cummings.terence - 2017-05-02 01:55:52

Talk about a hidden gem! Whenever I was looking for something to watch on Crunchyroll this would always pop up, but I never really wanted to watch it since it was 50 episodes and practically no one talks about it. Well I’m here to talk about it, because a lot more people need to watch this show. This is gonna be a spoiler free review by the way.

SUMMARY
Just read the summary section of the show’s Kitsu page please.

STORY
This show’s story is kind of strange. For about 85% of the time it’s a Slice of Life Drama where things progress at a snail’s pace while we get to watch Erin growing up. This is where the show really shines. It puts its characters (who are fantastic btw but we’ll get to that) front and center and lets them shine. The other 15% of the time is sort of a political drama about the country where the series takes place and how it can not stand as it is now. These two sides do collide near the end obviously but for the most part they are pretty separate. The political drama parts are not nearly as strong as the rest of the show but they are still entertaining and necessary. The strongest parts of the story are when the Slice of Life sections take a darker turn. This happens a few times and each time it is handled extremely well. These sections are top notch and some of the scenes from these parts are actually kind of hard to watch and leave a distinct impact on you that not many shows are able to do. It’s such a shame that this is all ruined by flashbacks. This is a long show with a small budget I assume so I can forgive some flashbacks and re used footage. The problem is that the flashbacks almost ruin a large handful of handful of great scenes. There is a very dark scene early on that is done so well it actually made me stop watching the show for the night after watching it because It was so haunting. I was blown away by this scene, and I guess the creators were too since they re use it like 30 times in flashbacks just in case we forgot. It’s ridiculous. If you show us something that great so many times, it looses all of it’s magic. I would actually sigh every time they showed that scene in a flashback because I was so tired of seeing it. Another major problem with the flashbacks is that they treat the viewer like we have no memory. There are multiple points in the show where characters make major decisions based on experiences from earlier and even make some not so subtle references to those scenes and then right after that just flashback to those scenes just in case we didn’t catch it. Maybe it’s just me but I HATE when that happens. It totally ruins the current scene. Like we’re not that dumb, trust us, we can understand things! One last semi complaint. If the ending was a gymnastic trick, it would have been one of the most extravagant and fantastic trick there was, and it pulls it goes almost perfectly until it doesn’t completely stick the landing. It feels like they sorta just ran out of time so the last episode feels rushed compared to the rest of the series. That was a lot of negative I know but the Flashbacks were about the only shitty thing about this show so it really sticks out. What a shame.

CHARACTERS
They are all great. I don’t have a single problem with any of them. Erin is a fantastic MC. A perfect example of how to make a strong female protagonist who isn’t just a tomboy. Honestly she might be one of the best characters I’ve ever seen. Shes smart and strong but makes mistakes sometimes. She moves past those mistakes in believable ways though. Because we get to watch her grow up, we get to see how her experiences shape her, and by the end, it’s definitely believable why she turned out the way she did.

ART AND ANIMATION
The art is gorgeous. The backgrounds are reminiscent of a children’s story book and they are gorgeous. The character designs are simple but look great. Because the designs are so simple the motion is very fluid and looks great. The different beast’s movements are amazing. It’s amazing how they got these imaginary creatures to move so realistically. They do use CG for some of the beasts but it actually looks acceptable. IF A SHOW FROM 2009 CAN MAKE IT LOOK GOOD WHY CAN’T YOU DO IT NOW!

MUSIC
Once again I don’t have much to say because it’s all great again. It fits the show extraordinarily well. The Openings are a solid 20/10. This show gets that the opening is an important part of the show and treats it with the same level of care that it deserves. They fit the show perfectly. They use them quite a bit to punctuate impactful moments and it works wonders.

CLOSING THOUGHTS
I realize that the largest section by far of this review is mostly negative but I really do adore this show. It’s got more ambition than most other anime and it’s certainly unique. It’s a fantastic show with a lot of heart and It’s definitely worth your time. There are definitely going to be some people who dislike this show. If you can’t stand shows with a slow as hell pace, or a show that doesn’t follow nearly any anime tropes, then you aren’t gonna like it. It’s not perfect but I feel the overwhelming majority of people who decide to check it out will like it as much if not more than I did.

Score: 8.5/10

german05 - 2014-03-02 00:00:10

I want to make one thing clear first, Kemono no Souja Erin is NOT a children's anime. It has been mistaken time and again for one because of it's childish looking animation, but it's far from an anime for children.

Story - 9/10

The story of Kemono no Souja Erin is very well thought out. The plot is very interesting and has many unpredictable twists and turns. Now the may feel predictable at times since they give enough information during the episode to be able to guess the outcome of the problem, but they never give you enough information to be able to guess what's going to be the next major plot point. Also this series has more mature and genuinely frightening points then many other anime.

Kemono no Souja Erin is a very, very slow paced anime with many flashbacks. The flashbacks can take up a lot of some episodes and it gets to the point where you stop caring about incident their talking about. Specifically the episode 7 incident will be replayed over and over to the point where it no longer has as much meaning.

A big part of the plot that pops up many times throughout the series is wether it's right to sacrifice one life to save thousands. To most people it's an easy choice of just that one life, but when it's someone so close to you it can be the most painful decision to make. Kemono no Souja Erin explores that hardship in a very emotional way that sticks with you for the rest of your life.

Animation - 7/10

The animation was good, but most of the time it wasn't anything special. There are certain points in the anime in which the animation becomes very stylized and interesting, but that rarely happens. Also I felt the animation didn't suit the story or characters as well as another style could have.

Sound - 10/10

I found opening for Kemono no Souja Erin irritating at first, but over the course I came to love the song. The way the music is played in this series trains you to feel certain emotions when the song plays(similar to AnoHana). The voice acting for this anime was AMAZING, and the sound effects for the animals were very well done.

Characters - 10/10

All the characters, but most of all Erin, were beautifully developed over the course of Kemono no Souja Erin. Since the series has so many episodes, it really allows you to take your time and connect with the characters. Erin starts off as a naive 10 year old girl with loving and innocent ideals and a bright future. As the story progresses she's forced to face the harsh reality of the world and is pushed to give up her kind-hearted ways. The story is about her trying to make a place in the awful world she lives in without giving up her ideals and feelings.

Kemono no Souja Erin does a good job showing the views of each side, and explaining their reasoning.

Enjoyment - 10/10

While at many parts Kemono no Souja Erin was excruciatingly slow, it added to the in a good way. It made the characters more realistic and more believable in their decisions. Also it showed the effects of a childhood trauma on a gown, or growing up individual. This series really touched my heart and will always have a special place their.

Overall - 9/10

I can't give this series 10/10 because of it's average animation and slow start. If you enjoy fast-paced anime then I would not recommend you watch this anime because of it's pacing. If you're alright with a slow anime then definitely watch this anime, it's a rare gem.