Kujakuou

The three Kujakuou OVAs are adaptations of the manga of the same name and deal with three separate cases, featuring recurring characters in each of them, such as Kujaku himself and my personal favorite, Onimaru. That said, this is a production that, unfortunately, can be described as low-budget, to the point that it doesn’t even have a unified direction. The first and third episodes share a director, while the second has a different one. The reasons behind this choice are unknown, but it disrupts the overall balance: the first and third episodes take a more investigative approach with fewer battles, while the second does the exactopposite. Given the budget nature of the production, the animation does not maintain a consistent level of quality across all the OVAs. Although the second episode is the fastest-paced and most engaging, it is also the weakest in terms of animation, as the battles are poorly choreographed. Despite these flaws, I still appreciated the overall mystical tone (somewhat reminiscent of the Ushio and Tora OVAs) as well as the setting. Shin Kujakuou by Madhouse remains the best and most polished production, but if you enjoyed that one, I would also recommend giving Kujakuou a look. Story: 1/2 Direction: 0.5/2 Animation: 0.5/2 Characters: 1/2 Music: 1/2 Bonus points: 2/2 Final score: 6/10