I watched WHR when it first came out in 2002 and I loved the living crap out of it even though I don't think I understood a lot of the seemingly intricate plot. I recently rewatched it and figured it was about time I reviewed it. You can read my summary for the TL;DR version or scroll below to read it in depth.
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Summary:
WHR's Monster-of-the-week approach was, I believe, apt for the time it was released as that was the trend of the season. Everyone seemed to be doing it. But I believe WHR used the trend with stylistic and emphatic intention as it simply fortifies
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the idea that the hunters simply hunted in ignorance in contrast to the second half of the show when their actions all come under light. That being said, I believe even back in 2002, I thought the first 13 episodes tended to be boorishly slow. Slow pan-scapes of characters simply walking across the screen was painful but one could argue that it was how the creators intended to build tension. If you can get past those painfully slow pans, the characters are refreshing and intriguing. WHR is one of the rare anime that I didn't hate a single character; not even the antagonists. I believed every single one of their motivations and the decisions they made were completely in character. A second downside to WHR as well, are the references to various occult themes without any clarification on seemingly crucial plot devices. Aka the 'secret of the craft' or what have you. I can't even call it a spoiler because to date I don't understand what it is that Robin discovered. That was tied in with various other story arcs with Solomon and STN-J moving in conjunction in various directions so I think its importance as well as its existence got washed under the bridge except for the fact that Robin kept repeating that she 'discovered' the secret, or the arcane or whatever the hell that was.
Plot review:
The plot was immensely interesting but i think overall could be executed better. I think it most certainly requires a re-watch to catch some key plot points which go past you so quickly, you don't realize what just happened. Yet the slow parts are so excruciatingly slow that when the action picks up, you're just really not paying attention when important things happen. I don't mind the monster-of-the-week approach at first either simply because it makes me nostalgic lol. As I noted above with various plot devices getting all muddled up in between several other story arcs occurring at the same time, was one of my biggest gripes about how the plot was executed. However, things get tied up quite well, even with the open ending, I think.
Character review:
I loved all the characters. When I first watched it in 2002, I have no idea why I was under the impression that it was more of a romance than it actually is. Then again, I was 16 at the time. The entire Robin x Amon dynamic is super interesting as he takes on the role of a partner, but also a protector and a quasi-father-figure. The romance is hinted at and tbph, I wouldn't be surprised if they ended up making Witch-babies together. Even with the 10 year difference and Amon being hot and cold about Robin, I think their pseudo-romance was even sweeter because their level of trust in each other seemed to supersede the formalities of "romance". Robin made Amon re-evaluate his stance not just on Witches but himself. But anyway, all this is implied through how they re-act to each other so I'm just shipping them at this point. Robin's interactions with the other characters, down to the security guard is stellar. It's not forced and she develops as a character through the most mundane of her relationships. From the ever-silent guy that works for Nagira to Zaizen, whom she barely makes contact with.
Zaizen on the other hand is an excellent antagonist. I do wish he had _a little more_ depth to him in terms of establishing a moral compass. We know he loves Touko but is not past using her as bait. So what? where does that leave him as an antagonist? In the end he is just painted with the "bad guy" brush which is fine, but I guess I just have a thing for emotionally complex antagonists lol.
Art, Animation & Music Review:
This anime was made in 2002. I thought it was absolutely flawless when I was 16 lol. Needless to say, the animation is janky and I noted several scenes where I could almost count the frames in between. That being said, the art style is far more stylistic than most new anime possibly because of having being hand-drawn. I think the moody, gothic style is quite apt without becoming oppressive. I find the steampunk elements quite pleasing as well.
Robin's character design is absolutely beautiful as are the others. I even love her alternative costumes (the waitress uniform she wears at Harry's!)
The music is absolutely stunning. I loved how well it complimented the show and even crucial plot moments are heightened simply because of how incredible the score was. In fact, I think the immersive quality of the music was how I was able to overcome the janky animation when I re-watched it.
Apr 7, 2016
Witch Hunter Robin
(Anime)
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I watched WHR when it first came out in 2002 and I loved the living crap out of it even though I don't think I understood a lot of the seemingly intricate plot. I recently rewatched it and figured it was about time I reviewed it. You can read my summary for the TL;DR version or scroll below to read it in depth.
--- Summary: WHR's Monster-of-the-week approach was, I believe, apt for the time it was released as that was the trend of the season. Everyone seemed to be doing it. But I believe WHR used the trend with stylistic and emphatic intention as it simply fortifies ... |
