Review of Katana Maidens: Toji no Miko

This show...has a definite edge when it comes to the start of 2-cour shows of the year, but when all is said and done, it is still a good watch from start to end, even though I had a disdain for the premise of the show. The story of Katana Maidens: Toji no Miko starts as bland, cookiecutter and generic (this is NOT CGDCT)...until the intense action starts building the story up...in a very slow fashion unfortunately. At first, I really don't seem to understand why this 2-cour show is that memorable, but after watching all the way through, it felt some sense of satisfaction, butnot by much.

In a nutshell, girls who wield katanas that are inherited by various groups of people, presumably from families or schools that have a reputation, fight the forces of evil that are called aradama, noro (or substances) that are the subject of experimentation, and started what was initially just a competition against different girls into something that triggered a national phenomenon that has been existing for a few decades, that is now threatening the lives of girls whom aspirations of being Toji, being used to exterminate the current setting yet again, and 6 girls whom have no affiliation with one another, combines their abilities together (with the power of their friendship) to stop the tragedy from happening again.

The story setting is what you'd expect from a generic battle-shoujo anime, but where I can give credit is with its building story arcs, basically from the time of welding to conquering the world in 24 episodes, and that's where it tipped me off the series. I was trying hard not to see it as a generic show, but it felt underwhelming. Yes, it is an original series, and credits to people whom have thought of such ideas, but aside from people really enjoying the series as a whole, if you're not a fan of confusing or yet slow-progressing story arcs, skip this immediately.

The characters are an interesting choice:
Starting off with the initial two: Etou Kanami and Juujou Hiyori, 2 ordinary yet extraordinary characters towards the end, they come off as your typical shoujo battle-sense girls, and throughout the course of the journey from strength to strength and courage to redemption, their feelings for each other have not changed, for the fact that they were the first to cross each other's paths and because of the whole aradama issue, their bonds are unbreakable whether together or separate from the rest of the group. Kanami is the happy-go-lucky, and watchman of the 6 girls, who vouches to protect them and get stronger and understand their emotions and puts it into practice. Hiyori on the other hand, she is the "act first, think later" archetype, knowing that her enemies will get the better of her, and doesn't acknowledge others' efforts but coming to understand people's worries for her too.

Sayaka Itomi and Yanase Mai are the striking silent duo of the group, because their experiences helm the way of their katana fighting. Sayaka is the worrywart of the group because of her experiences fighting with the enemy's side, then as lifeless as she comes, she learns to open up her feelings towards the group and gets courage from them to slowly get her out of the comfort zone. Mai is also somewhat of the same situation, though oppression and determination, she was the one leading Sayaka the entire way, and it's easy to see why they are so attached to one another, reassuring each other's security.

Ellen Kohagura and Kaoru Mashiko (with her good aradama Nene) come from the same school and have a good relationship with one another. Ellen the big-busted girl is someone that reeks of positivity, looking at everything on the bright side, even in battle, not giving people their way and motivating them to be better and stronger as they go. Kaoru might seem like the chibi annoying little brat (and she is), but her big wide sword means business and that means she's as serious as she comes, taking care of Nene as if it is her last pet.

Origami Yukari and the Elite Four:
At first they come off as enemies, once fighting for each other because of the control of aradama and how Yukari would turn the whole situation around, but after the 1st half, they find themselves in a nutshell because of the manifestation of aradama that's split off into different personalities and fighting with the 6 girls to regain control, this time for good. Yukari herself is sinister, with her plans and her resolve to see things through, that brings over to the end of the 2nd arc, someone that defines a firm believer of "power is king". The elite masters, most presumably Konohana Suzuka, Shidou Maki and Satsuki Yomi, are idolizes of power, and when tormented, they fight for their own ideals and come to the conclusion that even with power, their motivations are empty if not yet realized dreams are not brought to fruition. Especially that one character, Yukina Takatsu, is very adamant on power, and is always being used, all the way to the realization that no one is for her and her alone.

The art and animation is good, something to expect from studio Gokumi, who made Tsurezure Children last year, but that jarring CGI is the exact same reason why the producers went to full-on CGI for smooth battle scenes. Yes it's not heavily used but it's very noticeable. And something to note off of is the fact that while fanservice is little to nonexistent, Studio Gokumi is not a studio where they are capable to show, and while this doesn't hamper the show's quality, it's not something to be expected of here.

The music...is the weakest point of the series. I mentioned in Comic Girls where I have an absolute love-hate relationships for VAs in theme songs, and while the latter is extremely good, this WAS the series I was referring to, this both OP and EDs of the 2 cours are very unmemorable, to the point where I was potentially skipping ALL 4 tracks to get right into the story. If you can appreciate them on its own I have no questions, but it is unfortunately average in every conceivable way.

In the end, do I really hate this series with a flaming passion? Some things I still stand by a few months back, and while the series overall has improved, I'm just not the audience that it was tackling on, and call this a good battle shoujo if you want, but it's just not for me.