MAL: http://ift.tt/1Q44ZIF: http://ift.tt/1NSOcsP all have "that one anime". You know, "that one anime" that got us into the hobby, "that one anime" that will always reign on our personal pedestal, "that one anime" that, no matter how much time has passed, you will always love and want to rewatch. For me that anime is Kyoukai no Kanata and I don't think it comes as a surprise for anyone who has interacted with me on this subreddit. With an upcoming DVD release of a sequel movie, Kyoukai no Kanata-I'll be here-Mirai-hen, I think it's about damn time for me to try and convince more people to give this favorite of mine a viewing chance.What is it about?Kyoukai no Kanata is a 2013 action-fantasy/slice-of-life anime produced by Kyoto Animation. It stars Akihito Kanbara, a high schooler who one day encounters a pink-haired Mirai Kuriyama, a cute and innocent looking bespectacled girl, who immediately proceeds to stab Akihito through his chest with a sword made out of her blood. And Akihito politely asks her to remove it.From that point on things only get more interesting.What's so good about it?Mix of SoL and Action, characters, character interactions, romance, visuals and sound.Mix of SoL and ActionLet me start by saying that if you're someone who believes that comedic and light-hearted elements just inherently don't mix with more actiony and darker elements, then it's probably gonna be a deal-breaker for you. Kyoukai no Kanata thrives on fully utilizing and combining light and heavy elements in its storytelling and this combination ends up enhancing the show overall.Slice-of-life and comedic segments serve primarily to develop the cast and introduce the viewer to the lore. As we witness their daily lives, we get to know them better. We see them at their finest, smiling, laughing, and having fun together. Because of that, when shit really hits the fan, we get to see the difference in our characters' behavior. If we don't know what kind of people they are at their best, then seeing them at their worst is just not that impactful. Seeing a character, who is usually very cheerful and outgoing, isolate himself from his friends out of guilt, is much powerful than seeing a constantly brooding character brood some more.Light-hearted elements are also necessary for respite, for both the cast and the viewers. For example, episodes 5 and 6 have almost zero action and they serve primarily as breather after very stressful initial arc.So, in Kyoukai no Kanata, light and heavy elements work in tandem; Light->Heavy->Light, as opposing elements actually end up reinforcing one another. This dichotomy is actually reflected in almost every element of the show, including the atmosphere.The atmosphere of the show is best described as Halloween-esque. There is always that sense of mystery, enigma, and unwritten lore, all set in a familiar looking environment. That atmosphere is further reinforced by a fittingly beautiful and haunting soundtrack. In result we have a setting that manages to combine the traditional high-school shenanigans with very mysterious and enigmatic lore.Another aspect where light and heavy combine perfectly is...CharactersThe main cast of Kyoukai no Kanata consists of 4 characters, Akihito Kanbara, Mirai Kuriyama, and Mitsuki and Hiroomi Nase.Akihito is a kind, loud, outspoken, very snarky, and quite a lecherous young man that has an obvious thing for glasses. This is his light side, and whenever he goes on another glasses related tirade or tries to outsnark one of the Nase siblings, you can just feel mood in the room getting noticeably lighter. His dark side is that in reality he sees himself as an uncontrollable monster, who hurt his friends in the past.Mirai is a very shy and timid looking girl, who is initially obsessed with killing Akihito. Her light side is her naivety and genuinely kind heart, that she tries to hide from other people. Plus, she is an incredibly adorable and endearing girl. Her dark side is her past and powers that she inherited from her clan, that resulted in her being ostracized and hunted by other people.Hiroomi is Mitsuki's older brother whose perviness overshadows even Akihito's. He's an incredibly playful person, as he never misses his chance to harass Akihito in various ways and hit on his sister. Underneath that, however, he carries a heavy burden of his family name. Whenever Hiroomi is dealing with family matters, there's no trace of his usual playful persona to be seen.Mitsuki is the youngest Nase sibling. She seems emotionless, but in reality she's almost as playful as her older brother. She loves messing with Akihito and Hiroomi, and on occasion she takes severe risks in order to help her friends. Her dark side is that of an inferior child. Being the youngest of three Nase siblings, she feels weak and underachieved compared to her older brother and sister.The secondary cast-characters are also just as colourful, albeit not as developed as our mains.Shizuku Ninomiya is a Spirit Warrior and teacher in our heroes' school. She is young, beautiful, dashing, and her every appearance on the screen is quite a joy.Izumi is the eldest sibling and current leader of Nase family, which is quite known in the Spirit World. She is elegant, calculative, and seems to have very unusual relationship with her younger siblings.Ayaka and Ai Shindou are a pair of Youmu capable of taking human form. They usually help our cast by giving them various jobs and explaining the world's lore.One thing that is also worth mentioning about Kyoukai no Kanata's characters is that each and every one of them has a humorous side and they all exhibit it in a very distinct fashion.Mitsuki is a master of sadistic and deadpan humor and she doesn't hold any punches as she reprimands both Akihito and Hiroomi for their lecherous ways, all the while still maintaining that beautiful and cold facade. Hiroomi never fails to amuse himself and the audience as he takes every single opportunity to torment Akihito and hit on his sister. Akihito is never ashamed to display his snarky, sarcastic, and short-tempered side, all of it being accompanied by various hilarious facial expressions. Even shy Mirai doesn't miss her chance to mess with her senpai whenever she has a chance.Supporting cast members also have funny sides to them. Nino-sensei constantly complains about the lack of romance in her life and is not ashamed to use her special powers to reprimand some of her students. Ayaka shamelessly extorts money from Akihito in exchange for some photos and playfully comments on his mother's quite unusual behavior. Even Izumi is not a stranger to an occasional cute and playful smile.These little humorous moments really help humanize the cast and they go along perfectly with the show's SoL elements.Character interactionsIf we look at each member of the main cast separately, they will appear as rather dull individuals.Akihito and Hiroomi on their own are just two typical high-school students, with some specific fetishes. Mirai on her own is just a sad moe-blob. And Mitsuki on her own is just a lonely rich girl. However, it's once you put them together, do they start to really shine and bring better points from one another.Put Akihito and Hiroomi together and we get one very dynamic and believable friend duo. Hiroomi goes out of his way to constantly annoy Akihito with various antics, but they also very easily find common jokes and things to talk about. Once the two of them get on a similar wavelength, there's simply no way to make them shut up. It also becomes evident during heavier scenes, that the two of them genuinely care about each other and treasure their friendship.Put Hiroomi and Mitsuki together and we get one very weird sibling relationship. Hiroomi, being a complete and total siscon, constantly hits on his sister, who always fights back with some swift and hilarious jabs. Still, it is also pretty clear that two of them are very close and comfortable around each other. Mitsuki trusts her brother to protect her and help her should she get in trouble; and Hiroomi will, without hesitation, put his life in danger for the sake of his sister. You can see just how close two of them are when you contrast them with Izumi, who is quite cold in comparison.Put Mitsuki and Mirai together and we get to see one very kind and gentle friendship coming to life. In fact, an entirety of episode 5 is dedicated to the developing of relationship between Mitsuki and Mirai. We get to see Mitsuki's more caring and warm side, as she can't help but watch over the clumsy Mirai. As the episode progresses, we see how the two of them manage to do together something they were never able to do on their own.And once you put Akihito and Mirai together...Romance...We get one hell of a couple.There's one thing that is important about Mirai and Akihito's characters. They both see themselves as monsters and in some regards, they are. Simply on a physical level, both of them are not fully humans. But there's more to it than that. Both of them were ostracized, condemned, and hunted by people because of their powers, and they started seeing it as a curse.The difference however, is how they grew to deal with it. Akihito decided to try and live a normal life. He is still pretty much aware of his powers and he never hesitates to put himself in danger for someone else's sake, since he knows that he cannot be killed. Mirai, on the other hand, decided to shut herself from the world that was so cruel to her. She's lonely, unsociable, and, while naive about many world matters, is very distrustful of other people.But at the very core, Mirai and Akihito are incredibly similar people. And once again, this is where the show's masterful use of contrast shines. The Romance between two of them blooms as they gradually, subtly, and naturally grow to care about each other and see their similarities. By the time the latter half of the show arrives, you can actually see that Mirai and Akkey have developed a real, mutual trust.Not only that, but Mirai and Akihito are simply a very lovable and cute couple. Their every appearance on the screen together is filled with jokes, friendly talks, and genuinely funny and touching moments.VisualsThis is an anime produced by Kyoto Animation so you know that it's gonna look goddamn gorgeous! Backgrounds, character designs and animation being top-notch is part of the course with KyoAni, but this time the studio also decided to demonstrate their talents with animating action.Action in Kyoukai no Kanata is one of the best I've seen in animated shows, as it features very neat and stylish fight choreography, creative usage of extraordinary powers (Mirai's blood sword being one of the most interesting and unusual weapons I've seen), and incredible visual effects.What's also worth mentioning about the visuals in Kyoukai no Kanata are facial and character animations. They range from overly cartoonish facial expressions, usually provided by Akihito, to incredibly subtle eye and body movements. Characters also have some very specific and unique body quirks, like Mirai's own way of fixing her glasses and Mitsuki's tendency to play around with her lollipops. All these little elements help even further humanize the cast and allows the viewer to read the situation and mood without having to outright state it.SoundI'm usually that guy who rarely pays too much attention to the music or voice work, but Kyoukai no Kanata managed to get me even here.As I said before, the soundtrack in the show works really well in reinforcing its overall Halloween-esque atmosphere. That being said, it also features a lot of other memorable compositions. These compositions range from some incredibly silly and funny tunes, fitting for its Slice-of-Life segments, to more intense and heavy pieces that work incredibly well with action and dramatic scenes.The Voice Acting is also incredibly solid, with KENN and Risa Taneda (voices of Akihito and Mirai respectively) completely stealing the show. They are masterful at voicing both the comedic moments (Akihito yelling at Hiroomi to stop harassing him or Mirai getting flustered) and incredibly dramatic ones.And the final thing that is absolutely worth mentioning is the ED, "Daisy" by Stereo Dive Foundation. This ED is absolutely frigging incredible! Not only is the song itself unbelievably good and memorable, but it's also accompanied by some ridiculously good imagery. Visuals for the ED manage to convey in a very simple and elegant manner what the show is about; Mirai finding Akihito.In shortKyoukai no Kanata is my favorite anime, so chances are I've exaggerated some things. Still, I do genuinely think that Kyoukai no Kanata is an incredible show that manages to do a lot of things right. If you're looking for an action show with a very lovable cast, great character interactions, stellar romance, top-notch visuals and soundtrack, and some light-hearted comedic elements, then you should by all means, give Kyoukai no Kanata a go.Oh yeah, they also do that thing when the end of the episode transitions into ED and it's totally awesome!P.S. HUGE thanks to /u/Anarchiszm for helping me with editing and proof-reading. In Persona 3 terms, YOU DA MAN! http://ift.tt/1Q3YTIq
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