First the story. A gate to an alternate dimension is opened in NYC devastating it and covering and fog. Large amounts of demons file out and inhabit the city, meanwhile certain humans learn gain powers through the power of the gate. The humans and monsters meld together and live in harmony in this new NYC now called Hellsalem's Lot. 3 years after this we are introduced our protagonist, a young man named Leonardo Watch, who has recently moved to the city to become a photo journalist. He gets caught up with a secret organization called Libra who work to keep balance in the city. Along the way he meets a girl named White in the hospital and they hit it off very quickly(she becomes important later in the show, that's why I mentioned her). Eventually they become aware of a plot to destroy the city(again) and bring in new, more dangerous demons to the city. When I was watching the show, this setup was extremely interesting to me. Over the course of the show not much is explained however. We don't know much about New Jerusalem(the alternate name of the city) and the other dimension which disappointed me quite a bit, but what the show gave us was very good. The events that happen involving the Second Great Collapse was very good and made me tear up a bit at the end. 9/10. The setup and plot of the show was good, I just wish more was explained about the city, it was really cool looking.
Speaking of cool looking, let's talk about the art. Studio Bones' shows have always had good art, but an aspect of it really shined in Kekkai, their backgrounds. Something about the city's design in both day and night was breathtaking. Even though the day scenes were quite dreary because of the fog, all the buildings and characters in them were very well done. However at night was where the shows art really shined. The lights of the city, the sky, and the buildings all came together to form a breathtaking vista that fitted perfectly with the ending that they predominately showcased in. Bones did a strange thing with the camera that I also found to be interesting was the camera would zoom out and show something happen that would usually be happening just off screen, for example a girder falling off a ledge into the mist. Small moments like these not only showed the brilliant backgrounds again, but always seemed to make me chuckle for no particular reason. I don't know why I liked this, it was a cool aspect. But the main focus for Bones' shows is usually the combat, and though it was good here it often took a backseat. Because so much was happening or had happened in in the events during and leading up to the show, there was a lot of dialogue and exposition. Now this is not like some shows where only the characters are static and only move their mouths, quite a lot happens while people talk, but it meant there was less time for fights. But when a fight did happen it was done very well. Bones' combat has a certain flow and speed to it that I don't see in many other shows, and in Kekkai the fighting has these qualities in spades. 10/10. Background and Fights are up to or beyond Bones' standards.
Next sound. There is not as much to say about the sound of this show. All of the sound effects are good, as usual with Anime. The music also is very good, I usually don't notice background music in anime so I can't talk much about it but the OP and ED were both very good. The ED especially was top notch and I often find myself listening to it on Youtube. The voice acting for both Japanese and English was very good. I haven't completed the dub so I can't attest to all the characters, but all the members of Libra were done just as well in English as in Japanese. I even think the dub is superior in some ways, like Ian Sinclair as Zapp. 8/10. I have a hard time talking about sound, but everything I heard was quite good.
Now characters. All the characters in Kekkai were enjoyable to watch. Save for Klaus not of the characters were boring to me. Everyone was fun and had something that made them interesting. My favorite was Blitz and his constant bad luck which caused for some enjoyable scenes of him barely surviving something terrible. Leo was an interesting guy who seemed like he would be a simple "nice guy" protag, but he showed much more than that, showing he could show a range of emotions including cowardice, cleverness, adventurous, and annoyed(usually at Zapp). The only character I did not like during the show was Klaus, but that can mainly be attributed to him not really showing any emotions. The only time he showed anything was his nervousness during his prosfair game, but even that was a short scene. If the series is ever continued the I hope he gets some development and/or we learn more about him. 10/10. Most everyone was interesting, and most importantly the protagonist was interesting and had lots of character. I just wish Klaus was portrayed better.
Finally we have my own enjoyment. I loved this show. The action, comedy, art, and romance was all intriguing and fun to watch. Never was the show boring or lacking in content for me. The only time I was less intrigued was during the prosfair game, but as a big fan of chess, learning about this interesting version of the game was fun. I also had lots of fun with the animation to the ending. It was face paced and funny at times. I sometimes found myself dancing with the characters as they performed on a stage. 10/10. I greatly enjoyed this show and hope others do too.
Overall I feel that this show needs a second season. As far as I can tell the English manga is moving very slowly and the Japanese ended where the show did. Many of my problems would be solved it was continued, but all of what we have was great. The story was interesting and made me more absorbed in the shows world. I wanted to know more about Hellsalem's lot and it's inhabitants. The art was outstanding even for Bones'. The characters were almost all very entertaining to watch and really made the show for me. 10/10. Kekkai Sensen is one of my favorite animes ever. It has everything a good show needs, and expands on certain points that really uplift the show.
