Kekkai Sensen review
Kekkai Sensen!
About
Studio: Bones
Episodes: 24 (2 seasons)
Aired: Spring/Summer 2015; Winter 2017
Genre: Action, Sci-fi, Comedy, Urban fantasy
Demographic: Shounen
Kekkai Sensen’s source material is its manga written by Yasuhiro Nightow, which was originally published in Jump SQ19 starting in 2009. It was later moved to Jump SQ Crown from 2015-2018 and from 2018 to the present it is being published in Jump SQ Rise.
Plot
Kekkai Sensen is an anime focusing on the city of Hellsalem’s Lot...a twisted, monster-filled version of New York City. Our protagonist, Leonardo Watch (Leo), comes to Hellsalem’s Lot as a photographer...and is also searching for a way to return his sister’s sight.Leo becomes caught up in the crime-fighting organisation known as Libra, which is full of quirky individuals possessing unique powers. Leo himself possesses the ‘All Seeing Eyes of the Gods’, enabling him to see through the eyes of others as well as control what the see. Kekkai Sensen follows Leo and the other members of Libra in their everyday (action packed) life in a Hellsalem’s Lot.
Kekkai Sensen presents in an episodic fashion...almost like an action focused slice of life.
That being said, it does have an overarching plot (which is especially developed in the second season). I felt the plot was a bit all over the place at times...the first episode in particular is rather hectic. It’s a fast paced show, and for some it may be a bit too fast paced. It’s as if every episode is a crazy whirlwind of action, and personally I love it.
It’s the type of show you have to just enjoy for what it is...everything starts to come together as the anime progresses, even if it starts out rather hectic. In my eyes, being thrown into the middle of all this action actually helps build up the sense of place in the wild world of Hellsalem’s Lot.
Characters
Leo is a relatable character to me at least. Despite his special power, he’s not really different from any other typical person. He is rather meek or even a bit cowardly at times, but instead of these traits dragging him down as a character, they actually strengthen him in many ways. He may be often quiet and more than happy to avoid dangerous situations, but when something or someone he cares about is on the line he shows his determination and power. I think this blend of personal flaws and strengths help build up Leo into a really strong character.While Leo is Kekkai Sensen’s protagonist, he often is not the one in the spotlight. In fact, I would say Leo often takes a backseat row observing (through his All Seeing Eyes if you will) the actions of the other members in Libra.
We meet memorable characters such as Libra’s gentlemanly leader, Klaus, who possesses super strength, the rather immature (and somewhat morally dubious) Zapp, the rather sadistic Chain, Leo’s gentle sister Michella, the mysterious twins Black and White, and of course Leo’s pet (sonic speed) monkey, among many others. The anime often follows these separate characters, helping to build up their backstories. Zapp, Klaus, Black, and White in particular have quite a bit of screen time and detailed backstories along with character growth.
Kekkai Sensen does struggle slightly with giving equal focus to all of the more minor characters, but overall I appreciate how they place our attention on other characters besides Leo (as much as I love him). It gives fairly good focus to it’s large cast of characters, making them more memorable than if they had simply been background characters. While it may choose to focus more on several supporting characters rather than all of them, I don’t see this as a major flaw, especially given the number of episodes. By putting the spotlight on even more minor characters, Kekkai Sensen starts to paint a more vibrant picture of just what kind of people live in Hellsalem’s Lot.
What's so special?
- The Memorable Characters
I like Kekkai Sensen for many reasons. One of them is how memorable the characters are, even more minor ones are brought into focus rather than the anime simply revolving around the protagonist. While I already covered the characters more in-depth above, they truly are one of my favourite parts of the show. Each character stands out in its own special way, and they are just so full of life that the anime feels really vibrant because of its characters. I think the way Kekkai Sensen treats it’s large cast really contributes to rich world building within the show, and it’s hard not to love the diverse cast of quirky characters.- The Tone
I find the show to be incredibly enjoyable and straight up hilarious at times...it has its darker, more serious moments, but it’s quite lighthearted much of the time as well. It’s not afraid to get a bit goofy and I find it just loads of fun. I think combining humour with more serious elements is really pleasing. The seriousness gives the story a meaning while the humour keeps it from feeling too heavy.It’s also quite fast paced (it is shounen after all) and as I previously mentioned it’s like a whirlwind of action in each episode. I find that keeping the story going at this pace keeps you engaged, especially since it combines this fast action packed style with a few more thought-provoking moments. Even with its pacing, I find many of the scenes to be quite intentional and meaningful to the anime as a whole. So while it might be filled with action, these scenes are still important as a whole.
- The Art
I also like the overall art style in Kekkai Sensen, it’s not particularly flashy but I find it rather appealing. It’s just unique enough to feel fresh without being over the top weird. And let’s be honest, Leo’s eyes are kinda awesome looking. Studio Bones rarely disappoints with it’s visuals and Kekkai Sensen is no exception. The intricate cityscapes are vibrantly detailed, the character designs are fantastic, and I really love the usage if colour throughout this anime. The art really draws you into the world and just has a bit of a flair that makes it stand out.- The Themes
It’s interesting how Kekkai Sensen deals with some more complex themes as well. While on the surface it is more of a action anime, it still doesn’t hesitate to tackle themes such as guilt and self-sacrifice. While it’s by no means a psychological anime, I always appreciate when some larger themes are incorporated into the story. In particular I like how the theme of guilt over things we cant exactly control is presented. I think it’s an important thing for many of us (or myself at least) to consider, and I really like when an anime is applicable to real life. We can see how Leo continues to struggle with guilt throughout the story, as well as how he begins to slowly come to terms with it (especially in season 2).Even with its episodic style, Kekkai Sensen does have an overarching plot where these themes come into play. I think the way that the greater story slowly begins to unfurl as the series progresses is a strong point of the anime - it becomes increasingly complex as the anime goes on without having a big exposition dump like some anime.
- The Openings and Endings
Another thing that I absolutely love about Kekkai Sensen are the openings and endings. “Sugar Song and Bitter Step” will probably always be my favourite anime ending...it has yet to fail bringing a smile to my face, I consider it my happy song. The openings and other ending are also great, with catchy songs and interesting visuals. Season 1 had the best opening and ending in my opinion, with “Hello, World!” and “Sugar Song and Bitter Step” just being a ton of fun and also really cohesive overall. Season 1 may have been hard to beat, but Season 2 also did not disappoint with “fake town baby” and “Step Up Love” both being incredibly catchy songs. I really liked the visuals in both of these as well (especially Step Up Love’s rather funky visuals). Overall I think Kekkai Sensen definitely doesn’t let down Studio Bones’ reputation for fantastic openings and endings.- The Bottom Line
Kekkai Sensen is a fun anime fully worth a watch. While I’ve heard some complain that it incorporates things like romance into the plot (thereby shifting the focus from the action) I personally found this mix of elements typically found in the drama genre to be interesting and refreshing. The action scenes are cool of course, but I think focusing on other aspects adds a lot to the story. Kekkai Sensen is well done in both seasons...in fact I think the second season may just be better than the first as it really starts to develop the story further (although nothing will compare to the first season’s ending song to me) It may not be one of the top anime masterpieces, but it is a solid one and remains among my favourite anime for a reason.That concludes today’s post. Have you seen Kekkai Sensen? If you have, do you agree or disagree with what I’ve said here? Have a lovely day everyone and I’ll see you next time!
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