Beyond the Boundary (Kyoukai no Kanata) Final Thoughts--Monster Idols

I really wanted to enjoy this show, but I spent a good amount of time confused by it.

 
Akihiko is a teenage boy who likes girls with glasses and just wants to live his life without losing control of his immortal half-demon side. One day, he meets a Sprit World Warrior--a group of people who fight malevolent demons--named Mirai, who is from a cursed clan that can use their blood as a weapon. Mirai wants to be a proper Sprit World Warrior to earn some money, but she can't bring herself to fight anything. She insists on using Akihiko as her practice dummy, and as he starts to get to know her better, he realizes that Mirai is ultimately after the Hollow Shadow, one of the most dangerous demons out there.

 
The synopsis going around the preview guides was what initially sold me on the show (and KyoAni animation doesn't hurt either), but while the plot does deal with hunting supernatural creatures, more than a few light novel cliches find their way in. Akihiko declares his love for glasses while Hiromi talks about little sisters, Mirai gets roped into a job where pictures are taken of her in various cosplay outfits, but both situations pale in comparison to Akihiko's mom, who has a different verbal tick every time she appears and actively hits on her son. Putting these things alongside a plot arc that deals with dangerous magic and monsters that feed off people's deepest fears and regrets feels strange to say the least. The biggest offender is the infamous idol episode, which felt like it came from a completely different show after the events of the first plot arc.

From this...

...To this.

I'm not sure if this was a problem with the source material or with KyoAni's adaptation, because even when it does get serious the narrative still feels uneven. The show feels bipolar because of this, unable to decide if it wants to be serious or go straight for the otaku fanbase. A ton of things about the world and the characters are left unexplained. The rival hunter societies, the Nase family's role, Mirai's clan curse, and more are big points in the plot but are barely fleshed out. This makes it a bit hard to care about some of the secondary characters and the confusing sequence of events leading up to the big finale. I had the feeling that I would care if only I had a better handle on what was really going on and what it meant for the wider world, but the plot obviously feels differently.

 
For me, the show's saving grace was the relationship between Mirai and Akihiko, and I think that anyone's enjoyment of this series rests on whether or not the viewer buys into it. They go through an interesting parallel character arc, dealing with similar emotional problems while learning from each other and getting stronger as a result. Akihiko also breaks away from a light novel cliche that is particularly annoying to me and falls in love with Mirai the person, not the tropes that she represents. No self-insert wish-fulfillment going on here. KyoAni did an incredible job with the visuals, as expected, delivering amazingly choreographed fight scenes that had me at the edge of my seat every time. Not to mention the character expressions, particularly with Mirai and Akihiko, which really underlined the change in their relationship more than words could say.


While it had its bumpy moments and parts I felt like it could've done without, Beyond the Boundary was still an enjoyable watch. When it got its priorities in order and really committed to a scene, it was something amazing. Definitely recommended to fans of supernatural romance and people who love to see creative fight scenes, with the warning that it may be a bit of a rocky ride before it gets to the good stuff.

Images from Crunchyroll.com.