One-liner: If you want an anime with amazing art, great character development, good romance and an ending which you cannot predict from episode 1, Katanagatari is for you.
[ Introduction ]
Katanagatari, or Sword Story, is about the Strategian Togame and her "sword", Yasuri Shichika. The story is about their journey to collect 12 legendary deviant swords made by master swordsmith Shikizaki Kiki.
[ Story = 9 ]
When I see animes about a journey to collect swords, I generally think: "Sword fights to be expected. Blood and gore. Severed limbs. Magical sword. Ooooh... Duh!". Katanagatari is about swords, of course, but not your run-of-the-mill sword anime.
So what will you find: sword fights! Duh no. Not many sword fights! But... but! It's a sword anime! Yes, but not so many sword fights. Interesting huh? Romance. Was kind of expected. Lots of lovey-dovey kissing? Nope. It's more of a... weird kind of... love. Comedy. Yes, fair share of good laughs. Plot twist. On the menu too. Main character gets beaten, levels up, gets beaten, levels up. NO! NO! No level up! AT ALL! So awesome.
I found the pacing a bit slow sometimes, with a bit too much dialogue between the characters. A few particular scenes were stretched the limits of my patience. However, one can argue that the slow-ish pace is used to build character. One would be right. Still feels a tad slow at the start.
Otherwise, the story is unpredictable. There are no cliff hangers! No cliff hangers! In a modern anime, can you imagine? All episodes are basically stand-alone except the last two. I really liked the story. It's simple, really. But it's so well narrated that it doesn't feel simple at all.
The story is unpredictable, but each episode follows a certain pattern. Tip: There are 12 Deviant Blades. There are 12 episodes. See a pattern?
[ Art = 9 ]
9.5 really. The art is not your classic anime art. It's hard to describe... Don't expect big anime eyes. Don't expect anime expressions. Ok maybe a few. Don't expect anime faded colors.
What you should expect are vibrant colors that look like pastel, well-designed character models and excellent backgrounds. It's one of the animes you can watch just for the characters and art. Definitely worth checking out.
The animation is smooth, well detailed - even fight scenes. Costume design is especially great. I liked how Katanagatari shifted from "known and tried" art to something interesting and beautiful.
For some people, the art and animation can feel slow and simplistic. Almost un-moving. For me, that's what makes the beauty of Katanagatari. Remember, it's a sword anime. It's supposed to have fast animation! Explosions! Clash! Not a relaxed animation!
[ Sound = 9 ]
Uhh.. if you read my reviews, you'd know am not really good at rating sound. For Katanagatari, I'd say the music really fits the situation, and the episode intro music (very Samurai-ish) was really nice and mood-setting. Haha... Sorry. Not very satisfying huh?
The anime is a bit wordy. I didn't mind. The background music helped with that.
[ Character = 9 ]
Ahhh the major attraction in Katanagatari: characters. It's one of the animes I've watched where I truly liked the character development. It's slow, methodical and done in great timing. Nothing is revealed too early. Some things are not revealed at all. No plot holes, I think.
Katanagatari is only 12 episodes, but it has a ton of characters. Thankfully, the two main characters: Togame and Shichika are explored in depth, their relationship getting major screen-time. Their journey together and interaction gets much attention.
The side characters are all unique, and I can't say I've found their similars in other animes. Like, Katanagatari features ninjas. You'd think, yeah, black-outfitted ladies and dudes with masks. HAH! Think colorful animal-themed clothes instead! Also, they all have their own stories and it's not just insignificant stories; sometimes their stories do play a major role in the episodes. They're all likable, even the bad guys.
The most interesting part? There are no bad guys! None of the characters are portrayed as "bad" or evil. There is no arch-enemy. Even the character you think are bad guys are only trying to get their share of the action. They have their own reasons and their own troubles. As another reviewer mentions, you may even come to like the "bad" guys...
Sadly, there is not enough character development. Some of the characters' stories are not explained at great length. The episodes are 50 minutes each but you'd still feel like the side characters are not explored in enough depth. Example? The Maniwa Corps. The background story of their members are hardly explored. Same for Shichika's sister. Shichika's mother is not mentioned at all. Togame's background story is breezed on, and I still don't completely get it.
Overall, good main character development, interesting character relationships, good character background-stories, likable and memorable characters but unfortunately, not enough in-depth exploration of each character's story.
[ Enjoyment = 9.5 ]
I really liked Katanagatari. It even made it to my Favourite Animes! So what did I enjoy?
- The art. I really liked the pastel-like colors, the feeling like everything is drawn on paper. Really changes from the "normal" animes out there with big sparkly eyes etc.
- The story is not what I'd expected. There are a few plot twists and "wtf" moments which spice up the plot. Good pacing. It never feels too rushed. Except maybe last episode which I think should have been a bit longer, say 20-25 minutes more than the other episodes to completely wrap up the story.
- The characters: A very nice, likable set of characters. I also enjoyed how each had an elaborate background-story.
- The relationship between the main characters. Not what I'd expect in an anime like that. It's just fun! I.e. the non-fighting parts of the anime didn't bore me. Also, I did say there are not that many extended fight scenes overall.
What I DIDN'T enjoy:
- Not much I should say. Am quite satisfied.
- I wanted some characters to be developed in greater depth. E.g. Shichika's sister who is just... unimaginable!
- The anime is a bit wordy. LOTS of talking. I didn't mind that, but you may so am listing it here since people complain about it.
[ Overall = 9.5 ]
Good anime. Very, very easy to overlook. One hell of a lost opportunity if you do miss it. If you are on the lookout for an anime with distinctive art, good character development, an interesting story, a good bit of romance and an ending which, in my opinion, fits the anime, then check Katanagatari.
Oh and... CHEERIO!
