Review of Katanagatari

This anime is beautiful, I don't really know how else to describe it. Even after watching the entire series the second time through, It's difficult to articulate my thoughts about watching this. The quality put into each show is amazing, as I believe it was released monthly, with each episode spanning around 45 minutes. Katanagatari does a good job telling a folktale-like story which is compelling and intriguing. It takes place in a post-Sengoku era, aka the post-"warring states period" in Japan,according to wiki. It's a story about the journey of two people, who were perhaps destined by fate, to travel together andcollect 12 unique swords which each contain mysterious power, be it benign or supernatural. It focuses on their adventure traveling together throughout Japan and the mysterious encounters they undergo among the people who either foster or are hunting these swords simultaneously. Underneath the surface of their journey, there is an underlying love story and a gradual development of character between the pair. It is progressed with each successive encounter throughout the show, which is done is a very stylish and majestic manner.

This show is extremely charming. The style is unparalleled, and is befitting to the mini-culture portrayed throughout the show. I can understand the art being a hit or miss with some, but personally it was like looking at beautiful art.

It is not an action packed show filled with meticulously animated fight scenes, although there are plenty of badass moments. It is just a simple story that is filled with memorable moments via a well written script. I remember vaguely reading somewhere that this was based on a light novel. Either way, while watching the show I definitely felt like I was reading a good book rather than watching a generic show. There are strong but subtle emphases of destiny, history, geography, and japanese culture in this anime. Furthermore, the show is paced well as each sword is generally obtained per episode, in various ways which all lead to finding to resolve to fight.

In conclusion, this anime is amazing, and is definitely in my own personal top 10, maybe even top 5 I've ever watched so far.

Three things I love about this anime:

1) The music. There were probably only 1 or 2 times where I felt the music did not suffice, or was apropos. Other than that, the music is top notch. It gives you the feels. It's unique, I would bet some are made with some pretty old-school instruments specific to Japan. Violins, are also a welcome in any show.

2) The love. This is a great love story. It's the type of love where it develops & changes the character's perspectives within the show gradually. It's done tastefully and with class.

3) This show is very memorable. It is a stand alone story with a conclusive end. There will be moments where you will get immense feels, accompanied with amazing music feels at the same time. If by the end of the show you don't get any feels, you are most definitely a robot.