A young man with light brown hair stands on a street corner. He has an amulet around his neck and looks nervous. Dispatch radios in and tells him the suspect is on the move. Eagerly, the young man makes a move. At headquarters, the dispatcher -- young with spiked orange hair -- warns that the suspect may be aware of their presence. The hasty young man continues without taking caution. It's a trap as the light brown hair hunter draws his weapon. He fires five times missing the intended target. They dart into an alley where the perpetrator disappears. We see an arial view of the young man frantically looking for the mark. It is the same perpetrator, now out of breath. He rests against the outside wall of the staircase and slides to the floor. Like a cape crusader, a slightly older hunter swoops down over the mark. He looks up with fear in his eyes. "What in the hell are you?" The man is wearing a brown hat and warm clothes. He lets out a powerful yell. "BASTARD!" This man is a witch. His powers derive from his ability to control matter with his voice. debris flies towards the standing hunter as he fails to move an inch. "Your powers, are useless against me." He is wearing an amulet similar to the one the younger hunter wore. It glimmers in the breath of the witch. "Could it be you're what they, what they call a hunter?" The man dressed in black candidly replies. "Probably." He draws his weapon and releases six shots into the witch.

Replacements feeds the traits of the show's characters to the viewer in small doses. They two individuals that stand out are Robin and Amon. The rest of the cast falls into typical Anime cliches. Dojima is the young girl with attitude to spare. She stands up against authority and appears to be lazy. Michael Lee is the computer tech that looks like a 90s hacker. His look is more radical than the rest of his teammates and he wears glasses. Takuma Zazien and Chief Kosaka play good cop and bad cop. Chief Kosaka is the anal retentive loud mouth that always has something to scream about. He is in direct control of the group and reports to Takuma Zazien. Takuma is the actual leader of the operation and appears to be benevolent.

Amon is the dark stranger that effortlessly subdues his prey. He has a commanding presence and speaks with his actions. The first episode does a great job illustrating his past as a witch hunter. You learn about his relationship with the deceased hunter and his role as leader among his fellow teammates. He greets Robin with subtle hostility and passively defends the less competent Haruto.

Robin is a powerful witch hunter that's an expert in crafts. She has the amazing ability of casting fire. Her powers are impressive along with her cool attitude. She's a bit stiff and robotic. Her introduction comes later in the program. Immediately, there is foreshadowing of a relationship between her and Amon.

It's a talent to be able to spot quality Anime. The first episode is usually a good tell. I noticed that the pacing is slow. The problem with the pacing comes from blocking a one hour action/drama in thirty minutes.

The Animation is slightly different from what I like. I'm more of a fan of the colorful Anime of Inuyasha or Dragon Ball Z. The characters are course and the color is dark. Nevertheless, you get use to the style used in this series. It allows the story to take center stage. I would recommend this show to anyone who appreciates a good science fiction story. The first episode only gives you a sample of what the show will contain. So far, I don't think this espresso is too bitter.