We begin in 12th century Japan, and the story specific to the characters of Kuro and Benkei remains superficial. There is some kind of feud between warring factions and Kuro is on the run. These elements fade into the background as Kuro develops an unhealthy obsession with an immortal vampire woman. Most of the male characters end up becoming enamored with her.
The gore and visuals of these segments bring to mind Shigurui, but that doesn't last long—we're briefly transported to WWII Japan in what is little more than a battle sequence—then straight to a cyberpunk world reminiscent of Texhnolyze. I suspect there was a fair amount of influence from that series and there are also many aesthetic similarities, right down to using the katana as a symbol.
About the only thing this show has going for it are the aesthetics. The music is a mixture of traditional Japanese folk and modern electronics. Both feudal Japan and the bombed-out wasteland are drawn lavishly. The animation is mostly smooth enough, although there are occasional icky CGI bits and moments with typical TV sluggishness. The directing form the Attack on Titan director is also solid. It's the characters and the script that are the main problems.
1,000+ years apparently weren't kind to the immortal main character, as he behaves like an amnesiac, yet he doesn't necessarily seem to be written as a true amnesiac. The way the show is edited early on with these time skips, gives the impression that the main's journey through time and space is non-linear, but he seems to be subjected to very intense visions and flashbacks.
The one and only motivation or interest he has in life is his immortal lover, Kuromitsu, and he spends the entire series hunting her down—yet he doesn't seem to remember or know anything about her. This is despite the two of them supposedly having been together for many centuries. He has one of the blankest personalities imaginable and has the most stoic "..." anime elitist segments possible.
Kuromitsu remains an enigmatic character not only to the main, but also to the audience. I would hesitate to call any of the characters archetypes or even criticize them as being flat. These are poorly written character sketches at best. They're just completely empty, and they don't have anything insightful to say, nor do they have notable motivations. Most of the males other than the main either want Kuromitsu's attention or want to become super mutants. Kuon's role here is especially stupid.
The terrible script consists of the characters going from point A to B and back, flashy fight sequences with loads of plot armor and zero tension, and just random gibberish about a red army that spans all the way back to the 12th century or earlier that wants Kuromitsu's blood, so they can become immortal and continue on to the next step of evolution. The exact relationship of the red army to the city is not adequately explained, but they kill people at random or abduct them to perform experiments on them.
Then there's the intoxicating stupidity and obsession of the "love" between the two main characters. They're so banal and empty as characters and seemingly know nothing about each other. There's also a reason we have short lifespans. Can you imagine anyone being so alluring that you fawn over them for 1,000 years? For what? To be loved, to love? To touch her hair and kiss her and string together poetry? uwu. It would be about the same if the main character spent 1,000 years looking at porn or sending money to e-thots on Only Fans. This shallow undying romance stuff just makes me want to hurl. Think about what a man could accomplish with immortality, and he spends that time staring at her and asking to kiss her boo boos. What a loser.
While there is a plot twist at the end that adds a little more poignancy, and creates somewhat of a ghastly rumination on immortality and mortality and the possibility of a cyclical plight for the main character, if not just another confused recollection on his part... what I described above does hold up as the reality for one of the characters. Kuromitsu is a beauty to be sought after, and that's it. There's no reason for her to be sought for, however. She's so indescribably dull, and this kind of allure was pulled off better in Babylon—but at least that character didn't have to draw the men in for eternity.
A central problem is that the series has so little plot and so much action—this story could have easily been summed-up in half the time, and we would lose nothing—then we might be closer to a mediocre production rather than this poor offering of a series.
