Anime review: Katanagatari (2010)

Rewatched this since MTBB finished their subs (even though I still had to tweak them), good time to review it. It's probably a good idea to mention that I'm a big Monogatari fan, Nisio Isin's other, better known work.

Universe

A romanticized version of old Japan full of colour and character. The contents themselves aren't very interesting (it's not the goal, after all), but the visuals are: the designs are just so eye-grabbing!

Plot

Again, not the point. Getting the twelve swords one by one is as straight as you can make a plot. Sure, the ending is Cowboy Bebop tier, but I don't judge something by its last episode.

I'll cheat and use this section to praise the tone though: how it manages to mix everything from heavy tragedy to light comedy so well.

Characterization

That is the point, as any Monogatari enthusiast would have guessed. I think it was nailed and (without having read the visual novel) appeared lively and endearing even on screen.

The usual focus on witty, flowing and long dialogues worked well here, especially on the comedy side and when trying to portray Shishika's growth. Always riveting, really.

Animation style & quality

Perfectly good. White Fox isn't the most famous studio but they can really do good work; I suppose they didn't skimp on budget either.

Voice acting

Also perfect. I expected nothing less, knowing the importance of dialogues. Togame is the obvious highlight - like Slayers' Lina - but everyone is really played well.

Soundtrack

Nothing I remember.

Conclusion

Honestly and as you can see from this lackluster review, I have a hard time analyzing it and why I like it that much. Like Monogatari, it just scratches a special itch with its unique humour. But I found it even weirder than Monogatari in a lot of places.