Type: TV-series
Studio: Sunrise
Original year of release: 2002
Number of episodes: 26
Runtime per episode: 25 mins
PREMISE
Hiding in plain sight and unbeknownst to the general public, witches reside in this world. Supernatural beings who blend into society and like most of us go about their lives in relative peacefulness. That is until their powers awaken and they start hurting and in some cases killing people. This is where the STN comes in. A secret organization whose sole purpose it is to hunt down witches who've become a threat to society and eradicate them. The only real exception to this however is the STN-J. Japan's branch of the STN where unlike other branches they don't kill the witches but instead take them to "The Factory" where they are then incarcerated. At the start of the series the STN-J has just lost a member and HQ sends down a replacement hunter. A girl called Robin who is far more than she initially seems and might spell doom for them all.
PLOT
Before I got into anime, hell even before I got into American cable drama, I was a particularly large fan of the type of show that I like to call the "paranormal police procedural" Shows like The X Files and Fringe where you have a team of professionals who investigate a new murder mystery each week. But not just any regular boring old murder mystery. Murder mysteries that involve strange and unexplainable phenomena! Shows where it's not just about the who and the why but also about the how. What is behind all these strange and deadly occurrences and who is responsible? I got a very similar feel to that with Witch Hunter Robin. At least the first half of it where we follow the STN-J as they as they take on a new case in each episode, which usually results in them hunting down the witch responsible by the end of that episode. And these individual cases are all varied and interesting. They mostly focus on the investigation itself but through the interactions between the various hunters we do learn quite a bit about their backgrounds and personalities.
Then in the second half of the show the standalone format is thrown out the window and the show begins to focus entirely on its ongoing storyline which I hinted at in my earlier summary. This is when the show gets truly great. Though only for two episodes and then the story kind of fizzles out for quite a while and only picks up in the final five episodes as things kick into high gear and it turns into more of a sci-fi action show which lead towards a pretty spectacular and memorable finale. That, admittedly, did not actually close off all ongoing storylines.
What I really liked though is how the show continually blends the supernatural with sci fi elements. For instance in one episode we meet the inquisitor and see how he determines whether a witch's powers have awakened or not. This is not done by stakes and crosses but rather in a way that is largely lifted from the 1982 cyberpunk action thriller Blade Runner. Making it a real treat for hardcore sci-fi fans such as myself.
CHARACTERS
Throughout the show we follow the various members of the STN-J. At first they all appear as some kind of stereotype. Not the Japanese stereotypes mind you but rather ones you see a lot on Western television which I suppose is original in its own way. We have the rookie(Robin), the charismatic team leader (Amon), the dependable female member (Karasuma), the young upstart (Sakaki), the tech guy (Michael) and the one that's just tacked on and is mainly there to make the others look good (Dojima). Oh, and of course there's the chief who's very good at yelling at his subordinates. (Kosaka)
However to my surprise and joy most of these stereotypes don't hold up as the show progresses. Robin due to her having lived in a convent for most of her life is sorely lacking in social skills. Appearing far too timid to make much of an impression on anyone. But even in the earlier episodes she is clearly shown to have a very sharp mind. Moreover Robin goes through a tremendous amount of development and is a very different character by the end of the show then she was at the beginning.
Amon might be a charismatic leader but due to his withdrawn and formal nature you never quite know where he stands or what his goals truly are. That's not to say he's unlikable because he does get a lot of respect from his fellow members and helps out Robin quite a bit in his own way.
However probably the most surprising character of all was Dojima. At first she seems like a thoroughly unlikeable person and only functions as the comic relief character. However when the second half kicks in she really comes into her own and turns into one of the most important and reliable members of the entire team.
Lastly Kosaka might be very good at yelling at his subordinates but when push comes to shove he backs them all the way and turns out to be quite good at playing the political game.
One thing I did dislike about the characters though or rather found a bit odd: their ages. Most of the characters look and act like they're in their late twenties to early thirties. Yet the script mentions several times that they are in their late teens, early twenties with Robin being as young as fifteen which just doesn't make any kind of sense given the realistic tone of the show and the fact it was clearly made for a more mature audience. It's a minor gripe though and one that I can shrug off easily as there is so much else to like here.
ART & ANIMATION
Now for the animation! I love the way Witch Hunter Robin looks. The show has a mix of Gothic and modern styles being set in a modern day metropolis but with a lot of more Victorian style backgrounds being thrown in. The character designs all look fairly realistic while at the same time also enhancing the visual style of the show. The animation itself however is not top notch with occasionally frames where barely anything moves beyond the character's mouths. But Witch Hunter Robin is not an action packed show and most of the time it's just people standing around and talking so it doesn't really need flashy animation. And the few moments the animation does actually count, usually the action scenes at the end of each episode, it looks freaking amazing with some very cool camera angles spicing up the action.
SOUND
The soundtrack is another high point of the series. There aren't many different tracks on it but the ones that are there are very good and instantly recognizable. I especially like how the music style changes depending on the focus of the story. For the first half it's mostly ominous and haunting tones which fit with the supernatural elements it has. However when the show becomes very sci-fi heavy in its second half, the soundtrack goes full techno. And then there's the opening...I seriously cannot even describe how much I love this opening! It's just such an awesome song and it fits the show perfectly.
Because unfortunately, I don't own this show on DVD I hadn't had the chance to check out the English dub and as a result by default recommend watching this show subbed. Also given the Japanese setting I think sub would be the logical choice in any case.
RECOMMENDED VIEWING?
Now before I disclose my final thoughts on this show let me point out one thing I was continuously annoyed by while watching it: the title. More specifically the final part. Witch Hunter is an awesome title. It gives you this feeling of a dark and gritty show about someone hunting witches which is of course exactly what this show is about. Witch Hunter Robin however sounds like a Buffy the Vampire Slayer rip off and if anything this show is far more Angel than it is Buffy.
That aside though Witch Hunter Robin is a pretty darn good show. While it may not be as good as it could have been due to a lackluster second half and an ending that didn't resolve much I still really enjoyed it. If you're into paranormal police procedurals you should definitely check this out as shows such as these are rare and should be picked up whenever a good one comes along. However if this kind of show is not your cup of tea then you have my full permission to skip it as there'll be nothing there for you to enjoy. I however was definitely taken in by it. Or should I say...bewitched?
8/10
WORTH BUYING
Witch Hunter Robin has been licensed by Bandai Entertainment in the US and Beez entertainment in the UK. However in both regions the box sets have become very rare and very expensive so until Funimation finally gets the bright idea to pick it up and release it as part of their anime classics line I leave it up to your discretion whether or not it's worth the purchase at its current price.
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