CREATOR

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Kinoshita Sakura & Higashiyama Kazuko

PlOTLINE

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A turquoise-haired, crimson-eyed little boy sits chatting with various odd tiny creatures that are really youkai, or monsters, if you will. They tell him about one of the strongest supernatural creatures to exist - the Ogre-Eating Tengu. Determined to meet and befriend the Tengu, little Kantarou grows up and develops strong spiritual powers to become an exorcist. His ceaseless searching pays off and he unseals the Tengu and names him Haruka. Together with a bunch of sidekicks which include a fox spirit and a ditzy mountain god, Kantarou and Haruka cracks case after case of supernatural occurences. All seem to go well, until Haruka's dark past catches up with him and Kantarou finds fighting to save his precious friend.

COMMENTS

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The period/modern setting of this series is one that agrees with me, for its quaintness and mystique. I may be romanticising the setting, but when you have all these lovely antique-era elements combined with modern-world touches, it's like a visual feast.

The characters are relatively engaging, with Kantarou and Haruka deserving special mention for their fragile yet enduring relationship. Their dynamics waver between master/servant, demon/human and friend/partner in a way that more than makes up for the colourful, but rather superficial side characters.

There is a downside to the anime that should be mentioned. Each episode covers a case, although some do take more episodes, and in general, the anime doesn't keep pace very well. You have to reach about episode 11 or so before the plot seems to actually progress. However, if you can press on till then, and then get through the various fillers that pop up now and then again, I believe the final arc (or final 5 episodes) would be worth the chasing. ^^

MAIN CHARACTERS

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I have covered the recurring characters that do not give the final arc away. ^_~ There are several more pretty interesting characters that you will have to watch to get to know.

ICHINOMIYA KANTAROU. Shunned since childhood because of his ability to see spirits, Kantarou's day job is writing, but in truth, he is also a powerful exorcist. Although frivolous and mercenary on the surface (lol), underneath his unorthodox mannerism, he has a very kind heart and is fiercely-protective of his friends.

HARUKA. A.K.A Ogre-Eating Tengu. A powerful being who was sealed and contained for many years, he is finally released by Kantarou, bestowed the name Haruka, and technically belongs to Kantarou after that. Gruff and aloof, Haruka is unwaveringly loyal to Kantarou, although they have their misunderstandings. ^^

YOUKO. A cutesy, naive but very sweet fox spirit who is also Kantarou's follower (or house servant, more like it, lol). She helps Kantarou with the household management, and the occasional sleuthing when they're on a case.

SUZU. A little girl with a huge crush on Haruka, and also keeps house with Youko. She contributes little to the plot except on the occasion when she's caught by evil spirits. (Windy: Sorry if that sounds harsh. -.- 'Tis the truth, though)

SUGINO. A Mountain God who really doesn't act as majestically as his title suggests. Mostly he and his 'wife' (a strange, balloony-looking, green and cute creature called Muu-chan) appear now and then. They're both entertaining though!

HASUMI RYOUKAN. A former fellow classmate of sorts of Kantarou's, Hasumi is the complete opposite in his approach to the supernatural. He is a theory-based, analytical enthnologist, to put it simply. He and Kantarou do NOT get along. ^^;;

MANGA DETAILS

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Number of volumes : 6
Status : Ongoing

Clean, pretty art. I would like more details, but well, simplicity is the key for this manga. Characters in the manga tend to look younger than they are as compared to the anime. Also, plot-wise, the manga definitely focuses more on plot, characterisation and humour. The humour especially, I find more evident in the manga, and it's truly infectious! ^^ Basically, the manga offers a greater insight into the dynamics of the relationships between the characters.

SAMPLE 1 (3 pics)

ANIME DETAILS

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Director : Watanabe Hiroshi
Character Design : Oka Mariko
Music : Haneoka Kei
Episodes : 25
Status : Complete

ANIMATION

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Simply put, I like it. This is one of the prettiest pieces of animation I have come across (note: pretty does not necessarily equal technical brilliance ^_~). The animation is not flashy but it does pay attention to details like the fantasy-like supernatural landscape, the human world with its mix of period and modern elements.

As for comparisons between anime and manga, the anime basically keeps true to the core of the manga, but when it comes to each story arc, it's definitely quite different. Also, the character design in the anime is more mature, something which I prefer over the manga.

SCREENCAPS

VOICE-ACTING

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I didn't find the voice-acting to be particularly oustanding, although it's good in general. It took me a while to get used to Miyata Kouki as Kantarou, because his voice kinda wavers between youngish/girlish and masculine, like he can't really decide how Kantarou should sound. That's IMO, of course, and I have to say that his voice-acting does get stronger as the series progresses. As for the others, like I've already mentioned, they're pretty good. Sakurai Takahiro and Tobita Nobuo both display admirable depth with their respective roles. I'm even alright with the helium-driven squeeing by the female seiyuu who voice Youko, Suzu and a slew of similarly-fangirly female characters. ^^;; Go figure.

MUSIC

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Generally, I find the opening and ending tracks to be the outstanding tracks. I love them! The background music is rather repetitive and forgettable at first but improves as the series grows. As this is a period drama, the music is rather old-fashioned but that's the good about it! ^^ Anyway, here are the OP and ED tracks:

• OP - [Secret World] by Miki Akiyama
• ED - [Mienai Chikara] by Miki Akiyama

RESOURCES

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BUY MANGA (Nippon-Export)