Kemono Jihen Review
Kemono Jihen is one of those stories where the main character is kind of a self-insert. It’s not quite the same as a typical isekai protagonist, in that it is just a power fantasy. Though that could be a part of it. That just isn’t the sole focus. It’s more like he is the catalyst for the rest of the characters. He is stronger than most, has the ability to heal indefinitely, and can summon even more strength if need be. Basically he’s an overpowered badass that assures you that everything will be alright. There isn’t anything inherently wrong with that, but it does make things less interesting being aware of this. It doesn’t help that he’s a blank slate with little to no emotion. Of course that doesn’t ruin the show.
There are plenty of other aspects of the show to enjoy, like the setting. The world of Kemono Jihen is nothing special. It is pretty much set in the real modern world with supernatural elements sprinkled in. There are spirits, beasts, and everything in between. Kabane, our main character, is what you would call a hanyo. It’s a combination of a human and a khoular, a “bloodless demon.” There are other classifications for human-beast hybrids, but it doesn’t go into much more depth than that. It’s really only important in regards to Kabane to explain why he is overpowered. I guess if you inherently like this type of show then it’s for you.
As for the other characters, they are fine. You’ve got Akira, who has ice powers, who is from some snowy ice village occupied by mostly females. Males are born every 100 years. I’m not sure how that’s supposed to work. I guess that explains why they have such a low population, but even that must be hard to maintain. Maybe the women FREEZE their eggs. Who knows? Akira and his brother Yui, who also has ice powers, were currently the only males living there. Of course they were mistreated, so they ran away. Yui is a bit over protective, and it all comes to a head in the final arc of the show. It’s all very heartfelt and kind of cliche. Then there is Shiki, who has the power of silk like a spider, who had a traumatic incident involving his mother as a child. There was a conspiracy and some betrayal, but it didn’t end too badly. That’s really all the interesting characters.
Overall it was a fun supernatural action show. The main character is a bit lacking, but maybe that’s on purpose. I think it could have used more world building and a more in-depth power system. It has a pretty high production value, so that’s a plus also.