Anime Recommendation : KAGEWANI | hiromu kumamoto

• Where to watch: Crunchyroll
• Genre: Horror, Thriller
• Release Date: 2015
• 2 seasons

OVERVIEW:

Banba sensei, a college professor and scientist, investigates the mysterious and rising appearance of monsters all over Japan. He eventually stumbles upon an organization that seeks to control and breed such monsters, and at the same time comes across a monster from his past.

WHY I LIKE IT:

The show starts by introducing the monsters and the unfortunate souls that come across them with our protagonist, Banba sensei, appearing later in the episodes to study the aftermaths of their deaths. While the character building doesn’t happen til later, this aspect of the show is what drew me to KAGEWANI. I loved seeing the different monsters that appeared – their design, their functions and eventually seeing how they fit into the plot. The plot eventually picks up and Banba gets more screentime as he starts becoming its center, but the monsters are strong til the very end. Loved his nemesis – it was such a great design and for me is still one of the best designed monsters out there. I won’t spoil, but it’s simple and yet so efficient without trying too hard. Maybe not scary like a xenomorph (such a great design! I love ALIENS!), but still very well done.

I actually found the plot to be solid, clear and concise overall despite a few odd things here and there. I liked seeing outside characters or even temp characters deal with the monsters and not just Banba. In any typical storyline it’s our protagonist who would face those monsters, not the public so I appreciated that. It didn’t take away from the tension as you never knew if people would escape or not. It all ties in to his story plot eventually.

The animation style is not everyone’s cup of tea, but I did not mind it. It’s kinda like papercut illustration that is puppetry-like when moving. It’s actually the same style as the anime THEATER OF DARKNESS: YAMISHIBAI which is a short story horror as both shows share the same creator. I think it does a great job for its storytelling and considering that all episodes are less than 7 mn, I’m sure it helped on cost. With that said, KAGEWANI may be a low budget project, but it’s not low quality by any means.

If you need something to watch that won’t eat up your day, give KAGEWANI a go and dive into this world of monsters. Just keep your shadow safe…