This, and I would not be surprised while having a discussion with a fan of director Tetsuo Araki that we both agree Attack on Titan is one of our least favorite Araki-directed shows for that matter. Our discussion might transition to a point where we begin recalling the days of being so impressed with Death Note in the 00s---that we began relying too much on broad consensus sites like Anime News Network and THEM Anime, aiding our search in finding the perfect series that might come close to that show's all-around level of quality, consistency, and story. Kurozuka is not that successor, though it certainly comes very close when it hits it's high points with an mesmerizing sense of maturity and balance of themes throughout it's 12-episode length.
I am also going to note before beginning this review that the trust I once had in those broad consensus sites might've decreased a little bit more after having watched this series all the way through. As you can see, MAL has a score of 6.9, and that might already indicate enough about my position here - that is, the consensus made little to no sense after it's release.
Let's begin with the story - and this may come as a shock to some who haven't seen Kurozuka yet and are skimming through these fan reviews with the score and mixed reception in the back of their mind, thinking to himself or herself it could be unwatchable - do not - I repeat, do not believe the general reaction. With a story that spans different time periods, and a truly unique female character that vampire fans will see as a refreshing twist on the genre, the story goes through so many twists and turns that there leaves so much room for discussion afterwards.
I put this show up with all of the other great mature anime like Monster, Death Note, and Aoi Bungaku. Never has there been a samurai period series with as many transfixing elements and had me reimagine more what the genre could accomplish.
A mysterious sense of antagonism lurks beneath each foreground with a Kabuki act indicating a haunted past. Only lightly touched upon, most of these antagonists are masked, rarely show their faces, and rarely have a lot of dialogue - this, however, makes it twice more terrifying; and provides a lot more attention on it's two important characters: Kuro and Kuromitsu.
The female character Kuromitsu exhibits a vulnerable side, providing a deep sense of 3-dimensionality with the very first episode when she apologizes to the main protagonist for her horrifying thirst for human flesh.
Fast forward, the future. After Kuro's incident with Kuromitsu, he becomes immortal and must battle an army that is looking for Kuromitsu's blood. This transitioning from a spiritualistic cult to an army using advanced sciences, is an aspect of the series that causes for speculation.
The time and space that Kurozuka captures methodically wants us viewers to be more curious, and introspect with questions similar to the experiences had with Death Note and Aoi Bungaku.
My nerdish side for Araki-directed anime wants the famous animator to go back to this really thought-provoking and philosophical stuff and that meanwhile provides a throwback to some 90s anime when the OVAs were more inspiring, more often than not, cutting-edge - which is really now conflicted by the streaming format. This is an anime I definitely recommend.
