“Hello, Michella. These are my friends.”
- Episodes : 12
- Genre : Action, Comedy, Fantasy, Shounen, Super Power, Supernatural, Vampire
- Airing Date : October 2017 – December 2017
- Studio : Bones
Contains Spoilers
In Kekkai Sensen & Beyond, the anime picked up on a few things that were mostly left out in the first season of the series. Character development is one of the things. If you’d notice in season 1, Kekkai Sensen didn’t really explore much on the backstories of fellow LIBRA members even when they appeared in the series. Characters like Klaus von Reinherz, Chain Sumeragi, Steven A. Starphase, don’t have their respective backstory to them.
To bring you guys up to speed if you haven’t watched the first season yet, this opening sequence should bring you up to speed.
“Hellsalem’s Lot, a city where this world and the Alterworld intersect. This is the record of the clandestine activities of the secret society of supermen, Libra, who work in the shadows to preserve the balance of the worlds.”
What We Liked About Kekkai Sensen & Beyond
There are a few things that really caught my attention when watching this awesome series, starting from the storyboard to the overall plot and cast of characters, the artwork as well as the soundtrack, basically, everything that was mentioned had come together beautifully like a perfect harmony.
Personally, the most intriguing thing about this anime is the relationship and interactions between the characters. Take Zapp and Leonardo for example, they always bicker in the most ridiculous way possible, with Zapp throwing slurs and profanity at Leonardo and Leonardo trying his very best to fight back. Or how Zapp is often abused by Chain.
It kind of reminds me of Konosuba, where the characters joked around and fight in the same way. There is a serious side of this anime as well, where they fight formidable and powerful enemies and the scene gets intense and exciting to watch.
Discussion Time
There’s no question that Kekkai Sensen & Beyond is a very good anime, but the way the anime progresses each episode does pose a problem. Since it’s made that the series can be binge-watched without having to lose sight of the main plot, it does pose a problem to the overall build-up. The anime itself has great potential to be so much more than a mere 24 series anime, it ended in an ambiguous fashion. It didn’t quite wrap up the series in its entirety, but it does give the viewers a certain level of closure and not just end it with a cliffhanger. The question still remains though, will this anime be granted another sequel?
Honestly, it would be such a shame to have the series end in such way. It felt like there’s more to tell, more adventures to be had by the characters and more arc plots to unfold.
Why You Should Watch Kekkai Sensen & Beyond
1. Character Development
One of the great things about Kekkai Sensen & Beyond is the fact that the series uncovered a lot of the characters that were members of LIBRA. As if the season is dedicated to it. While it took a toll on the build-up in plot progression, it definitely helped viewers understand more about the characters, which is a very interesting experience.
You would also notice that through this journey of ‘discovering the characters’, the development of interactions between characters is also a fun thing to watch. Take Leonardo Watch and his relationship with fellow LIBRA member, Zapp Renfro. Even though Zapp always addresses Leonardo as “Pubes” or “Runt”, he really does care about Leonardo, and it’s shown throughout the series.
2. Artwork & Soundtrack
Can we take a moment to appreciate the artwork and soundtrack of this anime? Let’s talk about the artwork. Since Hellsalem’s Lot is made to resemble the bustling conditions of big cities such as New York, you would expect a lot of cool stunning shots of the city life, and the animators did a great job depicting the day to day life of Hellsalem’s Lot, making it seem ‘normal’ even though ti really isn't.
As for the soundtrack, we have a returning artist that did the first OST of Kekkai Sensen, UNISON SQUARE GARDEN. If you watched the first season of the series then you would be familiar with how the unique style of the music the band brings. The ending “Step Up Love” by DAOKO x Yasuyuki Okamura is also a piece worth listening to. It gives off that edgy jazz funk to the series.
3. Badass Killer Signature Moves
If you are like me, then you would definitely fall heads over heels for cool ‘signature moves’ and that brief moment where they shout out the names of their signature moves while coolly executing them. On top of that, since signature moves are unique and in a battle, its very fast paced, the animation quality is just mind-boggling.
Some of the most memorable signature moves include Steven’s Esmeralda Blood Freeze Style, Klaus’ Brain Grid Blood Battle Style, Zapp & Zed’s Big Dipper Blood Battle Style, and many more! Trust me on this. Those few seconds of animation on signature moves is a definite must-watch!
Why You Should Skip Kekkai Sensen & Beyond
1. Lack of Arc Plot
This point has its pros and cons, although the series is best suited for binge-watching, it lacks the build-up to the overall plot. The series has the potential to be something more, but the overall story progression kind of dampens the mood. There isn’t any sort of climax except for the few last episodes about the origins of Leonardo Watch’s All-Seeing Eyes of God, and you might find the ending to be less fulfilling.
2. Series Ending
Although the ending of Kekkai Sensen & Beyond is a good one, it kind of lacks a certain flair, it felt as if 12 episodes isn’t enough to explore the entirety of the series yet. The series reminds me of One Piece, there are a lot of missing pieces of the puzzle that hasn’t been revealed yet.
For those of you that seek closure on the series, hoping to get one big finale after 24 episodes will be disappointed. What I can say is that it’s a good series nonetheless, I just hope Bones Studio confirms the 3rd season since I truly believe the anime has a lot more potential to grow.
Final Thoughts
To sum it all up, Kekkai Sensen & Beyond is a very fun series to watch. It has its beautiful deep moments, it has its silly and goofy moments, moments of intense battle, moments of happiness, sadness, and everything is there, to be honest. There isn’t a lot of reasons to not watch this series, other than the fact that the 12 episode run isn’t really enough to explore the series well. So let’s all hope that the Studio confirms the release of Kekkai Sensen 3rd season soon!
Author: Winfrey Widjijanto
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