Katanagatari – Episode 01
We’ve almost reached the end of the Winter season launches with the airing of Katanagatari. However, this is a nonstandard series. The plan is to be a sweeping epic series that is aired as one 45-minute episode every month for the rest of the year. I don’t have a lot of time before shipping out for Ohayocon, so let’s jump right into this.
Going out in the middle of a blaze is pretty cool though.
The anime starts on an isolated island where our protagonist Shichika and his sister Nanami live. They came to this island with their father when the empire banished him. Shichika has inherited the no sword style, called Kyotouryuu, from his father, who died a year before our story. Togame, the shogun’s “strategian,” has come to this island to seek out the head of the Kyotouryuu style, which means her aim is to recruit Shichika.
She's fallen for him.
Togame lays out most of the plot for us. An infamous swordsmith by the name of Shikizaki Kiki made a series of 1000 swords. Of these, the last 12 are especially dangerous, and have special properties. The shogun sent ninjas and swordsmen to retrieve the weapons, but to no avail, as once obtained the hires disappeared. She needs Shichika to aid her in her task, since he’s the only person in the world with the skills necessary who wouldn’t be swayed by love or honor. She also wants him to love her.
You've got to believe in the heart of the cards... I mean... the power of love!
An assassin, Koumori, interrupts their conversation with a hail of kunai. Our hero gives chase and the two stop at the beach. It turns out this guy has the first legendary sword, which he keeps in an… unorthodox place. The Zettou Kanna’s special ability is its extreme durability, rendering it mostly unbreakable. After a lot of talking and a small amount of combat, the assassin escapes with Togame.
Dude breaks swords and doesn't afraid of anything.
Koumori takes on Togame’s appearance using his ninja skill, and goes to kill Shichika. Unfortunately for him, our hero has quick reflexes and immediately lashes out when surprised. Koumori reveals the strategian’s true intentions to try to convert the martial artist. It turns out she’s actually the daughter of the rebel leader, and Shichika’s father killed her father. However, hearing that she decided to turn to her enemy for help actually moves the young man to commit to aiding her. He dispatches Koumori, takes the sword, and the two then set off on their quest.
Stop hitting yourself!
This first episode serves as a prologue, and because it must set the stage for the rest of the plot, there is an incredible amount of dialogue. Shichika lampshades this halfway through when he asks if ALL mainlanders talk this much. However, the plot is interesting, and hopefully we’ll get more action in later episodes. Shichika plays the role of the rather quiet, dumb protagonist, while Togame serves as the plot force and comic relief. Foremost, the art style alone makes this series worth watching in my opinion. The colors are vibrant and appealing and the art direction is a lot more fluid then what you might be used to. It reminds me of Kaiba. I am extremely interested in seeing more, unfortunately, we’ll have to wait a month for the next episode.
See you next time, feudal cowboy.
