Animehead Brothers: Tsukihime: Lunar Legend

Hey guys, this Roxas. Merry Christmas Eve, and sorry for the large drought of content from me. Thankfully, my colleagues have been picking up my slack, so props to them. Today I'll be reviewing a Type-Moon anime (Fate/Zero, Fate/Stay Night, Carnival Phantasm, etc.) called Tsukihime: Lunar Legend. Be forewarned, this anime involves two things that have gotten a bad rap lately due to Twilight: Vampires and romance. Before you click to another page, just hear me out. This anime surprised me. It's actually very well done, so don't let the premise fool you. Now that we have that out of the way, we can move on.

Premise - Shiki Tohno is just your average high school kid. Your average high school kid who happens to have eyes of death. These eyes give Shiki to see lines running through everything, objects and organisms alike.


How would you like your entire world to look like that? Screen Shot.

Thankfully, a kind sorceress gave Shiki enchanted glasses, which keeps him from seeing the lines. Fast forward a few years, and Shiki is in high school. When mysterious killings begin happening in town, with victims having their blood drained and bite marks on the neck, is when Shiki's adventure begins.

Animation - I wasn't particularly impressed with this animation. It felt a bit drab and uninspired, succeeding only in giving a bleak feel to the world. Despite accomplishing this, I wish they would have put more style into the animation, looking very run of the mill.

Eh
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Music - The music was one of the high points of this anime. There was not a lot of it, but when it was there, it certainly set the mood. In fact, I do not think the music would have been so effective had it been playing more frequently. There is a lot of power in simplicity.

Plot - I will be clear that I am not a huge fan of vampires. The old stories are okay, but all the new twists on vampires I have seen have left me disappointed. Having said that, I really liked this story. This new perspective on vampires and vampire lore was not only well put together, it was interesting. I found myself constantly engrossed in the story, wondering what was coming next. My only qualm with the lore would be that I felt they did not explain enough. After the anime ended I was still left with questions about this world that I wish had been answered. The story following Shiki was genuinely touching while keeping an air of intensity, even at the softest of moments. I was large fan of this motif, and wish more anime would work with this. The ending of this anime felt very rushed to me, and although it was emotionally powerful and wrenching, I wanted it to go a little more in-depth.

Characters - I have mixed feelings about the characters in this. Shiki and Arcueid, the main characters, were believable, connectable, and great to watch. Their interactions were great, in the caliber of Hououin Kyouma and Makise Kurisu from Steins;Gate (A very large compliment). However, the supporting characters were poorly written and not well executed. With occasional exception of Ciel and Akiha, the supporters stayed the same, and I never connected with any of them. The villains did not fair much better. The atmosphere gave a menacing feel, but the villains did not add much. The only villain that felt genuinely evil was gone fairly early on. Still the main duo manage to be good enough to make up for the shortcomings of the others.

Verdict - Tsukihime: Lunar Legend is an anime with good ideas, great main characters, and strong music, but is hampered down by flat villains, a one dimensional supporting cast, and poor follow-through on the good ides.

Score - 7/10

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