Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
YamiLoon
Kurozuka is a perfect example of an anime that makes you think "this could have been amazing"... and then spends 12 episodes proving why it wasn't.
The premise sounds cool: a samurai story that evolves into a vampire mystery mixed with sci-fi and a post-apocalyptic setting. The beginning may feel familiar, but the ideas behind this anime are genuinely interesting. Unfortunately, having a great concept doesn't mean much when the execution can't keep up.
Visually, Kurozuka still looks impressive. The animation, art style, atmosphere, and soundtrack are easily the highlights. The anime knows how to create a dark and mysterious mood.
The problem is that the direction seems determined to make the story as confusing as possible. The constant time skips and non-linear storytelling don't make t…
Read at the sourceBestroChen
As someone only watching the anime my opinion is. It could not decide what it wanted to be. Maybe the novel or manga portray it a lot better, but purely from a viewer standpoint, cannot recommend it. This might be one of those times that something was just attempted too soon and became too messy and disorganized. Other reviews say the confusion is cause of the multiple lvls of adaptation going on. That however does not make the product good just cause the source material is. Not going to suggest people watch the Eragon movie simply because the book was good.
Who knows, maybe a modern studio takes another crack at it. Maybe it just stays as a meh adaptation that is trying too hard. Either way THIS version is very much a product of its time and does not hold up. Plenty of older anime aged…
Read at the sourcemuratbasci
General Overview:
An anime that includes sword fighting, vampirism and a kind of love story. Although the vampirism part is not exactly a vampirism event as we understand it. Vampirism is used as a kind of object of reaching eternity. It also includes a bit of a time travel story but not in a very emphasized way.
Good Side:
- I think it had an engaging plot. The mysterious story it contains constantly makes you wonder what will happen in the next episode.
- The poetic songs sung while showing parts from the previous episode at the beginning of each episode were very nice.
- The drawing quality was good.
- It was also one of the aspects I liked that it was not a typical vampire story
Bad Side:
- The opening song was too harsh for me.
- Although the plot is very intriguing, it is also…
Read at the sourceMorningstar991
"Destiny is predetermined" // "Love is blindness" if either of those sounds true to you then you will like Kurozuka.
On the surface it's an episodic story,but all it takes is 5 minutes to realize it's much more than that,told trough flashbacks,dream sequences,deja vu's and timelapses,which for some reason confuses the average anime viewer hence it's low score.As for the art & animation both are top-notch,it was peak Madhouse at the time after all.
It's hard to write a review without spoilling anything so all there is to be said is to watch and form your own opinion,don't trust the MAL score in this instance.
Read at the sourceGsarthotegga
Although this series has a reputation of being confusing, it's actually very straightforward—it's just that the first three or so episodes are jumping around to different time periods, relying on flashbacks, peculiar editing, unfinished plot threads, a bizarre head trip where the main character doesn't know who he is, and jumbling it all up to create what looks to be a non-linear, experimental anime, but this doesn't last.
We begin in 12th century Japan, and the story specific to the characters of Kuro and Benkei remains superficial. There is some kind of feud between warring factions and Kuro is on the run. These elements fade into the background as Kuro develops an unhealthy obsession with an immortal vampire woman. Most of the male characters end up becoming enamored with her.
The go…
Read at the sourceGrimmjowReaper
Period anime featuring samurai seems too often focused on historical accuracy that makes it appear grounded, less experimental and/or imaginative. But there are some series that incorporate fantasy, that introduce thought-provoking questions, and allow both anime- and non-anime fans to dig deeper with the theoretical discussions they offer.
Death Note is an example of an ideal series for the non-anime watcher because it encourages layered problem-solving as there are those long pausing moments that is typically seen throughout japanese animation that has us contemplate and search for concrete answers. It is arguably director Tetsurō Araki greatest achievement, shocking the world with it philosophies, its style and its detective-mystery genre subversion.
Kurozuka (2008)based off the novel…
Read at the sourceWallahSous
If you want a concise review that isn't riddled with vague pseudo-intellectual nonsense, read this one.
Episode 1 and 2 are a bait. They're nothing like the rest of the show. You'll jump from a samurai blood & guts mixed with a vampiric element to a sci-fi guerilla warfare, with no transition whatsoever.
The author tries incredibly hard to make the story "interesting" by quite literally explaining nothing of what's happening, while spamming a bunch of weird flashbacks, dreams, and time skips to confuse you. Both you and the main character are lost on everything going on for 90% of the show.
The main character is a stoic mess. He questions nothing of the new world he's emerging into. He follows orders from whoever, whenever. He's completely clueless and barely does anything for the rest…
Read at the sourceRauLeCreuset
Kurozuka, is very interesting from the very first episode, the two monks, and when they meet the gorgeous female immortal vampire, kuro instantly falls for her, as you can see it in his eyes, he is mesmerized by her beautiful pale skin. I am very fond of the main character's determination to find the girl that he trot loves and cares about, among helping some new friends on their journey, which also becomes his along the way, it's a win win, for him and his rebel like comrades. I think this anime was comical, but, I also feel like it was rushed and not really put together well, I believe some parts were. But, some weren't, to live forever would be an amazing thing, but it would also be unfortunate, as you would have to watch all the people you care about and love, die or be lost to time it…
Read at the sourceblitzburns4
[Spoiler Warning]
I am an idealist. Always have been. For those who are unsure of what, precisely, pertains to being an idealist. An idealist is simply someone who is guided by an ideal rather then (a) practical purpose or consideration. I don't wish to be rich simply because being rich is more practical to being poor- no. I want to be wealthy because I chase an ideal that emphasizes that being affluent will help me end my lifelong pursuit of happiness. It other words, I believe being wealthy is not the be-all/end-all, and that being rich will not directly result in happiness. There has to be something else- an ideal- that would be better accomplished through being wealthy. For me, that ideal would be raising a family. A consequentialist, on the other hand, would simply do anything necess…
Read at the sourceEvanKuro
Feeling totally disappointed.
Maybe the novel was awesome. Maybe the manga was decent, I don't know. But the anime had a lack in almost every factor. Seriously when you say that the best characteristic was the graphics, it should tell something about the rest.
There is a serious lack of plot, character depth and theme.
It starts promising an intriguing story. Even before mid-way though you start to wonder what it is really about.
Now the only meaning in this is "to be or not to be" an immortal being. It would have better luck in the form of a poem or a European film production.
I have been seriously disappointed of the outcome.
I guess the only way to kinda enjoy this is to be in a mental position so fragile that everything literally touches you in matters of the soul. Definitely not for…
Read at the sourcemouthpiece
Kurozuka is a title which proves that no matter how great a book looks, it still needs to have some sort of manageable writing in it to sell and be liked. This only meant to be a metaphor and not my opinion of the source material, which was a novel, turned manga, turned anime. I haven’t read those (which are hear are far more entertaining) and I am only going to talk about the anime version.
So basically, the problem with this show is that it lacks context. And by that, I do not mean action, cool looking warriors, explosions, and the like. It has lots of it and it is artistic up to a point to boot. The problem is that it lacks ANYTHING ELSE other than that. The characters never manage to become sympathetic to you, the story is simple and still manages to be confusing, and there are no ove…
Read at the sourceCadisAnomandaris
I know I'm several years too late to review this, but I just had to say it: This anime is garbage.
The first few episodes were okay, but then it spiraled into one of the biggest disappointments I've seen in an anime. The ending wasn't even bittersweet like you would expect, either; it was just bitter. Also, how the hell this got classified under "Romance", I'll never know. The first two episodes could be considered romance, but anything beyond that is definitely not romance, and it's misleading as hell to classify it as such.
I don't mind how the story was non-linear, or how almost every character was one-dimensional... No, what gets me is that the ending was so nonsensical and deeply unsatisfying. It could have have been much better had they simply re-worked episode 12. I would then at…
Read at the sourcebenjireturns
Kurozuka was a potentially intriguing story that whiffed due to hollow characters, a stuffy atmosphere, and a confusing, labyrinthine story that attempts to provide you with food for thought that's mostly (unfortunately) made of rubber. I don't believe it's worth your time.
As is tradition, the art in this anime is pretty good, courtesy of Madhouse. The inclusion of CG is as close to flawless as possible, with one or two moments that stick out a little bit, but overall was very well done. The sound was pretty standard and did its job, although the use of the stormtrooper laser rifle sound during sword fights in a few later episodes was weird and threw me out for a bit. Together these create a fairly tense, serious atmosphere that may have become excellent if the story had the chops to mat…
Read at the sourcenightcrawlercyp
Ok so I found it as an entertaining and very enjoyable series except for the ending. To me the ending was bad, really bad. The show follows the relationship between an immortal woman who tuns her lover into an immortal. Now the main story is what happens when a man fells deeply involved with a very toxic narcissistic woman. I think it serves as a warning to men in general to stay away from crazy women. I think they did a great job with the animation and the sound. I am unsure why but they do not seem to drop clues at proper intervals so for people that do not have a great intuition everything will be revealed in the last two episodes. So if you want a mind twist this is the show for you. If not you might not find it too appealing.
Read at the sourceGonWithARose
“Majestic, bizarre, violent and dark. A surreal and poetic journey that turns into something more profound than what it looks like”
REVIEW FREE OF SPOILERS!
-STORY: 8-
"KUROZUKA" it’s a well-founded and rich story. Its narrative could divide people, some by saying it’s boring and unadorned –or complicated- and by others –like me- saying that is meaningful, metaphorical and gorgeous.
The story of this show could be like a stream, whether it calls you, takes you and embraces you leading you swiftly –although, trough some “what the hell is happening here?” moments- across the tale or it rejects you for it isn’t a plain and simple story of vampires and war, it is complex.
-ART: 8-
The art depicted in this show is marvelous. The designing of the characters is believable and the action sc…
Read at the sourceBobDiesel
What a terrible terrible anime. Sure the first 2 episodes were terrific. Great gore, great action and a bit of romance. However everything goes downhill. The anime is very confusing. There's many flashbacks which appear without warning which is confusing. Powers and abilities of all of these characters are poorly poorly explained. There's times when the anime doesn't make sense. The anime is a trainwreck.
But to make matters even worst the ending is a catastrophe. You have not a clue what's going on at all. You don't know if time reset and a continuous loop happens, you don't know whether time is continuing or whether Kuro actually gets that actual body. I'm sorry for putting in spoilers but this anime is a bellyache. I wouldn't recommend watching this EVER!
Read at the sourceShikalazy
This anime turned out to be one of those random ones that I was just looking for under the horror category. The thing is, it constantly throws you back and forth between "is this guy good or bad." It's interesting because the main character is driven constantly in this painful loop that you kind of want to turn away from, but really can't.
Read at the sourceCallow
Kurozuka is extremely different in the way the story is presented. Do not take that statement lightly.
At the beginning of this anime (for what seems several episodes) it is extremely hard to stay interested because of the perspective the story. It does however, change so that the watcher can follow along and begin making sense of the earlier scenes.
Considering the actual content of the anime, the story was interesting with intriguing art. The action primarily in the middle of the anime is fairly graphic, which was almost unexpected... But very entertaining.
Saying those few things, I appreciate the different approach in story telling, however daunting it was. It almost makes me think they did it so the watcher would be as dazed and confused as the main character. I stayed long enoug…
Read at the sourceNanda_K
First of all I would say that although ive seen this anime,I dont fully understand it,so whatever I am reviewing here is based on my interpretation of the story.
Im not much of a fan of this genre but Kurozuka is an exception.I coudnt stop watching it until I completed the entire 12 episodes.
The story is presented in a series of flashbacks and hallucinations of the main protagonist,which honestly is a bit confusing most of the time,and there are lots of parts which I simply cannot understand.Also this anime has a lot of unexplained loopholes which are quite glaring at times.
To sum up,this anime has a very good plot which couldve been scripted better and the animation is very good.If you plan to watch this,be prepared to break your head over a lot of scenes where you will feel complete…
Read at the sourcePurjoloek
tl;dr - Kurozuka is a bad anime. I really support and like some points made, but the show itself is of pretty poor quality at most times.
You don’t know what to expect when you dive into Kurozuka. While this is true for a lot of other anime as well, Kurozuka is a special enigma. Being about vampires (especially the main leads) can turn people off, seeing how vampires are often portrayed nowadays. Sadly, thoughts hop to Rob Pattinson as Edward in the cringe-inducing soft pornography for girls known as Twilight. Sure, Twilight isn’t the only sinner, but due to it’s popularity, it is the most stand-out. Onwards to Kurozuka, then.
On first on-look, Kurozuka seems to be a love story about vampires, set in Feudal Japan. That preconception is quickly smashed to bits after the first episodes as…
Read at the source
