Beyond the Boundary

Plot

High school student Akihito Kanbara saves fellow student Mirai Kuriyama from a suicide attempt. She stabs him with a sword made of her own blood, discovering he is an immortal half-youmu—the offspring of a supernatural youmu and a human. Mirai is a Spirit World Warrior, the last of her clan, who kills youmu to protect humans. Youmu are physical manifestations of human negative emotions and can only be seen by those with supernatural affinity. Most youmu are docile, but when they disrupt balance, Spirit World Warriors eliminate them. Upon death, a youmu leaves a Youmu Stone that can be traded for income. Akihito helps Mirai gain confidence in killing youmu so she stops using him for practice.

Characters

Akihito Kanbara is a second-year high school student with short blonde hair, an immortal half-youmu who heals quickly from wounds while still feeling pain. He is a member of the Literary Club and has an attraction to girls with glasses, developing romantic feelings for Mirai. When his human body is severely weakened, his dormant youmu half emerges in a hideous feral form and goes on a rampage, possessing immense destructive power. This youmu half is called Beyond the Boundary.

Akihito implies the Nase clan watches him in case his youmu half berserks, and he falls into depression after nearly killing Hiroomi in a past rampage. Mirai Kuriyama is a first-year student with short pink hair and red-rimmed glasses. She can manipulate blood, but overuse causes severe anemia and isolation. She attempts suicide until Akihito saves her.

She is summoned to kill Akihito but develops feelings for him. She often posts misfortunes on her blog and Twitter and uses the phrase How unpleasant. She was adopted by the Inami clan and killed their daughter Yui, who was possessed by the Hollow Shadow, an act she deeply regrets.

Media

The light novel series began with Nagomu Torii entering the first novel into the second Kyoto Animation Award contest in 2011, winning an honorable mention. Kyoto Animation published the first volume under its KA Esuma Bunko imprint on June 9, 2012, with three volumes released by October 2, 2013. The anime television series, produced by Kyoto Animation and directed by Taichi Ishidate, aired from October 2, 2013, with opening theme Kyōkai no Kanata by Minori Chihara and ending theme Daisy by Stereo Dive Foundation.

It was simulcast on Crunchyroll and licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. Three original net animation episodes of Beyond the Boundary Idol Trial! were released from November to December 2013, with two more on DVD and Blu-ray alongside a full-length OVA on July 2, 2014. A two-part film, Beyond the Boundary: I'll Be Here, was released in March and April 2015; Past retells the TV series, while Future is an original story set one year later.