From the first episode, the viewer almost immediately introduced to the excellent dialogue that makes up much of the series; from apparently trivial banter to the lengthy, rich conversations between the main characters that clearly explain the different settings in the story. The dialogue spans different topics and improved with the unique personalities of the characters involved so it doesn’t get boring. The series leans heavily towards exposition to cover for the huge amount of storytelling required for each episode which helps the viewer stay on track but it doesn’t come without its downsides. There’s even a (mostly) helpful narrator that starts out each episode with a recap and ends each episode with a brief summary. But an abundance of exposition isn’t without its downsides.
For a series labeled with the ‘Action’ tag, there’s too much conversation and not enough action; sometimes there’s dialogue where an action scene would have told the story better. This, combined with the lengthy episodes (and the art which I’ll get to later), makes the show a little difficult to get into at first. Another downside with the dialogue-heavy style is that the show loses a little of its mystery as almost everything is explained and the show becomes more predictable as a result. In fact, there’s a point in the show where the viewer is best advised to not listen to the narrator. Barring these, the dialogue is often interesting, thanks to the wealth of characters the series offers.
There are a lot of characters in Katanagatari; from the main characters Shichika and Togame, through the side characters like the Maniwa Corps, to the sword wielders. The characters are mostly unique in their choice of outfits, speech patterns and personality; the similarities being in the visual style. One of the most notable parts of the character designs is their outfits as earlier mentioned; while the style takes root in traditional Japanese clothing, it’s often flamboyant and sometimes impractical. A good example are the Maniwa Corps outfits that often contradict their nature as ninja. While the wealth of characters makes for an interesting show, an unavoidable consequence is the lack of development for most of the characters.
Togame and Shichika, being the lead characters, go through a lot of development as the show progresses, Shichika’s being the more pronounced as he becomes more human. The same cannot be said for the supporting cast, especially the Maniwa Corps who are often disposed of as soon as they appear. The sword wielders don’t escape this fate either; they’re often limited to the episodes in which they are featured. It’s difficult to feel sympathy for the supporting cast as the viewer isn’t offered enough emotional attachment to them. Katanagatari is a huge story that isn’t just about the characters but also about the world they live in, so the inadequate characterization could be excused. And nothing projects the vast world more than the visual style.
Katanagatari’s visual style stands out in several ways. The characters are drawn in a cartoonish style with plain facial features but often flamboyant outfits as mentioned earlier. The environment art is often less colourful than the characters but offers much more detail. And it is this that the viewers eyes are often drawn to during the often long conversations.
Despite the uniqueness of the art style, it does look mediocre compared to other series made in the same season and year. The animation, while brilliant in some parts, is often of usual fare, and sometimes, sub-par. These are often enough to deter a potential viewer of the show but the patient eventually get used to it.
While not as pervasive as the other three elements discussed, the sound and music in Katanagatari is brilliant and often acts as an adequate complement to the various scenes, including the sparse battle scenes. The background music is a blend of contemporary music, jazz and hip hop especially, and traditional Japanese music; there’s even a rap score that plays at some interesting moments. The voice acting is generally okay save for Shichika’s: his bland voice takes a bit of time to get used to.
For its merits and flaws, Katanagatari is an original blend of episodic and serial storytelling that brings with it a wealth of characters and settings. It’s an enjoyable adventure tale that’s best savoured gently.
Overall: 9
Story: 9
Art: 7
Sound: 8
Character: 9
Enjoyment: 8
