Kyousougiga has one of the best finales of anything that Ive seen. I do know thats a weird way to start a review by praising the conclusion but in my defense this is a pretty weird show. The narrative structure is unconventional to the extreme and normally when writers who typically are looking to show off how smart they are go for something like this the result is an incoherent train wreck. This is one of the rare cases when despite at times being hard to follow eschewing storytelling norms works. Even though Kyousougiga is just ten episodes long it manages to establish a cast of charming characters tell a touching story about a girls quest to find a black rabbit and then bring it home with a heartwarming message about finding meaning through family in short breaking the rules of storytelling lets this show do more with less. Its difficult to talk about the plot of Kyousougiga in no small part because the narrative is structured in a way that is deliberately hard to follow. Koto is a 14yearold girl with superpowers and a magic hammer working alongside her father and mentor Inari for a group of interdimensional peacekeepers called The Shrine. One day she sets out to find a spirit who has taken the form of a black rabbit and eventually winds up in the Looking Glass City a kind of alternate version of Kyoto that was created by a priest named Myoue and his wife who also happens to be named Koto. Since they vanished the city has been run by the Council of Three which is comprised of the couples children Kurama Yase and Myoue yes there are two pairs of significant characters that share names. Over the course of her journey Koto will come to learn more about these three their troubled lives and the world they rule over while simultaneously having elements of her own life and upbringing recontextualized. 440https://i.ur.com/IR6iB1F.jpg So where does the weird narrative structure come in? The show is comprised of two seemingly different stories that converge and the viewer is almost constantly left in the dark frantically trying to reconcile new information from one plot thread with what was previously learned in the other. The first five episodes are also really just focused on establishing characters so they tend to jump around from past to present and place to place. Since there isnt a logical progression of events nothing is immediately clear however as an overwhelming amount of information is hinted at or implied no twist is absolutely shocking the audience is basically left needing to infer what will happen next based on several pieces of unconfirmed guesswork. With the fast pace of Kyousougiga this is so much fun and really rewards viewers for paying attention. I never felt like I was fully up to speed until the end of the show when everything clicked but at the same time I felt like I knew what was happening even if there was no way Id be able to explain it. Just like how the rules around telling a story can be broken the rules around making a good character are not exactly set in stone. Typically the protagonist will be the one driving the plot forward and as their journey progresses theyll grow and change. I often will look to welldone character development as a sign of quality writing and it generally contributes a ton to fantastic stories. There are times however when whats needed from a character is the exact opposite of growth. When kid Koto is introduced its clear from the start what kind of person she is. Although Inari wasnt an awful parent he certainly took a rather handsoff approach to raising his daughter so she grew up as a kid with superpowers and very little adult supervision. As a result Koto is high energy and hardheaded impulsive with a mischievous streak a mile wide shes driven solely by her emotions. With that being said shes also a fundamentally good person who always tries to do her version of the right thing. This blend of qualities not only makes her a fun character to watch but also a very effective one as ultimately she is the one driving other characters to change. 440https://i.ur.com/J4G1pGA.jpg Kotos pursuit of the best ending What I really love about Koto however is that she isnt just some wunderkind who can do no wrong. People are frequently trying to use her to further their goals and like the audience shes constantly kept in the dark with nobody explaining anything to her. As the show progresses we see how frustrating this is the expectations she places on herself and the mistakes she makes as a result. Koto may have superpowers but shes still a 14yearold and the same emotions that have been driving her forward throughout her entire life eventually lead her into a massive downward spiral. Normally to pull out of this a character would have a set piece moment showcasing how much theyve grown but Kyousougiga doesnt do that. In the end its the people Koto has changed over her journey that save her from selfdestructing and the conclusion goes on to drive home how Koto hasnt changed at all I personally cant imagine a more fitting way to wrap everything up. 440https://i.ur.com/bC0leBz.jpg Serving as a standin for every audience member with no clue whats going on Since the show is fond of breaking the rules around telling a story and constructing characters it seems fitting that one of the themes at the heart of Kyousougiga is essentially that breaking the rules is okay. Whether these rules are small like something as basic as please dont smash the house with your magical hammer or more universal in scale people are going to break them. Whats refreshing about Kyousougigas approach to this message however is that it doesnt just handwave it away as the ends justify the means or lean too far the other way and focus just on how even if the wrong thing is done for the right reasons devastating punishment is warranted. The message here is much more human and relatable: breaking the rules is okay because familial love is unconditional. Individuals might have to bear the weight of the actions sure but family wont abandon them. Is it the most realistic take? Of course not. But watching it in action will put a smile on the face of viewers and maybe even bring a tear to their eye. Its hard to ask for more than that. 440https://i.ur.com/Bku2dsK.jpg On a more technical note I think that the visuals of the show will stand out immediately for a lot of people. Kyousougiga has a vibrant color palette with a variety of bright colors and it isnt afraid to use them helping the Looking Glass City feel like its really from some kind of alternate reality. The clean lines and solid colors of characters contrast very effectively against the almost watercoloresque art of the background allowing the characters to be identifiable whenever theyre on screen without making them standout in a jarring manner. The show is light on the action so the direction helps to keep the viewer engaged varying from moment to moment as it transitions from one shot to another often in a way that coincides with the dialogue. When there are bursts of action its done well with movement being sudden and fast paced and impacts that feel like they have real weight behind them. The art does a lot and I feel like its a major contributing factor as to why the show works so well. https://i.ur.com/53hE9Ju.mp4 Step aside Usain Bolt Heres the thing: I know in spite of everything Ive just said that Kyousougiga is imperfect. I may have loved the visual style but it certainly isnt for everyone and at times the writing does kind of revel in how convoluted its being. But when I put minor nitpicks and criticisms I have aside what Im left with is a show that takes a lot of risks and does the vast majority of what it needs to do right. More importantly than that though its fun. I was hooked basically from the start I had a blast watching Koto wreak havoc and power through everything that stood in her way and when everything was said and done I watched the end of the show with a smile on my face. To paraphrase a much beloved copypasta from the general Esports community other series may be breaking box office or streaming records but Kyousougiga is breaking the rules I wouldnt want it any other way.