Year of Release: 2003
Status: Complete
Story: Hiroko Tokita
Art: Type-Moon
Initially this was a visual novel (see: dating simulator) in Japan before becoming popular enough to spawn it's own manga series and anime adaptations. Don't let that fool you, though. This one is a good one.
ART SECTION: 9/10
General Artwork & Backgrounds 4/4: Fanfuckingtastic is what the artwork in this anime is. Seriously. The artwork is very dark; not in the same sense that you get from a series like Black Butler where there are situations what seem bleak, but in the sense that there is always a sense of impending doom within the series from the very start to the very conclusion of the story. I find this anime has a very high production quality when compared to other anime of the same genre, although I haven't seen all of them (just a lot of them) so I may be overlooking a couple that are better. The backgrounds are quite well done, but simply serve as a backdrop to the main feature, which is the characters.
Character Figures 2/2: While the characters aren't incredibly detailed art-wise, they have a look and feel that matches the atmosphere created by the artwork, and because of this, the characters all appear realistic and you feel as if you can connect with them on a personal level. If you happen to come from a cursed Japanese family that owns a huge mansion on a hill then you can relate even more, I suppose. While the characters' appearance doesn't really change through the series, their personalities do in the most subtle ways.
Watchability (Flow) 3/4: I would like to give this a 4/4 rating, but I honestly feel it's better off with a 3/4 rating - I enjoyed every moment of the series, and was disappointed when it ended (not due to story) because I wished it went on longer. If you were to watch each episode back-to-back from start to finish, you'll have wasted a massive chunk of your day watching cartoons, and you'll also feel like you didn't actually watch an entire series, because it is just that awesome. There are a few parts where they show a scene that makes no sense until they've introduced the reason for the scene, which confused me a little, but not too much. If you don't regularly watch anime, you'd likely be lost at a couple points. If you are a hardcore anime fan like me, you'd be okay. It's common practice to Tarantino that shit in anime quite a bit to keep the viewer intrigued enough to keep watching.
STORY SECTION: 9/10
General Scenario 2/2: Great story, great character development. Interactions between characters is well thought out and useless banter to fill gaps in the story is not necessary because it was extremely well written to begin with. Keep in mind, however, that because this was initially a dating simulator, there is a presence of harem-style anime, although that's not very relevant to the story so it's been kept to a minimum. The only time it's overly noticeable is when a large group of them attend a theme park at one point. Then, a few minutes later, shit goes down at the park and you completely erase that harem element from your mind because larger issues are at hand.
Pacing 2/2: I have no complaints with the pacing of this series. It kept me entertained and interested enough to watch it all. Wish I had more feedback, but really, that's all I can say.
Side Stories 2/2: Arcueid Brunestud has an amazing side story about her past. Unfortunately it isn't revealed until a little over halfway through the series, so buckle up if you want to see that. It is worth it, though. It's essentially what ties the whole series together.
Plausibility 1/2: Not really believable. I give it a 1/2 because the characters are believable, but not the story, really.
Conclusion 2/2: Remember that sense of impending doom I was talking about earlier? Yeah. It didn't quite end the way I expected it to, but I have no complaints either. Without revealing anything, I must say this had one of the better endings of the more recent anime I've watched.
VALUE & ENJOYMENT SECTION: 9/10
I enjoyed this immensely. Unfortunately my review template doesn't have an incorporated section for soundtrack elements quite yet, so let me take a moment to talk about that.
The opening track is what caught my attention and kept it. Generally when I watch anime I'll watch the intro the first 2 or 3 episodes and then skip over it every episode afterwards because I don't like to hear the intro music that often. This series, however, has an amazing opening; I watched it every single episode and just skipped over the sing in the credits instead. It's catchy. I know I've previously mentioned in my Witch Hunter Robin review that I love that intro. Another it's on par with is Higurashi When They Cry's opening theme song, and the opening theme song/soundtrack to Air (The 1000th Summer). Hell, you could give me the worst anime in the world and if it had a good enough soundtrack I'd watch the everliving fuck out if it.
VERDICT: 27/30
I think the numbers speak for themselves. I also believe it's the highest rating I've given to an anime review as of currently. Well worth the watch if you enjoy action/drama type anime with supernatural elements.
SUGGESTION LIST
Hellsing
Gankutsuou
Knight Hunters
Vampire Knight
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