Kurayami Santa

Kurayami Santa had a really cool concept behind it-using retro animation and an artistic approach to tell a narrative in several three minute episodes. That sounds great right? It looked good and it sounded good but the realization of the show couldn't live up to the idea of the show. The story of the show focused on the wrongdoings on humanity. The final episode (also the best one) concluded this narrative with a satisfying ending with a cool moral message and a neat one liner from Santa. So how come the show still didn't work? Well-the story wasn't well executed. Most of the dialogues and fight scenes were mediocre, Santa seemed like a good character for whom they just didn't manage to write good material. You'll get glimpses of quality but not much more. It's not a very engaging show and it feels like there's an indecision on whether it wants to be wacky or educative and serious. As a pastiche it simply doesn't work.

I truly enjoy the fusion of real life videos and animation. The few times I've seen it done well has left me in awe, and I can honestly say that this anime has done it fairly well. Human error is something we all experience and this anime defines it fairly well. Murder? You go to hell. Suicide from mental distress? We'll work you hard but you might have another shot at a better life the next time around. The main character Santa deals with folk that have lost their way in life and gives them exactly what they deserve. Is it always fair? No. But they deserve some punishment for their wrongdoings. I really want to say if Laughing Salesman and Gegege had a kid, this would be it. A more morally upstandard hellish being that wants all humans to do well in life, yet deals with those that don't. Honestly if you enjoy Laughing Salesman AND/OR Gegege you'd enjoy this. Its a really short supernatural series on the wrongdoing of human kind, and its interesting regardless.