"Somewhere along the line, I had decided that I can't interact with others.
That I have no choice but to be alone.
It's because everyone is alone, senpai.
Everyone is all alone."
-Mirai Kuriyama
OK, I'm not ashamed, I'll admit it: I think I like Kyoto Animation's works. OK, maybe I'm a little ashamed, these are after all the same people who unleashed The Great Moe Plague of 2009 upon the anime world with the release of their smash hit K-On!, but it frustrates me that that one anime, arguably one of their weakest works, has become basically the face of the company, not only by the average anime fan, but by the studio themselves, who have incorporated the new "moe art-style" into nearly every anime they've produced since then. Honestly, I'm tired of Kyoto Animation being constantly represented by K-On! The reason I like them and the reason that I've been on a run of watching their anime recently is because they have shown multiple times that they are capable of so much more; and could maybe one day release something just as genre-defining as some of their works in the past, and create something really special. And while I think that today's subject: one of KyoAni's newer experiments Kyoukai no Kanata doesn't quite get there, it may be laying the ground work for something that could.
So if you're in the dark right now, sorry about that, I'll give a more a more depth explanation of who Kyoto Animation is and why they are important in a few sentences. But for now, hello there people of "The Wired", my name is Quan, I hope you are having a good day, and today we are taking about the supernatural/romance/slice-of-life adventure that is Kyoukai no Kanata, or as we say in English, Beyond the Boundary. Here we go.
Ah yes, Kyoto Animation, if you are an anime fan and have somehow not heard of this studio, allow me to quickly enlighten you. The studio first made their mark with the release of things such as Full Metal Panic and the ever popular anime The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. In this time, they also adapted various visual novels made by Key, which include Air, Kanon(2006), and of course, in my opinion, the studio's best work: Clannad and its sequel Clannad After Story. However, after K-On! put a stain on their company that will never go away no matter how bleach I use, KyoAni moved into doing things like the fairly decent romance Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!, the very good mystery show Hyouka and the awesomeness that was The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya. Now if you've seen a couple of these shows you can probably see the trend: KyoAni nearly exclusively make anime that fall more into the slice-of-life/romance genre, which is why Kyoukai no Kanata being the action/supernatural show that it was with only a touch of those typical elements was sort of a big deal when it first came out. Kyoukai no Kanata was directed by Taichi Ishidate, who is making his directorial debut here after working as an assistant director and the such on about literally every other KyoAni show ever, and the script was written by Jukki Hanada, who has done screenplays for things like Chobits and few episodes of the original Fate/stay night, but he has also done series composition for Kyoukai no Kanata, No Game No Life and Steins;Gate. Lastly, the anime is 12 episodes long and aired from October 3rd to December 19th in the Fall 2013 anime season.
I know I already explained the plot synopsis in my First Impression: Kyoukai no Kanata post, but this is the official review after all, so I'll just go over it one more time. While taking a walk one afternoon, our protagonist Akihito Kanbara notices a girl named Mirai Kuriyama, standing on the edge of the school roof, apparently getting ready to jump. He runs up to try and tries to talk her out of it, probably not using the best choice of words, because mid-rant, Mirai does a fancy flip back onto the roof and stabs Akithito through the chest.
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| Maybe not the best way to meet. |
It turns out that Mirai is what's known as a Spirit World Warrior, a person obligated with the task to hunt down and kill youmu: supernatural creatures born out of the negativity constantly let off by humanity. She appears to have mistaken Akihito for a youmu, but in reality he is only half youmu and half human, and because of this is immortal. Why is Akihito is immortal is sort of left ambiguous at first, but Mirai seems to take full advantage of this fact, and over the next few weeks, stalks Akihito and attempts to kill him, despite him constantly telling her about his immortality. Once he gets her to stop stabbing him in the neck every-time they meet(in the aftermath of probably one of the best and funniest chase scene put to animation), he begins to learn more about Mirai, why she has come to the town, and what exactly she is trying to accomplish. Through either fate or something else, Akihito finds himself becoming more involved with Mirai, helping her get over her fear of killing youmus, and getting her settled in the town despite her clumsiness and shyness towards pretty much everything. They kill various youmu and start to learn more about each-other's pasts (for better or worse), unaware that behind the scenes of the town, something else in going on, and everyone and everything is somehow involved in a plot that could potentially change the very course of nature. What you get from here is a semi-serious experience built through characters that is occasionally funny, occasionally dramatic, but also stays entertaining through classic good KyoAni writing, a good eye for chemistry, and animation that looks freakin' awesome.
I'm not actually quite sure what to talk about first, but I guess I'll settle on the plot structure for the series, and how Kyoukai no Kanata falls into a trap that many, many, anime before have as well. See anime as that are semi-serious such as this one like to do a certain thing, and I'll even give you a hint, it's the same thing that other supernatural shows like Shakugan no Shana, Noragami have done; they establish an over-arching story-line, but for most of the show, mess around with filler mostly used to establish character relations. And this... is fine, but the reason that works in those shows and not in this one is because of a couple of things. Firstly, Shana, in only its first season, has the advantage of having time to spare; the anime is twice as many episodes as Kyoukai no Kanata, so it has time to have this filler but also fully develop the main story. Kyoukai no Kanata desperately wants to follow this formula as well, but with the ambition of the story it tries to tell, fails to see it just doesn't have the time.
The story is broken into three distinct sections: The Beginning/Hollow Shadow Arc, the filler, and the Ending Arc. Now the story starts fairly strong, it establishes basic rules (if not specifics) of the supernatural with rather nice efficiency, and gives our characters depth and places to go with that depth by the end of episode 4. Speaking of episode 4, I would argue that is by far the best episode of the series, it's funny, kind of epic, and even emotional at times, and really sets up intriguing groundwork for both Mirai's and Akihito's characters. However it's here where the story begins to move into filler, and where the problems start for me.
So actually, I'm not going to be complaining about the filler itself, because actually as far as filler goes, it is pretty great, and I still hold the episode where all the characters dress up as idols and sing a annoyingly catchy song is absolutely hilarious in just how out of place and purposely melodramatic and over-the-top it is. Besides I realize that the show still wants to be light-hearted at times, this is after all Kyoto Animation, and the story honestly did need some time to cool off after the heavy weights that episode 4 dropped. My problem with the filler is the time it takes up, because once you get to the final arc of the show, concepts are suddenly being introduced all over the place, and stops the pace of the story every time the anime needs to pause and explain something. Now the finale itself is actually quite good; but as we get closer to the end of the anime, things start getting out of hand as new concepts keep pouring in, and by the end, you're not even sure what the rules are for this world, because they keep changing. For instance, I feel like instead of having that episode about the fireworks festival they could have actually taken that time to explain some crap, instead of overstuffing the ending with explanations. But here's the worst part, and why I absolutely hate the ending of this show...is because they came so close to pulling it off. Yeah, even with all the convoluted stuff going on in the mid-to-late stages of the story, they finish it off with a kind of really effective emotional scene that challenges how much you care about Akihito and Mirai; ending on a bitter-sweet note, which if you know me, is my absolute favorite kind of ending. But literally as we enter the last three minutes of the anime, Taichi Ishidate and Jukki Hanada apparently thought now was the time to literally throw all logic out the window, and say "that's right people, the power of love can accomplish anything. Here's your happy ending. Hurrah!". Why? You so close. It was like watching Clannad After Story all over again(which is actually another KyoAni show). Don't get me wrong, happy endings are awesome, but when you sacrifice the narrative's integrity just for the sake of giving the viewer a happy ending, well, that's just not okay, and at the worst, is just horrible writing. I feel betrayed. So, before I get too angry, let get on with talking about the characters, and maybe find a few more good things to talk about.
As we turn to characters, it starts to become the argument of likability vs. complexity, the same argument I've had in my head for anime like Angel Beats and (at least for the first two season) Haruhi. I really like the cast of this anime, they are colorful and really entertaining to watch, which is nice especially when the slice-of-life aspect of the anime comes in. Too often I've learned(especially these last few days as I start my viewing of Shakugan no Shana II) that in slice-of-life shows, if the group of characters you're following doesn't have good chemistry, the show is basically screwed. It's the way that these characters can make you laugh even when they are just talking about nothing in particular that gives Kyoukai no Kanata a certain amount of charm, and even if the humor is really similar to a couple other KyoAni shows, I still had a stupid smile on my face most of the time while watching Miria, Akihito, and the others. However, no matter how much I like them, that doesn't change that talking in terms of complexity, a lot of them are 2-dimensional.
We'll start with our main protagonist, Akihito, and he's pretty good actually. He initially comes off a bland insert-main-protagonist who just happens to have a creepy fetish for glasses, but there's actually a lot more to him. Yes, he has a dark past that he covers up like a lot of other main characters, but it's the way Akihito(and the anime) handle this that I like. It's not so much he uses his usually cheerful and sarcastic personality to cover up his trauma, as much as he has accepted it and who he is to become a better person. I also like how we are never directly told what exactly happened in his past, which leaves us to wonder possibly could have resulted in the way he acts towards a certain thing...that is spoilers...so I'l stop talking about him now.
Next is our main heroine Mirai Kuriyama(nicknamed the "bespectacled beauty" by Akihito). She is a clumsy, somewhat introverted girl, a direct product of past truama and neglect brought own by multiple factors. She is special even among Spirit World Warriors, being the last surviving member of a clan which processed the ability of being able to shape their blood and use it as a weapon against youmu, a power which is generally regarded as cursed. I think I like Mirai as a character(especially when she's interacting with Akihito which are easily the funniest parts of the anime), she has the "cute-factor" that all KyoAni heroines must absolutely have, but it's the way she interacts with her environment which is the best. Also, despite being timid, she's not a pushover, and as you learn throughout the anime, she can be unbelievably strong, kind or bad-ass when she wants to. And that's awesome.
And as much as I like those two and their relationship and how it progresses throughout the anime, the rest of the cast don't have a lot to them really. Mitsuki Nase is the daughter of a wealthy family of Spirit World Warriors and Akihito's childhood friend, but despite having a sharp tongue and some funny lines and interactions throughout the anime, she ultimately doesn't get any development, which is disappointing considering how much I liked her at first. Her brother Hiroomi Nase isn't much better, being pretty much completely defined by his little sister complex, and even though I'm pretty sure that is just a giant joke for him, that doesn't help his character much. He has some good interactions with Akihito, but that's all I can say.
How to put this... the world seems almost empty. Kyoukai no Kanata has a fair amount of interesting characters, like Ayaka or Izumi, but when you get down to it we really don't learn much about them, even though it feels like there is more to know. Even the villain we get down the line is pretty lame, basically just being a psychotic jerk who wants to blow up the world. And that's disappointing really. You're teased with so much with the series, what is going on, what could potentially be going on, and while most questions are answered, some are just left dangled in the air, hinting on what might be. Hopefully, if a sequel ever does happen(and I do want it to), it'll start to expand on this supernatural world and answer those bigger questions, because even though the show takes place in a single town, if the scale gets bigger I think it would be a good thing. Such concepts, like The Society of Spirit World Warriors and where exactly those gems they get from the youmu are going, could be explored, and really give the show some backbone and places to go.
The story is broken into three distinct sections: The Beginning/Hollow Shadow Arc, the filler, and the Ending Arc. Now the story starts fairly strong, it establishes basic rules (if not specifics) of the supernatural with rather nice efficiency, and gives our characters depth and places to go with that depth by the end of episode 4. Speaking of episode 4, I would argue that is by far the best episode of the series, it's funny, kind of epic, and even emotional at times, and really sets up intriguing groundwork for both Mirai's and Akihito's characters. However it's here where the story begins to move into filler, and where the problems start for me.
So actually, I'm not going to be complaining about the filler itself, because actually as far as filler goes, it is pretty great, and I still hold the episode where all the characters dress up as idols and sing a annoyingly catchy song is absolutely hilarious in just how out of place and purposely melodramatic and over-the-top it is. Besides I realize that the show still wants to be light-hearted at times, this is after all Kyoto Animation, and the story honestly did need some time to cool off after the heavy weights that episode 4 dropped. My problem with the filler is the time it takes up, because once you get to the final arc of the show, concepts are suddenly being introduced all over the place, and stops the pace of the story every time the anime needs to pause and explain something. Now the finale itself is actually quite good; but as we get closer to the end of the anime, things start getting out of hand as new concepts keep pouring in, and by the end, you're not even sure what the rules are for this world, because they keep changing. For instance, I feel like instead of having that episode about the fireworks festival they could have actually taken that time to explain some crap, instead of overstuffing the ending with explanations. But here's the worst part, and why I absolutely hate the ending of this show...is because they came so close to pulling it off. Yeah, even with all the convoluted stuff going on in the mid-to-late stages of the story, they finish it off with a kind of really effective emotional scene that challenges how much you care about Akihito and Mirai; ending on a bitter-sweet note, which if you know me, is my absolute favorite kind of ending. But literally as we enter the last three minutes of the anime, Taichi Ishidate and Jukki Hanada apparently thought now was the time to literally throw all logic out the window, and say "that's right people, the power of love can accomplish anything. Here's your happy ending. Hurrah!". Why? You so close. It was like watching Clannad After Story all over again(which is actually another KyoAni show). Don't get me wrong, happy endings are awesome, but when you sacrifice the narrative's integrity just for the sake of giving the viewer a happy ending, well, that's just not okay, and at the worst, is just horrible writing. I feel betrayed. So, before I get too angry, let get on with talking about the characters, and maybe find a few more good things to talk about.
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| Hey look, I don't need to list the character's names this time. |
We'll start with our main protagonist, Akihito, and he's pretty good actually. He initially comes off a bland insert-main-protagonist who just happens to have a creepy fetish for glasses, but there's actually a lot more to him. Yes, he has a dark past that he covers up like a lot of other main characters, but it's the way Akihito(and the anime) handle this that I like. It's not so much he uses his usually cheerful and sarcastic personality to cover up his trauma, as much as he has accepted it and who he is to become a better person. I also like how we are never directly told what exactly happened in his past, which leaves us to wonder possibly could have resulted in the way he acts towards a certain thing...that is spoilers...so I'l stop talking about him now.
Next is our main heroine Mirai Kuriyama(nicknamed the "bespectacled beauty" by Akihito). She is a clumsy, somewhat introverted girl, a direct product of past truama and neglect brought own by multiple factors. She is special even among Spirit World Warriors, being the last surviving member of a clan which processed the ability of being able to shape their blood and use it as a weapon against youmu, a power which is generally regarded as cursed. I think I like Mirai as a character(especially when she's interacting with Akihito which are easily the funniest parts of the anime), she has the "cute-factor" that all KyoAni heroines must absolutely have, but it's the way she interacts with her environment which is the best. Also, despite being timid, she's not a pushover, and as you learn throughout the anime, she can be unbelievably strong, kind or bad-ass when she wants to. And that's awesome.
And as much as I like those two and their relationship and how it progresses throughout the anime, the rest of the cast don't have a lot to them really. Mitsuki Nase is the daughter of a wealthy family of Spirit World Warriors and Akihito's childhood friend, but despite having a sharp tongue and some funny lines and interactions throughout the anime, she ultimately doesn't get any development, which is disappointing considering how much I liked her at first. Her brother Hiroomi Nase isn't much better, being pretty much completely defined by his little sister complex, and even though I'm pretty sure that is just a giant joke for him, that doesn't help his character much. He has some good interactions with Akihito, but that's all I can say.
How to put this... the world seems almost empty. Kyoukai no Kanata has a fair amount of interesting characters, like Ayaka or Izumi, but when you get down to it we really don't learn much about them, even though it feels like there is more to know. Even the villain we get down the line is pretty lame, basically just being a psychotic jerk who wants to blow up the world. And that's disappointing really. You're teased with so much with the series, what is going on, what could potentially be going on, and while most questions are answered, some are just left dangled in the air, hinting on what might be. Hopefully, if a sequel ever does happen(and I do want it to), it'll start to expand on this supernatural world and answer those bigger questions, because even though the show takes place in a single town, if the scale gets bigger I think it would be a good thing. Such concepts, like The Society of Spirit World Warriors and where exactly those gems they get from the youmu are going, could be explored, and really give the show some backbone and places to go.
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| Thank you for this Tumblr. |
KyoAni's animation has always been really good, but sometimes it's easy to downplay that since all they usually ever have to animate is school kids sitting around a table, walking around, or going to the beach, but not with this anime. Kyoukai no Kanata is first and foremost an action show, and let's just say I can't downplay anything anymore. It is awesome. From exciting choreography to cool powers, to fights of Kyoukai no Kanata are usually a spectacle to behold. It's not even just the fluid animation of them, it's the supernatural aesthetic that KyoAni have added that really makes the show pop. Seriously, even when two blades connect and there is a shower of sparks, it always is just cool to look at. Even moving away from what the aesthetic adds to the fighting to how all the supernatural elements are designed, through a use of bright colors and the interesting ways the supernatural is integrated into the world. When no fighting or supernatural stuff is going on however, the animation is still quite good, and I think the attention to detail is a big part of it. For instance, at one point when Akihito is sitting Mitsuki in the club-room(they are in a club by the way) silently and being bored, he flips through the pages of a closed book, and I thought that was just really nice. Also how the characters emote while talking with each-other adds another layer of funny and wit to their conversations, but sometimes I wasn't too happy about how the composition of scenes flowed to together. I kind of think that is nitpicking though, and while I do pride myself as a nitpicker, without dragging on too long, the animation for the show is really damn good, and if nothing else, you'll get a lot of awesome fight scenes from the show against a backdrop of good supernatural design and typical KyoAni detailing. Enough said.
When I think of Kyoukai no Kanata's soundtrack, the word "thumbnail" comes to mind. The songs you see the most of, the OP and the ED are quite good, but besides from those two the OST really doesn't have a lot going for it. With music done by Masumi Ito, who you might know from OST's such as I.S Infinite Stratos and Scrapped Princess, no song really stands out. They keep the supernatural and mystical theme well enough, but unfortunately I can't really make any other comments since I actually haven't listened to the OST in awhile since it is unavailable everywhere I looked. Though, I think the very fact that I didn't remember anything is proof enough that nothing is particularly good. So, yes, the OP (also titled "Kyoukai no Kanata") by Minori Chihara is quite lovely, she has an amazing voice to begin with, but the song is catchy as well as the video that accompanies it gorgeously animated. However, if I were to choose a favorite song from the soundtrack, it would be the ED: "Daisy" by the band STEREO DIVE FOUNDATION would be it. The song is slow and calming, which usually isn't my thing, but the variety of the emotions it captures is really powerful. Besides, the scenery of the ED is awesome as well...those colors.
The OP
The ED
So the question remains. Did Kyoukai no Kanata, the newest experiment by Kyoto Animation, beat the odds and become actually good despite the studio's inexperience in the genre? Well, I hate to be vague, but yes and no. Yes, taken at face value, despite having awesome animation and being entertaining, the anime isn't the best in terms of plot or characters, even going to other shows of the genre to find something better isn't that hard. However, if anything, I don't think Kyoukai no Kanata is a sign that Kyoto Animation should just stay in their moe-blob fortress of solitude for all eternity, in fact it's quite the opposite. There's potential here, and as I said in the beginning of the review, Kyokai no Kanata is laying the groundowrk for something bigger, the equivalent of dipping your toe in the water to see how cold it is. The answer is that it's cold, but it won't take long for you to get used to it. Listen, Kyoto Animation has a group of great writers, now I think all they need is the right thing to adapt, and they could make something special. Something that needn't even be all slice-of-life and of moe either, something legitimately good. And yeah, I know I'm day-dreaming over here, but hell, at least there's now a reason to dream. So for now, let's look to the future of this studio and this anime. It's looking awfully awesome.
Final Verdict: 6.5/10
P.S: And then her leg cracks and you think, "oh no".
Recommended Anime:
Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!
Another one from Kyoto Animation, this time more much in their comfort zone of slice-of-life and mo-blobness. The main reason I recommend it is that the main couple of the anime: Rikka and Yuuta, are basically carbon copies of Mirai and Akihito, minus having awesome blood powers and a thing for glasses.
Noragami
Not the best anime out there, but is very similar to Kyoukai no Kanata. Both series have cool supernatural aesthetic, a mainly unfocused plot, many concepts left unexplored and equally poor endings. But hey, it's worth a shot regardless.
Goodbye for now guys.
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