Juni Taisen: Zodiac War

Before the start of the fall anime season, Junni Taisen was one of the animes that caught my eye. The reason why is because it had the term Novel on what material it was adapted from. As in it wasn’t a light novel series or a regular novel series, but rather it was one single novel. As in all it needed to do has been done, and all that’s left is to adapt it to animation that has an ending in sight that will leave little to no loose ends. What started as mild intrigue was quickly overtaken with dissatisfaction as the first two episodesrolled around. Juuni taisen starts out in terms of its premise, as a very simple battle tournament between some of the best “warriors” in the world. The gimmick in this story is that each the the contenders is representative of each of the chinese zodiac. Add on top of that a desolate city where the contenders can do whatever they want, and you have a formula for some fun. It may not be the most smartest of stories, but it has the ability to bring many great fighting scenes which sadly never becomes the case. Backstories and their utilization One of the most noticeable aspects of this show, mostly because of how much time it takes from the show, is that it has a lot of backstories. Almost every episode has a backstory for one of the characters which is fine, I mean there are 12 characters and only 12 episodes worth of screen time for them. The problem is that each backstory is too long, and even worse is that it's the only shreds of characterization that we have for almost all the characters. I mean i’m fine with backstories as a way to develop a character and give them more depth, but it should be used as the base not the entirety of the character. It’s because of this that all the characters feel shallow, and it’s difficult to get engaged with them which in turn removes a lot of tension that could have been given to the anime. It’s also because of the overuse of backstory that during my time watching I began to wonder, how are backstories are used in a story? One of the answers i came to is the one i used a paragraph above, as a way to develop a character and give them some depth while serving as a base and point of reference for how far they have or haven’t changed through the course of the story. It could as be used as a way for characters to interact as a way to sympathize or persuade each other, as well as the characters and readers getting a chance to know the characters. Now how are they are inserted into the story? Well as stated above it could be through character interaction, but another way is through characters reminiscing over their past. A majority of Junni Taisen’s implementation of backstory is through reminiscing, which also becomes another of its faults. Reminiscing over your past is better used during the low points in the story when there is not much conflict and characters are allowed time to think about things without interruption. However since Junni taisen is mostly conflict it seems unreasonable for characters to think about their past, since they should be more busy thinking of strategy plans. It’s only used properly twice and that’s because it was before and after the battle royal, which is basically the low point, and it also does backstory via character interaction maybe once. All other backstories feel hamfisted into the story as a way to give the characters some form of depth. They should have also thrown in a record scratch and a freeze frame before delving into their backstories because at least that would give them some value even if comedic. Even worse is what comes after each backstories that turn the show into a bore which leads to. Character focus and the wheel of predictability Junni Taisen doesn’t really have a central that the story focuses on, but insteads puts focus on almost the entire cast, with each given an episode each. It did comes as quite the surprise during the first episode when only one character was given the most focus to, as well as a backstory, to the point that it was made to believe that they were the main character. Of course that thought was dashed away as they died in the very same episode. It was a nice subversion of expectations, but the problem is that it didn't go anywhere with this. It kept on doing the same thing over and over again with each character. If they are the main focus of the episode, and are given a backstory than they are likely to die soon. It may not be in the same episode, but they still die in a certain manner that holding back their death for an episode or 2 didn’t really matter. Another thing to add on top of that is the order that the characters die. All you need to do is look at the chinese zodiac wheel and after the death of the three contenders, it’s easy to see how the show is going to play out. It seems that the people of the show were aware of the predictability of the show, and made heavy hints on how it will play out via the ending title, and the name of each episode. Even so it really adds nothing to the show. The show tells you what it’s going to do and does it, and does nothing else. It’s fine but leaves nothing for the viewers imagination, and removes even more tension from the show. With a predictable story and shallow characters, it’s hard to see the point in the story as it drags on. the fuckery of the junni taisen world The world of juuni taisen doesn’t make any fuckin sense. At first there wasn’t much to the world other than a group of assassins wearing costumes corresponding to their zodiac animal meeting in the middle of a desolate city to duke it out in order to have their wishes granted by the host. Gimmicky and simple sure, but it allows for things to be straightforward and brush of things that are never explained such as, how are they able to fight in a city that seemed to be abandoned recently? Well if they are able to gather the best killers in the world than they must be stinkin rich which also could explain how they are able to grant a wish and have people evacuate the city, via money and power. However in the same first episode near the end magic is also introduced through the use of necromancy. So that leaves questions that weren’t questioned now difficult to explain because now the wish and the the abandoned city could have been explained with magic or money, but it seems the writers weren’t bothered now to actually explain it. So now you have a world where there is some sort of magic in the world and the contenders are able to use them, but it seems that one ability is restricted to one character each. It’s never explained why only one ability or how abilities such as theirs play in the world outside of people being assassins. It also leads to a power imbalance as it could be possible for one of the characters to have an op ability that can beat the rest of the contenders. I think the thing that bothered me more was the entire point of junni taisen was that it served as a proxy war so that unknown people can make bets to take counties, and the whole thing is just dumb. There’s been enough flashbacks from the series to show us that there is still war between nations and fighting over land outside the battle royal. Is there going to be a change of government are borders going to be redrawn especially for something that happens every 12 years. Even then it’s not like the citizens will be happy which can lead to civil unrest and rebellion. I was also going to go into the 12 families and the happenstance of the character aesthetics to their respective zodiac, but at this point it’s too much. Basically as more about the juuni taisen world is shown the more convoluted and contradictory it really is. It looks like a bunch of things slapped together with not much thought in the big picture. Production Value and other final thoughts The production value during the beginning was fine to say the least. I liked the character designs of the warriors mostly because of how gimmicky they are just so they can be identifiable to their zodiac. Although backstory boars combat outfit looked nice as it had a metal gear look to it. The animation was smooth although it had a rough looked to it which i personally liked even some of the cg animation was good. But that’s just the beginning as the quality in terms of both art and animation go down. Animation starts to look jagged and cg is used even though the characters are standing around which looks ridiculous. In terms of sound there’s nothing to harp about as most of it was forgettable. Characters sound like how they’re supposed to sound, and music play when it’s suppose to, but nothing truly stands out. Going into this show i was at least expecting some action shlock, but it seems that wasn't the case. There were interesting things in the show for sure such as the backstories which themselves could make interesting stories, but they are confined to this one. There was also some “witty” writing when it came to the characters and what they represent, but nothing mind blowing. This is a show that said it will do a thing, did it, and nothing more.

Every season nowadays, we get one of those “dark, edgy” shows that can make our stomach growl. From this year, we had plenty of those. Titles such as Kakegurui, Chaos;Child, and even Vatican Kiseki Chousakan tried to sell its ideas to viewers with mixed results. Then, there’s Juuni Taisen, a show that features a battle royale theme. Based on the signs of the Eastern Zodiac, it’ a character battle for the ultimate grand price of having a wish fulfilled. But honestly, Juuni Taisen is a show that betrayed expectations. It didn’t fulfill my wish of a show that is memorable. Instead, it delivered a half-assedTV anime that makes headlines for the wrong reasons. Juuni Taisen is interesting to note for its creator, the brainchild behind the Monogatari novels. While that franchise takes on a more narrative approach, Juuni Taisen tried to do something different. It became a show that heavily focused on its characters, ones that I honestly found to have many problems by their standards. That’s another subject by itself though. For this anime to succeed, it had to really get viewers invested into the story and be something unique of itself. Unfortunately, the battle royale theme is hardly original. The popular Fate franchise already had a similar premise while other shows in recent years also took on such an approach. (ex. Btooom, Mirai Nikki) What Juun Taisen failed to really do is not bringing in characters that are worth watching for but instead kills them off like they are some failed experiment. To say the least, that’s just awful to realize. Watching this anime will probably get you to realize what it wants you to like. The bloodthirsty action, tragic drama, and emotional storytelling is what people should really expect from a show like this. Unfortunately, it only capitalizes on a small percent of that. Its straightforward storytelling is very predictable as you’d expect from a battle royale theme show. Every time you see an episode filled with storytelling based on a certain character, almost always expect that character to die sooner or later. As for the storytelling itself, this show took a risk and it didn’t truly pay off. Most of the characters in this anime has some sort of background story, motivation, and apparently goal for themselves. However, it doesn’t really evoke any feelings in the end as it’s hard to get attached to them. With perhaps the exception of the Tiger, almost every episode made me feel less sensitive about the characters. I don’t feel much sympathy for them because there’s really no point to after realizing what their fate awaits them. It’s so predictable that you can almost guess exactly what may from scene to scene for some episodes. The worst offender is the Usagi (Rabbit) because this anime omits any sort of character development for him. He is literally portrayed as a psychotic abomination who tries to make “friends” and enjoys the thrill of killing. It doesn’t also help that the character lacks a personality and is there to fill the bloodthirsty action part of the show. By storytelling context, I do want to say that the show provides reasons for the battle royale itself and that there’s a larger end-goal than just making a wish come true. If you came for a show with graphic content, then this may end up being somewhat of a crowd-pleaser. The body horror, bloodshed, and overall psychology lives up to certain expectations. So really, if you plan to watch Juuni Taisen, you won’t be disappointed for a show that offers its violence. I also have to add that through its battle royale theme, the show sometimes gets creative with how characters uses their approach to kill. While it’s far from being an intelligent anime with strategies and clever psychology, some characters are deceptively cunning. The anime makes it clear that there will be one victor so death is something that you’ll see often. The way these are carried out can occasionally be impressive despite the extreme predictably. Adapted by studio Graphinica, I will admit that the overall visual quality gave me some favorable impressions. From the character introductions to the battle choreography, Juuni Taisen knows how to get viewers pumped up for some of its episodes. As dark and edgy as this show can be, it does live up to some expectations in regards to its technical content with graphic horror. Body parts are shredded, blood is spilled, and mentality is tested through facial character expressions. There isn’t much censorship either. Tragic background stories has a black and white stylish tone that expresses a sense of vulnerability. Most of the animation also remains fluid without questionable raw quality. The character designs are interesting to take notice ranging from Usagi’s man service to some of the sci-fi gimmicky outfits such as those wore by Tsumita siblings. The animal motifs and characteristics are also evident to represent the Chinese Zodiac. When it comes to soundtrack delivery, there are several qualities that makes this barely watchable. First, the battle OST is far too generic. It just seems to be there and isn’t unique by any standards. Second, there are the character voices. Some of them really doesn’t make an impact while others are memorable just by their voice alone. The guiltiest example is Usagi, a character voiced by Nobuhiko Okamoto. His voice from this show channels the craziest and ridiculous lines I’ve seen from this show. On the other hand, the theme songs gives a feeling of melancholy and grimmer mood. I mean, it is a very moody anime after all. Should you really watch Juuni Taisen? As a light novel adaptation with 12 episodes, it’s about as predictable as it can get. Expectations were shattered in pieces once you realize what you’re in for. Beyond the predictably, the anime fails to get over most or if any of its character cast. Even when there are characters that you try to feel sympathy for, it ends up being wasted in the end. It’s a show that I tried to accept for what it is but ended up being a dumb action flick that ran dead on its shoes.

I am sick of people saying that this anime is a non-sense. I loved the anime from the beginning. The first 2 episodes were totally unpredictable and then it got predictable. The unpredictability once again returns in the last episode. I mean who would've thought that. This anime is not just about action but also has awakening meaning.You get pretty awesome action. Intense strategizing. All 12 characters different in their thinking (except for the Dragon & Snake Brothers). Overall I loved it. I was excited every single episode. the OP is excellent. Art could be better though. One Bright spot in the Fall2017.

Sometimes it is easy to grab a club and hit a series as hard as possible with an unconvincing criticism, and we forget that our tastes are not the same as those of the readers. The plot is about a group of assassins (zodiac configuration) who joined a fight to death called Juuni Taisen, that's all. First, let me ask you something. What story do you expect from a fight to the death or deathmatch? All the characters will die, so the story is easy to follow. The substantial part of the spectacle is not in the fight against death itself; it is in the background fromthe secondary stories. Besides, all the personality, skills and reasons to be in the battle are explained in the secondary stories. Why should an author focus on the deathmatch, knowing the predictable outcome? The anime gives constant clues about WHO will die later, so pretending to be surprised by the plot is a big mistake. Do not have high hopes for the story, it is predictable but you can enjoy the small stories and the animation instead. Remember, it is not Death Note, Made in the Abyss, etc. Furthermore, ¿what will you expect from these characters? In summary, they all are assassins, murderers, most of them are psychopaths and antisocials so what background do you want to see? A killer lover of all living beings? ¿A killer, that have some morals and will cry at night for all the persons that died? They are not like Monkey, and that character was a killer as well. Please, do not overthink a deathmatch plot and do not try to explain it either with false and bold arguments. The art is normal. The show is predictable. Moreover, for an animation studio is hard to invest a significant amount of money and time in some fights when the outcome is evident for the audience. Also, the chapters try to explain the character's perspective, so the animation used is acceptable for this purpose. On the other hand, the sound is typical, it helps with the fights and boosts the events but nothing more. The OP was ok. In conclusion, the show gives the casual enjoyment when you watch any predictable show. For example, you could enjoy the character's short stories, but you already know the outcome, so you will feel a bit disappointed at the end because the show did not fulfill a more significant plot. Overall 6.5 rounded 7.0 Finally, the show has some remarkable short stories, but not all them are fascinating. The plot isn't hard to follow, and it is very predictable. However, the outcome fits the adaptation's objective and relinquish some information about the characters using short stories. Sadly, the pacing could be a problem because the time between the short story and the dead of the characters do not allow any further character progression. Besides, the show isn't as bad as some reviewers are trying to manifest. A lot of spectators will enjoy that genre and the story, but the show isn't fantastic either, so if you expect too much from it, you could receive a hit in the face.