Originally Aired: Fall 2017
Boy, what a mess. This series comes from the famed author of the Monogatari franchise, but it contains little to none of that former series’ wit, thematic density, or even it’s fun. The first couple of episodes promise a blood-soaked homage to the gory anime OVAs of the 80s and 90s, but instead Juni Taisen devolves into a messy, poorly told deconstruction of Battle Royale-type stories.
This would be all well and good, except Juni Taisen has no idea of what it wants to say outside of “War can be messed up, and stuff”. There are the whispers of better stories buried beneath all of the muck, especially with Tiger’s arc late in the season, but it is never enough to make up for the boring action, terrible characters, and awful pacing that plagues Juni Taisen for a vast majority of its runtime.
If you’d like to check out my episodic reviews, you can find them on Anime News Network.
Kick the Beckett! 