Author: Elliot Gay Official Site: katanagatari.com, www.fujitv.co.jp/katanagatari SPOILER WARNING: This article contains plot details for a new animated series.

Japanese sword culture is an element of Japan that is not only heavily romanticized in the west, but also in the east as well. In Japan, television dramas about samurai or feudal Japan can be found on nearly every channel. Those who were masters of katana are a constant focus of interest. In 2007, young author Nisioisin decided to challenge himself. He was to write twelve novels over the course of twelve months. Each novel would represent a month of real-time travel for the protagonist. As such, the reader went through the different seasons just as the characters did. The name of this twelve novel journey was Katanagatari (??), loosely translatable as "Sword Story". As the title aptly describes, the narrative is focused on a set of twelve swords, and those who wield them. The story initially plays out like an elongated video game fetch quest, with our heroes seeking out each of the twelve katana. In the same way that Nisioisin released a novel once every month for a year, animation studio White Fox opted to produce KATANAGATARI as a twelve episode series, with one episode airing at the beginning of each month for a year. Starting in January and ending in December of 2010, the anime series keeps the real time pacing of its predecessor. With the total runtime of each episode approximately one hour, each episode is more or less the equivalent of two average anime episodes. As to why the series wasn`t simply split into twenty-four episodes, keeping to the original narrative pacing makes more sense considering the self contained nature of each novel.

Main characters Shichika Yasuri and Togame are initially both puzzling and difficult to identify with. Shichika lacks basic human qualities and knowledge. Togame on the other hand is manipulative and scheming; her motivations are unclear which immediately makes her hard to trust. She claims to be seeking what are called the Twelve Deviant Blades. They are said to have been crafted by the master swordsmith Kiki Shikizaki during the Sengoku era of Japan. Each blade contains some sort of strange power or ability that it grants its user. Togame hopes to gain possession of these blades so that she can eventually take revenge on those who had her father killed when she was a child. As fate would have it, in her quest she meets the swordsman Shichika, the son of her father`s murderer. Shichika is a master of the swordless sword style, Kyotoryuu. The idea is that the person is raised from childhood as though they themselves are a sword. Shichika, having lived on an isolated island with his sister Nanami his whole life, lacks knowledge of the outside world in addition to the fact that he considers himself a katana before a human. Upon his initial introduction, he is essentially a blank-slate. His personality could almost be described as without shape; neither generic or interesting, he is simply there. The first three episodes therefore follow Shichika and Togame, neither of whom consider him to be anything more than a tool for murder. Each episode sees the pair pursue a different sword, leading to a climactic duel between Shichika and the sword wielder. Episodes one through three follow this pattern to a predictable level. Episode four however sees to it that this initial formula is shattered into pieces. Despite hyping the upcoming battle with "the greatest swordsman in Japan" Hakuhei Sabi, wielder of the katana Hakuto Hari, the episode instead follows Nanami and her unexpected and merciless fight against the Maniwa Ninja Corps (a third party of ninja also seeking the Deviant Blades). At the end of the episode, we see Shichika and Togame having a conversation about how difficult and intense their battle was, without the viewers ever getting a chance to see what transpired.

More importantly, this episode represents the shift in focus that the series would make from that point until the climax; an increased look at Shichika and his journey to finding his own humanity as well as Togame`s growth and feelings for Shichika. This all begins to come to a head in episode seven. Nanami has gained possession of one of the twelve Deviant Blades, granting her unimaginable power despite her frail body. She challenges Shichika to a duel for the katana, forcing him to fight her to the death if he wishes to collect it. Her very desire is to die by his hands, but Shichika struggles with the very idea and resists it for as long as he can. In fact, he initially wins the battle without murdering her. In the end though, Nanami forces his hand by attacking Togame, leading Shichika to kill his beloved sister. Perhaps the most pivotal moment comes in the final episode when Shichika battles all twelve of the Shogun`s retainers, each wielding one of the Deviant Blades. When his foe asks if he is storming the castle for revenge, he replies that he is there to die. After having lost everything and everyone he has ever cared about, Shichika seeks death. Not without a fight however.

I should start off by stating what KATANAGATARI is not. It`s not an action series. Despite the focus on Katana and swordsmen/women, this is a dramatic tale with action elements and not an action tale with moments of drama. If you come into this expecting to be floored with non-stop scenes of sword-play and battle, you will inevitably be disappointed by what you find here. The series is also extremely wordy as a result. The first three episodes in particular have moments that seem to drag. They work better on a second viewing due to the subtle elements that hint toward things to come, but the first time through, the dialogue just does not enthrall. Nisioisin is known for writing stories thick on text (Zaregoto and Bakemonogatari come to mind), but at least initially the dialogue does not seem to be KATANAGATARI`s strong point. This is more than likely a result of the insane work schedule that Nisioisin imposed on himself. Especially in the early novels, I can imagine writing and planning out such a massive story must have had a negative impact on the quality. This does not stay the case, though. Each episode sees great improvement beyond the one that came before. By episode four, the dialogue has mostly ironed itself out and the story begins to introduce more reoccurring important characters. The pacing improves and the different groups seeking the Deviant Blades are given more background information and development. For example by episode eleven, I guarantee that you will feel sympathy for the seemingly `evil` Maniwa Ninja Corps. With the finale and Shichika`s last battle with Souda Emonzaemon, the story brings all of its elements and ideas together resulting in what I felt was an incredibly satisfying and emotional conclusion.

While it may have taken a few episodes for KATANAGATARI to iron out its narrative quirks, the quality of its visual and audio-style is clear from the beginning. Capturing the art style of frequent Nisioisin collaborator Take perfectly, animation studio White Fox (TEARS TO TIARA, STEINS;GATE) creates a simple, colorful and painting-like image of the feudal era of Japan. This is especially impressive because as far as I can tell they did not have a huge amount of work to their credit prior to KATANAGATARI`s production. Character designs are attractive and feel alive, foregoing typical fan-serving design elements (huge breasts, school-girl uniforms etc) in favor of a cleaner and more artistic look overall. There are no panty shots to be found here, and what little nudity the show has is handled very tastefully and naturally.

I mentioned before that the show was not abundant with action. While this is true, that doesn`t mean that what action is present is mediocre. In fact, action sequences are animated extremely well and creatively, making each duel something to look forward to. In particular, the final battle with the former ninja Emonzaemon is fantastic. It lasts approximately three minutes, but is filled with tension, emotion and energy. With a month to produce every episode, studio White Fox was able to take the time necessary to make each episode a treat. The result is a visually consistent effort that never dips below its high standard of quality. Musically, KATANAGATARI is scored by the ever prolific Iwasaki Taku (TENGEN TOPPA GURREN LAGANN, SOUL EATER). The alternative Japanese sound and instruments match this retelling of Japan`s history well. I own both soundtracks and can attest to the fact that they get an exorbitant amount of play-time on my ipod everyday. Though they are few and far between, Iwasaki`s vocal tracks are just as pleasing on the ear as they have always been. Nothing approaches "Libera Me From Hell" in terms of quality, but "Bahasa Palus" and its remix come extremely close.

Voice acting all around is kept to a high standard as well. Most pleasing is the fact that no one has a grating voice. I often find that a well-written female character is ruined entirely by the creative decision to have the voice actor put on a `cute` voice, resulting in one that is more annoying than anything else. Lead voice actors Toshimasa Hosoya (Yasuri Shichika) and Yukari Tamura (Togame) carry the series well, especially in the more emotional moments of the show. A special mention goes to the first fifteen minutes of episode twelve. The scene would fail entirely if both actors were incapable of summoning up the proper amount of emotion but they succeed admirably. KATANAGATARI is not a perfect anime series. I can see its early narrative flaws being a detractor for some viewers. They are talky and the leads just don`t appear to be all that interesting initially. Despite the intriguing premise (twelve katana that grant the user special abilities), the series seems to adhere to an overly simple video game-esque fetch quest. Yet the series goes on to develop into so much more, to the point where collecting the swords, while a necessary part of the journey, is no longer the real focus. Despite the struggle to even out at the beginning, once KATANAGATARI hit its stride, it grabbed me and never let go. I would not hesitate to call it the biggest surprise in 2010 for animation. Emotionally gripping and ripe with subtext and meaning, I would recommend KATANAGATARI to anyone looking for something different. It`s a perfect example of what anime as a creative medium is capable of.