The show is set in the near future and centers on a young gal, Robin Sena, who has the ability to start fires and direct the energy from them as a weapon. She belongs to an organization, the STN, which trains such youth to act as "hunters" who use their powers to track and kill similarly gifted individuals that use their powers for personal gain or to harm people. She is sent to a branch office of the group, in Japan, where she replaces a team member that died 6 months prior. Not much is known about the young gal but it's clear she has an agenda and no one is quite sure what to make of her. The unofficial leader of the group is an older male, Amon, who is in his mid 20's. He is less social than average and doesn't like Robin's seemingly dangerous inexperience. Miho Karasuma is another senior team member-one who can sense thoughts or events by touching objects, Michael Lee-a computer hacker, Haruto Sakaki-another rookie to the team, and Yuriko Dojima-a flighty rich gal who doesn't take life seriously. Their immediate supervisor is Chief Kosaka, a grumpy old guy, and the top man at the STNJ branch is a mysterious man named Zaizen who knows more about what's going on then everyone else put together but doesn't share his information.

The team is sent on missions to confront "witches", those who use their powers to break the law. In a sense, the show is a cop show with the added dimension of the paranormal powers involved. STNJ, the Japanese branch of the organization, does things a bit differently in that they don't seek to kill the witches but to capture them using a green liquid (orbo) that nullifies the witch's powers. Generally shot through a gun-like weapon, the orbo is expensive and weakens the hunters' powers too. Initially, each episode focused on a single mission and the variations on the "hunt down those who are just like us" play out a bit each time, combining themes from the highly intelligent La Femme Nikita, the lesser Mutant X, and a host of other shows and pop culture references like The X-Men, New Mutants, and similar comics.

Up until Volume 4, the general formula for the series progressed much like it was expected to, going with the mutant of the episode format, but then things changed in an unexpected whirlwind of events impacting the characters. Within the space of an episode or two, the STNJ was attacked, Robin was branded an outsider on the run, and everything learned about the cast to that point seemed almost pointless given the manner in which their priorities shifted. Well, in Witch Hunter Robin: Determination the themes were continued as the story started wrapping up for the final volume. Nagira finally sees exactly how powerful Robin is, especially when her powers are enhanced by the Fragment of Wisdom they recovered, and it spooks him a bit. This leads to both of them spilling their guts to each other in order to gain the trust needed to take their path further. The team at STNJ has their own issues to deal with as they attempt to make sense of everything going on around them and eventually Solomon's dominance comes to light as he empowers his best hunters to circumvent the local office and strike at Robin without their knowledge. As coalitions form and friends thought lost reappear, will Robin and those she befriends be safe from the ruthless tactics employed by the hunters?

The episodes this time were 19) Missing, 20) All I Really Oughtta Know, 21) No Way Out, and 22) Family Portrait, each adding to the bigger picture as the impressively interesting series draws ever closer to the conclusion. I rated it as Highly Recommended since the entire package seemed to be well made with solid drawing, excellent use of moody music, great writing, nice pacing, and a host of other aspects so often left by the wayside in weaker series from Japan. You'll want to see this one from the beginning but you'll definitely want to see it if you haven't already given the quality of the production.

Picture: Witch Hunter Robin: Determination was presented in the original 1.33:1 ratio full frame color as released in Japan. The artwork was solid, the anime style minimalist but perfect for the darker nature of the material, and the visuals in general contributed to the effect of the storyline. I saw no compression artifacts and the grain was minimal throughout the show, even in the darker night scenes, all making me appreciate the quality of the show.

Sound: The audio was presented in Dolby Digital 2.0 with a choice of either the original Japanese with optional English subtitles or an English language dub. The stereo channels were usually reserved for the special effects but the vocals and music seemed very solid too. Each channel had its own merits and I liked them both but the original Japanese track vocals seemed to work for me more while the music seemed slightly enhanced on the dub. I like when both tracks add their own flavor to the material since it increases the replay value and it's always good to see a dub that approaches the original language track in terms of quality (although I'm sure this upsets the snobs who think otherwise).

Extras: The extras in this series have been better than average in my opinion, although not actually pushing the envelop that much. The best were the two interviews, one with Jun Fukuyama (Haruto Sakaki) and another with Kyoko Hikami (Yukira Dojima) that gave some insights as to the characters, the show and the people behind the Japanese track voices. The latest edition of the "Maelifica Compendium" provided some background cultural notes on the episodes; the typical trailers, textless opening and closing, and a double-sided DVD cover as well as a minimal paper insert were also included along with a plastic character card that looked pretty cool.

Final Thoughts: Witch Hunter Robin: Determination was definitely a walk on the darker side of anime with all the mystery and suspense you would expect from a top notch spy thriller. Taken as a whole (I watched the last two volumes in a single sitting), the series provided a new look at the concept of witches, witchcraft, and numerous other themes if you look at the show closely enough. For the most part, these later episodes really leave you on the edge of your seat as the characters attempt to discover various truths long hidden from them accelerating at a rapid pace towards the final volume. While it wasn't as colorful, cheerful, and bubbly as a lot of other anime (not to mention that there were no giant robots or scantily clad women prancing about), it certainly proved to me that anime is a lot more than its critics seem to believe these days and I wholeheartedly recommend it.

If you enjoy anime, take a look at some of the recommendations by DVDTalk's twisted cast of reviewers in their Best Of Anime 2003 and Best Of Anime 2004 article or regular column Anime Talk