3x3 Eyes is an old action/horror/drama series that involves a supernatural girl and an immortal male teenager in their quest to find a way to live a normal life. This review involves the entire series, including its sequel, Densetsu.

Animation [Simple and elegant]

General Artwork: 2 Very good back in the days it was made. It has an occult concept, as there are several gruesome monsters in it, backed up with ancient ruins and bloody action that can only be surpassed by Urotsukidoji in its graphic gore (but don’t expect any sex).

Character Figures, Backgrounds, Motion Fluidity, Lightning/ Visual Effects: 1 Out of date and hand-drawn but still above average. The series has nothing you haven’t seen in modern series of the same kind but it still has distinctive main character figures. The depiction of cities, schools and ruins is lukewarm and the motion fluidity is choppy but they still appear nice to look at.

Total for animation: 3/5

Sound: 3/5

Nothing much to write about. Decent voice acting and forgettable music themes and sound effects. Just a bit above average.

Story [Demons, immortals, satanic rituals and … Japanese schoolgirls]

General Scenario: 1 In general, it is nothing special. And it’s so small in duration that can be described as followed: [spoilers follow] Part 1: Mysterious super girl looks for remedy, makes average teenager an immortal bodyguard, fights demons for a relic which can turn her into a normal human being. Part 2: Mysterious super girl gets amnesiac from previous battle, immortal bodyguard looks for her, fights demons who want to exploit her powers. Part 3: Mysterious super villain captures super girl, their pasts are revealed, bad guy’s plan is revealed, and immortal bodyguard fights him in ancient ruins, final flashy battle occurs… The end.

Pace of Plot: 1 There are no fillers. That is good.

Side Stories: 1/2 None! The story is straightforward.

Believability/Reasoning/Realism: 1/2 All the supernatural things in the story are simply explained as being “magic”. If they were technology, they would need some serious explaining. So, they are half-baked. We must accept a series where demons are roaming free and of mystic civilizations being hidden from the modern world.

Conclusion: 1/2 There is conclusion in the SEQUEL. And it is a lukewarm “happy ending” one.

Total for story: 3/5

Character [Unexploited potential]

Presence, Personality and Backdrop Story: 1 Half-good. They are completely clichéd. A butchy super chick with issues, a nice-guy dork protector who loves her and a typical megalomaniac villain who plans to kill/destroy the world. Sounds familiar? The only thing that they are worth remembering is the typical-but-never-boring dramatic phrase “I want to live a normal life with the one I love than rule the world alone”.

Development and Catharsis: 1 Only the two main characters develop and still not in any extreme way. It does feel like all their worries are over in the end.

Total for characters: 2/5

Personal judgment: 2/5

Easy to watch, even easier to forget. Just because it’s a cult title, it doesn’t automatically become very enjoyable.

Overall: 2/5

Past a collector’s urge to have every anime classic ever made, it’s nothing special.

Suggestion list

Similar themed series where a demon-fighting supernatural woman gets a male boy as aid and then falls in love with him:

Fate/Stay Night. (mediocre) Making your wish come true comes second to falling in love. Busou Renkin. (mediocre) A shallow imitation of Full Metal Alchemist, Bleach and Dragonball Z, all in one. Shingetsutan Tsukihime. (mediocre) Seeing people’s lifelines is a bitch. Shakugan no Shana. (mediocre) Treating people as fading flames nobody will remember after they are gone is a bad thing. Bleach. (mediocre) Transforming swords were never so cool.