Katekyo Hitman Reborn is one of such shows that it is so difficult to explain to someone without sounding a bit ridiculous. So, there is this really clumsy middle school student, Tsuna who is then informed that he is the son of the most powerful Mafia family in the world... and a baby in a suit appears to teach him how to use magic bullets. No, it sounds crazy, and to be completely honest, it is crazy. Yet that too is charisma.

The inception of KHR is likely to be its greatest challenge. It is a very short series, lasting approximately 20 episodes, consisting of gag comedy in which Tsuna is shot by the "Dying Will Bullet" and does something ridiculous, and then the cycle repeats. Part of the humor works, part of it fails, and it is very easy to notice why people drop the series early. Going in hoping you will get cool mafia battles early on will disappoint you, though, as it takes a long time before it really sets its feet.

However, when the Kokuyo and particularly the Varia arc struck the entire feel is different. Suddenly the story starts to take itself seriously, the battles become tough and Tsuna starts his gradual yet steady metamorphosis of being No-Good Tsuna, into being a leader that people can actually trust. It is that growth that makes the show worth watching. Tsuna does not suddenly become the night before a hero with no fears, but he is frightened, and he is still not confident of himself yet he moves on. It makes him as a person seem far more believable and relatable than some other shounen protagonists who simply have a light switch and turn the entire universe into their fleet.

One of the larger reasons KHR does as well is its guardians and side characters. Gokudera, Yamamoto, Hibari, Mukuro... each of them has its own personality and although not all of them may be fleshed out, they become as a family by the time things actually roll. Their devotion to Tsuna and their personal peculiarities is sincerely one of the best things in the show. On the other hand, certain characters certainly seem to be underused and some of them are such archetypal that they are given very little or nothing. But the chemistry of the main group quite compensates it.

Production is where the anime fails. This appeared in the middle of the 2000s, and it shows. Some fights are fantastic and full of action, others... we can say that the animation may be rather uneven. It also has a great deal of pacing problems with protracted scenes or repeated shots that will kill the suspense. The soundtrack is surprisingly good though. The music provides a nice background to both the humor and the serious sections and the opening/endings of a few of them are still stuck in my head even today.

This is, perhaps, the greatest disadvantage, since the anime does not even discuss the entire story. It ends with the Future Arc, which leaves a pleasing impression, but leaves you with a sense that you are experiencing only two-thirds of the game. You're going to have to change to the manga to see the whole thing. The sense of incompleteness does draw the show in a little, particularly to individuals that dislike hopping between anime and manga.

At the end of the day, Katekyo Hitman Reborn! is definitely not a perfect series, but it has a lot of heart. If you can sit through the slow and goofy start, you’ll get some really great arcs, fun characters, and a protagonist who earns his growth in a believable way. It’s kind of like watching an underdog story wrapped up in mafia battles, absurd comedy, and over-the-top powers. It’s flawed, but it’s memorable, and honestly, I had a good time with it.