Arata Kangatari

Yes, it's nothing special, nothing new. It's basically the same stuff you get on every other corner and maybe even better. But what I liked about this anime was that everything was fast paced, it had momentum. No long self-doubts, no long fillers by having them cook, run around in the woods, pick raspberries, contemplate their existence and the scars on their souls... The characters weren't overly annoying, either – none of them. Even the one who took on the role of the whiner wasn't that bad. What more could you ask for in this day and age when you can hardly find anything like this? Plus, the beginning was quite cruel and unforgiving, but then it mellowed out and got a bit more fairy tale-like, which I didn't mind. My only regret is that it's not the whole thing; we're only halfway through. But I suppose there will be a second season. For me, a break from everything that annoys me so much about anime – it was there too, but not in such quantity that it managed to annoy me. It had its charms. (01.08.2013)