Ah, Witch Hunter Robin, where to begin? It's an anime series with seriously dark overtones in both plot and color palatte with main characters in stylish goth costumes. The title character, Robin Sena, is a fifteen-year-old girl raised in a convent in Italy and employed by a secret organization called Solomon which hunts rogue witches. Robin is sent to the Japanese branch to replace another witch hunter that died in the line of duty. We quickly learn that the Japanese branch doesn't kill witches like the rest of the organization--instead, the hunters stun the witches with a mysterious anti-magic substance called "orbo" and carts them off to a place called the Factory for "further study".
The series starts out slowly as the first few episode are somewhat self-contained like a typical television mystery show--basically the witch hunters track down mysterious deaths, find the witch responsible, and take him/her down to be sent to the Factory. The plot picks up around the ninth or tenth episode and we see everything unfurling. As Robin eventually learns who and what she is, it is also revealed that practically every other character on the show has hidden agendas which may or may not be at cross-purposes with witch hunting.
It's very solemn and brooding and atmospheric. The characters, especially the main ones--Robin and the head witch hunter Amon--are aloof and enigmatic. I liked the design but I didn't feel the series really got going until episode fifteen, which I will have to attribute to dramatic fight scenes.
