Kemonozume

Would you allow yourself to fall in love with the monster you vowed to destroy in order to save humankind? Would you choose to be with a monster over your own kind? Would you still pick them if everyone was against you? Anybody, at any time, can fall in love, regardless of their race, and they might not be the monsters that society portrays them to be after all.

Kemonozume is a Japanese anime television series created, directed, and written by Masaaki Yuasa, with Nobutake Itō in charge of character designs and Kei Wakakusa composing the music. The series was produced by Madhouse and aired on WOWOW from August 5th to November 5th, 2006, featuring the genres of Action, Horror, Romance, and Supernatural. It consisted of 13 episodes with 30 minutes each, the primary theme being Mythology. It was given an R+ rating thanks to its mild nudity.

The anime Kemonozume isn't like any other anime. Kemonozume, which means "Beast Claw" in English, is perhaps one of the few television programs that strongly deals with blood, sex, and body mutilation alongside the standard clashing ingredients of love, lust, and hate. A Romeo-Juliet tale for individuals who, by society's standards, shouldn't be together.

Creatures called ‘Shokujinki’ have been coexisting covertly with humans for hundreds of years. ‘Shokujinki’ can shift into uncontrollable beasts with enormous claws and consume human flesh to survive, despite seeming to be like humans. A group of very adept swordsmen known as the Kifuken attempt to slay flesh-eating monsters. The plot of Kemonozume is about a swordsman's love story with a beautiful mesmerizing monster, who turns out to be the love of his life, and their struggles to maintain it.

Long ago, two lovers defied the Gods' commandments, and as a result, they were punished by being transformed into horrible entities who could only eat human flesh to survive. In human form, their ancestors mixed with everyday people and peacefully coexisted with them. A clandestine organization, the 'Kifuken' (Ogre-Sealing Sword), was founded to end these flesh-eating ogres and their dread of humanity. As a result, the two sides fought for several more generations.

Toshihiko Momota, the most recent heir to the "Kifuken," is their leader's son and has pledged his life to live and die by the sword. That is until he met Yuka Kamitsuki, who is genuinely a ‘Shokujinki,’ a flesh-eating monster. It was love at first sight, a typical Romeo and Juliet situation that has gone too far…

He offers her the love that she had been led to believe didn't exist, and in return, she shows him that life is more than just living by the warrior's code, even taking him along for tandem skydiving. When he learns that she is a Flesh Eater, his quicksand romance abruptly ends. Now, Toshihiko must decide between a warrior's duty and love. While flesh-eaters can take on the human shape at any time, they go insane as soon as they become overly excited or aroused and just devour everybody in their vicinity. The few "Shokujinki" who are intelligent enough to refrain from killing others arbitrarily thus make every effort to maintain a solid mental and emotional state. Upon reaching their breaking point, things can wind up ruining the situation.

I initially thought this was another Romeo and Juliet tale or perhaps A West Side Story, but Kemonozume accomplished two things that changed my mind. The romance isn't chaste. This pair isn't afraid of lust, passion, or physical contact. Toshihiko and Yuka truly engage in wild intimacy every time they indulge in it. This is due to Yuka's inability to control her need to turn into a beast because of the extreme thrill she is experiencing, and Toshihiko would constantly take precautions. He also handcuffed her wrists and legs to the bed's metal bars in one episode so he could continue to please her without interruption. Talk about commitment to his woman!

In my opinion, intimacy isn’t a waste of screen-time in this series, unlike in most other series, because when sexual bliss is at its peak, Yuka is the most vulnerable to revealing her inner self, which is an issue made worse by how much these two desire and cherish one another. They don't merely leave their homes to embark on adventures while knowing that they are rebelling against who they were born to be, making it an excellent addition. In their most intimate moments, we witness it. The intimacy doesn't go on for too long. This distinguishes Kemonozume from other series with more intimate moments.

The primary plot included how Toshihiko and Yuka would end the centuries-long conflict between their clans, inevitably involving freaky, gory physical intimacy. To further immerse the audience in their chaotic and violent world, other episodes would depict the dynamic interactions of other humans and beasts. These interactions would include both extreme scenarios in which beasts gobble up humans without remorse and those in which humans and beasts fall in love and do their best to live in harmony with each other.

While "Kemonozume" is an original series, it may not appear to have fluid animation like your typical anime. It has a unique aesthetic, and the artwork itself is somewhat rough. No adorable chibi features or sparkling eyes here! The anime-style approach they ultimately chose highlights how messed up the narrative is. Therefore, if you enjoy crazy stories like these, you're in for a treat!

There is no midi-like synth music in this anime. Still, you will nearly always hear incredibly funky jazz and swing music, especially during action sequences, and occasionally you will also hear soothing piano ballads. Never too little, never too much. I would say the anime's standout features are the twisted animation style and the many musical genres. "Auvers Blue" by Katteni Shiyagare serves as the opening theme, while Santara's "Suki" is the closing theme, featuring charming lyrics.

In conclusion, there are no black or white characters in this story. It's rather gray, I'd say. This is the anime for you if you want something different from the usual fare. Expect a sometimes-funny, sometimes-sad, but consistently pleasant journey of a lovely pair rather than an overly convoluted storyline or unexpected plot twists. Remember that this is significantly different from "regular" anime despite my praise. If Kemonozume doesn't capture your attention after the first episode, you probably won't alter your opinion by the conclusion. Madhouse’s approach to art style and animation may be a deal-breaker for some people. But this is absolutely worth watching!