Introduction:
Onmyo Kaiten Re:Birth Verse is a 2025 original anime directed by hideya takahashi (jojo part 7 anime), and animated by David production.
Story summary:
this story centers around a loner delinquent named takeru, who gets transported to a different reality that resembles heian era with advanced technology and sorcery. it particularly features only one city (or it should be addressed as a town because it's so small in the anime) the Denji Heian-kyou city. in historical context, this city is kyoto in japan.
before takeru was isekai'd, he had a vision of a girl named tsukimiya, who asked him to save her. takeru tries to save her, and eventually discovers that he has the mysterious ability to jump time when he dies. the life in denji heian kyou is threatened by monsters from another world, called 'oni' whom the 'onmyojis' - a group of sorcery wielding people fight back in a two-man piloted mecha constructs called shikigami. the onmyoji is led by the leader named seimei, but all that looks good on the surface is not true. it's that kind of story, where the twist involves genocide and other twisted things from the so-called 'good people'.
Characters and Writing:
the main character is one of those generic shounen protagonists (like 'ill save everyone even, if i sacrifice myself'), but his character design is unique - a cool red and yellow fiery hair with yakuza type vibe.
the character development was made in an obnoxious way that makes one roll their eyes.for example, the villain was actually a good guy after committing genocide across parallel worlds for a better future. Granted, the MC never accepts that reasoning, but he also accepts the actual main antagonist in the end which is far worse because it felt like the anime created a new problem and gave its own solution, like why did the antagonist is a moon people who came from the future, just to ruin with others lives in the past? wouldn't it affect the future?. Main frustration in this story and its character is the writers have given enough thought to keep the story tight, but the way it is done felt like a cop out. also, this is one of those animes (like Bleach) where the presence of the protagonist itself, mends and bends the rules of its universe so, any attempt to understand the power structure is lost on the viewer. the plot points where the intention was to make the viewer feel excited, had instead felt confused. the pacing was rushed as the studio only got 12 eps to cram all the details, maybe, this is why a manga adaptation was made for this series which is currently releasing.
Animation and Music:
CGI has been used generously which is not bad as it was smooth, but the monster and mecha designs are rigid and forgettable, to put it lightly. though, some designs were unique, example: sun wukong influence present in the takeru's 'yasha mode'. all the characters have a similar shiny and sharp hair like white fox's re zero character designs, and it is pleasing to the eye. the female love interest has a generic anime girl design, with the black and colored hair which is not too long or not too short, and just remains as an eye sore for a mature viewer who had probably seen this exact design in many animes that came before it.
David production has done a good enough job overall in the animation department. The inspirations from other anime/shows are as clear as daylight; notably bleach, re zero, and some tokusatsu shows with a mix of donghua influence. the music was nothing noteworthy but, the opening and ending songs is really good.
Conclusion
the series strongest point is the 'savior complex' that would appeal to the shounen demographic.
this is an okayish anime that was stretched thin beyond its initial plot premise with too many power structures, plot holes, and a stagnant world atmosphere. though, If this anime was a game, it would've been fun to play. With all that critical evaluation aside overall, this anime is recommended if one is inclined to watch something with the brain turned off, because if one analyses the plot too much, it quickly falls apart (like what happened to the rest of the people outside the city? it was never answered).
Critical rating: 4.5/10
Average rating based on enjoyment: 6/10