Witch Hunter Robin Vol. 3

At last, Witch Hunter Robin introduces an arc, and some much needed depth is applied to this third volume of the supernatural investigation drama.

The disc starts with the obligatory Witch hunting case, and we have a more sympathetic hunt than the first volumes, as a number of murders occur, and the team race to find a suspect that has been dead for years.

The second episode of this volume concentrates on Harry's Bar, and the owner's son. It's a touching case, and Harry's soft spoken manner only makes the tale that much more convincing, as a father struggles to come to terms with betraying his son, and whether his actions were truly for the best.

If there's a problem with WHR, it's that the Witches are often far more sympathetic than the STN-J themselves, and although Robin's gentle nature helps soften the otherwise stoic collective, I found my sympathies lying with the so-called bad guys in both of these episodes. The slow pace of the series to date also defy the rather fast and brutal endings to the cases, which seem to build up at a snails pace and then end so abruptly that you're lft with your head spinning.

Happily, the second pair of episodes on this disc regained my interest as a standard witch hunt turns more sinister with the appearance of an elderly woman who seems to be even older than her appearance implies. Robin is naturally curious, and manages to track the old woman down by the end of the final episode, where she's given some food for thought and an identity crisis to solve.

The third volume of WHR has finally started to show it has some depth to back up its stylish appearance, and things are starting to look up again for the show. Whilst the pace remains plodding at times, and the main characters rather lacking in personality, we are starting to see what this series could really do if it gets fully into top gear.