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Kurenai Kurenai is not a bad show. Of course, whenever you see a commentary start off with a sentence like that, you know it’s going to be followed up with plenty of reasons to the contrary. And that is exactly why I’m starting this post off like that. Kurenai is not a bad show, but neither is it a good one. It’s just a middling, mediocre show that fails to follow through on any of its potential strengths, whether it be characterization, story, action, or comedy.

Here’s the quick summary: Shinkuro Kurenai (Miyuki Sawashiro) is a high school student who also acts as an all purpose muscleman for all purpose muscle woman Benika Juuzawa (Sawa Ishige). Part of the reason he can do this is because of his extensive martial arts training, but he has also made a contract to modify his body with a sword, which manifests itself in a blade sticking out of his elbow sometimes when he loses control. He is handed the job of looking after Murasaki Kuhouin (Aoi Yuuki), a young girl from a high class family. It is eventually revealed that she had actually been kidnapped in order to save her from her fate of being locked away in an inner sanctuary forever as being a woman in the Kuhouin family.

The show sets things up quickly, and most of the episodes actually focus on the day to day lives of Shinkuro and Murasaki. This is where the show falters. Instead of using these episodes to develop a meaningful relationship between the two main characters and showing us how they learn to love each other through their experiences (no, not in that way - this is not a lolicon show), Kurenai wastes its episodes meandering about with pointless activities. Some effort is taken to show Murasaki learning the ways of the common man, but those efforts fail to go beyond the classic Prince and the Pauper type tropes and as a result lack impact. It doesn’t help that we’re not shown to Murasaki’s life before the show for comparison. The one scene that I did find heartening was one of their earliest together, when the two went to a public bath together.

And while Shinkuro and Murasaki received far too little character development, we didn’t get enough looks at side characters who seemed far more interesting. In episode 7, Tamaki Mutou (Asami Sanada), the college student housemate to Shinkuro, was dumped by her boyfriend. What caught me was how typical of a domestic abuse victim the boyfriend’s reaction to Tamaki’s implorings not to break up was. It was a genuinely emotional and affecting scene. That was a thread that could have been explored further to add some depth to Tamaki’s character.

And what about Yuuno Houzuki (Ryoko Shintani, who also sang both of the ED themes), Shinkuro’s classmate and potential love interest? There were scenes between the two here and there, but overall she failed at being anything more than a throwaway support character whose job was to help Shinkuro with his fighting.

One thing that ended up failing but I respected greatly was the musical song scene at the end of episode 6. It was something creative and original: the insertion of a musical scene in an otherwise normal show. The problem was that the song and singing were both horrible. And not in that it’s-supposed-to-be-bad way or so-bad-it’s-good way. It was just plain poorly done. I really really really wish it had been a success, but it wasn’t.

And how about that ending… it just left me thinking, “Huh? That was it?” The rising action and climax, to their credit, were pretty good and offered some cool, intense fight scenes. But when, after so many people had died or gotten hurt over Shinkuro’s desire to save Murasaki from her fate, everything was solved by the final boss letting Murasaki go and her saying that she would stay with the family anyway and try to change its ways, anticlimactic doesn’t begin to describe it. It wasn’t deep, though that might have been the attempt with the unexpected twist. It was just a deus ex machina (“Surprise! The Kohouin family will let Murasaki lead her life her way without you coming and kidnapping her!”), a convenient plot device that should be avoided at all costs.

So Kurenai started with a cliche premise, spent its middle wandering about, never sufficiently fleshing out its characters, and then presented a lazy, uninspired ending. So why wasn’t it a bad show? Moment to moment, it proved somewhat enjoyable, due to sone decent fight scenes (not enough of them!) and the simple cuteness of seeing Shinkuro and Murasaki interact. Both of Shinkuro’s housemates were fun side characters. And, again, that musical sequence in episode 6, while ultimately a failure, was gutsy, and I respect that. Also, the voice work was great, as expected from such a cast. But all in all, Kurenai was a whole lot of potential and no execution.

With what’s happening with Brains Base’s Jellyfish Princess this season and, to an extent, what happened with Durarara!! in the Spring, I’m wondering if this is a common Brains Base sort of thing. Or maybe they’re just no good at choosing which stories to adapt.

Also, the OP to this show is FUCKING INSANE. Not in the good, Goku Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei kind of way, but in the trippy, “What the hell did I just watch?” kind of way. It’s not bad, though.