Story: 6 (Fair)
The story revolves around Kantarou, a demon exorcist living in what is presumed to be Meiji-era Japan. He has an unusual ability to see and speak to demons and often communicates with them in order to discover the truth behind hauntings and possessions. All his life he has always wanted a goblin, a very powerful type of demon that often serves as companions and servants to humans. After following a trail of rumors he finally finds the sealed away Haruko, a demon so powerful they call him the demon eater. After breaking the seal, Haruko s Kantarou and his friend Yoko (not to be confused by that other Yoko, sadly enough), a shape-shifting ktisune demon; a young girl named Suzu also tags along as she deeply ires Haruko. Other darker forces from Haruko's past may also be stalking him as well.
Although that may sound like an interesting premise, the plot mostly hold together only when necessary, and the series is for the most part just a series of loosely connected episodes about the adventures of Kintarou and Haruko as they investigate one demonic haunting to the next. If you think this sounds eerily like Inuyasha, that's because it is, and a few people have claimed that Tactics is just a blatant rip-off, with Kintarou filling in the role o Miroku, Haruko that of Inuyasha, Yoko combining Kagome and Sango with Shippou's kitsune traits, Suzu filling in for Shippou sans the magic, and the dark forces that stalk Haruko can easily be mistaken for Naraku and Kagura. Take it as you will, but at least the shorter length of Tactics allows for a more successful, filler-free formula than Inuyasha.
Art: 6 (fair)
The art style is rather bland and indistinctive from other anime of the same vintage. Locales are as vivid only as they need to be, and leaves little in of memorable impression.
Character: 6 (Fair)
Once again, the characters fail to make any memorable impressions, largely being stock and carrying on as viewers would expect. Perhaps, ironically enough, most memorable in how they behave like Inuyasha's cast in this regard.
Enjoyment: 6 (Fair)
Perhaps a bland series, but not a bad one either. If no better anime is on, it's certainly worth watching, and is fairly entertaining. There are some twists and turns (including one right out of M. Night Shaymalan's playbook, and an earlier one straight out of Silent Hill) that are just enough to keep the viewer engaged.
Which brings the total score to:
6: Fair
