are in backsotries. The problem is that they can be inconsistent in terms of actually being interesting and length. While some are enjoyable to watch, some of them can be kind of boring. It doesn't help that sometimes that the backstories can take an entire episode to just tell us the lives of these characters and their morals. This doesn't help when you get these long backstories and then they get killed off quickly, leaving the viewer disappointment due to it feeling anticlimactic. This is mainly due to the mistakes that the characters make but more on that later.

Juuni Taisen also likes to portray the battle royale as a literal war. The city that the anime is based in is a battlefield with soldiers in it; fighting each other in order to survive. Not to win, but to survive. Because by the end of the anime you get the message that there are no winners in war, only survivors. That is exactly what Juuni Taisen is trying to portray. It's not trying to be Fate or Future Diary, it is trying to be Juuni Taisen. But the message can be difficult to understand because the characters aren't really grounded in reality when they can do supernatural things that no normal human could, making it difficult to see that message.


Characters: 8/10

One of the best things Juuni Taisen gets right is that it understands that a battle royale anime needs to have a diverse set of characters and thankfully it does. Juuni Taisen has a large variety in characters all representing an animal in the Chinese Zodiac Line. From the weird dressing but psychotic nature of Rabbit to the calm and collective nature of Ox to the carefree but kindhearted Tiger. These characters are interesting to watch and makes for good entertainment when their personalities clash together.....most of the time. Some characters can be one dimensional and uninteresting to watch, making their expected deaths less shocking. I'm not going to say who due to spoilers but they can be uninteresting.

Now like I said earlier, their deaths are mainly caused by their mistakes because in war, you can't make mistakes otherwise you are dead. You make a mistake, you die, simple as that. This is something people tend to gloss over without thinking because it is an important factor. They can die because they were overconfident or they can die because they let their guard down. A couple of mistakes do happen multiple times but mainly they die because of the mistake they specifically made. However I do believe that the characters can still make these mistakes and still put on some good fights. There was only a couple of fights in the anime that were noteworthy as the rest ended very quickly. I think that it is a waste considering what these characters can do. These characters can control birds, levitate for no reason, see into different world lines (get it?) and resurrect the dead. It just feels wasteful and I believe that if the anime is not going to be really using all these abilities to the fullest, then they should have more grounded characters. It would certainly make its message about war more easy to understand.


Animation: 6.5/10

Now the overall animation can be rather inconsistent. But I must give credit where credit is due though, the fight scenes that are in the anime are well animated, especially in the earlier episodes. There is a lot of smooth action in them, especially since some of them are noticeably animated in 3D, making them an enjoyment to watch. The 3D animation doesn't hinder it and won't bother many people since its mainly animated in the standard 2D animation anyway.

However the character designs, while being unique to represent their animal in the Chinese Zodiac line, are rather poorly animated. Most of the time they look like they've been poorly drawn as there are notable black lines in their designs, making them lack detail and look sloppy. This happens a lot in this anime and you will notice it.


Sound: 7.5/10

The soundtrack most of the time didn't really stand out besides a couple of tracks at specific times. Most of the time it plays to itself to match the atmosphere and tone at that moment. However I do want to give credit the OP and ED of this show. The opening, "Rupture" Panorama Panama Town is quite possibly one of my favourite OP this year. It has a nice calm rhythm and beat that you don't normally here in an anime opening. It matches the anime well as it is not really explosive and is trying to be different than other openings. However, its ending song, "Keshin no Kemono" by Do As Infinity, is the complete opposite. Its fast and loud which, again, is the complete opposite of what many other anime ED songs matches the anime well because because like the anime, it is trying to be different.

I also want to give very quick praise to the dub as I do believe the voice actors do good jobs of capturing the characters personalities well. I specifically like Jerry Jewell as Usagi/Rabbit. While the Japanese voice actor makes Rabbit sound creepy, He makes Rabbit sound quirky and sometimes humorous which I like.


Overall: 6.8/10 Recommendation: "Consider it"

Like I said, this show isn't trying to be Fate or Future Diary, it's trying to be Juuni Taisen. It wants to be its own thing and I respect it for it. This show is trying to portray the message that "War is hell" in the wise words of Jim Carry and it wants people to understand that. If you are looking for a show like Fate then you won't find it here but if you looking for something different in a battle royale anime then it is worth checking out. It is only 12 episodes long so it won't take you too long to watch.

Juuni Taisen offers a unique and intriguing concept. To summarise it it is a battle royale featuring twelve warriors, each taking the forms of different Chinese zodiac signs, competing for the ultimate prize: a wish that could change their lives forever. The series blends action, strategy, and character exploration to create an often intense viewing experience.

One of the standout aspects of the anime is its diverse cast of characters, each possessing distinct personalities, abilities, and backstories. As the show progresses, viewers are treated to decently executed flashback sequences that delve into the past of each competitor, revealing their motivations for participating in the brutal Juuni ... Taisen and the events that shaped their lives. This approach adds depth to the characters and enhances the emotional investment of the audience.

The animation and art style of Juuni Taisen are generally well-done, with fluid action sequences and attention to detail in character designs. The fight scenes are choreographed creatively, showcasing the unique abilities of each warrior. However, some viewers might find the animation occasionally inconsistent in certain episodes.

The series blends action with psychological elements, as warriors strategize and adapt their tactics to outwit their opponents. The unpredictability of the battles kept me and many other viewers engaged and curious about the outcome, as alliances form and betrayals unfold. This psychological aspect adds complexity to the narrative, making the story more than just a straightforward battle for survival.

On the downside, some viewers might find the pacing a bit uneven. The balance between character development, flashbacks, and the progression of the battle can occasionally feel disjointed. Additionally, while the character backstories provide depth, they can sometimes overshadow the present-day events, making it challenging to maintain a consistent focus on the ongoing battle.

In conclusion, "Juuni Taisen" offers a unique and intriguing take on the battle royale genre, blending action, strategy, and character exploration. The diverse cast, well-executed flashbacks, and psychological elements contribute to an engaging narrative. While there are some pacing issues, the anime remains to be worth the watch for those interested in a darker, more complex take on the concept of a deadly tournament.

Overall rating 7/10

Landonime Presents... Juuni Taisen: "That Was Awesome!"

Oh man.. Juuni Taisen. The Zodiac War. Where do I even begin?


I guess I'll start this off by saying i watched this show weekly with a friend which made it more enjoyable. There was a lot of whiskey and "Holy Shits!" on our journey through this show. It was a breath of fresh air that is for sure. Don't get me wrong, this isn't the greatest anime of all time by any means. I did like it though.

The reason this show captured me was because how out of left field it was. A show that shows the back ... story for almost an entire episode just to have them almost always be the next to get brutally murdered. If you like a sort of hunger games plot, but one that is actually decent and entertaining, then watch this. All the loops this show throws you through is hilarious. Expect what happens in the first few episodes to happen all through out. This show gives zero fucks. The way me and my friend found that out was in the earlier episodes when the Fighter of The Boar got loads of dialogue. Only to get full nelsoned by a necromancer and get brutally stabbed.

That caused me and my pal a giant "OH...FUCK" which is what this show always puts you through. This is one of those "turn your brain off" anime. Don't think too hard about it while watching it you'll probably drop it. For example in the back story leading up to the Rat Nezumi's victory. The tiger asks him if he wants to drink with her. He replies "I'm underaged." I'm over here thinking.. You're in highschool fighting a death game for a black market gambling system. I don't think society gives a fuck if you get intoxicated. Just little things like that are hilarious. You also get 1 wish if you claim victory, so who cares about the law? I don't know lol. Solid 7/10 from me. Juuni Taisen was pretty awesome. If you're bored of constant slice of life and just want a WTF experience. Watch this!

I watched Juuni Taisen, also known as Zodiac War. Here are my thoughts:

So basically, as you might have guessed, there are 12 warriors, each of whom are vaguely based on a zodiac animal. They all fight each other to the death simultaneously in an abandoned city because of a battle royale-style competition. It was interesting to see how the various warrior abilities competed against each other (and worked together in some cases). I'm a huge sucker for battle royale-style conflicts such as this.

The actual battle royale plot is easy to watch and makes for suitable binge-watch material. If you just feel like burning through an ... entire season in one day, this show would be an okay candidate for that, despite its flaws. This is kind of a junk-food show and shouldn't be taken seriously.

This show would be much better if they just entirely cut out the time-consuming character backstories and kept the screentime exclusively focused on the battle royale plot. Instead, literally entire episodes are wasted on inconsequential exposition for characters nobody cares about. None of these characters are compelling or interesting in any way. They easily could have filled an entire cour with a 12-fighter battle royale conflict; I have no idea why they threw away that opportunity to instead waste half the runtime on generic uncreative character backstories that would be better off in an OVA or auxiliary literature. This really was a terrible decision. By far the most boring part of this anime were all these pointless backstories. They spent way WAY too much screentime on this. Nobody cares about the exposition for some one-dimensional character in a huge cast who gets killed off one episode later. I am not watching this anime for character development (although I usually value it in other shows); this is not the situation for it and this show does not benefit from it at all. I don't care about your cliche tragic backstory or that Grug likes opera and long walks on the beach when he's not crushing skulls. I am just here to watch people with cool abilities plot against each other and fight; stop wasting my time with anything that isn't that. Just as an example to illustrate my point: they waste an ENTIRE EPISODE on the utterly generic boring backstory of a character who was killed off SEVEN EPISODES AGO. Right during what should be the pinnacle of the story they pivot to this nonsense – it was utterly ridiculous and totally stunted the show's momentum.

The character designs are overly comical to the point it almost made the show difficult to take seriously. I would have preferred them less pants-on-head retarded. Most characters in this look like they were designed by an edgy 12-year-old boy shortly after he learned about Chinese New Year. This show can be a little over-the-top edgy in general, sometimes to the point of it backfiring and being comical.

Overall the visuals are adequate but definitely not a selling point. The character animation employs this effect that blurs the linework, maybe to make it more organic-looking. I think I would have preferred that these blurred linework effects not be present, but it's not a big deal either way. The character animation was consistently adequate, so I probably shouldn't complain. Overall this show is animated competently but it doesn't excel beyond that. There isn't much of an art style, which is a missed opportunity but also not a flaw. CGI is used during some action scenes, FYI. The fight scenes were quite underwhelming and unimpressive overall. The fight scenes are also usually so shortlived that I hesitate to call this an action show at all; this is not necessarily a bad thing – I would prefer it over the tedious drawn-out fight scenes that plague some other anime. If you go into this show excited for fight scenes, you will be disappointed. The strategy aspect of the battle royale competition was far more entertaining, from my perspective at least.

The OST is generic and unimpressive, and never enhanced my enjoyment of the show (although I did like the ED song). Voice acting was similarly unremarkable, despite the ample opportunity for unique voices. I guess the VA for the necromancer did an okay job. Also I gotta acknowledge the VA (Yuuichirou Umehara) for the ox fighter – that guy has a great voice and I've enjoyed him in other roles.

Often the show plays a character's internal dialogue while they or somebody else is speaking, resulting in the viewer needing to pay attention to both lines of dialogue. I found the frequency of this a little irritating but I suppose it is an effective time-saving technique in terms of getting through dialogue quickly. It's also true that the contrast between what the characters say and think can be quite significant, but maybe it could have been demonstrated better. Having to follow two people speaking at once is cumbersome and I wish this anime didn't force it so often.

One very petty criticism I have: the city they fight in supposedly had a population of 500,000; I gotta say, a city with that population would not have infrastructure as dense as what is depicted in the show, not even in Japan. It looks like a city with a population at least double that (I know this is a silly thing to fixate on).

Yet another example of this anime's appalling waste of screentime is that the final episode consists mostly of the competition winner deliberating over what their 'wish' (the competition prize) should be. This mental deliberation of course takes place over the backdrop of some very dull screenplay, resulting in a viewing experience that is simply not entertaining. It was a very underwhelming season finale.


My overall rating: 4/10
My rating for this would be higher if the absurdly excessive and out-of-place pointless character backstories were removed from the show, or at least their duration were reduced enormously. It's mindboggling how much time got wasted on this. I try not to focus on one single issue when critiquing an anime, but it really is that straightforward in this case. When the show actually focused on the battle royale conflict, it was entertaining and easy to watch. Unfortunately, the screentime of this show was utterly squandered and the cool battle royale plot was heavily diluted by very low-quality content.

Seriously, just skip the flashback scenes. They aren't necessary to understand the plot of the show, and the anime as a whole would be much more entertaining if they were removed. Ordinarily I would be mortified by the thought of skipping content, but the banality of these character backstories is especially egregious and they add nothing of value to the show at all. This is a junk-food show and should be treated as such.

Despite my criticisms, this is still adequate binge-watch material. If you just want something to entertain you for ~5 hours straight, this isn't a terrible choice – you could do worse.

Lastly, I want to be very clear so that nobody misinterprets me: character development is usually a good thing and I have praised it in other shows (or criticized its absence). The difference is that a 12-character 12-episode battle royale action show is not at all suited for it – particularly the sheer amount of time that was devoted to it in this case.

Vague spoiler: the rat warrior's ability is really cool. It's a shame it didn't get more focus. It would have been interesting to see it deployed more from his perspective.

Sometimes it happens that the show, which seems to have pretty bad reputation comes out pretty fun and enjoyable and for me, it's one of these.

Juuni Taisen at the first glance looks pretty much like an action (?) anime, but it seems to not really have enough budget to fill the demand of people looking only for slaughter.
To be honest I felt, that it's more like psychological anime, contemplating about morality, ideologies, etc.

Story of the anime is quite simple and straight forward, it's not the spine of the show, more like an ingredient required because of the form.
Just a mediacore story, with not much of ... development going from the point A, to B.

Art also doesn't look bad, but neither it does look stunning.
It's a little 'edgy', just like some could describe it, gloomy colour palette, 'modernistic' type, with some budget cuts that didn't really interrupt much.
Anime contains some 3D animation, don't worry though, I didn't feel like it was overused and I barely noticed it (one episode might overuse it!).

Sound is perfectly generic, nothing that would make my ears bleed and also nothing that would make me look for the songs or tunes over the internet.

Character, hmm... That's hard to really describe. Basically all more or less important characters have some backstory, to which we could refer. Some of it is also a filler for a screentime, but I believe that, depending on the receiver, you might relate to their cause a little bit more or less.

Even though some stories might look futile, I feel like it might have been necessary to ask and answer some questions by itself. Whenever you like it or not, it depends on your personal preferences.


I must say, that I enjoyed quite a lot, even though there were some filler scenes that I skipped or just ignored, the show kept my attention for most of the time. I wasn't really curious about who will win, it was more about the war within and confrontation of the contrasts.

The further part might contain spoilers, since it refers to the last episodes of the show.

Taking on point my personal experience with it, the final lesson given by the winner shows us the situation with no 'good' way out.

Please note this review is intended to be read by those that have finished watching Juni Taisen and while care has been taken to ensure that there are no spoilers within story analysis there may still be spoilers in character analysis. You have been warned.

When 12 fierce and powerful warriors that have the names of one of the 12 Chinese constellations are chosen to fight in a contest where the prize is one wish the only result is a fierce struggle to obtain it.

Juni Taisen based on a popular light novel of the same name is an action anime that makes use of ... an interesting premise that when combined with the genre and theme makes it a potent combination. The traditional contest between fighters and struggles that ensures between them is reinforced by the interesting medium that it uses which is a contest between 12 houses all of which have different ideologies and the attitudes of each of the chosen fighters that take part in it. The first episode made a pretty good impression on me because it addressed one of the main problems that such anime’s have which it’s lack of a good origin story for its fighters which when combined with the actions of the characters adds much more depth to them.

Taking place in modern day Japan Juni Taisen focuses on the Juni Taisen a fierce competition that takes place every 12 years and pits the representatives of each of the 12 Zodiac families against each other in a large-scale battle royal that replaces conventional war between nations on the global stage. In a battle that is fierce beyond measure 12 of the best fighters from their houses would fight with everything that they have in battles that are just as contests of strength as it is of strategy and maneuvering. The prize of this battle is the ability to grant one wish and one wish only. While the overall story of the anime is the battle royal itself the series also takes great care in explaining the backstory and origins of each of the main characters a move that I thought was well done as it allowed us the viewers to understand the motivations and desires of each of them and from there invest in the ones that we like.

Dokatsu

Dokatsu voiced by veteran voice actor Tomohiro Nishimura is one of the main characters of the series and is one of the fighters that were chosen to take part in this years Juni Taisen representing his house in this large-scale battle royal. A member of the House of Dogs of the 12 Zodiac families Dokatsu is an intelligent, calm and cautious person that believes in the simple belief that they should use every weapon and tactic at their disposal to eliminate their enemies and secure victory. As a result of this Dokatsu is someone that loves to break the rules and fight his way. While intelligent and fast thinking and possessing of good deduction skills Dokatsu was noted to have a certain element of arrogance about him in that he views his fellow competitors and their respective houses with disdain and venom best shown in his assessment of the other fighters when he was still in the game. His death by his miscalculation that was caused by his arrogance was somewhat ironic as a result.

Hitsujii

Hitsujii voiced by veteran voice actor Cho is one of the main characters of the series and is one of the fighters that were chosen to fight in this years Juni Taisen. A member of the Zodiac’s House of the Ram Hitsujii is a cautious, quiet, patient person that matches well with the traditional attributes that a ram would have. Unlike the rest of the competitors that were chosen to take part in this contest Hitsujii is by far the oldest fighter that was chosen and as a result, is often referred to as the old man of the 12 a term that I thought was appropriate to him as a sign of respect. A veteran fighter Hitsujii can easily be defined as someone that is cautious and cunning in equal nature that when combined with his patience truly makes him a fierce warrior to contend with. While not one that prefers to strike using nefarious tactics like necromancy Hitsujii is no less lethal with his method of using powerful explosives to destroy his opponents with. Hitsujii’s ability to stay both undetected by the rest and his ability to stay one step ahead of any hunters was a great proof of his abilities.

While Hitsujii is noted to be an intelligent and patient person it's interesting to note that he also has the semblance of pride as well which often clouds his judgement on things. However, what I really admired about the character of Hitsujii is his backstory that was used to show his motivations for joining the fight and the backstory of what actually made him the man that he was. His reason for joining the fight I felt was also pretty heartwarming as well as his thoughts towards his family.

Inounoshishi

Inounoshishi voiced by veteran seiyuu Yoko Hikasa of High School DxD and Rokka no Yuusha fame is one of the main characters of the series and is one of the fighters that were chosen to fight in this year’s competition. A member of the House of Boars of the Zodiac families Inounoshishi is an intelligent, fast thinking and cautious person by nature that is reinforced by a fierce tenacity and cunning that matches well with what a boar’s personality will be like. On the surface, Inounoshishi is a capable fighter that seems to be cordial to others and able to think beyond of simple victories and defeats that characterize the Juni Taisen but beneath that, however, it’s another story altogether. While cordial on the surface Inounoshishi is shown to be a cruel and manipulative person that’s also rather cold-hearted and willing to do all that she can to secure victory and fame for herself. Perhaps as a result of this, she also displayed a certain level of arrogance at the other Zodiac houses seeing them as obstacles to her aims. The backstory for this character I felt did an interesting job of showing the struggles that she went through as she trained to become a fighter and her gradual evolution into cruel, manipulative and intelligent person from the quiet and reluctant girl that she was then. Though by far one of the shortest-lived fighters I felt that her backstory combined with her development from that actually made her a pretty interesting character.

Nezumi

Nezumi voiced by veteran voice actor Shun Horie is one of the main characters of the series and is one of the fighters that were chosen to take part in this years Juni Taisen. A member of the House of Rats of the Zodiac families Nezumi is a quiet, calm and composed person that seems to prefer solitude than working together with others. Despite that Nezumi is also shown to be intelligent and cautious in his moves willing to work together with others if their goals and ideologies remain similar to each other. While respectful and cordial towards others it can be seen that Nezumi is someone that trusts slowly and is wary of others particularly if they approached suddenly. While seemingly quiet Nezumi surprisingly can be rather talkative and perceptive at times and his analysis of the fight and its purpose was an interesting one. A prominent trait of Nezumi is his perception and his ability to understand the mood and the feelings that people near him is feeling which is a direct result of his powers. This ability I felt was an interesting one as it not only gives him an edge in combat but also able to tell if someone is trying to lie to you as well. The core ability of Nezumi, however, was by far the most interesting one but one that I felt was revealed rather late in the series. The character of Nezumi is by far the most mysterious of the fighters that took part in this years Juni Taisen.

Niwatori

Niwatori voiced by veteran seiyuu Ayane Sakura of Charlotte and Dragonar Academy fame is one of the main characters of the series and is one of the fighters that were chosen to take part in this year’s contest. A member of the Zodiac’s House of Roosters Niwatori on the surface is a shy, quiet and kind young woman that seems out of place on the battlefields in which the Juni Taisen is taking place. Beneath the surface however, it can be seen that the surface personality of a meek young and innocent maiden only serves as a mask for Niwatori and its what lies beneath to this that is actually her true personality. Niwatori’s true personality contrasts greatly with the young innocent maiden look that she wore when around other fighters being someone that was deceptive and adept at using her looks and behavior to secure an advantage over her opponents. This last point is helped greatly by her battle outfit which is rather revealing for someone that fights on the field. While Niwatori retains the positive and cheerful attitude that she used on her mask here it can be seen that she’s not loyal to anyone but herself and see’s others as mere stepping stones in her game of finding fame. The character of Niwatori I felt was an interesting one that was one of the more developed characters of the series as her personalities contrasted greatly with each other. I felt that her seiyuu Ayane Sakura really did a great job voicing her.

Shuryuu

Shuryuu voiced by veteran seiyuu singer Saori Hayami of Yamada and the Seven witches and Owari no seraph fame is one of the main characters of the series and one of the fighters that were chosen to take part in this years Juni Taisen. A member of the Zodiac’s house of the monkey Shuryuu is an enigma within the Zodiac families chosen for this contest as unlike the rest of the fighters Shuryuu is a pacifist by nature and works to end conflict and wars across countries rather than start and participate in them as the other houses do something that has earned her no small amount of disdain from the others. A kind, caring and honest person by nature Shuryuu is someone that having seen the worst excesses caused by humanity’s endless lust for war and conflict works tirelessly to promote peace and cooperation between countries which is an admirable concept. Despite knowing that the other Zodiac houses dislike her immensely Shuryuu is someone that cares deeply about ending the threat of conflict in the human world and even when faced by hostility will still try her utmost to help others which is best shown in her attempt to create an alliance between the 12 members at the start of the contest. Though mindful that she’s going to be a target of the other houses due to her actions it can be seen that Shuryuu is someone that’s also intelligent and inquisitive able to deduce someone’s beliefs and intents by interacting with them a fact that’s helped greatly by her ability to sense people’s intents and being sensitive to people’s feelings. As can be expected of someone that has the attributes of one Shuryuu was noted to be a capable planner that believes in having backup plans something that I felt was really necessary for this contest. The character of Shuryuu I felt was a well-designed one as she had a personality and ideology that contrasted greatly with the other fighters and the determination to help the other fighters despite the fact that they are all trying to kill her was admirable. Saori Hayami I felt did a fantastic job of portraying the character of Shuryuu.

Tora

Tora voiced by veteran seiyuu Hiromi Igarashi of Brave Witches and High School Fleet fame is one of the main characters of the series and is one of the fighters that were chosen to take part in this year’s contest. A member of the Zodiac’s House of the Tiger Tora is someone that best be described as being carefree, relaxed and joyful and indeed has a very joking personality when met for the first time. Despite seemingly not taking the fight seriously Tora can become surprisingly ferocious and competitive when provoked into becoming serious and in this, we can see just how powerful her real combat skills actually are. The fact that Tora also took care to create a rather revealing outfit and act like a drunken idiot in combat in an effort to lure enemies within range of her claws I felt was an indication of her cunning as a warrior of the Tiger. The Character of Tora I felt was an interesting one, but I felt that it was her backstory and origin story that combined with her future self-was the thing that made her so as it allowed us to see the kind of person that she was like in the past and see how far she had come from her past self. Her connection with Ox and how that allowed her to find her own path in particular I felt was especially well done.

Usagi

Usagi voiced by veteran voice actor Nobuhiko Okamoto of Three Gatsu no Lion and Alderamin of the sky fame is one of the main characters of the series and is one of the fighters that were chosen to take part in this year’s contest. A member of the Zodiac’s House of Rabbits Usagi is a quiet, composed and calm person on the surface and indeed, in the beginning, his nature was such that I thought he will be peaceful like Shuryuu was. However, beneath this mask, it can be seen that Usagi is someone that is intelligent, creative and really cunning and well versed at using deception to gain an advantage over his enemies. Although all of the fighters that have been chosen to take part in this years Juni Taisen can be said to be notable in their respective strengths and personalities it can be said that Usagi’s is by far the most interesting and revolting of them all. The most notable trait of Usagi is without a doubt his rather warped sense of what friends are in that he seems to see friends just as he see’s other fighters which are that of mere pieces of a game that is the Juni Taisen that is to be used as shields and swords to beat his opponents with the least effort. While Usagi’s warped sense of what friends are was no doubt one of his prominent traits the other one is no doubt the ability that defines him as a member of the House of Rabbits which when combined with his creative use of tactics really made him a formidable foe on the battlefield for the others.

Ushii

Ushii voiced by veteran voice actor Yuuichirou Umehara of Amanchu and Girlish Number fame is one of the main characters of the series and is one of the fighters that were selected to take part in this year’s contest. A member of the Zodiac’s family House of the Ox Ushii even before the contest began was already well known to the world as a formidable warrior that had the ominous nickname of the Genius of slaughter. On the surface, Ushii is a calm, composed and quiet person that thanks to his vast experience at war is also wise and adept at combat and can be considered the very image of a warrior in that he’s fair and honourable preferring the direct approach. When in combat while still radiating calmness Ushii is someone that becomes serious, ruthless and determined and will fight with all his might showing no mercy and is no doubt this state that earned him such a nickname as his skill with the blade when matched with his speed make him unmatched in close combat. Though a veteran of countless battles an interesting thing about Ushii is that he will rarely make use of strategy of any kind opting to instead go for the frontal route which I felt was odd for someone with his experience. Beneath his serious nature, however, it can be seen that Ushii is someone that treats everyone that he meets with respect and kindness and is, in fact, an honourable person that believes heavily in tradition and in paying back the debts that he owes to people a side of him that was really surprising. The character of Ushii I felt was an interesting one as though he was regarded as the ultimate warrior by many he had neither the cunning and deceptiveness that was shown by the likes of Usagi or the arrogance of Inounoshishi seemingly preferring to go with calmness and strength of arms instead. The fact that he had a somewhat kinder and more honourable side to him I felt was an interesting contrast that proved that sometimes even the fiercest of warriors can have a more human side to them that no one realises.

AMV

The animation for the series I felt was pretty good especially with regards to the combat scenes that show the battles that make up the contest itself. The individual designs for each of the characters I felt were also pretty good as it gave each character a unique look that matched well with what their personality was like. Though the series was set in modern day Tokyo it notably did not feature any of the cities notable landmarks which I felt was something that they could have added in to make the combat scenes more dramatic. Music wise the series I felt had a very catchy opening theme that helped set the tone for the series being a powerful one while the ending theme also did a good job of inducing a sense of peace. Both of these were helped greatly by the visuals that the opening and ending themes make use of. In terms of voice acting, I felt that overall the voice cast did an excellent job in voicing their respective characters. In particular, I feel that Ayane Sakura, Saori Hayami, and Hiromi Igarashi deserve some particular praise as I felt that they did an excellent job in portraying their respective characters

Overall conclusion

In overall Juni Taisen, I felt was an interesting anime that had as its main strong points an interesting premise, excellent story, well-designed characters, excellent combat scenes and excellent music and voice acting. The premise of Juni Taisen itself isn’t actually anything new to the genre as we have seen the idea of a massive battle royal before such as in Akame Ga Kill and in the Fate Zero series but what makes the premise of Juni Taisen special is the fact that victories in this contest not only secure prestige and riches for the house whose representative won the battle but also affects the real-world borders that the houses control in the world as well. The idea of using such contests to determine the influence that each of the faction has on the world stage was an interesting idea as it replaced the notion of conventional war with a battle royal that pits 12 fighters against each other. The fact that each of the main characters had a well designed and developed backstory that detailed their origins and motivations for joining the Juni Taisen was also something that I enjoyed and appreciated as it added depth to them. The overall story for the series while revolving around each of the battles that were fought between the fighters was also intermingled with memories of the fighters past that was shown in between the battles that were fought between them. These past memories I felt did a really good job at not just establishing the origin stories of each of the fighters but also did well to show their development that led to them developing the personalities that they will take into the Juni Taisen itself.

In overall Juni Taisen was a series that I really enjoyed watching as it not only had an intriguing premise, but it combined this with a strong story and interesting characters and well-designed combat scenes. The decision to use the past memories as a means to show the characters development that led to the Juni Taisen was also rather notable and only served to improve their development. As a final score, I would say that Juni Taisen deserves a score of 10/10.