Witch Hunter Robin

Witch Hunter Robin (WHR) is a dark, mysterious Anime centering around Robin Sena, a witch. Though technically, Robin is no witch, but actually a "craft" user. I won't go into details, but craft users hunt the witch users. Sound interesting? It is.

The story behind this show really draws you forward throughout each episode. It's not a boss of the week show, and it's not a mindless action flick. You'll follow Robin as she finds out more and more secrets about the witch hunting organization she works for. The trials she goes through in order to achieve these hidden secrets are quite entertaining.

The animation is nothing amazing, but far from mediocre. Most of the series is shot in a dark environment, so be prepared to possibly turn up your screen/video gamma or you might miss a thing or two.

By far the biggest plus for WHR is its music score. Absolutely superb opening song "Shell". All the other background music throughout the show fits in wonderfully too. I could not have asked for a more perfect soundtrack.

The relationship that grows between Robin and her work colleagues is well drawn out. Robin's motives and actions are appropriate for her personality, and we see her change throughout the show as different things are presented before her.

All in all, I really enjoyed this series. There's even some romance development, which is just enough to keep you hoping for something more. Gotta please us Robin fans. :) read more

Witch Hunter Robin is one of those shows that draws you in unconditionally. While some people might not appreciate or enjoy the genre or story, either after the fact or at first glance, I believe that anyone who loves intellectually grasping stories and characterization should at least try out the first few episodes of Witch Hunter Robin.

While the story and plot is slow (sometimes tremendously), the overall plotline and conclusion to the anime makes you really see the epic and vast nature of just what was being approached with this series. Starting like any normal "monster-of-the-week" series, you are compelled into the daily investigations of the STNJ, a "secretive" detective agency (ala Men in Black) that hunts down abusive witches, individuals with various sorts of powers. Even some of these STNJ members are witches themselves, including the protagonist Robin. Robin is one of those characters that, in my opinion, stays with you long after you forget everything else about the series. As simple as she may seem on the outside, her personality and emotions unravel and become apparent later on in the series, and it does not disappoint. Robin is not the only highly characterized individual in the show, however. I found all of the other characters we met with just as comprehensive a background.

The art and sound in this show are very, very good, sporting a soundtrack by the same person who did the music for Rurouni Kenshin.

Overall, it was an unforgettable show for me that I both enjoyed and basked watching hours at a time. read more

I'll admit it right now. I struggled to finish this anime. The characters I enjoyed, but didn't love. The plot (what plot?) was non-existent until the 15th episode, the setting and general storyline got boring, and after a while I just didn't care any more.

Now, although I did not like it, I would not call it a bad anime. It does have a level of drive that you don't really notice until you realize, "wow, I finished this after all?" It does not have much substance, but the little it does have it works with well and makes sure to tie up all the loose ends. WHR is well-structured.

Character-wise, as mentioned before, I liked them but didn't love them. It goes back to the setting. They do the same thing while you slowly learn more about them, and though the base concept is definitely interesting in its own way, it was not enough to keep me enthralled.

For people who are looking for something action-filled, and creepy and gory, look elsewhere I say. While it does have quite a bit of action, and a few creepy scenes here and there, gore is completely absent (which, in my opinion, is not a bad thing). WHR takes itself seriously in its level of what's needed is there, and what would be excess stays absent. Deaths are also very subtle, not dumbed down in the "his throat was slit why is there no blood?" sense, but just hinted at enough to get what happened.

WHR's small substance of a story worked for and against it. To some it might be for, whereas you can immerse and follow easier if you love the characters. But for others, such as myself, it lacked the quirks that make a story worth following. It was all story without plot and without the character of fiction. read more

Overview:

Its that time again! Time I review another old Adult Swim anime that either nobody fucking liked or no one remembers! I've already tackled Milk Chan, Reign, and most of the big bombs, so now I turn my eyes to Witch Hunter Robin. This is one of those "no one remembers" series more than it is a bad series. Robin is better described as mediocre than actually bad. This series did sort of well with the Hot Topic crowd for roughly 2 weeks in early 2004, then it dropped off the face of the Earth and I don't think anyone has brought it up since...until now!

Plot and characters: 5/10

The plot is that there is an organization under the control of the Catholic Church that uses witches to hunt down other magic users and kill them. You would think that this would provide for an action packed and amazing adventure right? Perhaps a series like Hellsing Ultimate told from the POV of the Catholic Church's Iscariot group. Instead Robin is heavy on moody atmosphere and very light on action. The first half of the series involves a crazy new witch turning up every week and Robin and company need to find and ultimately burn the witch. Apparently there is actually a plot in the second half that isn't just episodic or to borrow a horridly cliche' phrase "monster of the week". However, I dropped the series around episode 14 so I didn't really make it that far. The plot and characters are ok, but this series was never able to hold my attention. It is SLOW! Now before you accuse me of being a little brat with no attention span, understand that Spice and Wolf is one of my favorite animes. I love the film Solaris by Tarkovsky! When I say this anime is slow, I mean it is fucking SLOW! Robin has nice, dark visuals and gothic cool factor, but at the same time it simply couldn't captivate its audience. It is basically like a really bad Tim Burton movie where Tim left the project 1/5 through production and let some hack director finish the film.

Art: 6/10

The art was pretty good for the time and the character models had a unique feel to them. It wasn't amazing, but certainly not bad.

Enjoyment: 4/10

Maybe if I had bit the bullet, strapped myself to my chair, and watched the second half the series could have gotten better from episodes 15-26. If there are any Witch Hunter Robin fans out there (I've honestly never met one) who DEMAND I watch the second half because it is 100 times better than the first half than I might finish this series one day. Otherwise, I have no desire to have any further dealings with this mediocrity.

Overall: 5/10

If you are reading this, you actually made it this far into a Witch Hunter Robin review without falling asleep! Bravo! This series had potential and could have been good if it fixed its god awful pacing issues and had a better director. Instead it ended up a sub-par mess that will be forever forgotten from the hearts and minds of anime fans everywhere. read more