Otaku Digest: Demons, Comedies and Fantasies
After taking a week off from first episode reviews I had time to collect a few more for your perusal. The fall season has been an epic season for anime and I am finding it very hard to pick my favourites to review. For now feast your eyes on this week’s choices of Garo: Honoo no Kokuin, Gugure! Kokkuri-san and Akatsuki no Yona.
Garo: Honoo no Kokuin (Garo: The Animation)
First up this week is the action and I would say supernatural but it is under the specific genre of “demons” Garo: Honoo no Kokuin (Garo: The Animation) and it first aired on the 4th of October, feels like so long ago now. This anime was based on the Garo Project tokusatsu drama – a previously aired live-action series. The Garo franchise is mainly based around human of whom are titled “Makai Knights” a position that has them fighting against demonic beings aptly named “Horrors”. After the King under the cruel influence of his adviser launches a witch hunt which endangers all the Makai Knights, a Makai Priestess who has been condemned to death by being burnt at the stake gives birth to a son whose father, a Makai Knight takes and raises him to be the Golden Knight Garo. Later Garo is sought out by the Prince of the land to help him reclaim the throne from his father’s evil adviser.
The opening sequence where the “witch” is being burnt at the stake is breath-taking – the eerie music accompanied with the medieval surrounding was genius. The only issue I have with it is the whole way the baby was born in the flames – it kind of took away from the majesty of the entire scene. This amazing animation continues throughout the episode with added bonuses of some CGI animation in the armour and fight scenes – it is a more sophisticated type of animation and it accompanies the story to perfection. There is a more mature feel to this anime for definite and I am delighted with this! There aren’t many mature anime out there anymore but this is a good stand to the more mature attitude and content – how is it mature? The man being ripped in two by horses as part of an execution doesn’t give it away? How about the near entire episode based in a brothel? Evidence enough I feel and weirdly it is not on the level of fan service as it is much like shows like Game of Thrones where the nudity and violence fit hand in hand with the story. Usually there type of anime are not my thing – hence why this was left so late but I actually really enjoyed it. There is a good story (even though the first episode was only really an explanation of previous events), the animation is glorious and the characters are likable and worth watching.
Will I Continue to Watch: YES! This anime was a nice surprise and worth watching!
Gugure! Kokkuri-san
Next up is a nice romantic, supernatural, comedy anime that goes by Gugure! Kokkuri-san and it originally aired again way back on the 6th of 
October. It is adapted from an a manga of the same name and follow a little girl named Kohina who somehow ends up summoning a Kokkuri-san – which in Japanese folklore is a lower ranked ghost. She actually ends up summoning a young man who is white-haired and handsome. Although he originally only intended to haunt her he ends up becoming concerned for her well-being when he witnesses her terrible habit of eating cup ramen for every meal – so he ends up haunting her to protect her.
I love this child! Dear lord she is amazing! Her absolute indifference to life and the ghost that is apparently haunting her is hilarious. I could not stop laughing when she locked the door on him. Sad, yes but hilarious also yes. It her mission in life to be a “doll” who is unfazed by the trivial things in life like feelings and what others feel and think of her even going as far as to lie on the ground and spew on about low power when hunger hits her. She is my idol – she goes out of her way to annoy her ghost. You can tell the anime has an underlying story that will continue throughout but to be honest I was more taken by the peculiar relationship between Kohina and the Kokkuri. Good anime comedies are hard to find but this is genuinely funny just through the relationship between these two. There is nothing hugely special about the animation in this anime – it is fairly generic bar Kohina randomly going from normal animated character to her very own chibi version when she is around Kokkuri.
Will I Continue to Watch: Yes! I really enjoyed it and I laughed out loud! Also, I want to know what’s up with the guy in the box!
Akatsuki no Yona or Yona of the Dawn
The final anime for this week is Akatsuki no Yona or Yona of the Dawn an action, fantasy and romance anime which originally aired on the 7th of October. Another anime with another lone princess – in this anime Yona is the lone princess of her kingdom and has been raised in the care of her over doting father while being watched over and protected by her childhood friend/bodyguard Hak. Her life is turned upside down and her fate changed on her 16th birthday when her cousins murders her father to claim to throne – Yona must flee her castle and settles in Hak’s hometown and begins her new life but inside her heart she knows she must face her cousin to protect her people.
Another “period” feeling anime – a very traditional story and feel to the whole thing. Unlike Garo: Honoo no Kokuin this anime takes the “kiddy” traditional route where things are quire colourful and a little friendlier even though the story is not of the same nature – it is nowhere near as mature as Garo: Honoo no Kokuin. Saying that it is dark when it needs to be – there is a lingering sense of malice. The animation also has that shojo feel about it especially considering the story – one girl in this case the princess and many possible suitors including her cousin. Only for Hak’s character who you really do not get to see enough of this anime would not really be hugely worth watching. I do feel it is probably the first episode blues that it has because you can really see that it is trying and that with the right character development and story development it could be a decent anime.
Will I Continue to Watch: I wouldn’t go out of my way to watch it.
What did you think of this week’s Anime? Were you watching something else? Let me know in the comments!
