Karin (Anime Review)

Recommended for Mature Audiences : Contains blood, low-level violence, adult themes, sexual references

Also known as Chibi Vampire, Karin is a 24 episode anime based of the manga of the same name. Karin Maaka is a highschool girl who also is the middle child of a family of vampires that moved to Japan hundreds of years ago. Unlike her kin however, Karin is an abnormal vampire in the fact that rather than suck blood, she produces blood. She has to bite someone and inject them with the blood periodically or it builds up until she suffers one of her explosive nosebleeds.

The plot is nowhere near as deep as the manga’s and the anime prefers to just take you for a ride. The story ebbs and flows around many topics and arcs, introducing new characters and creating backstory at various points. There is no real build up or climax, just a journey towards Karin and Kenta’s confession of love. That’s not to say it’s a long, boring love story, rather the opposite. It’s fun and extremely enjoyable all the while having this overhanging sense of despair at the complications of a vampire-human relationship. Characters are deep and meaningful, and even those that aren’t are still lively. In one particular scene, two thugs are beating a character up and although they only get a minute of screen time, you’re still left with some degree of understanding of their characters. The series does eventually peak and the last few episodes were enthralling, but there is no real conclusion, as there was none to be had in the first place.

Despite the intro theme, with a rather lackluster song, Karin has very little fanservice, which begs the question of why they went with that introduction. There are a few scenes that perhaps go a little too far, but the anime was always meant for mature audiences. The art looks great and, although a little gritty at times, the characters look amazing. I can’t say it really performed well on the audio front, there was little more than ambient sound which was sparsely used.

With no real climax, Karin is an anime that you have to just sit back and enjoy the ride. With that said, you have some amazing and well-rounded characters to accompany you, so it really is a ride worth taking. There are no bad episodes in my opinion, some are average and contribute little to plot or characters, but most are fun and enjoyable. It catches you within the first episode or two.

11eyes (Anime Review)

Because nothing says 'I hate you' more than a razorblade in their tea.

(Suitable for Mature Audiences Only : Contains blood, violence, supernatural themes, adult themes, sexual references, mild sex scene)

11eyes a twelve episode, single volume anime based off the visual novel ‘11eyes: Tsumi to Batsu to Aganai no Shōjo’ (11eyes: Sin, Damnation, and the Atonement Girl). It has a relatively complex story that is difficult to talk about without spoilers, so read ahead at your own risk.

The hero of the story is Kakeru, a high school boy who wears an eyepatch for a reason that was never explained. He spends most of his time with his romantically entwined friend Yuka, and the two of them happily enjoy their high school days. Until one afternoon, they are suddenly and mysteriously plunged into a dimension called the Red Night. A mirror dimension of the world, the Red Night is virtually the same as the world above, except that it is inhabited by monsters. In the centre of this dimension is a temple where a witch lies trapped within a crystal, guarded by six warriors known as the Black Knights. Repeatedly and daily thrust into this alternate dimension, Kakeru and the other students who also are dragged into the Red Night must discover why this is happening and why the Black Knights are so eager to kill them.

The plot in 11eyes is not difficult to follow and is reasonably well written, but it has holes. Lots of holes. 11eyes started as a virtual novel for the PC, an interactive fiction game, and it has been rewritten for anime form. I have not played the game, but from my study, I do know that there are some major plot differences between the two medias. The anime’s hook is that the main characters do not know what is going on, slowly revealing shreds of truth to keep you watching. The characters discover that they have powers, Kakeru in particular has the greatest power, known as the Eye of Aeon, under his eyepatch. As they kill the Black Knights one by one, they slowly discover who the knights are and their purpose, but far too late.

I won’t go into the story much further as it starts getting complicated and the holes really start to show. The last four episodes is where all the explanation and conclusions begin, but they leave so much unexplained. Many times it simply told you a fact expecting you to swallow it whole without any gravy. What’s more, if the Black Knights had simply explained anything then things probably wouldn’t have gotten as bad as they did. The story has its good moments, and throws a twist or two in, but the sheer amount of inconsistencies left me feeling more frustrated than satisfied by the end.

The six Black Knights. Possibly more relatable than the main characters.

The anime really stands out with its soundtrack and is possibly one of the best sounding anime I have had the pleasure of listening to. It was immersive and was a stronger hook at times than the story was. The visual design was average, but there were some excellent scenes that stood out. Overall, the visuals complemented the story well and I couldn't complain. Also beware of some minor fanservice.

 

At the time of writing, I have not yet watched the OVA. However, it is not a continuation from the story and rather is a sexually explicit parody of the main characters (because why not). I enjoyed 11eyes despite its bad transition from game to anime and, thankfully, it is short enough to not wear out its welcome though it is mostly forgettable.