So, over the course of the last few weeks, I've been watching an anime called Katanagatari (roughly translating as "Sword Story") on and off, and let me just start off by saying:
I have a lot to say about it.
(Spoiler-free, of course)
Plot
So, in order to give those of you who haven't watched Katanagatari a grasp of the story, it goes like this: The Kyoutoryuu bloodline has developed a form of martial arts in which they effectively turn their own body into a sword. Twenty years before our story takes place, the head of the Kyotoryuu family puts an end to a rebellion by killing its leader, and he and his family are banished to an island. Twenty years later, and we meet Yasuri Shichika. Shichika is the newest head of this bloodline, his father having recently passed due to certain circumstances explained in future episodes, though there isn't much for him to do as family head, as it's just him and his sister trying to basically live their normal life on a deserted island. In comes Togame, a self-proclaimed strategian of the shogunate claiming to be on a journey to collect the 12 Perfected Deviant Blades crafted by master swordsmith Shikizaki Kiki. As she has been betrayed before, though, she boldly tells Shichika to fall for her, as how can one put power or money above love? This, somehow, ends up working in the end, as Shichika falls for Togame that day and swears his loyalty to her.
Now, the pacing of the show is a little different due to the following: each of the twelve episodes is about fifty minutes long, and when the show aired in 2010, it aired about once a month, so I imagine it was kind of like watching the show in real-time, as each episode took place about a month after the last one.
This means that you grew with the characters, and the show's hour-long nature meant we got to meet and say goodbye to a new character that Shichika and Togame would be fighting each month.This left enough room to develop each new character, as well as our lead roles, and it also left plenty of room for story and exposition. Maybe a little too much...
My Thoughts
So, let me start off by saying that, at first, I hated this anime.
The dialogue had seemed to drag on forever in the most uninteresting way possible, and the fight scenes were few and far between- and, hell, when there was a fight scene, the majority of the fights themselves were filled with more dialogue and resolved with under a minute of actual action.
That isn't to say, though, that the action wasn't good.
The choreography in this anime is excellent, the animation fluid and energetic, and the art style strikingly unique and beautiful. There was a distinct difference in style of fighting with every character, too, which is very noticeable very quickly. Which is exactly what made me even more annoyed that when the action started picking up, it would slow down another five minutes for expositional dialogue, only to pick back up and end with two or three moves. Episode two, in my opinion, is the biggest culprit for this problem, and that really saddens me, as I actually really liked the swordsman of the month for that episode. Now, there is absolutely nothing wrong with having loads of dialogue- my favorite scene from Fate/Zero (my favorite anime) is the Holy Grail Dialogue, in which three characters basically sit down together to drink and talk about their goals in the war for about ten whole minutes. But whereas the Grail Dialogue seemed to have a place and meaning, Katanagatari's endless exposition only served to bore me. I simply wasn't interested in a whole lot of what was being said.
Fortunately, there seemed to be a noticeable improvement in how they executed their exposition after episode two- though before you say that that seems fair, keep in mind that this is about the equivalent of four episodes in a regular anime. And those two episodes drag on.
That said, it may have worked slightly in their favor, anyway, as the characters and the way that they developed throughout the story was just perfect. Shichika, especially, grew leaps and bounds throughout his journey with Togame. Now keep in mind that at the start of the anime, Shichika was- what, 25?- and had lived alone on an island with his older sister and, until very recently, his father. Meaning that at the beginning of his journey, he is completely socially inept, has very little emotional capacity, and can't even tell two very distinct-looking individuals apart (and the two he confused weren't even the same gender). But as the story continues, you get to see him grow as a human being, develop more of a playful personality, and learn basic morality and social principles.
And, perhaps because of all the careful attention that is paid toward the development of our two lead roles, the romance seemed very genuine and natural, too. There are countless moments throughout this anime that Shichika and Togame will show their own brand of affection to one another that will just make your heart melt into a goopy puddle of grossness, and I have to say that, as of watching Katanagatari, ShichikaxTogame is one of my new favorite ships. Ever. Like, they are precious together and must be protected at all costs.
Another thing Katanagatari excels in is the humor. The humor, put simply, is top-notch. At least later on in the series. I'm not sure if it had the same effect on me as Black Cat, where I found the humor weird at first but then began to love and appreciate it, or if it just generally improved in overall quality as the episodes passed. All I know was that in later episodes, most of the jokes they dropped had me in stitches.
As for the plot...
Meh?
I mean, the story was OK. There wasn't anything extraordinary about it- Togame basically just went out to find Kyoutoryuu so she could go sword collecting and impress the shogun. There were also some ninjas thrown into the mix, and later down, a couple more fantastical elements, but other than that, it seemed fairly simple.
Except for when they decided to not make it so simple and turn the story into a bit of a jumbled mess by giving motivations to characters *cough*ShizakiKiki*cough* that either made no sense or just weren't explained all too well. Yeah, I said it. And for those of you that disagree, let me say something else that will probably piss you off: the ending sucked. I have my opinions. Fite me.
The show also wasn't very consistent with the direction that it took, and that really started to stick out on episode 7, which was very clearly directed and drawn by someone else. With the art, the lines were much thicker, and in terms of direction, it was very different. For example, whoever directed it decided that it would be best to make things as confusing as possible and start off the episode after Shichika and Togame found their swordsman of the day, and they they would explain how they found them later. Which, in my opinion, is just stupid. Also, they did a face reveal of a character whose face they've been taking a lot of care in hiding for a while, making things very anticlimactic when they could have waited just one more episode to reveal her face and- god dAMN IT WHY ARE YOU SO IMPATIENT, MAN.
They did do a couple of cool/cute things that were never touched again, though, sadly. And I kinda sorta miss the art style in this episode. It was cool.
Oh, and music. The soundtrack was amazing. Just take my word for it.
Quick Notes and Tips
OK, so that's the basic gist of my thoughts, but before I make any final judgements, there are a few other things I need to mention because, just as in any other medium, your enjoyment of this anime will depend on a number of things pertaining to you and your preferences. So:
Fanservice:
There is quite a bit of fanservice in Katanagatari, specifically with Togame. A little bit of nudity. But it's never really in-your-face or has very much emphasis put on it except for us to see that Shichika is a simple socially inept island boy that pretty much doesn't know that there is anything to be desired in the opposite sex. I was perfectly fine with it.
Episode 4:
So, there are a number of things to note about this episode, though I will first tell you about the part that I know firsthand: the second half is missing from the internet. No matter how hard I looked, I couldn't find this episode beyond the first 24 minutes or so, which absolutely sucks, since it was going to focus quite a bit on Nanami, Shichika's sister. And, yes, you can buy the anime on Amazon, but $200 is a little bit pricey for me, unfortunately. (BTW, if anyone can find the last half of this episode, please send me a link.) Second: This episode is basically a big troll on the creators' part. See, in episode 3, we are given this epic preview of the fight between Shichika and Sabi Hakuhei, the swordsman of the month. During the first 24 minutes of the episode I saw, there was quite a bit of buildup to the battle. But here's the thing: according to people that watched it while it aired, that battle never happened. Or, they never showed it, anyway. Which is really disappointing because, well. Look at the second gif in the "My Thoughts" section. That's the preview they gave at the end of Episode 3.
Gore:
Some puddles of blood, that kind of stuff. Pretty standard. No need to worry. Until the last episode, that is. Then it's an absolute bloody mess. I had to cover parts of the screen for one scene.
The Narrator
The narrator in this anime likes to tell us where they're going next episode, and occasionally more. So, because I love you: The moment you hear old lady Narrator speaking at the end of episode 6, skip to the next episode. You can go back to see what she says after you watch Episode 7, but do not make the same mistake that I did and listen to her before then; you will get very angry. You'll thank me later.
And... I think that's about all to be worried about.
Who is this for?
Basically, while I know that this show has some really good animation and beautifully choreographed action, that action is very spaced out and, with the exception of the last two episodes, there isn't a whole lot of it. As such, I wouldn't recommend it to someone looking for a good action anime, like I was when I found it.
Where Katanagatari excels at from the very beginning, however, is characterization and character development. As such, if you're looking just for a show with quirky but likable characters, an unconventional romance, and a dash of subtle humor that will keep you smiling around every corner, then I recommend this to you. Also, if you're looking for a show that will leave a little hole in your heart by the end of it, I recommend this to you. For multiple reasons that I just can't get into for this spoiler-free review.
Overall
Overall, the show was fun and the characters were more than just enjoyable, but Katanagatari suffered a lot from the slow crawl it dragged us along with in the first few episodes and occasionally in later episodes, too. It's a little slow for my tastes, and I also found that the last five to ten minutes ruined everything it worked itself up to.
Still, as I said, the animation was good and the characters all grow tremendously throughout the series, which is a very rare treat to see.
As such, I'll award Katanagatari with a grade of 80%. Not bad. Definitely not the masterpiece I hear people constantly proclaiming it to be. But still pretty good, and I enjoyed myself quite a bit after the first two episodes.
And that's all I've got for now! I'll see you guys later, but for now, you have an awesome day!
Bye!
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