Epimondas

Nothing about this show stands out much from average.  Shino is an annoying, disobedient, overly angry, spoiled, and faux caring brat.  He pretends he is a hero and cares for others but if others are hurt by someone he knows (sort of) or rather a negative version of someone he knows, he does not seem to care or have any kind of satisfactory or realistic reaction to such abominal crimes.  This makes the story and especially the drama aspect fall very flat.  Not enough edge to drama when the hero doesn't seem to care that his foe is a dispicable monster and never responds in a manner befitting revenge or justice or to save others who are so adversely affected by this monster (or the prime motivators for fighting evil).  The story primarily centers around Shino and Sousouke, his erstwhile adoptive foster brother.  The flashback montage is very vague and cryptic, it could have used more solid footing.  Every other character is no more than a support character though we do get quite abit from the shadow monster, Satome, and the two demons, and somewhat Hajime but aside from the first couple episodes, her story becomes dull and uneventful and rarely intersects with the major theme or plot of the series itself.  I would almost say the same incompetent director that worked on Xmen 1 and 2, as both have a habit of not knowing what to do with a cast of more than a handful of characters or use them properly.  

Season one is pretty much Shino and Sousouke occasionally joined by one or more support characters searching for the tattoos and stone holders known as the 8 dogs, though oddly enough there is a cat, two demons, a tengu, two men joined by ghost women, and a crow/dragon.  Only one of the 8 dogs is actually a dog, go figure.  I guess such irrational nonsense makes sense to Japanese audiences but not to American ones and doubtfully to European ones.  Though, I honestly find it hard to believe that even Japanese could swallow this as sensical.  Hakkenden is at least tolerable enough to watch through once without feeling like you are at the dentist.  Some animes do that to me.  The animation is a bit on the overly girly BL overly pretty side.  Even many of the male characters look alot more like women than standard fair.  There is a faux BL situation that is never exploited fully or properly though the object of affection shows no sign of interest in BL.  And the pursuer though says he doesn't care if he is a boy, often thinks he is actually a girl and will grow into a lovely woman.  Many of the stories feel a bit more like side stories and offer little to do with the main theme.  They could have made Shino a bit more moral and heroic and not such a whiny brat that annoys more than creates empathy or entertains.  It is hinted he has other abilities such as talking to animals and befriending spirits and what not and that he is not human, but not enough is really done to pursue this angle.  Though we do see a bit of the spirit thing we do not see any of the animal communication save the first episode or two.  It has a few lost opportunities to make the show and characters exceptional.  In the end it is maybe only average or possibly very slightly above average.  It still resembles a manufactured anime though.