Witch Hunter Robin

Director
Shuko Murase
Production
Bandai, Sunrise, TV Tokyo
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
26 episodes
Year
2002

Witch Hunter Robin Volume 5

By Joseph (Joe) Wood
21st Dec 05

It would be a lie to say that the previous four volumes of Witch Hunter Robin have been disappointing, incredibly disappointing is more accurate. What started as an interesting concept was ruined by an episodic formula that hardly differed. The fourth volume did bring fresh life into the series, but looked like it may easily fall down the same path once more.

The penultimate volume of Witch Hunter Robin contains five episodes. “Dilemma” episode seventeen sees Robin look after a young girl who begins to display witch like powers, Robin realises that had she encountered this child a month ago, then she would have hunted the child. Episode eighteen “In My Pocket” sees the walled city enter a war as the witches inside begin to search for a object said to have been left behind by an “Immortal Witch” when she was killed. Nagira and Solomon also seem to be looking for this object. In episode nineteen Robin visits two parents whose daughter was taken away because she developed unwanted witch like powers as Robin gets close to theses people the questions of wither hunting witches is a good thing or not resurface in her mind. “All I Really Oughta Know” episode twenty, Robin learns that a new hunter, named Sastre has been sent from HQ in order to especially hunt Robin. Episode twenty-one “No Way Out”, knowing that she is now classified as a witch Robin knows she will be hunted relentlessly; meanwhile Nagira tries to find Amon.

The plot starts to pick up, and it all seems to centre on this mysterious object left by the Immortal Witch killed by Robin at the end of volume three. Now theirs no prizes for guessing where this object is…and if you’re still not sure then episode eighteen’s title should give you a clue. This development is so transparent that it feels like walking into a closed patio door.

We do learn why Robin was sent to the STN-J in the first place and that the people who attacked her probably weren’t Solomon but some one else, all fingers seem to point to Zaizen who is constantly undertaking some shady activities in this volume. Yet I find myself asking do I care. Most of the reoccurring characters with the possible exception of Robin are awfully under-developed, they seem one-dimensional and this is not what you should really expect this late into a twenty-six episode series.

Still it shouldn’t be taken that Witch Hunter Robin is an awful series, there are far worse. Whilst it doesn’t live up to expectations, it is enjoyable in some cases. It doesn’t appear like the series will be able to pull itself up in its final volume and turn everything around yet some are bound to find this series a rather enjoyable if somewhat shallow experience.

R2 DVD Notes

Features: English/French/Japanese Audio, English/French/Netherlands Subtitles, Interviews with Japanese Voice Actors. Charcter Profiles.

Release information: Publisher: Beez Released: January 16th 2006 Classification: PG Running Time: 100mins

Notes: Again theirs not much here. If your enjoying the series the inteviews may prove intresting to you.

-- Joseph (Joe) Wood 21st Dec 05

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