Review of Reikenzan: Hoshikuzu-tachi no Utage

I tend to review shows i'm more opinionated on, that is to say shows that I feel are really bad or really good and wouldn't ordinarily review a show of such middle ground that wouldn't warrant the effort. But I feel this needs to be said as something of a disclaimer for anyone reading up on the show before watching it. The show doesn't present itself in the usual way an anime would and this probably has a lot to do with the fact that it's of Chinese origin rather than Japanese. As such the cultural references and pacing wont feel all that familiar and you'llnotice this more as the story progresses. This isn't to suggest the show is bad, although there are things i find particularly lacking about it, just be aware that it doesn't have the usual format and will take a little getting used to as a result.

I've marked the story as fair because i feel although the show itself was fine it did waste a lot of potential with its constant time skips. The show has a habit of introducing a problem, skipping the build up which can last months or even years and getting straight to the solution; so we don't really get the human element of struggle which allows us to relate to the people inhabiting this universe. The show seems to focus on the less interesting and somewhat arbitrary socio-politics occurring between such moments of interest. Characters squabbling over arbitrary rules to determine how something might be achieved, if it can at all. Here, it would seem, is a continued cultural reference unique to China's sociology that is lost on anyone unfamiliar with it.

The thing that is most peculiar about the show is that it always feels like you're viewing it at arms length. You never really feel attached to anyone because nobody stands out (partly because you never find out anyone's agenda and/or motivation) and you never feel any connection between the characters themselves either, characters who come across like soulless pawns moving across a chess board. Even the main character doesn't really want for anything but strength for the sake of strength after becoming aware of his latent talents. There's no real obstacle or challenge presented, certainly no distinctive antagonist. So it all feels really wet. But the show isn't really all that bad, so it feels like we're waiting on something to happen to trigger the missing dramatic elements we enjoy in this medium.

After watching both this and the second series i was left wondering what it was i had actually watched because there are so many aspects of the story that go unexplained or merely implied or suggested. We really only get presented with the results of the main characters growth which we don't really care about because we don't know what he aims to do with it.