Lunar Legend Tsukihime (Shingetsutan Tsukihime)

Well, this is a weird one. I watched this as a rental, and was disappointed by it, but then went and bought it anyway. WTF?

Lunar Legend Tsukihime is a vampire/harem show based on a romance computer game. As a reviewer at THEM Anime reported, this is a show that feels like it might get good any minute. Figuring out what went wrong is probably as entertaining as watching the actual show.

Good:
Although the actual animation is limited, it has a very glossy look thanks to lots of filters and light effects. This applies mostly to exteriors; interiors usually look drab and basic. The music is appropriate and very good if you like that sort of thing – string quartets and spooky choirs. The idea of a character being able to see glowing red fracture-lines on everything is interesting and different, and the discovery of a bloody cell under a house in a later episode is very powerful.

Bad: The story and the character relationships just never coalesce. The fact that it’s based on a game is no excuse – the characters from the very popular game should have been interesting enough for a talented writer to turn into an involving script. But most of these characters don’t evolve at all, or even reveal anything interesting about themselves. And the event that starts the story is never explained or even questioned: why DID Shiki (the hero) attack and “kill” Arcueid (main love interest)?

This show does have a unique modern-gothic atmosphere, if you want that kind of thing, and, as I said above, it often feels like it’s about to get good. So it’s a frustrating, badly flawed show which may nonetheless be worth watching if you think you will enjoy the atmosphere.
WTF indeed.