trice - 2015-11-24 17:42:59

let's say right at the beginning this is a anime from 2002 do not compare it to the anime in the future like a 2005 anime or more higher , that's have been a anime that i just have watched at the occasion at the TV but now i have watched the entire serie and now.. i can say we have a good little build-up but who have some hidden explanation who take a long time to be discovered but this anime stay on the good line but anyway let's begin.. !

About The Story
the title say it "Witch Hunter Robin" thats related to what we doing in this anime yes.. we gonna hunt some Witch , and a girl named Robin will hunt Witch too with a Organization named STN-J with some others Hunters but that's not the kind of which we can imagine you can take this like a Super-Power and the STN-J is here for hunt them to prevent some bad things who can happen , but behind this we have some story who have a logic who take his place after 10-12 episode this is a very slow build-up , at the beginning you can be bored because of the only minor events who look like not relate to the real story who gonna take place later , so like a said very slow build-up but don't be disappointed... if you follow each episode and continue the anime to the end you will like it a little bit more , this is a pretty nice little story i don't jump on the chair but that's good with a End that i like (dont worry i spoil nothing)

About The Animation and Sounds
for 2002 that's have been a reasonable graphics but we have a lot of copy paste at the first 10-11 episode and can come back sometimes during all the anime so yeah , for the Opening and Endings i find the Opening nice xD the Ending is a little good too but not better than the Opening... well i give you the links.. !

Opening

Ending

About The Characters
well i want to talk about all of them but.. they are too much characters i will try to describe them into one text , at the beginning i have find everyone really have a bitches attitude but that's gonna past LOOOl , we have some good characters but i think Robin , Barman and the Chief with his assistant are the most great person with a good attitude... the others are soo much bitch at the beginning... but they are not soo bad xD... , they gonna change later but i think Robin will be your favorite one because she is not rude at all , but Robin contain a lot of Character Development if you know what i mean.., if not .. she contain a lot of story about her compared to the others , we see just a little bit the story of some characters and some of them we don't know at all their story , but i can say to you... they will not stay with a bitch attitude after a time.. ! 

About The Enjoyment
at the beginning some of you can be bored for sure , but not judge soo fast this is just because the build-up is slow and can be appreciated if you watch all the anime , you can like this anime after a certain time just take in consideration the slow build-up before saying that's not good , because that's a good little anime who have 26 Episode and who are from 2002 but yeah pretty serious story who make the anime more good.. !

Give it a try this is old so don't compare it to the anime in the future , for me i have liked it i don't know if that's gonna be the same for you but before judge it watch the anime entirely , this is not everyone who can like this kind of anime and if you are not too much in old anime i don't know if you gonna be capable to watch it so just try , but don't judge this anime without finishing it.. !

kschaefer - 2014-09-03 03:40:54

Witch Hunter Robin follows the character of Robin Sena, who moves from Europe to Japan to work at the STN-J -- an organization that hunts witches. The series begins as a case-of-the-week investigative piece, and then evolves into a gothic-science conspiracy show... And if that's not a unique enough genre for you, I don't know what to say.

STORY
Witch Hunter Robin starts slow. It really does. It takes it's dear time to introduce you to the characters, get us inundated into their world, and give you a basic knowledge of how this show interprets things like 'witches' or what in the world 'Orbo' is. The first few episodes are easily, to me, the weakest in the series, and I'd recommend anyone looking to try the show give until the end of the fourth episode before making a decision.

It's around that fourth episode that the cases get a little more interesting. They become a less cut-and-dry, more spooky, and the characters themselves are developed/revealed further by them. Still, it isn't until Episode 11 ("The Soul Cages") that we really see the true plot of the show coming into action. At that point, everything begins building quite heavily, and it doesn't stop until we hit the very end. By the time you reach the final three episodes, it's truly hard to not just finish them all in one go.

The easiest way for the writing to be fixed, would have been to put more of the main plot into the earlier episodes. More of the intensity, more of the conspiracy, more of all that. I think it would have pulled the show together wonderfully. But really, it's a small complaint... Of which I have one other. I felt that the final few minutes left a lot to be desired for an ending, especially with the build-up we were given... But still, every moment of watching the show was worth it, which is more than I can say for a lot of other anime I've watched.

If you're good to settle in for a slow-burning, delicately paced, atmospheric, gothic-mystery-science drama - you'll like the story.

ANIMATION
I'm a fan of the animation in this show. The design of each character is interesting, many of the backdrops used are impressive, and overall the animation is consistent.

That isn't to say there aren't a few errors though. There are moments where anatomy is rather questionable, and times when the faces are a little... Well, awkward -- but it's a television show. If you go into an animated television show and expect 'Mononoke-Hime' levels of animation, you're going to have a bad time. My only other nitpick with the animation was the use of CGI. It was only used for some backdrops, or things like elevator shafts, but it definitely stood out from the clean hand-drawn style of everything else.

My favourite thing about the animation simply has to be the character designs. They all made sense, none of them were strangely proportioned or overly sexualized. My greatest happiness had to come from Robin's costuming. She wears a red trenchcoat for most of the series, and it looks as it would if a real woman were wearing it. It's bulky, not form-fitted, not "sexy" -- it affords her more power, particularly in interactions with the glowering Amon.

One thing I have to note here... Not a complaint, or a compliment - but everytime Michael is typing something into the computer screens, it's essentially just "gejhebgablfn" - and I think that's beautiful.

SOUND
The number one requirement for any horror/supernatural/gothic type show is appropriate music. It's so important for the atmosphere... And Witch Hunter Robin succeeds in every way.

The opening theme, "Shell", has a 90s/00s grunge feeling to it; it could easily feel at home on a mix CD next to Evanescence or Linkin Park. It sets the stage well, and I can honestly say I did not skip it once through my watching of the series, it was just too good a song. The ending theme ("Half Pain") is lovely as well, it's a lot more subdued than the opening, but given that the endings of episodes are often on a quieter note, it transitions you out of your "watching" head-space perfectly.  The music used during the show is also quite perfect. It never once stands out, it blends in and adds the perfect emphasis to the show.

The sound effects on the show are chosen and mixed extremely well overall. From the ever-important Fire (Robin's craft), to things like a horde of crows, or a staff writing in the sand - it all works extremely well. The one exception to this, unfortunately, is footsteps. There are times, particularly in the earlier episodes, where the footsteps are mixed far too loud, to the point where they become distracting. Thankfully this improves throughout the series.

CHARACTER
The characters in Witch Hunter Robin are all extremely well done. From their designs, to the voices, to their personalities, each one stands on their own.

Robin - Our main character, Robin holds a heavy weight in this show, but she does it well. The character starts out as a sort of soft-spoken, though self-assured personality, and throughout the series she experiences immense, sensical growth that affords her impressive strength of character. Her progression is what the show is truly about, for this reviewer, and it is what makes the series work from the beginning all the way to the end. Though you may find yourself wanted to brush that silly lock of hair from her face.

Amon - The cold, rule-abiding veteran on the STN-J team, Amon provides a stark contrast to... Pretty much everyone else on the team. Sure, Karasuma is incredibly professional, but she's far from cold. Amon is a man of few words, and one of taking orders. Throughout the series his assuredness about right and wrong is put into question, and I found him an extremely easy character to hate -- but also one to cheer for when he would do the right thing. Side-Note (And FULL of **Spoilers**: From the opening sequence, one might be anticipating a romance between Robin and Amon -- To those people, I must remind you that Robin is *15* and Amon is in his *30s*. Thankfully, the show doesn't make that into the reality, and we wind up with more of a Brother-Sister, or even just a strong colleague-colleague type bond -- which is probably my favourite thing about this series.) **END SPOILERS**

Rounding out the team are:

Michael - Another young character (we never receive a specific age, but from the context we can assume he's under 18), and one of my personal favourites. Michael is a young hacker who went a little too far, and was given the choice between jail or working for the STN-J -- Which is pretty much like jail. He isn't allowed to leave the building. He seems to be a boy of few loyalties, but when the couple that he does have are facing off against one another, he also finds himself put to the test... Wait... More on that later.

Karasuma, a woman likely in her 30s as with Amon. She holds the craft of "Scrying" allowing her to touch objects and see visions pertaining to them. I fear she's a severely underrated character. She holds a lot of the integrity of the show on her back, and I found myself liking her more and more as the series progressed.

Dojima, a younger woman who seems to be built inherently on tropes when we first meet her. Thankfully, there is a reason for that revealed later, and she also becomes incredibly more likeable as the series progresses.

Sakaki, younger male on the team. I found him a bit annoying, but not unlikeable. Like Karasuma and Dojima - more likeable as the series progressed. Basically, as the show got more interesting, each of the characters did as well.

There are also some side characters (Nagira being a stand-out, for me), and some particularly interesting case-of-the-week Witches (Methouselah, Mamoru Kodo standing out there as well).

Overall, the characters are incredibly interesting, and are thematically given moral quandaries more and more often as the show progresses. The most affected by these are of course the major characters Robin and Amon, but each of the team have their own moments of questioning - and it's interesting to muse on whether they actually had any choice, or just the illusion of it.

ENJOYMENT
Witch Hunter Robin is a little slow to start, as I've said, but it builds to a high intensity around halfway through and become hard to stop watching at that point. If you like something that's certainly more of a gothic-styled drama, or a political conspiracy, or a occult-mystery... You'll likely find yourself enjoying it. It's certainly an experience, and a story, that I haven't found anywhere else.