TAKE IT EASY

TAKE IT EASY

RAHM JETHANI - Second Year, English and Japanese Major

Kekkai Sensen is just K-On but worse

Kekkai Sensen is a series that I find very difficult to talk about. This isn’t because it is near and dear to my heart (for indeed, it is not), or because it is simply too complicated (for indeed, it definitely is not). Rather, I find it hard to talk about Kekkai Sensen due to the anime’s focus.

What I mean by this is that Kekkai Sensen is an action anime. Most episodes of the show follow a villain-of-the-week format, with each episode climaxing during the confrontation between the main cast and the villain. As a result, the pacing of this anime is very episodic, which isn’t necessarily bad. Within each episode are periods of calm, broken up by steadily rising periods of action. It is extremely important to get a good balance of opposing tones to ensure a smooth viewing experience, and Kekkai Sensen mostly strikes this balance very well. The viewing experience is improved by high-quality animation done by Studio Bones, which makes each action sequence, whether it be a chase or fight scene, feel much more alive and impactful. However, there are points at which this focus on action draws attention away from other aspects of the anime that feel equally as important, if not even more.

What I mean by this is that Kekkai Sensen is a comedy anime. Every episode, while full of fight choreography and action sequences, is also just as full with humor. The scene I enjoy the most is actually one of the most subtle ones, where Leonardo is at his favorite fast food restaurant and orders one hamburger, one soda, and one french fry. Apart from the dialogue where he orders the food, no attention is drawn to the fact that he orders one singular french fry. The camera doesn’t focus on Leo’s

What I mean by this is that Kekkai Sensen is a comedy anime. Every episode, while full of fight choreography and action sequences, is also just as full with humor. The scene I enjoy the most is actually one of the most subtle ones, where Leonardo is at his favorite fast food restaurant and orders one hamburger, one soda, and one french fry. Apart from the dialogue where he orders the food, no attention is drawn to the fact that he orders one singular french fry. The camera doesn’t focus on Leo’ meal at all, so only those who picked up on the line will notice the absurdity in this mundanely-presented meal. Other scenes are much more bombastic in their comedy. There’s one section where the character Blitz T. Abrams is distractedly walking around during a massive fight, and due to his extreme luck, he remains untouched while the surrounding areas get destroyed. This is a great example of the action and comedy segments of Kekkai Sensen coming together to create explosively memorable moments. However, with all of the flashiness that comes from comedy and high-octane action, Kekkai Sensen often neglects one of its core thematic elements quite a bit.

What I mean by this is that Kekkai Sensen is a drama anime. Interspersed with the energetic parts of this series are moments of emotional intimacy, which are sometimes able to resonate deeply with an unexpecting audience. The technique of suddenly delivering dramatic moments in an otherwise comedic series is commonly used in nakige, and while Kekkai Sensen doesn’t really tap into the full poignancy of this storytelling method, it is still able to effectively tie together characters’ stories through drama. As stated before, drama in Kekkai Sensen tends to be neglected, which risks making these emotional scenes feel jarring or tonally dissonant. Thankfully, Kekkai Sensen handles this storytelling method relatively well, but there are certainly moments which will fall flat (but never to a painfully bad degree) to a critical audience.

I find it hard to talk about Kekkai Sensen due to the anime’s focus. Its three areas of focus each vie for attention, which at times can diminish the development of these areas negatively. However, because Kekkai Sensen never takes itself too seriously, it is difficult to seriously fault any issues in the anime’s focus. In my understanding, Kekkai Sensen’s focuses don’t actually matter. Above all else, this story wants to be “fun”. It wants this above good action, comedy, or drama. And because of this, even though I could intensely scrutinize this anime, Kekkai Sensen’s successful and whimsical “fun” has allowed me to take it easy.