Plot

The plot is amazing. Why is it amazing? For one, it is unlike other shonen or magical anime where the male protagonist is thrown into the fray out of nowhere. The first season of the anime actually pushes the male protagonist away. Unlike many other series, the first season actually explains a lot about the plot and while still being able to introduce characters and developing them. Secondly, unlike other protagonists the male protagonist is not another Naruto, with a shonen over-the-top “believe in yourself!!!” kind of attitude. The protagonist actually starts out a bit naïve about the whole situation and then he evolves and grows as a character. The first season of the anime is more explanatory and draws the viewer into the series which sets things up fir the second season in which the real story takes place. The second season is amazing plot-wise as well. I really don’t want to spoil it but no scene in this anime is ever wasted. Every action every scene has a rhyme and reason to it and when you watch the second season everything falls in to place beautifully. There is much more to say about the plot but the anime clearly does it much better. The only qualm preventing the plot from getting perfect score is that some of Oouri’s (the main protagonist) friends are overly perverted and often say extraordinarily useless things in certain scenes. Other than that the plot is amazingly enthralling.

Animation

Visually the anime is spectacular. Since we are dealing with corpses and dead bodies and a horror-esque theme, the anime follows that theme seriously. The scenes and animation have a dark tone to them, bringing out the darkness of the story. The animation is very crisp and clean with amazing action and fight sequences. Also one of the highlights of the artwork are the very distinct Shikibane. Each one is designed so well and is specifically tailored to each individual character. The art used for the fight scenes varies wildly, depicting everything from explosions to gashes, to bullet wounds, to stabbings. The characters were done by Gainax which has animated great works such as Neon Genesis Evangelion, Gurren Laggan, FLCL and the recent Panty and Stocking. Animation is definitely perfect.

Shikibane of three children who fused together

Voice Acting

The Dub is passable and decent but the Sub and the original voice acting have something special that the dub is just lacking. The dub is decent and does not take too much away from the series. The sub however has a certain element that just isn’t translated all that well. The voice acting is definitely superb.

Overall Rating (4.95 / 5.0)

This anime is actually really amazing. Despite that, it still hasn't joined the ranks of more mainstream works leading it to become more of a cult classic. However, I believe it has truly earned its place as one of the best anime series. This series has everything, great animation, a compelling storyline and amazing voice acting. Out of 5. I believe this anime deserves a 4.95. It is pretty much perfect. My only complaint is the overtly sexualized high school friends that were not really needed and the ero that took away a bit from the quality of the anime. The anime is truly unique and amazing. I feel that you as an individual are losing out on some great anime if you pass up the chance to watch it.