Kyoukai no Kanata

This anime is a prime example of how far excellent music can take a mediocre or even boring story. It also has nice animation but music is by far its strongest aspect by a very clear margin. The show is also a prime example of how not to use pointless filler and how a boring and directionless first half of a show can hamper a not-that-bad second half greatly. It has weak characters, quite stale humor, nice animation and excellent music and a story that could have been told in may be 6-8 episodes dragged into 12 episodes of chaos. But as a whole the music alone makes it a have a nice aftertaste somehow. The story starts as protagonist Akihito Kanbara notices a girl seeming to trying to commit suicide and runs to save her, the girl is Mirai Kuriyama who is a spirit world hunter hunting for youmu, as a matter of fact our hero turns out to be an immortal half youmu and the interaction of these two and their school life turns out to be the setting of the story. The story could have been much better if it was told without its repetitive, boring and quite creepy humor specially focusing of glasses fetish and sister fetish. As a matter of fact the background stories of the characters seemed to have were quite nice but was turned into utter confused and unfocused stuff due to a show having 4-6 filler episodes in its 12 episode run (that might be some kind of record). Due to bad handling in making of the show, the somewhat interesting story lost all its flayer and turned out to be a chaotic endeavor. So it gets 6 out of 10. The main characters are the aforementioned girl and boy, and their friends and fellow club members the Nase siblings. The hero has so typical back story of being abandoned as a child and also having awesome yet tragic hidden powers, and has little development indeed. And his creepy glass fetish is so annoying that it makes it quite hard to even take him seriously, and liking him is quite impossible. Only Kuriyama seems to have a interesting back story which was again turned into confused stuff by the sudden resolution of her past, yet somehow at the later half of the anime she gets a nice little development and emotional aspect but yet again the resolution of the situation turns all these into somewhat of a disappointment. The other characters are so typical I think wasting words on them would be a crime, specially that sister complex is so awfully creepy. Characters get 5 out of 10. The animation is one of the best aspects and really is quite eye candy. The fight scenes are so smooth and definitely one of the things I looked forward to each show. Although the character design is so unidirectional having all the characters look too good looking, the smooth animation and overall art takes the show up a few notch and gets 8 out of 10. The music of this show is quite excellent and unarguably one of the best this season. As a matter of fact the amount of emotion the OP and ED alone conveys, that the whole season of the actual show couldn't do even half of it. The OP is "Kyoukai no Kanata" by Minori Chihara, which is a melodic piece, which is a very emotional song with great lyrics and nice composition, The ED is "Daisy" by Stereo Dive Foundation which is even better with its excellent instrumentation as well as beautiful vocal, and the lyrics is so appropriate for the romantic aspect of the show, as a matter of fact if the actual show had as much romantic emotions executed as nicely as this song it would have been way better than it is now. The in show music is also very good and quite often distracts us in a good way from the lame storyline. The music of the show is top-notch and gets a 9 out of 10 from me. At the end of my review I would like to say this show might have been so much better if done by other people but sadly the execution by the makers was so poor that the show lost all its good aspect while somehow baring all its flaws. But I would like to also mention that you should at least give this show a try for its excellent music alone as it is one of the best this fall. But the rest is so unoriginal and frustrating, oh,well at least try to get the OST may be. Overall Score - 6 out of 10.

Kyoukai no Kanata, or Beyond the Boundary, is an action-packed series animated by the well renowned Kyoto Animation. Adapted from the light novel, the anime was made not to disappoint. However, its execution was not the most successful one. STORY (6) This is probably every action fantasy lover's dream come true. I has pretty much everything: blood manipulation, immortal half-demons, exorcists, secret organizations, you name it. A dark fantasy series, we follow a group of students who aren't actually human as they battle youmu (literal term being dream demon) and protect the people of the town. As the story progresses, the plot thickens and these youmu and other exorcists wreak havoc in the the world of humans. Secrets are revealed, and each character must decide their own fate. Because it is an action fantasy lover's dream come true, most plot twists aren't surprising. Built upon cliches, the story is admittedly interesting but unfortunately predictable. ART (9) The highlight of the Kyoukai no Kanata series. Because it was animated by KyoAni, it was not surprising to see well-made graphics and the fluid motions of the fights scenes. Lots of care was taken for the backgrounds, and many particles were seen throughout whether it be smoke, snow, rain, light, crystal, blood, or shadow. Very clear facial expressions, there is not much to be disappointed about the animations. SOUND (7) There isn't much to say about the sound. Though distinguishable, there aren't any noteworthy soundtrack songs. Voice acting quality of course was nothing special and the opening and ending songs were soothing but typical. Though I must admit, the insert song the cast sang at the end of episode 6 was very catchy. CHARACTER (6) Taking one look at any of the characters, you know it was animated by KyoAni. But ignoring the trademark KyoAni base character designs, we have a glasses girl who can manipulate poisonous blood and an immortal senpai who loves glasses girls as the protagonists of the series. What stood out to me the most were the Nase siblings. I enjoyed both of the characters' personalities greatly, and to be honest, I probably would have enjoyed this series more if they were taking the main roles in the series. ENJOYMENT (6) Before the start of the anime series, I thought it was going to be a solid series. I mean, even though the studio was over-hyped, Kyoto Animation was animating a battle fantasy series. From watching Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai, I was expecting amazing battle scenes. And that's what I got: amazing battle scenes. However, everything else was nothing special in my eyes. I did think the series itself was interesting, but I wasn't as engaged with it as much as I would like. Like Mirai would say: "fuyukai desu." How unpleasant. OVERALL (7) I admit, this series will be memorable. Not so much because it was the best anime of 2013, but because that's what the series was made for. It's an okay series, not the best but not the worst. However, like series such as Guilty Crown, I felt as if this series could have been executed much better. Overall, if you got some time, I would recommend watching this action-packed series. But if you got other things to do, there is no hurry to watch Kyoukai no Kanata.

It surprises me to see the mixed reaction to Kyoukai no Kanata. Some love it, even considering it as their favourite anime ever, yet some dropped it quick and didn't like it at all. I'm neither of these. I don't hate it, yet don't considering it a masterpiece. I just really liked it. Here's why. Now, as a story, Kyoukai no Kanata goes completely unanswered until the last episode. You are quite frankly left wondering many things, and a lot of "whys" float in your head. However this isn't the worst thing that could possibly happen. It's supposed to be a dark fantasy anime. Perhaps it's right that there is a lot of mystery involved. That's good. For most it keeps you watching. Yet for some that might not be the case. In terms of a story, if you don't like getting confused or waiting for the resolution (basically the last episode), don't watch Kyoukai no Kanata. The stories darkness and mystery is a fundamental aspect of everything you watch, so I believe if you have patience, you'll love it. Kyoto Animation did a great job on Kyoukai no Kanata. Simple as that. They captured the essence of story, the emotions, the feelings of the characters with the animation. The Youmu in particular as well as the fight scenes are great to watch. I say good job Kyoto animation. Characters voices are very much suitable to the sorts of characters, and is very much helpful in allowing you to feel the way they do. The music for me wasn't the most amazing thing to my ears, but it certainly wasn't bad at all. Now, for the characters as they are, can be considered good. There is a lot of focus on the identity of each character, and their specific traits. However that's about as far as it goes. I can share my criticism with others in that there is little depth to the characters. Don't get me wrong the characters are brilliant and suit Kyoukai no Kanata to a T. I feel that sometimes the misplaced comedy and sexual gags get in the way of some potentially great dialogue or charade development. It certainly doesn't drag anything down, it's more of a personal suggestion that there be more stories behind the characters. But you can only do so much in 12 episodes so I do understand why it was made how it was. In summary, I can really say I enjoyed it. I would have rated Kyoukai no Kanata an 8 an hour ago. However on watching the final episode it did step up the mark to a 9. Some might disagree with me on this rating, seeing as most feel the lack of a fluidic story and decently developed characters ruin it. However I do see Kyoukai no Kanatas purpose. As a fantasy darkness anime, you cannot be certain on anything. Just about anything could have been done for the final episode, and the way it was ended was great. I believe you should watch it. Test your patience, and then watch the final episode. Then you'll understand why Kyoukai no Kanata actually goes beyond the boundary (Haha) in its genre. 9/10.

*to those who are too lazy to read and just want a quick summary, skip to the final paragraph* KyoAni has always been famous for its heart-wrenching and tear-jerking series. Stuff like Clannad, Air, and Kanon has been the stuff of legends among anime enthusiasts and otaku alike when the subject of romatic dramas come to mind. But then comes along Kyoukai no Kanata, an anime that is something seemingly focused on fast-paced action and adrenaline-inducing fight scenes. So seeing KyoAni’s repertoire with anime, it becomes quite obvious that Kyoukai no Kanata is something that is somewhat new to them, like something akin to an experiment. With their decision to do this, it became pretty clear that KyoAni are trying to expand their horizons, so now only one question remains: did they manage pull it off? Technically speaking, KyoAni has done quite a few of action scenes in the past with an anime called Chuunibyou, so needless to say, they had the animation aspect down. But then again, KyoAni has been quite famous for making quite a lot of high-quality works, so that much is a given, although there are those instances where the mouth doesn’t sync properly with the voice of the character, but it’s nothing too serious. The same can also said for the opening and ending sequences. The opening, which is also named Kyoukai no Kanata after the title itself, was a J-pop song sung by by Minori Chihara, is quite fitting to the anime. An upbeat song which sets the mood quite well for the ensuing action. And on the plus side, the actual scenes in the opening itself also doesn’t reveal anything about the plot at all, which is nice. The ending, named Daisy, is more of an electric kind-of song which was made by STEREO DIVE FOUNDATION. To be frank, I have no other words to describe this song other than that it is just awesome. It’s one of those songs that are so damn catchy that you’ll want to listen to it until you hate it. Now, there’s only one thing that I can complain about art in this anime, and that is the obvious lack of inspiration when it came to the character designs. Seriously, how bland can you make a character look? The male lead, Akihito, looks like a background character from Baccano, the female lead, Mirai’s only memorable feature is her glasses, and only because Akihito mentions it every single episode because of his glasses fetish, while the other characters look like they were taken out of a “cookie-cutter guide to making anime characters”. Speaking of characters, one of the problems of Kyoukai no Kanata are the character’s characters themselves. If I were to put it in one word, I would say that they were all boring. The main male lead is a high school student with a glasses fetish and the female lead is a childish and perpetually flustered girl who just has to end every sentiment with “Fuyukai Desu~ ”. Now add to that the main supporting male who has an Imouto fetish and his sister who is a classical tsundere, and you have the most lackluster and uninspired cast of characters to ever appear in a KyoAni work. Now, that would’ve all been fine if it just starts out that way, but then they each develop into their own unique characters, but unfortunately no. That doesn’t happen. Well, is sorta does but it just doesn’t… feel right. You see, the character development of Kyoukai no Kanata is somewhat romance-driven more than it is plot-driven. It’s the kind of development akin to that of Kamina and Simon, where a brief dialogue between characters is what triggers changes in the characters. But the thing is, even when such developments happen, and you know that it happened, you just don’t feel the development. Let me give an example: Main heroine Mirai goes through a horrible experience with Main male lead Akihito. However, as soon as said experience is over, the way Mirai talks, walks, her actions, and her way of thinking are virtually unchanged. You know she’s different from before, but due to KyoAni’s insistence that the show should be Moe, her actions, way of thinking and talking are made to look as if none of the crap she’s been through happened. In fact, it wasn’t until 2 or 3 episodes before the ending of the anime itself until we saw the actual effects of the developments on the characters, which was damn disappointing. As for the plot, well it was pretty much one of the biggest disappointments of this anime. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s not that it’s bad or horrible. Quite the contrary actually. The plot of the anime was as complex as any decent anime out there, and to be perfectly honest, the plot was actually effective enough to give Kyoukai no Kanata a bit of much needed suspense. However, what bogged down Kyoukai no Kanata’s plot was the presence of innumerable plot holes. And when I say innumerable, I do mean swiss-cheese-plotholes innumerable. The plot left far too many questions to be asked but barely even answered half of them. Add to that an ending that literally left my jaw hanging not because of how good it was, but because of how, for the lack of a better term, fucking stupid and illogical it was. With all that said though, I do believe that there is but one single culprit with regards as to why Kyoukai no Kanata turned out the way it did, and that is the length of the series. When I finish watching Kyoukai no Kanata, the very first question I asked was: Why wasn’t it longer? Seeing how intricate and the amount of potential the story had, it was so obvious that 12 episodes wouldn’t cut it. It was a story that probably could’ve shown its full potential had it been around 24 episodes, but due to unknown reasons, whether it be the budget or whatever, KyoAni decided that it should be a 12 episode anime. A shame really, as anyone with a good knack for seeing a decent story would be able to tell that Kyoukai no Kanata has a very promising plot and a beautiful concept. However with the way it was presented and the numerous plotholes it created, it became nothing but a bundle of potential that never managed to develop. Kyoukai no Kanata was an anime that could’ve been so much more. It had the makings of a great anime actually, with the perfect premises and concept to become a modern epic. However, due to the fact that it only lasted for 12 episodes, it wasn’t able to use its full potential. And for that, I give it a score of 7; It’s an average anime. Watch it if you feel like you don’t have anything better to watch. Despite being imperfect, it is still interesting enough for the average anime fan to enjoy, especially if you’re a moe fan. So to provide a quick summary of the pros and cons: +Animation is beautiful. Smooth, clean, and overall very well done. As expected from KyoAni. +Soundtrack is marvelous. The OP is good ol' J-pop. The ED is a bit on the side of electric music. Both are energetic pieces that suit the anime well -There are times when the mouth doesn't sync properly with the voice;happens when shouting. -The character designs were a bit uninspired. Too plain, and definitely not something that sticks out. -The anime is too short. As good as the premise, concept, and plot is, the fact that they tried to cram everything into a 13 or-so episodes made the story suffer greatly. -Even though the anime was short already as it is, KyoAni still added a damn filler episode. ~First and foremost, thanks for reading my review. If you have any comments regarding my review or just want to have a discussion, then leave a comment at my page. I will greatly appreciate it. =)~

Well this anime was ok not the best, Had some really good comedy, The animation was brilliant, The action was up to par but the problem i had with this were the story holes. The antagonist didnt get much screen time; i felt like who's the main villain here? whats is this demon doing all this for? the world is gonna end, WHAT!? there was little to no exposition for anyone else besides the main 2 characters and they didnt do a great job at that. I was left asking "whats up with the mom, whats the society, where did the blood clan go or how they became extinct, whos that FUCKING OLD MAN! just to mention a few. Overall it was a fun watch but not anything AMAZING 6/10

I was slightly reluctant to watch this anime at first. I had seen the first half of the first episode at anime club. At home, I was desperately hoping to watch SAO, but I made myself a resolution that I would go through every anime I start. In the end, I don’t regret deciding to finish this series off. I really want to give the story element a good score. I really do. But unfortunately, it doesn’t deserve more than a 5.5. Right from the very start I found quite a few aspects confusing, especially about the nature of youmu and Spirit World Warriors. I ended up googling them before I could understand. I think what they’re trying to do is immerse the viewer into the world of the anime so that they figure everything out on their rather than explaining stuff. Eh, not my style, and quite confusing in the end. I’m not a huge fan of when characters explain stuff more than they need to, but in this case they didn’t explain stuff enough. In fact, I think that the ending was ruined for me because of the sheer amount of stuff I didn’t understand. They introduced a lot of new concepts in the last episode, which is fine by me IF they answer the questions that are posed before the end of the series. Kyoukai no Kanata failed to do this. Whilst it wasn’t boring, there wasn’t a particular direction to the plot line either. Apart from those flaws, I found the story interesting and original. While it is relatively dark, there are plenty of light-hearted moments. Sure, the jokes aren’t that great and are quite shallow, so I didn’t laugh a lot, but I did smile often.The element of humour was very much welcome and did not go overboard. An element that was very much appreciated in my eyes was the art. I’m sure it’s not the best out there, but it is the best I have seen so far. It had a realistic quality whilst still remaining in the anime genre. A 9, I would say. I believe that one of my favourite things about anime is the music. I relish the chance to find beautiful music, which, when I hear it, can relate to a particular scene or anime. For me that is very special. Kyoukai no Kanata lacked tracks, which was quite disappointing, but the tracks that it did have were beautiful, and I have downloaded all the ones I could find. Considering how much I like the tracks present, there just wasn’t enough to quell my desire. A 6.8, I’m sad to say. But, the thing I enjoyed the most about this anime is the character development. This is an area which has often been below a decent level in the other anime I have seen. Considering the amount of characters, Kyoukai no Kanata excels in this aspect, which I believe to be very important. I cannot stress how happy I am with the characters in this anime. This is the best I have seen so far. Not only do the main characters get a good amount of development, but the supporting characters also get their fair share. To prove my point, my favourite character is a supporting character who doesn’t really add too much to the plot line. Yes, I know that Ai-chan does get quite a bit of screen time, and she is quite likeable, but still… I do agree that they could have done a better job for the adults, but I am more than satisfied with these strong characters. I shouldn’t really give this score, but I can’t help it. 10. To conclude, Kyoukai no Kanata was a very good anime and I enjoyed watching it. The art was beautiful, the music as well though there wasn’t much of it. The great character development almost makes up for the terribly confusing story line. Story: Story: 5.5/10 Art: 9/10 Sound: 6.8/10 Characters: 10/10 Enjoyment: 8/10 Overall: 7.86/10 (rounded to 8)

Have you ever heard of the term “wasted potential”? Intro: Kyoto Animation has developed a reputation over the years. They’re known for amazing animation, but they tend to focus mainly on slice of life shows with tons of MOE and basically cute girls doing cute things. They only recently stepped out of this rut (sort of) with the manservice show known as Free. But then again it played out like a typical Kyotoani show, but with guys. So when I heard they were making a show focused more on action, I was immediately skeptical. Did it impress me? Let’s find out. Story: Kyoukai no Kanata takes place in a fantasy world filled with magic and monsters. These monsters are known as Youmu. Most of these Youmu are presented as terrible creatures that kill humans. Then there are humans called Spirit World Warriors who use magic to stop these creatures from killing people. The story follows our main character named Akihito Kanbara. He is an immortal half Youmu/Human hybrid who meets a Spirit World Warrior named Mirai Kuriyama. It continues from there as you learn about the world and how they live in it. I have a huge problem with the story. It sets up this big and interesting world that you want to find out more about, and it’s barely explored. We don’t really find out much of anything about this world, which I was very disappointed with. I would have loved to see some other Spirit World Warriors and how their society works. It doesn’t help when the anime itself has filler episodes. They could have easily cut these two episodes out and gave us two for more world building or character development. And to make things even worse, the last few episodes have info dumping, which could have been fixed with two more episodes to work with. And the ending of the story contains an ass pull that is simply there to give it a feel good ending. And if you’re wondering, the characters aren’t much better. Characters: One word description for the characters: bland. There are four main characters in Kyoukai no Kanata. Akihito Kanbara is an immortal half Youmu/Human hybrid who is open, VERY OPEN, about his glasses fetish. Mirai Kuriyama is a Spirit World Warrior who has the power of manipulating her own blood. She is also your typical Kyotoani Moe girl. Hiroomi Nase is a friend of Akihito who has a sister complex. Then there is his sister Mitsuki Nase who verbally abuse Akihito and her brother. So you might be wondering about character development. My question is, what development? These characters don’t develop at all from what I remember. They basically stay the same the entire show. Okay, MAYBE there is a romance subplot that goes absolutely nowhere. The side characters do little to nothing to help the plot and there are times where I can’t even remember their names. There’s an antagonist that is extremely forgettable and character back stories that allude to something great but we get NOTHING. Animation: This is Kyoto Animation. So Kyoukai no Kanata looks GOREGEOUS. From the movements to the colors and character designs. This anime is visually stunning. Action scenes are one of the shows biggest highlights and it looks freaking incredible. I didn’t notice the animation quality dip at all in this anime. Sound: The only noticeable piece of music is the ending song. Aside from that, everything else is pretty hit or miss. Sure the music is fitting, but it’s pretty forgettable. The Japanese voice acting is fitting and they all express emotion where they need to. Conclusion: Did I enjoy Kyoukai no Kanata? Well, sort of. I enjoyed the action scenes the most, while the story and characters just fell flat for me. I felt that the anime could have been something much greater than what it turned out to be. It fell to being a fairly average anime with great animation. That is what you call wasted potential. 3.5/5

"KyoAni can make an anime end either as a masterpiece or a complete failure" I can't remember where I heard this, but I can't explain my feelings for KnK better than this short phrase. A "dark fantasy" led by the director Ishidate Taichi and animated by one of the best companies, at least animation-wise. But they tend to make mistakes in the end, and they did, or not... I'll try to explain. The ending was amazing, if KnK had been a 2-cour serie, or a movie. Somehow, they tried to wrap things like there is no tomorrow (well, there is no tomorrow), and failed, specially with the inter-characters development. Mirai loves Akkey and vice-versa, but it completely lacks the drama that good animes have like: If you're going to keep your feelings to yourself until the bitter end, then finish with a bang!!!. Sometimes the story simply lost itself, if the arcs had been made as separate OVA's, it would not change anything, since that they didn't need each other to keep the story moving (except the first and the last one, I mean, characters have to be introduced somehow). But even if there was no link between the arcs, it was quite fun to watch, the characters were fun, the animation was really well done, the songs were amazing (another "thumbs up" for Kyoani - they sure know how to insert songs in the middle of the show -). I enjoyed a lot, but I was expecting a lot more, given the staff that made it. Finally, I had great fun watching it, and I hope for a 2nd season, since the plot had so many holes in it.

Oh boy. Add this to the list of anime I thought were good as a teenager, only to once again as an adult realize I should never trust 16-year-old-me's taste. This show has a lot of potential but is unfortunately ruined by really gross fanservice (by which I don't mean just sexy ladies, I mean incest - so, so many incest jokes) and things getting slightly too complicated for a 12 episode anime. I have to be honest, it probably didn't help that I watched these episodes over the span of about half a year, but it was hard to follow the plot near the end because there's so much nonsense added to what could've been a simple but engaging story. The characters in this show are possibly the worst part of it. They are uninteresting at best, wildly annoying at worst. Our main character Akihito has a thing for girls with glasses which starts out as a pretty funny gag but gets... Concerning. Perhaps that's still within the boundaries (haha, get it :D) of what I should expect from anime, but then we get to Hiroomi, who genuinely doesn't seem to be able to get out more than two sentences without making a pass at his sister. Akihito's mom is also super sexualized? Additionally we have Mirai, who is less problematic but boring, which is quite a feat considering her powers are very cool and she comes from a cool clan and all of that. Her catchprhase ("It's unpleasant) is overused. The Evil Guy™'s motivations are way too vague - he's part of some kind of evil organisation, is what I gathered? Why? Whom? What is happening right now? The only saving grace is Izumi, who ironically isn't sexualized but by far the sexiest character. Now, is there something good about this series, you might wonder? Yes, there's still some good things to say about it. The fights are pretty cool and I would say the animation is above average for 2014 standards. It's unfortunate that I never cared much for the stakes of the fights because I didn't care about any of the characters, but there is definitely some eye candy to be found in this anime. The opening is okay, but the ending? I've been listening to that song for about 10 years now whenever I want to calm down. Daisy by Stereo Dive Foundation is my therapy. The idol episode was also pretty iconic. It took the part I like least about this show - the comedy - and somehow actually delivered! Still weird at times, unfortunately, but overall way more enjoyable than the rest of the series. There is also some pretty good plottwists in the series, but it kind of evens out because there's also some terrible ones. Episode 10 is really good for this reason and almost had me convinced that maybe this anime is peak after all, but this was followed up by a plottwist they do MULTIPLE times, the last time of which they don't even have an explanation for. The series basically just goes 'well we wanted it to end this way but we weren't sure how that would make sense logically so we're just not going to explain, teehee'. I have yet to watch the sequel movie though, so I really hope they talk about it there. Because otherwise, oh boy. Overall, this anime just hurts a bit too watch because I see the potential - pretty cool world building, great character design, nice animation and even a great storyline in its very basis. But it decided fanservice was more important and killed half of those things in the process. Add to that some confusion and an utter lack of empathy for the characters, and we end up with a 4/10.

Over the past few years, Kyoto Animation’s production quality has gotten exponentially better. With their latest CM of Violet Evergarden, it’s pretty safe to say when it comes to visuals, Kyoto Animation reigns supreme. Unfortunately, however, this abnormally fast improvement of aesthetic has seemingly come at the cost of producing “good” anime. So with Kyoukai no Kanata, or “Beyond the Boundary”, comes a supernatural fantasy with aesthetically delightful action sequences but unfortunately a mess of everything else. One of the first and most major reasons with why Kyoukai no Kanata fails to be anything but sub-par, is because the show doesn’t know what it primarily wants to be. The first arc—which consists of the first 4-5 episodes—is a blood-drenched gore-fest with brutal themes and flashbacks topped off with a plethora of fight sequences all set in a trippy, vividly coloured setting that looks like something straight out of an Inception dream sequence. The next episode? A filler-esque episode of the cast dancing and singing like idols to a JPop theme. While this polarizing inconsistency may be entertaining in its own right, it creates a very jarring experience that makes the show feel childish; which is odd considering how brutal and supposedly mature the first 4 episode arc is. This tonal shift is also peppered throughout the show in general, many times during a dramatic reveal one of the characters will crack a joke somehow and the comic relief immediately deflates any tension that existed in the first place; it is difficult to be emotionally impacted by the events in the show because of this. Anyone who’s seen Kyoukai no Kanata can very easily argue it is, due to its setting, inherently reminiscent of the title “Noragami”. It goes without saying but both shows are very clearly trying to go for something different. It is obvious Kyoukai no Kanata is more invested in its characters and their relationships, as opposed to Noragami which was more invested in its narrative. The first proof of this is the substantially large cast of important characters present in the show. Almost every character plays a distinct and important role that impacts the narrative in one way or the other. This is where problems begin to arise, as characters who’ve received minuscule amounts of fleshing out are suddenly key players in the driving force of the narrative. Their lack of development makes the progression of the show feel very contrived, and in turn creates an unpleasant watching experience. The weight of the ultimately difficult decisions that come to fruition end up feeling… well, weightless, because the progression doesn’t feel natural and realistic. You can tell the situation was contrived from essentially thin air as a means to an end with a dramatic conclusion. Elaborating more on Kyoukai no Kanata’s investment in the characters, it is further proven by their 4 main leads—half of which are flat, 2 dimensional characters that essentially can be reduced to precisely 1 trait or quirk. The two culprits I’m referring to are the siblings Nase Hiromi—whose most notable trait is his sister complex—and Nase Mitsuki—whose most notable trait is her abrasive personality. Do they have backgrounds? Nope. Do they act like siblings? Not with Hiromi constantly trying to be romantically involved with his sister, nope. Do they behave consistently? Hiromi consistently tries to make moves towards his sister, and his sister consistently disparages everyone and everything around her, if any of that counts. These 2 paper thin characters in turn sabotage the rest of the main cast, as it is difficult to write engaging and natural character interactions within a quartet of characters when a pair of them have no depth to their personality. Excluding expository dialogue, almost every single interaction between the main cast is simply an obnoxious one liner gag or a joke, or some kind of further emphasis on one of the characters quirks, be it a sister complex, glasses fetish, etc. In Episode 11 is where one of the only engaging character conversations/interactions reside, and, surprise, surprise, it takes place between the other pair of character in the main cast—the only ones actually fleshed out. Watching this up against the previous series of superficial interactions really emphasizes how enjoyable it is when done right. Something else that should be mentioned is the really shallow setting, despite its seemingly distinctive and original nature. The “Society of Spirit World Warriors” is mentioned dozens of times throughout the show, yet, it is never explored in any way, shape, or form. Characters from the Society do indeed exist and appear, though the Society itself is never built upon; this just compounds on the poor world building of the show. The hierarchies of different families and members of the Society are never explained nor shown in detail, the people in power are left as ambiguous voices, etc. Letting these threads of the plot be covered by a cloud of uncertainty is quite irksome, to say the least. The way the primary human antagonist is written is actually impressively bad. He never receives any introspection or any fleshing out of the sort that it’s almost like he’s a dimensionless character… fortunately the few lines of dialogue he spews and his facial features convey his personality well enough to at least let the viewer feel a presence when he’s on screen. His motives are really stupid and illogical, and he clearly exists just as a means to further the plot. So if you’re the type of person who loves a good villain, Kyoukai no Kanata has nothing to offer you. There is a plot twist, towards the end of the show, that is not really all that impactful once everything else in the show eventually totals up to do nothing but lessen your enjoyment of everything. It’s a bit interesting, whether or not it is worth sitting through 90% of the show will vary greatly from person to person, so depending on how much the things I’ve described would bother you should dictate whether or not it’s worth sitting through. With drama, romance and slice of life very clearly being KyoAni’s forte, they have still shown before that they’re not afraid and are more than capable of animating gorgeous and well-choreographed action sequences, as seen in the imaginary battles of “Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions!” This skilled and precise animation skill is more than successfully transferred over to Kyoukai no Kanata, with awesome, easy-to-follow fight scenes with vivid colours and great sound effects. As for everything else pertaining to visuals, let’s just leave it at “it’s Kyoto Animation.” Enjoyment: 6.5/10 || Overall 4/10 In the end of all this, Kyoukai no Kanata is fundamentally just another show that has a drop dead gorgeous visuals, a somewhat interesting premise, flat characters, and a cheap ending. It was unable to trick me into falling for their muddled narrative with pretty colours, but the pretty colours were fun to watch nonetheless. I’d recommend this to anyone looking for a fun time killer as well as have an appreciation for good audiovisuals. For other recommendations you might want to check out “Noragami” as it is quite similar in terms of premise and setting. I hope this review was informative and helpful.

I was highly intrigued by this anime as I had saw numerous people use it in AMVs, but I didn't fully understand what it was about. Actually, I didn't know ANYTHING about it. For all I knew, I thought it was a dance anime for I had only seen the dance routine that the main characters performed in front of what seemed like a perverted monster (later to discover it actually had a name, Youmu). Basically, this anime was not what I thought it was going to be, but I was pleasantly surprised. It made me laugh, as well as cry, and that is what I believe a great anime should do. I am never going to forget it, and here is why; STORY (9/10): Apart from the beginning being a little confusing, I found the story to be a fascinating one. There were a lot of terms that were thrown at us in the first couple of episodes, it was hard to keep up, but once you understood them all you were set on a beautiful train-ride of emotions. I am not going to write a full blown summary of the anime here due to the fact that my description can not simply do it any justice. You will just have to go and watch the series yourself, as I highly recommend you do. Kyoukai no Kanata is only 12 episodes long, but they surprisingly make it work. It's a fun, enjoyable anime to watch that leaves you wanting more, but in a good way! ART (10/10): The art style is absolutely flawless. KyoAni stuck to what they know best, "kawai", and it worked for them yet again. They did a perfect job on making the story come to life through it's visual design and detailed characters. I know Kyoto Animation best for their immaculate visual attention-to-detail and how realistic they can make their series look. It's definitely not sore on the eye. With it's vibrant colours and incredible looking creature (Youmu), I feel as if I am there in the story. The people who came up with the appearances for the Youmu are very creative, they must have very broad imaginations to come up with such intricate designs. They definitely used "Blue Ocean Thinking" when developing these "monsters". The animation is so smooth, as I was extremely impressed with how the series opened (the viewer gets a first person, bird's eyed view of the city in which they live, I believe it's Kanto, as the camera guides us to the roof of a building and rushes us through Mirai's hair blowing in the wind). They didn't hold back on splashing in the cash in terms of design and I thank them for it. One thing I also have to comment on are the battle/fight scenes. These scenes were executed perfectly. I admire Kyoto Animation for coming out of their comfort zone (making "moe" slice-of-life anime) and trying to create a series which could definitely considered to be in the action genre. They did a great job in experimenting with fight scenes in Chuunibyou, so it is refreshingly sweet to see the company try something different and succeed so amazingly. I have read some reviews where people disagree with this view but I personally commend KyoAni for their efforts. More companies need to try to branch out and experiment, there are too many anime that are similar in multiple ways, I'm just glad Kyoukai no Kanata stands out from the bunch. At least to me anyway. SOUND (10/10): I haven't stopped listening to the ending song of each episode, STEREO DIVE FOUNDATION'S "Daisy", from the anime since I finished the series a matter of days ago. It is such an addictive listen. I love it. I have now officially broke the replay button on my phone. It is one of the best songs I have heard come out of an anime. With it's techno beat and soothing instrumentals, you're sure to fall in love as well as fall deep into your imagination, as you create an entire world in your head when listening. The song is about re-doing mistakes and amending love in broken relationships. It is extremely touching, which makes it one of the highlights of the entire show. I also really appreciated how the ED started in the background as the final scene was still playing out. This was an original idea which extremely worked in their favour, as it built up suspense and helped the flow of the anime. The singer's voice is also fantastic. Basically, you need to open up a new tab and listen to it as you read this right now. It's the right balance of happiness and melancholy, all at the same time. It's a song that helps resurface beautiful memories. The music throughout the anime was also exceptional. Unlike other anime I have watched, the music didn't take away from what was going on or the atmosphere surrounding the characters. It built on their emotions and complimented them beautifully. I loved the song that was being played as Mirai was "disappearing" in one of the later episodes. It actually made me start to cry. I also just want to quickly add that the Voice-Acting was of great quality. I could hear the emotion clearly in each of the Actor's/Actresses voices, which greatly benefited my viewing experience. It was a super talented cast. Phenomenal casting decisions. CHARACTER (9/10): I really liked the characters, and I mean all of them. The protagonists were fascinating to watch and it was a delight to see their relationship develop. Akihito's mother (Yayoi Kanbara) was hilarious to begin with, though her fetishes and behaviour did start to get a bit annoying/repetitive as the series progressed. Though this is one of my only problems with the entire anime, not worth docking any marks for. Hiroomi was a funny character, I also liked his "No-homo" relationship with Akihito. Many people found parts of their friendship irrelevant and an annoying addition to the series, though I found it quite entertaining. Both Akihito's and Hiroomi's fetishes were funny, particularly Akihito's as I would laugh every time his obsession "took over him". How unpleasant, Mirai might say if she was here right now! I also liked Ai's character. Being a Youmu who can transform into a human being is an interesting concept that KyoAni introduced rather well. It adds to the story, and it makes me like the "Shindou" family even more. How very convenient for Akihito, the Shindou's just so happen to have a photo studio on their premises. Poor Mirai! How unpleasant for her... *wink wink* ENJOYMENT (10/10): I think it's safe to say I enjoyed every aspect of this series. From the music to the acting to the story line itself. It was a unique viewing experience, and an anime that I would definitely recommend to a friend. Many people didn't like the anime's comedic side, though I loved it. It wouldn't have affected the story line greatly if it would have been left out, but I thought it added to the anime in a big way. It's always nice to hear a joke now and then, anyone with a sense of humour appreciated it, I'm sure. OVERALL (10/10): What's not to like? This anime totally surprised me in the best possible way. Do I regret losing 5 hours of my life to this anime? Of course not! If anything, it's added it my own life. It's definitely an anime I won't forget, and one I'll be proud of saying I have watched. Even though I loved it, I would not like a sequel it fear that what I cherish could be butchered. Instead, I hope there will be an episode some time in the future that will show us where all the characters are in their lives now. Akihito is immortal but from what I know, Mirai isn't so I'm a little worried for their long-term future together. But apart from that, that's the reason I'm holding out for an OVA. Thanks for reading my first ever review on MyAnimeList, I hope you found it useful! Please watch this anime, it is awesome!

I know many people out there doesn't like this particular anime. And i wont blame them. The anime is tailored in such a way that it tends to attract mixed opinions. So here is my honest review for the anime. Plot- Please google it. I wont waste time here. Now getting to the important matter, the greatest thing about this anime is the growing love story between the two protagonist. I mean it has really a cute approach and yet feels mature. Though it is mainly an actioned centred anime, the romantic element doesn't look left out at all. All the characters are given equal detail and the animation is just GORGEOUS. Its an EYE-FEAST. It has just the right dose of humour and the story is believable. Though the concept is nothing new or special, its the other elements that outshines the bleak plot. This anime takes you to a journey of a different dimension where"YOMU" (Japanese spirits, gods etc exists). See its nothing new, but the perspective of the anime that the creators have developed is just great. Also thanks to the beautiful art, the anime is lively. The anime also boasts some beautiful soundtracks. The OP and ED are both beautiful. (Listen to it even if you do not plan on watching it) It has its flaws too. The story is somewhat unparalleled. If u miss even a single dialogue, u may want to go through it again to get a hook of it. Few episodes seems like a drag. Finally i would say that its a decent anime that totally deserves a watch. The flaws can be easily overlooked by the animation quality and story development. I only wished if the story execution was better. Those who like action anime and doesn't mind a romantic touch, this anime is definitely for them. A perfect blend of humour, action and romance. P.S- for those who have already watched it, two movies are coming for the series. The first one is basically a recap and the second one is a sequel. It takes place after a year in the KnK universe. Airing date- 04/15

At some point, someone had a vivid dream with a lot of cool visuals. He pitched them to a studio with a lot of budget and they said, yeah, we’ll run with it. Perhaps some asked about character design and plotting and symbolism, perhaps not. If they did, the production committee just said ‘oh, what the hell’. They hoped that by the force of sheer charisma and some visual inventiveness, it’ll be easy to miss how empty the whole thing is What producers miss about anime like these is that you can’t mask emptiness. Great anime with great visuals who do bizarre things but somehow succeed don’t rely on a single element. Grand experiments like Future Diary work because they leave no stone unturned, and no element unfocused. That anime wanted the whole thing – psychology and philosophy and character development and action and romance. It wasn’t successful, but it was brave and that made it exciting. Beyond the Boundary doesn’t seek to replicate this specific method. Rather, it tries to impress by sheer volume and energy. Wackiness is the essence and it works in some places. The dreamshades never look like ordinary enemies. An arc concludes in a surreal fight which includes a train floating in free space. In the climax, there is some kind of paralell world floating above ours. Inside it there’s terrain that’s always shifting. The main antagonist trap himself and another person inside empty white space. That’s quite cool, at least visually. Our characters, in the beginning, are given more than stereotypes. Slight differences in dialogue, like how the little sister’s insults tend to drag on – add life. Even quirks that have nothing to do with personality, like Mirai collecting bonsais helps to add life. These tiny details are the differences between actual human beings. Usually, adding quirks without connecting them to a personality is a sign of sloppy writing. The series finds ways to balance those, with Mirai’s collection only cropping up occasionally – enough to show us he has interests outside the story, not enough for the quirk to beg for importance. Then it’s over. Nothing happens to these characters across 12 episodes. I didn’t expect deep psychological portraits, but I expected versatility. A one-dimensional character isn’t one with one trait. Rather, it’s one that reacts in a predictable, repetitive and almost mechanical fashion. If a character uses the same sentence in each situation, it’s one-dimensional. Now, catchphrases can be fun but the characters have nothing but catchphrases. Once they stick to a quirk, they never let go of it. In the early light-hearted moments, the right comic timing makes these invisible. This flaw is more apparent in the last, ‘serious’ part of the series. The world is about to end, people might die and we still get the old joke about how Hiro’omi loves little sisters. In the midst of the apocalypse, characters still kick the silly woman A character doesn’t have to change through the course of the story. What must happen is revelations. The new events need to reveal something new. Even if your character is defined by one trait, different events should show different sides of this trait. When the apocalypse finally kicks in, everyone behaves in exactly the same way as in the first episode. The only difference is that they’re slightly more serious. I know about Hiro’omi in episode 1 just as much as I know about him in episode 12. In fact, I actually know less. The Serious Turn is a problem for many such shows. You’ve seen it in High School DXD and in Big Order, where an external enemy comes in and everyone works together to defeat it. The laziest storytelling is to give the hero some external thing to do, some sidequest and have them perform it. You don’t have to be bothered with writing a personality. Just have the dude solve the murder or help the girl. Your typical airplane detective novel features such characters. When the Serious Turn arrives here, the anime loses all its vitality and quirkiness. Suddenly there’s a whole conspiracy in the works that doesn’t add anything. Characters become forgotten, vanishing for scenes and showing the authors had no idea what to do with them. They couldn’t imagine how their personalities would react to the gigantic enemy, so they just have them stand there. If they move, it’s because everyone needs to gang up on the bad guy. Our hero also loses his quirks and saves the world because he doesn’t want his loved one hurt. What the Serious Turn shows us is how empty these characters are. If the quirks were connected to something bigger, the climax would’ve been vastly different. Every character would have a unique way of reacting to it. The anime got me when Akky decided the world isn’t worth living without the person sacrificing themselves to save the world. This cliche is only acceptable in ultra-ridiculous heroic stories. If your stories are ultra-ridiculous, your characters will be too and they’ll actually react to events in ridiculous, memorable ways instead of convenient ones. Only Mirai rises above the mire. She could’ve been better, being pushed towards either the psychological direction or the ridiculous direction. As it stands, she’s a beacon of charisma in an otherwise empty cast. She has a personality that adjusts her reaction. The clumsy, hesitant and bumbling persona isn’t the most original. Mirai’s at least a convincing portray of it. When the climax hits, she’s still a mess, still uncomfortable in her own skin. Her personality might not be particularly original, but at least it exists and affects her reactions. It makes her the most alive character in the anime. She’s also the only one blessed with a good character design. It’s bizarre that in an anime with perchance for odd imagery, everyone will look ordinary. Akky looks slightly better than most harem protagonists, but he has nothing going for him besides blonde hair. Hiromi has a nice bowl for a hair and that’s where the distinctive details end. Some characters look so dull that it’s a wonder they still put effort into giving them voice-actors. I don’t expect them all to be as iconic as Mirai. As an expression of personality, Mirai’s design was is fantastic. At least give me something to look at. This anime could’ve been a lot of fun. It does start off wild, with a wacky fantasy element and total disregard for making sense. Sadly, the creators didn’t have the gusto – or the imagination – to fully go there. If it would’ve been a nonsensical mess, it would’ve at least been bizarre enough to ponder. Instead, it’s another anime that settles on everyone being nice, saving the world from a dude who pushes up his glasses. 2 people who got lost beyond 5 boundaries

Christ, where do I begin with KnK? It's gorgeous. It really is; I actually got very jealous at Mirai's ridiculously poofy hair. The animation with blood and special effects was also really great. The character designs are also memorable and cute. But the plot... There was so much the studio could have done and so little done with what they did present. To be fair, I'll start with what I think they did do right. First, the main character, Akihito, is half-Youmu (basically a youkai/demon) and half-human. A hybrid protagonist is nothing new but unlike most he balances the time spent angsting about being a special snowflake and the time being a normal kid. His conflict was believable and well-handled. His relationship with the other characters was also realistic, especially with the Nase family, who are an elite Spirit World Warrior (or Youmu hunter) clan. They regard him as a ticking time bomb so there's none of the usual WE'RE ALL FRIENDS AND TEAMMATES!! WE HAVE YOUR BACK NO MATTER WHAT nonsense. I won't say anything about Mirai besides the fact she has a cute design. There's so many ways you could interpret her character because of how the studio kept fumbling her characterization, rendering her nearly schizophrenic with how she behaves in each episode. The plot is my main beef with this series. They had TWO conflicts they could have worked with, namely the protagonist and his half-Youmu nature and the entire Youmu vs. Spirit World Warrior conflict. And they didn't use either to their fullest extent. There were so many possibilities and ways to use this kind of setting, but they wasted an entire episode for fan-service and introduced mostly inconsequential characters while sidelining the main characters throughout the series. Look, I've seen people excuse it with saying it could be easily patched up with a second season but most anime don't get renewed for another season easily, and if your entire first season depends on a hypothetical second season to tie up loose plot threads, you are not a good writer. Watch it if all you care about is cute designs and nice animation. If you're looking for a plot with actual depth, look elsewhere. All in all, enjoyable, but frustrating.

Story 7 - The story has holes, some arcs felt rushed at times and left some important questions unanswered. I feel like it could have been smoothed out better with an extra episode worth of content spread out where it needed it, but instead we got a surprisingly satisfying filler mid-way through the series. The main message of the anime is somewhat singular and explores the layers of what that message means. 5/10(70% of story) I can't not bring up the action as playing a major role in the way the story unfolds, where some would brush it off into the Art category. 10/10(30% of story) My attempt to explain why this anime's story style felt different to me: This anime is (overall) like a large puzzle that fills itself in as it grows bigger and sacrifices bits and pieces as it grows outward. This allows a lot more content to be discovered about earlier episodes regardless of arc, and i think this is what throws people off about this anime. Where as most other anime have a small series-wide puzzle and each episode or arc fills in a separate puzzle, as to not leave any pieces out. If that makes sense lol. Art 10 - This is undeniably where the anime shines the brightest through the action scenes. Fluid, amazingly detailed, colorful. So many wonderful frames. This is where a good amount of the story takes place and for good reason. Sound 8 - Nothing special here, satisfying without standing out. Voice acting was well done at conveying emotions. Characters 7 - Mirai, I found her to be something different then the average kawaii. She is absolutely charming and makes you smile with her quirks and it grows on you. This is something i haven't felt often in other animes or as strongly and i absolutely want more, a very simple character that adds depth through minor actions. The rest of the cast comes off as relatively basic. The brother with a sister complex doesn't come off as sexual attraction anymore than just seeking affection from her. The evil intentioned characters needed far more explanation + depth. Enjoyment 9 - You get a whole lot of insanely satisfying action and a bit of everything else. comedy, feels, darkness, hope, hopelessness. It rolls up into a trip that might not take the road you wanted, but makes its way. Overall 8 - This anime isn't anything new, but it felt fresh in its own way. It's like a restaurant brings you a slightly different dish then what you ordered, so you either return it in anger, or try it, and realize you wanted this instead of your original order. Personal Overall Rating - 10/10 I want to see new anime show a unique side like this did for me through superb action and a hard to describe different approach, and correct what needed to be done better.

If you read the reviews for this, you would probably think you had some idea of what was in store. Some good, some bad, others lukewarm. I think its fair to point out that this isn't a character driven story. If you were looking for deep characters and interesting relationships between them, you should have probably made sure this show had more than 12 episodes. That isn't a cop out, but its important to check your expectations at the door. I don't usually go for the slice of life, tinged with romance angle, what more or less drew me in was the conflicting thoughts on it. After seeing the show, i chuckled. KnK is essentially a story about breaking beyond the barriers of self doubt and self pity, to understand that while you may face troubles alone, you can share those with people you care about. It's utterly simplistic in tone, yet elicits a powerful emotion that can be seen in the visuals and dialogue, in fact the entire story is aimed squarely at that feeling. While its certainly limited in scope, i think it got unfair criticism from people expecting something that it was clearly not meant to be. I don't even understand classifying this as a dark fantasy, it wasn't dark for too long before the sun came right back up. I think that is it's strength and appeal, aside from the beautiful art, the engaging even uplifting soundtrack, and also the intelligent use of characters that are meant to be easily and quickly relate-able. You can find faults in it, you can blame the chaaracters, accuse it of having plot holes, which it doesn't if you pay attention (not everything needs to be spoon fed to you), or dismiss the apparent convoluted story telling. What you shouldn't do is miss the opportunity to judge for yourself. It really did blend many elements together on its journey; and often its not end of the road that's important rather the journey itself.

I remember seeing the trailer for Kyoukai no Kanata (Beyond the Boundary) back when it was first announced and thinking it looked like one of the best new anime series of the year. Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations and actually turned out to be one of my least favorite shows I've ever watched. Without further introduction, I'll explain why. [Story: 1/10] The plot is easily the most disappointing aspect of KnK. The biggest problem is simply the poor pacing and lack of direction. With only 12 episodes, a series doesn't have time for filler episodes and multiple story arcs; it needs to pick a direction and go. KnK struggled with finding this direction. The first few episodes seem to be a supernatural comedy about the male protagonist Akihito helping the female protagonist Mirai become a successful Spirit World Warrior. Then it turns to the approach of the Hollow Shadow, a powerful youmu considered almost impossible to defeat, we learn some disturbing facts about Mirai's past, and the show takes on a deeper, more psychological tone. The sixth episode is filler with absolutely no connection to the rest of the series, the seventh is dedicated exclusively to the reconciliation of Mirai and a side character, and after that the series tries to be a paranormal romantic drama revolving around Akihito's half-youmu status and some sort of half-baked plot involving the Society of Spirit World Warriors, the Nase family, and a youmu called Beyond the Boundary. The show could have taken any of these directions and been highly successful. A romantic comedy about a half-youmu teaching a supernatural warrior how to defeat youmu? I'd watch that. A psychological drama about a girl from a cursed clan trying to become a powerful warrior? Hell yes. Instead, though, KnK switched between these different themes constantly and ultimately failed to establish any meaningful story whatsoever. One minute we're getting funny, casual, low-stakes situations -- like Mirai needing to defeat a youmu in order to make rent for the month -- and the next, the Hollow Shadow is approaching and it's endangering the entire city, oh my god, this is serious business everybody! And then before we know it the Hollow Shadow is out of the way and we're back to watching Akihito and Hiromi monologue about their bizarre fetishes. It's the eighth episode before we hear a single word about the namesake of the entire series, and even then we don't get much information about it -- or about the rest of the world, for that matter; the mechanics of the KnK universe are never really established or explained, and new information is simply shoehorned in when the plot requires it. Even in the final episodes, when the fate of Earth itself supposedly hangs in the balance, the story lacks tension or suspense. The countless fight scenes may have been beautifully animated, but I never felt like the characters were in any danger. Concepts and conflicts are never explained or even fully resolved; there is no logical transition from one plot point to the next. Things just pop up to cause drama for the characters, who inevitably are able to solve even the most overwhelming problems for no apparent reason, and the show stumbles along to the next meaningless scene. If it sounds like I'm ranting, it's only because I'm frustrated -- I truly think this show had a fantastic premise and enormous potential, but it didn't capitalize on it at all. [Art: 10/10] As I mentioned earlier, the art is really the only redeeming quality of this show. Not only is the animation clear and fluid 100% of the time, the color and composition are gorgeous. Even if the fight scenes were pretty much meaningless, they're still total eye candy. In particular the animation of the supernatural powers that Mirai, Mitsuki, Hiromi, Izumi, and others use to fight youmu was a pleasure to watch. There's so much color and vibrance that it's easy to imagine the Spirit World Warriors' powers being real. The character designs were also very well done; some series are full of sameface moeblobs, and while KnK certainly has its moeblobs (Ai, I'm looking at you), they are easily distinguishable from one another. Not as distinct as the character designs of, say, Cowboy Bebop, but still better than plenty of shows out there. [Sound: 7/10] KnK's music isn't particularly outstanding, but still good. There were two tracks that would always catch my attention; the rest were pretty generic, not bad, but not really worth mentioning either. The voice acting was mostly really good. I personally got a bit tired of Mirai's high-pitched whispery "senpai?!"-ing, but that fit her. Every character had a distinct and recognizable voice, and the seiyuus' delivery of lines always matched the mood of the scene very well. I didn't particularly like the OP or ED, but I didn't hate them either. The OP ended up growing on me, while the ED never really took. I think they fit my expectation of the series better than they fit the actual series; they both have a lot of energy that KnK never really achieves. [Character: 2/10] After plot and worldbuilding, character development is this show's greatest failing. Initially all of the characters seem distinct and interesting rather than typical anime archetypes. Akihito isn't just an average easygoing high school boy; he's an immortal half-youmu. Mirai isn't just a warrior with a dark past; she's a socially awkward klutz with a thing for growing bonsai. Every character KnK presents is completely unique. Logically, they should have a lot of room to develop even further and conflict with one another in interesting ways. However, this never happens. The characters never truly develop beyond these first impressions. Sometimes we get new information about characters' pasts and secrets, but this doesn't make them change as people; it just means that viewers learn something contradictory to what they thought they knew all along. Furthermore, pretty much everything about the characters is told through dialogue rather than shown through their actions, which only serve to push the plot along in a certain direction rather than demonstrating a character's unique personalities or beliefs. The relationships between characters are even worse; they seem extremely forced and illogical. Most of them only exist to support certain plot points, but even this construction falls apart because the plot points are equally weak and contrived. The motivations behind many characters' actions are extremely unclear, and I found myself wondering frequently why certain characters existed at all. Some of them still manage to be likeable, but like most aspects of the show, they are never allowed to reach their potential. For a specific example, take the protagonist Mirai. Supposedly she is the last remaining member of a cursed clan of warriors and has a dark past that causes her to distance herself from others. This is a good foundation for a character. But why is her clan cursed/why were they all murdered? Not a word about this for the entirety of the series. Why doesn't this influence her own feelings about her powers? If she's supposed to be so distanced from everyone, why does she just suddenly give in and start hanging out with the other characters like it's no big deal? (For that matter, if it's so important that she stays distant from them, as we learn towards the end, why in the world did she give in so that she could read gardening books? This is an example of how the comedic and serious elements of the story are completely at odds with each other, rather than uplifting one another.) Why doesn't she display any emotional damage from the disturbing past that we learn about? Why is she able to repair a horribly broken relationship, one that has been haunting her for years, in the span of literally five minutes, just by saying a few really cliché lines to the other character? These questions are never answered or even legitimately considered, le…

Beyond the Boundary was Kyoto Animation's offering for the fall/winter anime season. As expected by their reputation, they created a show with absolutely gorgeous animation. The use of colors and clear, vibrant visuals are a feast for the eyes. Sadly, I believe this is the only aspect of this show that deserves applause. The story follows Mirai Kuriyama and Akihito Kanbara. Mirai is a spirit world warrior, the only one left of her cursed clan. Spirit world warriors earn a living by hunting youmu, which are other worldly beings (like demons) that are born of negative human emotions. Akihito is a half human, half youmu. The premise is far from original to those familiar with anime. Sadly, the plot going forward becomes more and more confusing, and by the very end of the series I did not understand the motivation of both the villain and Mirai. I was left questioning "Why the heck would this character do this?" I felt that the plot was poorly explained, and I truly didn't understand what the cast of characters were working towards for the second half of the series. I even attempted to look up an entire plot summary on Wikipedia to better understand the story, but to no avail. I feel as if there are plot holes left very exposed, on top of the story already presenting as generic. Now, I don't mind a generic story if it is grouped with other good elements, because I believe cliches are cliche for a reason- that those messages or concepts resonate with or interest people for whatever reason. However, I found the characters to all be very flat. The only exception I think is our two main leads... I felt for them in the bond and similarities they shared with one another. Aside from that though there really wasn't much to their characters either, and a character should not be defined by one single aspect. So in conclusion, none of the characters are three-dimensional whatsoever. Also, I found the humor in the show very off-putting; the vast majority of the humor was very awkwardly, sexually based (characters referring to themselves as hentai, or "perverts", very very random displays of cosplay that did not fit into the story whatsoever, etc.). Yes, a lot of times anime has this type of humor and I have grown accustomed to it for the most part. However, in this series it felt like it was forced to fit into the show, as if it was desperately trying to get noticed *ahem fanservice*. I know Kyoto Animation does have a reputation for creating moe characters, but really these elements felt so unnatural and awkward in the show. Despite all these criticisms I still found the show entertaining enough to complete the series. Why is this?? I think it's simply because I enjoyed the visuals and action scenes (which were nicely choreographed). The opening and ending credits were especially beautiful, and paired with some nice music tracks. In fact, my favorite part of the show may just be the opening and ending!! I think that's telling in itself. If you're looking for a short (12 episode) series with action, beautiful animation, and moe/cute characters, check this out. If you're expecting more than that from this show be prepared to be disappointed.

[Adapted From Original Blog Post] OK, I'm not ashamed, I'll admit it: I think I like Kyoto Animation's works. OK, maybe I'm a little ashamed, these are after all the same people who unleashed The Great Moe Plague of 2009 upon the anime world with the release of their smash hit K-On!, but it frustrates me that that one anime, arguably one of their weakest works, has become basically the face of the company, not only by the average anime fan, but by the studio themselves, who have incorporated the new "moe art-style" into nearly every anime they've produced since then. Honestly, I'm tired of Kyoto Animation being constantly represented by K-On! The reason I like them and the reason that I've been on a run of watching their anime recently is because they have shown multiple times that they are capable of so much more; and could maybe one day release something just as genre-defining as some of their works in the past, and create something really special. And while I think that today's subject: one of KyoAni's newer experiments Kyoukai no Kanata doesn't quite get there, it may be laying the ground work for something that could. So if you're in the dark right now, sorry about that, I'll give a more a more depth explanation of who Kyoto Animation is and why they are important in a few sentences. But for now, hello there people of "The Wired", my name is Quan, I hope you are having a good day, and today we are taking about the supernatural/romance/slice-of-life adventure that is Kyoukai no Kanata, or as we say in English, Beyond the Boundary. Here we go. Ah yes, Kyoto Animation, if you are an anime fan and have somehow not heard of this studio, allow me to quickly enlighten you. The studio first made their mark with the release of things such as Full Metal Panic and the ever popular anime The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. In this time, they also adapted various visual novels made by Key, which include Air, Kanon(2006), and of course, in my opinion, the studio's best work: Clannad and its sequel Clannad After Story. However, after K-On! put a stain on their company that will never go away no matter how bleach I use, KyoAni moved into doing things like the fairly decent romance Chuunibyou demo Koi ga Shitai!, the very good mystery show Hyouka and the awesomeness that was The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya. Now if you've seen a couple of these shows you can probably see the trend: KyoAni nearly exclusively make anime that fall more into the slice-of-life/romance genre, which is why Kyoukai no Kanata being the supernatural show that it was with only a touch of those typical elements was sort of a big deal when it first came out. Kyoukai no Kanata was directed by Taichi Ishidate, who is making his directorial debut here after working as an assistant director and the such on about literally every other KyoAni show ever, and the script was written by Jukki Hanada, who has done screenplays for things like Chobits and few episodes of the original Fate/stay night, but he has also done series composition for Kyoukai no Kanata, No Game No Life and Steins;Gate. Lastly, the anime is 12 episodes long and aired from October 3rd to December 19th in the Fall 2013 anime season. While taking a walk one afternoon, our protagonist Akihito Kanbara notices a girl named Mirai Kuriyama, standing on the edge of the school roof, apparently getting ready to jump. He runs up to try and tries to talk her out of it, probably not using the best choice of words, because mid-rant, Mirai does a fancy flip back onto the roof and stabs Akithito through the chest. It turns out that Mirai is what's known as a Spirit World Warrior, a person obligated with the task to hunt down and kill youmu: supernatural creatures born out of the negativity constantly let off by humanity. She appears to have mistaken Akihito for a youmu, but in reality he is only half youmu and half human, and because of this is immortal. Why is Akihito is immortal is sort of left ambiguous at first, but Mirai seems to take full advantage of this fact, and over the next few weeks, stalks Akihito and attempts to kill him, despite him constantly telling her about his immortality. Once he gets her to stop stabbing him in the neck every-time they meet(in the aftermath of a chase sequence that is both awesome and hilarious), he begins to learn more about Mirai, why she has come to the town and what exactly she is trying to accomplish. Through either fate or something else, Akihito finds himself becoming more involved with Mirai, helping her get over her fear of killing youmus, and getting her settled in the town despite her clumsiness and shyness towards pretty much everything. They kill various youmus and start to learn more about each-other's pasts(for better or worse), unaware that behind the scenes of the whole society of Spirit World Warriors in the town, something else in going on, and everyone and everything is somehow involved in a plot that could potentially change the very course of nature. What you get from here is a semi-serious experience built through characters that is occasionally funny, occasionally dramatic, but also stays entertaining through classic good KyoAni writing, a good eye for chemistry, and animation that looks freakin' awesome. I'm not actually quite sure what to talk about first, but I guess I'll settle on the plot structure for the series, and how Kyoukai no Kanata falls into a trap that many, many, anime before have as well. See anime as that are semi-serious such as this one like to do a certain thing, and I'll even give you a hint, it's the same thing that other supernatural shows like Shakugan no Shana, Noragami have done; they establish an over-arching story-line, but for most of the show, mess around with filler mostly used to establish character relations. And this...is fine, but the reason that works in those shows and not in this one is because of a couple of things. Firstly, Shana has the advantage of having time to spare, the anime is twice as many episodes as Kyoukai no Kanata, it has time to have this filler but also fully develop the main story. Kyoukai no Kanata desperately wants to follow this formula as well, but with the ambition of the story it tries to tell, fails to see it just doesn't have the time. The story is broken into three distinct sections: The Beginning/Hollow Shadow Arc, the filler, and the Ending Arc. Now the story starts fairly strong, it establishes basic rules(if not specifics) of the supernatural with rather nice efficiency, and gives our characters depth and places to go with that depth by the end of episode 4. Speaking of episode 4, I would argue that is by far the best episode of the series, it's funny, kind of epic, and even emotional at times, and really sets up intriguing groundwork for both Mirai and Akihito's characters. However it's here where the story begins to move into filler, and where the problems start for me. So actually, I'm not going to be complaining about the filler itself, because actually as far as filler goes, it is pretty great, and I still hold the episode where all the characters dress up as idols and sing a annoyingly catchy song is absolutely hilarious in just how out of place and purposely melodramatic and over-the-top it is. Besides I realize that the show still wants to be light-hearted at times, this is after all Kyoto Animation, and the story honestly did need some time to cool off after the heavy weights that episode 4 dropped. My problem with the filler is the time it takes up, because once you get to the final arc of the show, concepts are suddenly being introduced all over the place, and stops the pace of the story every time the anime needs to pause and explain something. Now the finale itself is actually quite good; but as we get closer to the end of the anime, things start getting out of hand as new concepts keep pouring in, and by the end, you're not even sure what the rules are for this world, because they ke…

Kyoukai no Kanata (Beyond the Boundary) is an adaptation of the novel of the same name. Having never read the novel, I will not make any comparisons, and will review this based on its own merits. After watching the first episode of this series, I was hyped. The art, wordplay, cute main female and funny main male characters.. I thought I was in for a real treat. Well, that initial sweetness soon started to taste oddly sour. Which is a real shame. Let me elaborate. Kyoto Animation provides us with stunning visuals in this series. I loved how the atmosphere is often dark and dreary, yet with a faint touch of light here and there, that glimmer seemingly attached to our heroine, ‘Miss Clumsy’ herself, Mirai Kuriyama (more on her later). The animation for battle scenes are spectacular, and had me rewinding many a time to relive a moment that just blew me away. The fluidity of bodies during action scenes is just so well done as well, with Kuriyama and the various youma being especially well animated. This atmosphere is torn up and thrown out the back window all too soon with ridiculous outfits (let's just say there is a maid outfit with bunny ears involved at one stage), situations and even entire episodes revolving around comedy and fan-service. Instead of breaking up the darker sides to the story, it only made me lose any interest I originally had. Many shows keep a dark side all the way through and those who don't give in to fan-service are those that in my humble opinion, deserve the higher ratings. If a story on it's own can't stand up without the constant crutch of cute girls and innuendo's, then sorry to say but your story is terrible. And this show's story is, well, yeah it's not good. At first, I found the OP to be mediocre, but as the show progressed, so did my taste for the woman’s voice in the opening song. I ended up watching it every episode, and not skipping it like I do with many other anime. But I will say, it certainly doesn’t fit the shows feel quite right. The ED is just wonderful. The music that plays throughout the show is something that really stood out for me. Instead of being there, the tracks used set the mood for scenes near-on perfectly. Action scenes really *feel* like good old down-to-earth ACTION scenes, and coupled with the animation, I couldn’t help but be completely immersed in them. In the calmer parts of the show, the music is less influential, but certainly fits just right. When the story was lacking (and it did at times), the sound was there as a crutch to put a bit of feeling into a scene, and this is evident throughout the entirety of the show. The music is very well done. The characters in KnK are very 2-dimensional, in that any development is only either very minor, episodic or forced. Kuriyama's character is honestly frustrating to watch, because, I adore her character design. The hair colour and shape, red glasses and just being generally kawaii (ha), but from episode 1 to episode 12, she doesn't change hardly at all. Yes she cries a lot, shouldn't that give her instant development-points? Not at all. The reasons behind the emotion in this show are honestly nothing for the viewer to care for - only making those that cry seem weak and annoying and those that get angry seem hotheaded and unintelligent. Side characters are plenty, and most serve a similar function of being plot devices, which is fine, but repeated all too often and only makes the storytelling evidently weak here; having to rely on temporary characters with convenient back-stories. This show had good promise in the first episode, but quickly tripped over it's own laces, with 11 episodes of rolling further and further downhill. But it wasn't all bad; it made me giggle and laugh out loud, “awww” at Kuriyama’s clumsiness and gasp at the action scenes. But the sad emotional scenes KnK force-feeds the viewer really put me off. I feel like this show tried to be too many things in too short of a time-frame. This show would have greatly benefited from having a 24-episode running, so plot and character development could have been drawn out well enough for me to actually care what was happening. Individual ratings are as follows: Story - 5; Art - 8; Sound - 8; Character - 3, Enjoyment - 5; Mean total - 5.8 (rounded to 6))