Review of Katanagatari

NOTE: This review will contain some spoilers For the sake of convenience, I will call this anime an action anime, even though most of the anime is based around dialogue. Perhaps it was for this reason that I enjoyed it a lot. Well, that aside, I don't have a lot of experience watching action anime. However, I'll try to be as unbiased as possible when giving an answer as to why I'd rate this anime as close as possible to a 10: Story (9): Usually, I get bored because the anime doesn't progress. Instead, they keep adding a bunch of filler episodes where they delve more intothe characters' past, stories and such. However, the way this anime is structured completely eliminates the need for that, as developments occur in episodic order. One episode for each one of the swords that they must collect. For some, this might seem bothersome, as it makes the show rather predictable, as you will already know the outcome. However, simply because you know the outcome, that doesn't mean that it won't be entertaining. For the first 11 episodes, the story progresses as expected, one sword per episode. However, there are hints to an overarching plot that would later result in a big twist. The twist later led to an ending which I would say was rather climactic as it sums everything up, and closes the journey of "Katanagatari" appropiately.

Art (9):
The animation was great. The fight scenes were enjoyable, as they never stretched out for too long, and always kept my short attention span satisfied. Character design was nice to look at, efffects looked good, and the atmosphere felt generally soothing. However, at times, it felt a bit inconsistent, but it was nothing too bad.

Sound (10):
I liked the music a lot. It never felt like the music was repeating itself in an irritating manner, some unique scenes were overlapped by unique music, and if I recall correctly, many different songs are used for endings each episode. The sound effects were really good, and the voice acting was great. I really enjoyed all of it.

Character (9):
The story looks a lot at the swords, but at the same time as all of that is happening, the two main characters, Shichika and Togame go through a lot of change, especially Shichika. Starting off as a complete outlander, during the year that they were together, Togame makes Shichika go through a lot of change, resulting in a completely different person by the time Togame dies. He develops feelings for Togame which he keeps until the very end. When he first started helping Togame collect the swords, he didn't have any resolution, but after being amazed to what extent Togame would go in order to collect the swords, he was captivated, and "fell" for her. That was one of the things that Shichika was lacking, and after Togame dies, it is just then that the anime states that he was finally completed. After having experienced loss, Shichika finally grew to be the perfect sword, not bound by anything anymore, and filled with determination.
Rambling of the main characters aside, other characters were also rather interesting. Each opponent Shichika faced was really strong, but not only in their strength, but also for the reason why they fight. Tsuruga sparked something in Shichika, as she begun to question Shichika's reason as to why he fights. Similarly, other characters make him question parts about himself, making him grow as a character.

Enjoyment (8):
Regardless of how interesting the story is, there is always a downside to having a show structured episodically. The episodes usually don't chain, meaning that after watching an episode you can just walk away, and there are rarely cliffhangers which leave you wanting more. For this sole reason, I don't rate enjoyment 10, as I would maybe go days without watching an episode, simply because it didn't feel like I NEEDED to know what was going to happen immediatly after last episode, and because if you're in the first episode, eleven more episodic 40 minute episodes might seem a bit daunting, as the episodes are designed in a way for you to watch them in one sitting.

Overall (9):
In short, this anime was great, but despite its shortcomings it was a unique experience, watching how Shichika basically destroyed all of his earlier efforts after finally grasping what is important.