In many ways, Koukyuu no Karasu reminds me of Production IG’s xxxHOLiC. Slice-of-life, supernatural mysteries with Asian folkloric influence and a tinge of gothic horror? Check. A main character who develops slowly but surely across the series as they struggle to find their identity and self esteem? Check. A relationship that’s cute and constantly shipped but has about 0.1% likelihood of becoming canon? Check.
Of course, xxxHOLiC and Koukyuu no Karasu differ vastly in setting, and that’s one of the latter’s greatest strengths. Koukyuu no Karasu is set in ancient China, which makes it stand out from the current, all-too common Western-RPG-inspired anime. The animation and art, while appearing rather low-budget, take inspiration from Chinese traditional art and are quite enchanting to look at—I could stare at that one magic peony animation forever, and that's not even mentioning the beautiful animations which take their influence from traditional puppetry. The soundtrack and sound design also take some (albeit vague) traditional influence, and really help create an immersive experience (and the OP and ED are bangers, too).
Koukyuu no Karasu also has decent pacing, in spite of its mystery-of-the-week format. Each mystery contributes more information to the story, and although there are two very clumsy exposition dumps regarding the lead character, they’re spaced well enough within the anime’s setup. Although the anime leaves off with obvious loose ends for a sequel, this first season doesn’t feel fruitless; a lot of characters show lasting development by the final episode. That said, the pacing still leaves a lot to be desired, and the plot leaves too many things unresolved to feel complete.
I would recommend everyone to watch this one, because it's a breath of fresh air that's really flown under the radar, but I know the genre makes it more difficult to get into. Still, if you’re a fan of traditional aesthetics like I am and you don’t mind some inconsistently-paced, sort-of slice-of-life, you’ll probably like Koukyuu no Karasu. There are just two things to consider before watching. One: due to setting, the characters’ names are Chinese, but the Japanese dub uses Japanese pronunciations for the names, which can cause a lot of confusion—it may be worth waiting for a Chinese dub, unless you want to memorize twice the number of names. Two: the anime plays around quite a bit with OP and ED placement, so you’ll want to watch everything all the way through, even if the ED starts playing two minutes in. Take those to heart, sit back, and enjoy some nice anime aesthetics with a decent story and solid characters behind them.
