OVERALL - rounded up 8.5
Kekkai Sensen is fun, jazzy, and chaotic. I jumped in expecting a serious shounen action anime, but I was quickly proved wrong. Meandering from side story to side story in a way usually reserved for slice of life or select mystery series, it is a show that I notice goes two ways: people are either confused as hell...salem's lot (I couldn't resist, I'm sorry!) or enjoying the hell out of all the chaos.
(It's quick-paced and throws information around like a whirlwind, so for maximum comprehension, make sure you pause when you need to and just let the madness take over!)
STORY/WRITING - 8
Imagine this anime as a cool-looking, stylish guy with really nice sunglasses(?) who still jumps into puddles and kicks up leaves and smiles like a real dork when he tells those "lol wtf" jokes that manage to get you to crack a smile. That's Kekkai Sensen. He tells really random, wild stories. And he's one hell of a fun guy to dance with.
ART/ANIMATION - 8
Animation is good; art is good. Let's skip to something more fun: stylisation! Kekkai Sensen knows when and how to utilise different art styles to both comedic and cinematic effect. How it manages text on-screen is really fun, too! Fun and loud and intentionally overdone!
SOUND/MUSIC - 10
Mix modern funk with 1930s swing and accompany it with the jazzy voice of a French-American woman singing in a speakeasy where the audience is littered with flappers from the 1920s and a couple dancing a jive. Give her some 2000s contemporary blues to sing. Let the gangs of the West Side Story and the cast of Footloose finger-snap their way into the speakeasy, followed by some classic rockers riffing passionately on their electric guitars. Oh, and don't forget the orchestra playing a haunting, ocean-like serenade and the really high cows playing with squeaker toys.
That's what Iwasaki Taisei-san's soundtrack is. Frankly, quite amazing. Give it a listen, ya? Plus the OP and ED are really great. The ED is especially fantastic and enthusiastic. Dance vibes all around!
CHARACTERS - rounded up 8.5
When a story is average, it is up to the characters to carry the show. And they do. They flourish under numerable bursts of manzai (funny man/straight man) comedy, simultaneously giving more craziness to the chaos that is Hellsalem's Lot while very subtly throwing in lines of character development.
ENJOYMENT - rounded down 9.5
It's so much fun. Chaotic fun. And it's rather refreshing, as I've been watching a lot of more serious anime lately.
Additional Ratings: COMEDY - 9 | DIRECTING/DIRECTION - 10 | PACING OVERALL - 7.5 | PACING WITHIN EPISODES - 8.5 | CINEMATOGRAPHY - 8
