When Kumiko Takahashi was brought on board to create the character designs for Witch Hunter Robin, she was told to make Robin look “as unattractive as possible”. This might seem like a case of ratings suicide in the competitive, eye-candy orientated world of anime where the good girls are so genki they manage to keep their skimpy costumes on by virtue of sheer enthusiasm alone, but when you see this series you realise two things.
One, the main character can afford to be made ‘unattractive’ because this is a show where character matters most.
And two, Robin’s not actually all that unattractive anyway.
Raised in a convent and a witch hunter at the tender age of 15, Robin is not so much unattractive as unconventional. A matrix of quiet contradictions, she comes across as shy yet has the sort of magnetism more usually ascribed to the angsty hero (and the brooding Amon does a pretty good job in that department before Robin even hits the screen). She has phenomenal power, but really bad aim. She’s caring, but her social skills could do with some work. She’s smart, but not brash. She’s geek and she’s sweet. She’s the thinking fan’s pin-up girl.
And it becomes clear from the word go that this is a thinking fan’s series. With meticulous attention to detail, to mythology, to characterisation, and to production, Witch Hunter Robin is all class. Starting off with a simple enough Witch of the Week premise, featuring tense chase scenes and some stunning supernatural battles that, on occasion, are even somewhat chilling, the action alone is enough of a hook. On top of that, the character development in the interim, where relationships form as tentative and awkward and frustrating as any in real life, makes the story that much more believable, despite the slightly fantasical premise. Showing that the hunted — the hereditary witches who are up until a certain point as regular as anyone — as being people you can sympathise with rather than bad guys to automatically revile adds to the already well established depth of the show. Following that, the subtle development of intrigue regarding the witch-busting organization Solomon’s intentions, interests and methods seems to be merely a finishing touch.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that an anime series can be as polished, precise and mature as Witch Hunter Robin is, but somehow it always does, and pleasantly. The way the creators manage the team of characters against the greater issues involved is handled so deftly it’s practically natural — always a sign of good writing, and the fact that the story carries without many of the usual crutches — constant action or a continual soundtrack — is an indicator of good direction by first-time, ex character designer Shukou Murase (Gasaraki, Argentosoma).
With so many things going for this series, it might be argued that it wouldn’t have mattered had the direction been less controlled or the script been less refined, but the fact that it is — that everything is — makes Witch Hunter Robin really stand out from the crowd as intelligent, stylish action anime that should not be missed.