Welcome, welcome!
You are about to read another anime review by your dear Otaku fellow Anime Girl. Believe it or not, I watched this anime on You Tube, and if you ask why...
Well my laptop speakers suddenly stopped working and using my phone as an alternative was only with YouTube possible. Still, I was able to get into an anime with the most frequent use of the word "Senpai" I've ever seen. A week later here I am with the review on Kyoukai no Kanata or in English Beyond the Boundary.
Plot and Story Line
Kyoukai no Kanata is a Fantasy, Slice of Life and Supernatural anime that aired in 2013. With a total of 12 episodes the producers Lantis, Pony Canyon and TBS did a...good job. I can't say it is bad, but to be honest I did expect more. The idea itself is pretty good but the way the makers brought the story over was just okay. The happenings in the story are forced and the story line alone is, in my opinion, rushed. But let's try to get to the bottom of it, shall we?
So, the story of Beyond the Boundary takes place in a Universe where the Earth is beside humans, inhibited by demon-like creatures called Youmu and people with special abilities named Spirit Hunters who fight them. One of those Spirit Hunters is Mirai Kuriyama. Her special power is to manipulate blood and turn it into a weapon which she uses to fight the evil youmu. Because of her ability she lives an isolated life, until she meets Akihito, who happens to be an immortal half-youmu. Soon, they realize that their life paths are going into the same direction but that leaves one open question. Will they be able to walk it together?
The story line of Beyond the Boundary is unfortunately undeveloped, leaving a couple of illogical and not well-explained points right from the beginning. It as really hard to catch up with all the youmu and spirit world stuff because you never get a single good explanation. New characters are introduced, new side-story lines and background stories appear but you can't connect them all into one single story. You do get the point but you never get to the real core of it. I could enjoy it, but very hard, because it leaves so many unanswered questions behind.
The plot alone, or let's say "what the anime is about" is good. A good action, fantasy anime is mostly enjoyable but not if it has this many plot holes. You get the feeling that you skipped something important but you did not, it was left out by the anime alone.
The anime introduces the dark spirit world but not in a good way. You just don't get the feeling that it really is a dark and dangerous place. That's probably because they wanted to balance the supernatural with the slice of life characteristic of the anime. But when it comes to the action in the anime, I was not disappointed. The action scenes were fantastic and the only bad thing about them was that they were short. All the fights end very quickly. In the moment you really get into the fight it ends. Still, the action of Kyoukai no Kanata is definitely the best part of the anime.
One point where the anime started well are the background stories. They were quite intriguing and they awakened an interest in me, but...Yes there is a but. They did not get to the core. I was really sad about the unfinished, or better said, not completely told, story of Nase Izumi. They reveal her "dark secret of the past" in the very ending where you don't even get the chance to get involved. I have to admit I wad caught by her character right in the beginning of the show.
In the Genre section of this anime, My Anime List leaves out one important genre I would add Beyond the Boundary to; ROMANCE. I have the stron feeling that this anime was always meant to be a cute love story. I din't mind that, it was nice. The best part about it is that the romance in the anime is probably the only well presented and finished segment of the whole show. It's the typical cute high school love, that you can't hate.
On the whole: Nicely imagined, done wrong. Kyoukai no Kanata had the potential to be a great anime with a good story and a very intriguing background but ended up as being "only good" because of various reasons that can turn an anime into a "good for killing boredom" show.
Characters
Well, despite having some issues in the story itself, this anime got from me some bad points for the characters too. The only character that sticks out with her personality is Kuriyama, but she also gets annoying from time to time. The characters lack in originality and they can be easily related to some random characters from other anime. I wouldn't mind writing about the other main Kanabara Akihito, but there is no need. Here for you, I have some more information about the only character that is worth talking about from this anime.
Mirai Kuriyama is a first-year high school student that rarely stands out. Due to her ability to control blood and turn it into any weapon she wants she is considered dangerous. That's why she is an introvert and shy person. Two more words describe her personality, aloof and clumsy. In the beginning of the story she is afraid of fighting youmu, making it hard for her to earn money, considering the fact that it's actually her profession. Also a fact about Kuriyama, she loves Bonsai trees and regularly writes about them on her blog.
Animation and Style
The animation in this anime is awesome. It's actually the thing that kinda saves the anime from a near catastrophe. The colors are awesome and bright, contrast is great, the movements are smooth and the backgrounds are just beautiful. I always see if an animation is good or not in some fast, action scenes. This anime had many, and I have to say that they were awesome. The animation of Kyoukai no Kanata is really good and probably it's best side. When it comes to the style, it's okay. Even tough their personalities seemed pretty dull, I loved the looks of the characters. They were kinda special and not so mainstream. Style is acceptable in my opinion. Thumbs up for Animation and Style.
Conclusion
To conclude this anime review, Kyoukai no Kanata or Beyond the Boundary really lies on the boundary of a good anime. The story is more or less familiar from other anime and not that special but it still has it's own appeal and details that saved it. The characters could have become better with a little more effort but they are acceptable. Animation and Style are awesome. This anime has only 12 episodes so it is awesome for a lazy and rainy Saturday like this today. It is not one of the best, but it's worth your time.
-Your Anime Girl <3
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