Review of Katanagatari

Katanagatari is usually loomed over by the far more popular Monogatari series, and with good reason. It's character design is, at the very least, abnormal for any anime fan. But is that really enough reason to skip the series? __________________________________________________________________________ STORY: 9/10 How can something so simple be so enticing? The plot of Katanagatari is very straightforward: Collect the 12 sacred swords and bring them to the king. To be honest, there really is nothing that jumps out and makes it say 'WATCH THIS ANIME, NOW!' That's probably another reason Katanagatari is so unpopular. But, the flaws in the story stop there. Sure, it's heavily packed with dialogue,but it's not as if there is no meaning to it! On top of that, the story is surprisingly unique in comparison to other adventure anime, and the plot progression and pacing is quite fantastic. But, by far the best part of Katanagatari is it's ending. It's an emotional ending that concludes the story perfectly, and shows how much of a weapon Shichika could have been if he hadn't been placed under an immature human like Togame, and is well animated, executed, and just amazing.
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ART: 9/10

This is the turn off for most people about Katanagatari, mainly because of character design. We'll get to that later. First: The actual art style in Katanagatari is unique and, put simply, beautiful. Buildings have elaborate detail shown, and there are many scenes that will have you pausing the episode and just admiring how gorgeous it looks most of the time. The animation? Even better. The fighting scenes, in particular, are some of the best I've ever seen in anime. The dialogue scenes aren't bad either, at no point does White Fox try making their job any easier by covering the mouth or having action offscreen. (With the exception of one fight.)
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SOUND: 8/10

The opening and ending themes in Katanagatari are lackluster at best. Especially because they change the ending so frequently, the one or two good ones are outweighed by the many others. Of the two openings, the first one is completely skippable, unless you count the beautiful animation that oozes out of it. The second opening, despite being more pleasant to the ear, is less well animated, and overall is a little better, but not by much. The soundtrack however, leaves not much to be desired. This is quite frankly the only anime soundtrack that I can say I enjoyed each and every one through and through. The tough and hardcore battle music, peaceful relaxation music, and finally, the hilarious comedic music. They're all spectacular.
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CHARACTER: 8/10

Katanagatari again flourishes in this area. The two main characters, Shichika and Togame, are an EXTREMELY well done duo, as they fill in the flaws of each other rather well. They're not so much unique personality wise as they are design wise. Shichika's maple leaf design in particular really stands out. The supporting characters as well, are designed impressively and have fairly unique personalities, but mainly beautiful designs. Very few of them fall into tropes, and they all work well together. But the bad thing about them? Most of them have a wacky eye design. Is it really bad though? No. No, I can honestly say that this design didn't bother me at all and I was completely adapted to it after episode 1.
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OVERALL: 8.5/10

Katanagatari has all the markings of a good anime, and I can recommend it to anyone looking for a long enjoyable adventure. I can't say it's for everyone though. As I mentioned earlier, there is a LOT of dialogue. If you're someone who only watches shonen, and only looks at anime for the fights, this might not be your cup of tea. Regardless, Katanagatari is a great anime. CHEERIO!