I was busy working on homework today, but I have enough time to talk this show. Especially since I don’t have that much to say about this show. Maybe I do, but my thoughts are straight and to the point like usual. Onihei, along with 91 Days, is one of the most non-anime, anime that I’ve seen. Why? Because despite the fact that it is a show that takes place in Fuedal Japan with samurai and everything, it’s an episodic cop procedural. I do say that this show each of the episodes have been decent entertaining so far, but this isn’t anything epic or outstanding by any means. It’s above average at best. I do admit that I like the stories that this Onihei has been able to produce so far. Especially since they produce a dark and gritty world with its own ongoing politics in the shadows and back allies of this era. It’s pretty cool and has decent world building to go along with it. I just wish the characters were developed a little more than. That and its production values are my major complaints.
Onihei is produced by a brand-new studio, M2. This is their debut work and you can tell. There is a lot of awful cg, still frames during action scenes besides the one where shadows were used instead, awkward and “quality” crowd faces, characters walk around by focused in shots on them with backgrounds moving behind them cheaply, and many others issues that a beginning studio would have. Still, there are some good things as well. The background designs, when you see them, are gorgeous. The character designs aren’t bad either and some of the way the shots are framed are incredibly cool and western in style as well. You can tell that there is potential in this studio. I can’t wait to see what M2 has for us in the future. The show isn’t that bad either, so give it a watch. See if you like it.
Mechanical Anime Reviews 
Another Onihei viewer this season, sweet 😉
I’ve only seen the first episode so far so I can’t comment on the ongoing format of the show, but if your comments are any indication I imagine I’ll have more Inspector Kumehachi to look forward to.
There definitely doesn’t seem to be anything epic about it, but with a realistic setting I don’t think you can expect much. We’re definitely not going to get Shishio Makoto attempting a coup d’etat of Japan, so this might really be all there is to it. Some character building can go a long way though, as you said.
Still, the Tenmei era was marked by famine and violence. There may be some very dramatic stakes yet, so I’ll be patient with this series for now.
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Yay, somebody else is watching it.
Honestly, I’m okay with it being not so epic and somewhat realistic. It’s nice to have a grounded anime where people don’t randomly shoot laser beams at each other and fly around from time to time. I can’t wait to see what happens with the next episode, because it seems to be going the episodic route for now, which is fine.
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