Cop Craft

Fifteen years after a mysterious hyperspace gate appeared over the Pacific, an alternate world called Reto Semaani opened contact with Earth, and San Teresa City rose as a chaotic melting pot where humans and immigrants from Reto live together. Crime runs high in that crowded, unequal metropolis, and the police force is taxed by smuggling, drugs, and violence that cross cultural lines. Kei Matoba, a jaded human detective, gets paired with Tilarna Exedilika, a straight-laced knight from Reto whose sense of honor clashes with Matoba's pragmatism. Their mismatched partnership drives episodic investigations, action set pieces, and slow shifts in trust as they try to keep order in a city where two worlds rub up against each other.

The 2019 animated series was created by Shin Itagaki and Shoji Gato, blending action, police procedural, and fantasy elements. The Japanese voice cast includes Kenjiro Tsuda as Kei Matoba, Mayu Yoshioka as Tilarna, Satoshi Tsuruoka, Wataru Takagi and Marina Inoue.

It didn't receive major industry awards or high-profile nominations, but Cop Craft found modest recognition among genre fans for its mashup of police procedural and fantasy. Many reviewers praised the worldbuilding and brisk pacing, even when opinions on character depth varied, and some outlets highlighted its lead performances.

Though not a mainstream breakout, the show helped popularize the cop-meets-fantasy premise within niche anime circles, encouraging fan art, translations, and online discussions about how to balance fantastical elements with grounded police work. The contrast between Matoba's cynicism and Tilarna's honor-driven outlook provided a memorable dynamic that resonated with viewers who like unlikely partnerships.

Critical and audience reaction landed in mixed to generally positive territory, reflected by a user score around 6.9 out of 10 from a small sample. The series leans into themes of immigration, class disparity, and clashing legal and moral codes, while keeping a brisk focus on action, mystery, and occasional dry humor.