Katanagatari Vol 1 Review.

Another Anime brought to us by NIS America, but is this one worth checking out? Read on to find out.

NIS America brings another Anime to the States and while it doesn’t have the same appeal as all others before hand, it does have some very strange anime style, or at least it’s strange to me as I’ve never seen anything like it. Katanagatari tells the story about a man and a woman who’s past has come together. The Anime focuses on a human katana called Shichika and its wielder Togame. Together they set out to gather all other Katana’s which have been possessed by a group of mercenaries. The anime’s style is very unique in a way but unique isn’t always a good thing.

 

In keeping with past traditions, NIS America has released a Premium Edition of the Vol 1 and Vol 2. This review is focused only on Vol 1. The boxed set comes with an art book and 3 media formats; 2 DVD’s and 2 BluRay, all of which have all 6 episodes in standard definition and High Definition. There’s no arguing with the quality of BluRay and this anime truly shows what it’s made of. Not only is the picture a whole lot cleaner and sharper but the sound is also amazing. That said keep in mind that with the resolution the subtitles are a bit on the small side so if you are having a hard time reading the subtitles, watch the DVD Version.

The art style of Katanagatari is very unique. All the characters are colorful and different in a way. The animation sort of reminds me of The Wind Waker (Legend of Zelda) but a bit more bizzare. It’s definitely something different and it’s a love/hate situation when it boils down to your preference. I quite frankly don’t mind and I do enjoy watching something different for a change.

 

The story starts off with a battle sequence where we see 2 samurai fighting. One eventually kills the other with his bare hands and from then on the story moves on to the present time with the 7^th generation Kyoto Ryu named Yasuri Shichika. Yasuri is what the people call a human Katana capable of killing foes with his bare hands. We are then introduced to Togame who is searching for the Kyoto Ryu successor to ask for his help to retrieve the Katana’s that has been stolen from her.  As the story continues we learn that Togame’s father was killed by Yasuri’s father the 6^th Generation Kyoro Ryu. Yasuri then agrees to help Togame and in return Togame will allow Yasuri to love her. At the request of Yasuri’s sister, Yasuri Nanami begs her brother to leave the island and to continue his training as there is nothing left for him to learn on the island in which they were both raised. 

 

Vol 1 consist of 6 episodes, and in each episode both Yasuri and Togame earn a Katana. For each Katana, they must battle the wielder and win in order for them to hand over the Katana but if they lose they must hand over all Katana’s which they have collected. 

 

Katanagatari’s pacing is really slow. I mean really slow. Each episode consists of some new characters being introduced and a battle that only lasts for a couple of minutes. In some battles they don’t even show what Yasuri does to finish them off. I really found myself actually trying to pay attention to what was going on but would always find myself wondering into another thing because there was so much talking going on. Each episode is just like the last except with a different character wielding the Katana.

 

It’s not all bad though there were definitely some scenes which are enjoyable. One of my favorite scenes is when they introduce Yasuri’s sister, Namani as a force to be reckoned with. As a female, their father didn’t bother teaching her any techniques instead just focusing on Shichika. However her ability is to learn by watching. It only takes one time for her to see the enemy skills before she mimics them and takes them out. In one or probably the only decent battle, Nanami takes out 3 Maniwa Ningun members by learning their skills and using them against it. The tone of that scene was dark and you actually do feel sorry for the Maniwa Ningun members even though they were there to kill 

Nanami.

 

Closing Comments:

Katanagatari is an Anime like no other that I’ve seen but that’s not a good thing. The art style is great but there’s really nothing much that this anime offers. The characters are really hard to like and the battle’s only last for a few minutes with the rest of the time being nothing but dialog. It’s hard to believe but the only enjoyable character is just a minor one that only comes out in a few episodes and that’s Nanami but besides that there’s really nothing else here. With that said I will have to say that Katanagatari is an Anime that is best to avoid. After the very first episode it actually becomes a chore to finish watching the rest of the anime rather than entertainment.