At first, this appears to be an anime that could largely be ignored. Fairly basic characters, decent animation, alright idea, but nothing about it that stands out to catch your interest. You have a small group of half-demons working to solve cases involving other Kemono and try to defuse the situations and keep the peace in the world. It's a kind of plot I've seen a few times before, and it feels a bit unoriginal in a lot of ways. At the same time though, plenty of things about this show do work.
As far as actual character archetypes and plot points there isn't a whole lot to say here, as it's pretty basic stuff you would expect out of this kind of show. Overall it's pretty episodic, each episode or two focusing on one particular case. It doesn't go that in-depth on most characters' stories, and the stories focusing on the two detectives beyond the main character only take about two episodes. It doesn't get too deep into it, but they are all resolved well enough.
That said, the show has the occasional flash of brilliance. The most oddly charming thing about the show is the relationship between the main character, Kabane, and assistant to one of the shows Antagonists(?), Kon. The thing with both characters is they are very honest in how they are feeling, but they both have aspects to them that have kept them largely unable to understand emotions. While at first, it does seem like they are going to be going in a more romantic kind of relationship as the show goes on, it is hard to say how either one of them is feeling. And it's not like either one is trying to hide their emotions or deceive the other, they just both honestly don't understand and it comes across as they are trying to honestly convey their feelings and desires to each other. It's both incredibly charming and funny, and it's one of the few times in an anime I find myself at all invested in a romantic subplot.
Some moments happen sporadically which is rather haunting and unnerving. I can't discuss much because any real hint at what I'm talking about could spoil it, but the moments before the climax of Shiki's story there is a part that made me uncomfortable in the best possible way. The show takes advantage of not being that unnerving or disturbing on a whole to make the handful of moments like this standout. It's an instance of putting these scenes in something trying to be dark the entire run will have little effect, but since it stands out so much from the norm it manages to leave an impact.
But then you have some moments of the show that just fall entirely flat. I don't want to name the character since it's a spoiler, but near season's end you have a character introduced who has had no real social interaction, has led a sheltered life, and is still a small child with no real-life experience. Once part of the rest of the world, she instantly becomes what I would call a 'Hyper Competent' character. She just immediately fits in and can operate at a level far beyond what I am willing to believe possible. Throw in a lot of the kind of jokes I find insufferable, specifically a young girl who is immediately latched on to a guy for marriage (In this case the main character), and I am just happy she is not a significant part of the show after that point.
Part of me is thinking the show has a bit of the same syndrome Golden Kamuy had, where season one showed a lot of promise but didn't do much past establishing what was necessary for the plot. It was fun, had some great moments, and it has me interested in what's coming in season two now that the plot is starting to pick up. Kon feels like she's going to be a bigger part, which I like. The show has enough good moments going for it to make it a cut above average, and I think there is potential in what's to come.
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