Keep It or Trade It?: Prototype 2 (360)
Keep It or Trade It?: Tekken 3D: Prime Edition (3DS)
Keep It or Delete It? : Mass Effect Infiltrator (iPad)
Keep It or Delete It?: The Walking Dead Episode 1: A New Day (XBLA)
Keep It or Trade It?: Syndicate (PS3)
Also called "Togame Gets a Haircut"
Here’s my review of the first volume. I’ve been told it’s a good read.
Remember what I said before? About Katanagatari being a beautiful series, lavishly drawn and lovingly crafted? I reneg all of that in favor of saying this: it is a masterwork. Each episode surpasses the last, building to an amazing crescendo and an incredible denouement.
To be fair, this series is inundated with demented little girls.
The first volume left off with the acquisition of the sixth sword and the allusion to Shichika’s sister, Nanami, joining Shichika or at least checking up on him. The second volume picks up where the first left off, as Shichika encounters his sister on the mainland. From there, the comedy of the series begins to back off as the story becomes darker and the prey Togame and Shichika hunt becomes more dangerous. This is not to say the series is devoid of comedy from the seventh episode on. One of the funniest episodes is in the second volume. However, the plot becomes decidedly more serious in this half.
The climax of the series occurs when Shichika becomes a fully honed katana, and whoops up on the bad guys. I dare not reveal more, lest I spoil the series (a terribly easy thing to do with this series). The enemies that the pair face in this volume include a mechanical doll, a shogi master, and a sage who is a master of illusions. The matter of the stories becomes much deeper as well, treading on some very esoteric stuff, including the nature of humanity, the depth of man’s inhumanity to man (Libria; had to say it, and you get a cybercookie if you get the reference), and the nature of history.
"Hey, my name is Maniwa Kyoken. I'm only in Volume 1, but I'm here because I'm fan service personified."
The story went from a standard, if well written, martial arts story to a a full blown epic. Lovingly told with expert pacing and reveals, the writing got better over the break between Volumes 1 and 2. The pace of the episodes improved as well, with the verbal pace braiding with the fighting much more organically. Where the verbal components in the first volume interrupted the rhythm of the fights, the scripts in the second volume seem to have a much better grasp of the pace of a fight, but still manage to get in the characterization necessary to flesh out the very unique characters Togame and Shichika encounter, as well as deepening Togame and Shichika as characters and as a couple. The series seems to be about love as well, as even a couple of minor characters have romantic leanings towards each other.
References to video games and movies are sprinkled throughout the episodes, giving some insight as to the influences the animators, and perhaps the original writer, used in the creation of the series. In particular, there is a spoken sequence in the seventh episode that reminds me of various role-playing games, in which the images of those speaking is superimposed over a side-scrolling image of the characters’ traveling. The climax is composed almost entirely of a homage to “Game of Death”, in which Shichika must work through a tower of enemies in order to reach his final battle. All of this contains reveals and surprises that allow the initial plot to flower beautifully into something much greater than I had first suspected, even with the foreshadowing of the first volume.
Furthermore, in reference to the plot, the ending is neither happy nor sad, but appropriately bittersweet for a historic fantasy epic of this nature. It remained true to its direction and dramatic inertia. Possibly the best thing I can say about this ending is THERE IS ONE. The story reaches a satisfactory conclusion, and there is real closure in the series. In truth, the narrative structure of the series truly resembles an epic. The beginning of the story we are told in this series is, in truth, the middle of a much larger story of which the characters are a part. We catch up through flashbacks and narrative, until we are completely educated on the necessary histories, and we then continue with the characters to the conclusion. It is an appropriate invocation, and is executed with aplomb.
I swear to GOD, they fully explain this!
The similarity in plot to series such as Slayers, which start out extremely light hearted and end on a very serious note, is a fair comparison. However, where the plot arcs in the Slayers series have a somewhat superficial serious bent in their last halves, Katanagatari devotes itself to the end of the series, going so far as to kill off many characters in pursuit of the ultimate goal of the series, which isn’t even revealed until late in this volume.
The animation in the second volume continues to be smooth and flowing. There are points where the series falls to the standard fighting anime trope of using speed lines and flashes to represent attacks. However, since these tropes are used minimally throughout and are used to represent the pinnacle of human ability, it is much more believable than if these were constantly used over the course of the series. It also helps that these culminate in some of the best fights of the series once the flicker-fist is done.
The tone and execution of the music is well done. It retains the mix of modern and classical influences, and mixes and matches them in a pattern that fits the visual style of the series. I slather further praise on the immensely epic climactic fight music, which builds and crescendos perfectly with the action, and conjures the grand scope and influence of the characters’ actions up to that point, and alludes to the amazing repercussions which will follow the conclusion of the tale.
"Hey, my script only goes up to page 109." RIP Wash
The artbook is, again, gorgeous! Filled with lush illustrations and plot introductions, it also contains brilliant character designs in the back, glorious illustrations for each episode, and a glossary of the specialized terms and names used in the series. Furthermore, there are lyrics for the ending themes included with each episode run-down.
I think that’s about the best I can do at this point. In conclusion, I wish for you to do yourselves a favor, and at least rent Katanagatari. Katanagatari is easily enjoyable, with a solid and unique art style, excellent music, wonderful scripting and an ambitious story. I recommend it highly to anyone who enjoys a little bit of esoterica with their entertainment, or who’s just looking for some solid action.
My new mission: To spread "Cheerio!" as a kiai voice to all four corners of the globe. I damn near cried. You'll see.
Disclosure: This series was screened using a review copy sent from NIS America.
| Art: |  |
| Music/Voice: |  |
| Characters: | |
| Story: | |
| Intangibles: | |
| Overall: | |
