The Fire Hunter

The Fire Hunter (火狩りの王) is a 20 episode post apocalyptic fantasy anime based on the novel of the same name, written by Hinata Rieko.  The first season aired in the Spring of 2023 and the second season aired in the Winter of 2024.

 

    Far into the future of humankind, many centuries or millennia after the modern age, humans live in a state of fear.  In the unremembered past, a change was effected in humans that caused them to burst into flame and burn to death when near natural flame.  At the same time a twisting of beasts in the wilderness caused them to take on monstrous appetites and spread fear into the surviving humans who cowered in the darkness.  Wilderness reclaimed the land and humanity was almost eliminated from the face of the planet.  Humans, with god like abilities, were able to fight against the natural horrors.  A weapon was crafted that would allow a brave warrior to kill one of the changed beasts, revealing that its blood was replaced with a liquid that could be used to create artificial fire, a fire that would not cause humans to self immolate.  With this discovery and guidance of the god clans, humans began to carve out safe spaces for themselves in the wilds.  The warriors who were granted the means to fight the beasts and collect their blood are known as Fire Hunters and are humanities best chance at reclaiming any sense of safety and society, along with their highly trained hunting dogs.

    Touko is a young orphan, who lives in a remote village that is known for its exquisite paper production.  Her parents has died in a natural fire accident, leading to the partial blinding of her aunt and caretaker.  Out of desperation, Touko ventures beyond the protective barrier of her village one day, in search of a strange race of forest people, hoping to receive medicine from them to help her aunt.  Instead she is attacked by one of the fire beasts, as the monstrous creatures are called, only to be saved by a wandering Fire Hunter.  The man defeats the beast but is given a mortal wound in the process, with his dying words he tells Touko the name of his dog, Kanata and unknowingly yokes the young girl with a dangerous responsibility.  Based on customs and honor, Touko's aunt instructs her that she must travel to the capital city to return the dead Fire Hunters belongs and dog to his family, to atone for the man dying to save her.  She is entrusted with a few pages of the villages most valuable paper, an item reserved for the Gods, and is given passage on the next transport vessel back to the capital.

    The transport vessels are used to ferry goods from the scattered settlements in the wilderness to the capital, delivering much needed fire beast blood.  The trip is long and dangerous, given that its path takes it through the wilds of the land, only finding refuge in the scattered villages, each protected by local deities and wandering Fire Hunters.  Touko finds herself in the company of three woman, of varying ages, who have all been offered up as brides by their families to other villages, in order to rid them of perceived curses.  The three women take a liking to the girl and try to help her on her long trip.  The men who run the vehicle that plows through the wilderness, powered by the blood of fire beasts, are less than enthused with this new passenger and her unruly canine companion.  Touko is tasked with assisting one of the ships engineers, Shouzou, to do the mundane jobs he would rather not do.  A Fire Hunter is accompanying the vessel and commandeers Kanata to join him on a hunt for more fire.  The woman realize that the youngest of the brides, Kaho, has run away.  Desperate to find her, they notices that the beast the Fire Hunter is facing off has her in its clutches.  Touko runs to try and rescue her, putting herself directly in danger, only to be saved by the Fire Hunter and the two hunter dogs.  The badly wounded, but safe Kaho is returned to recover in her quarters, but the captain tells Touko that she will be kicked off at the next village, still far from the capital.

    Before that can happen, the transports are attacked by an enraged beast, one that resembles the guardian deity of Kaho's village.  Unable to deal with its incredibly strength, the transports are destroyed, its crew scattered or killed.  Touko, the remaining brides and Shouzou run into the forest, trying to distance themselves from the enraged creature, hoping to make it to the safety of a village.  Their dangerous journey is assisted by a band of forest people, who shield them from belligerent forces that may otherwise over power them, leading them to a nearby village and leaving them to their own designs.  There in the village they encounter a Fire Hunter named Akira and her diminutive hunting dog.  Akira is on her way back to the capital and offers to protect them on their journey, offering them the ability to make the trip faster and safer by way of the sea on a Fire Hunter ship.  Before they can make it to their destination they begin to unravel a plan by a rebel deity clan that threatens to shake up the order of humanity and might possibly destroy it for good.  The group, known as 'spiders' are gathering to attack the other deities that run things from the capital and are willing to use natural fire to achieve their goals.  Touko, desperate to deliver the dead Fire Hunters possessions to his family, wants nothing more than to complete her task and return to the quiet safety of her home, but she finds herself in the center of events that may spell the end of humankind.

    I was clued into the existence of this series while looking into the series airing for the 2024 Winter season.  I was drawn in by the artwork in the original trailer and dove into it, to catch up before the second part premiered in January.  The preview was a partial lie though as the artwork has frequent issues.  The series is full cg and the characters are done in a natural style, with an attention to the natural world that acts as the silent character in the series.  But over the course of the series the consistency in quality and proper physics continuously breaks down.  This is particularly noticeable in the battles between Fire Hunters an the flame beasts as the motion of the participants becomes detached from the background and odd camera pans.  There are ever present continuity issues in the artwork as well when characters move in the background of a shot.  The quality of the art and animation is only apparent in close ups and scenes of mostly dialogue.  The designs of the fire beasts as well is less than inspiring.  They are dark and have bodies that seem more like undulating fluids and or flesh and bone, but this could be a stylistic choice?  Hard to tell honestly, but its not good.  In all, the animation is abysmal more than it is enjoyable.

    The real strength of the show is the world and story its self.  The terrible animation choices are overshadowed by the unique tale.  My initial thoughts before starting the series and with little knowledge, was to think of the amazing Shin Sekai Yori, which is not as far off as I thought.  The journey of Touko is only part of the enjoyment, the unveiling of the worlds story and its workings are the strongest parts of the anime and original work.  This is a fascinatingly creative fantasy world, with darkness and horror at its edges, just outside of view.  Running parallel to Touko's journey is the story of her dead saviors oldest child, the studious Koushi and is increasing involvement in the growing unrest against the god like powers that control the countries fragile society.  A powerful merchant is manipulating him into a plot to weaken the rulers and the rebel spiders in hopes of building a new future, with he at the helm.  The characters are interesting and multi faceted, building upon a rich world and history.  I need to track down the original material and see how much was left out of this poorly executed but still enjoyable anime adaptation.

The series was simulcast and is still available on Crunchyroll.

A Town Where You Live - manga deep dive part 2 - First Tokyo arc

 A Town Where You Live (君のいる町) is a shonen romance by Seo Koji.  The manga ran from 2008 until 2014 and has been compiled into 27 tankoubon.  It also received a 12 episode anime adaption in 2013 that covered the first two arcs of the story, with the first arc being largely glossed over.  The series and its characters are indirectly related to Seo's prior work, Suzuka, and the ending leads directly into the continuation of that series with the manga Fuuka.

Click here to read the first part, the Hiroshima arc if you have not already.

    With that Haruto heads off to Tokyo.  He will be staying with his older sister, who lives in the same all girls dormitory that was featured in Suzuka.  He has doubts about moving to Tokyo, purely to find Eba.  Its caused a lot of trouble at home and he may be jumping to conclusions.  he has literally uprooted himself and everyone around him for the off chance that she really doesn't want to remove him from her life.  He meets another weird girl his first day there after she attacking him, fearing he was a burglar.   The girl, Mishima Asuka, lives next door and is in the same class as Haruto in his new school.  That same night he meets another classmate, a boy named Kazama Kyousuke.  Both of them try to befriend Haruto in their own ways

    Haruto doesn't have any time to bother with getting chummy though.  AFter the first day of school ends he heads directly to Eba's home only to run into her sister Rin and be rejected from meeting Eba.  Each day he repeats the process, desperate to run into her, becoming a stalker in the process.  he is bound and determine not to take her note on face value and wont be satisfied until she tells him to his face.  He suspects there is something wrong and he wants to be there to help him.  His obsession is hurting his social standing with his class.   On a day off from school Kazama wakes him up early, with Mishima in tow.  He takes them both to a race track outside of Tokyo where he pracites racing on his crotchrocket.  He tells Haruto about his dream to be a pro level racer when hes older.  Mishima tells him when they are alone the reality of the situation.  Kazama is battling some unspecified illness and theres a good chance it will prevent him from acheiving his dream.  This gives Haruto a new perspective about his brand new friends and causes him to slow down a little bit and interact more with those around him for the time.

     When one of his classmates invites Kazama with her to an event put on at the all girl high school Kyouou, Haruto jumps at the opportunity.  This is where Eba goes and he thinks this will be his best chance of running into her.  Desperate, he begs his classmate to take him with her instead.  Reluctant at first, she makes him help her put away a large collection of books donated to the schools library in exchange.  He becomes embarrassed when he sees her panties while helping her.  She misinterprets it as him being shy around her due to liking her.  After cooling of over the idea of being more popular than she though she agrees to let him go with her, as a trial for dating.  Unsure what her plans are he agrees even though it could be a problem is Eba see's him with another girl.  Kazama confronts him about his desperation to go to the all girls school, astutely figuring out its related to a girl.  left with no choice, Haruto tells him the basics of why he transferred to Tokyo.

    The classmate is in full proctor mode and considers this a date, with a grading system planned out.  Haruto is distracted however and neglects the needy girl.  As her frustration builds, she forces him to go through one classes haunted house, even though both of them are not into scary things.   The tour ends horribly and she runs off, considering him little more than a sex crazed pervert.  Unfortunately for him, Eba did see him with her, as she was part of the haunted house.  As hes makes his way out of the school grounds she confronts him and tells him what he had been waiting to here since he decided to chase after her.  In no uncertain terms she tells him that she truly did decide to break up with him and has a new boyfriend.  Now with his reason for coming to Tokyo evaporating, Haruto has to figure out what to do with him self.

    The following day in school Kazama quickly figures out what transpired.  He determined that Haruto was able to meet the girl he was chasing after truly did reject him.  In order to try and cheer him up he takes Haruto out on a ride on the back of his bike.  After driving for a while they stop to chat and reflect.  Before they can head back Kazama collapses onto his bike.  Fearing the worst, knowing hes dealing with some serious health issues, he calls an ambulance.  In the hospital Kazama chides him for over reacting, telling him it was just a bad case of anemia.  Mishima comes rushing to the hospital and confesses that she told Haruto about his health issues.  To distract them he reminds Haruto that he is going to help him fight for the girl that dumped him, just as he does Eba walks through the door, leaving Haruto speechless.  Kazama eagerly greets her and introduces them to his girlfriend.  Haruto and Eba pretend that this is the first time meet each other.  What is Haruto to do?  His new best friend is dating the girl he is chashing after.  The girl he himself said Haruto should take back from her boyfriend.

    Wanting to wrap things up he waits for Eba the following day at her home.  This time he is able to talk with her and she tells him whats been going on.  When Kazama learned she moved back to Tokyo he came to her, telling her that he had a terminal illness and wasn't expect to last a year.  Out of desperation he asks her to go out with him, hoping that being with hr can improve his attitude and work towards healing.  Caught between the long distance relationship with Haruto and giving the boy who has been chasing after her for 4 years a glimmer of hope, she decided to go out with him and leave Haruto to his own devices, not anticipating him chasing her back to Tokyo.  Haruto isn't ready to throw in the towel yet and after spelling it out to Mishima in a few words, he decides hes not going to hide anything from the man he considers his friend.  The next opportunity he has, he rushes to the hospital and lays down the challenge to Kazama.  He knows he doesn't have long to live but isn't going to let that stop him from taking Eba back from him.  Now with the secrets out of the way for everyone, Haruto feel's he can look his friend in the eye and not lie to him as he lives out the last of his days.

    In the battle to win Eba's heart, Haruto does the only thing he can think of, get to gere through her stomach.  Each day he cooks a food item, which Kazama eagerly consumes, while Eba tries to resist.  One day he shows up to find a new girl, a series girl named Kiyomi.  Kazama tells Haruto to leave but he has already overheard Kiyomi castazing him about refusing to go through with a surgery that could save his life.  The next time he sees her, Eba is there as well and the other girl digs into her, calling her a murderer, convinced that she has changed Kazama's mind about the surgery.  Haruto takes her outside to cool down where she explains why shes so made at Eba.  Haruto realizes that she is also in love with Kazama.  He now has a partner in his mission to get Eba back and he encourages her to tell Kazama about her long held feelings.  After a failed attempt she decides to give up, knowing that he is happiest he has ever been, even as he stares down his mortality, all because he finally has Eba as his girlfriend.  Haruto is not so easily dissuaded and continues the battle.

     Kazama decides to go ahead with the surgery, hoping that if its successful it will give him the opportunity to truly steal Eba way from Haruto.  He's convinced that she is only dating him out of pity and he wants to prove that their relationship is real.  Before the surgery Haruto cooks a meal and they gather for a celebration.  Kiyomi breaks down and assaults Eba, finally confessing to Kazama about her feelings for him.  As everyone is leaving, he pulls Haruto aside and tells him to try and go after his childhood friend, sicne he will have Eba for a long time.  As to be expected...he dies shortly after the surgery.  The day after the funeral, Eba drops off Kazama's motorcycle helmet to Haruto.  Kazama was serious when he said he wanted Haruto's restaurant to be the front and center sponsor for his pro racing team.  As she leaves, she tells him that they need to stop seeing each other.  Leaving him by himself, with the memories of a good friend and better rival in the helmet.

    Following the passing of Kazama, Haruto and Mishima become closer friends.  Just before winter she tells him that she likes him, but follows it up with more, obscuring her true intentions.  As winter break approaches they meet with Kiyomi for coffee.  Kiyomi notices tht something is off when Mishima excuses herself to take a phone call.  She tells haruto that she likes him and that he needs to figure it out before it ruins their friendship.  He tells her that the final confrontation with Eba has put him off from relationships for the time being.  Out of an off handed comment he ends up inviting Mishima with him back to his home over the break, due to her fascination with snow.  To make things less awkward he forces Kiyomi to join them.  Everything is going well on their first day back in Hiroshima...until Akari arrives and everyone goes to a hot spring.  Mishima knows that Haruto and Akari had kissed at one point and she sees her as a rival for his affection, even though she hasn't been honest with him about her feelings.

     Someone he didn't anticipate seeing was his first love Nanami.  After a day of everyone playing in the snow she sat down to have a deep conversation.  Akari had filled her in regarding the drama Haruto was involved with in Tokyo.  She also notices something with Mishima and tells him that he needs to make a decision sooner than later, given he has feelings for her even though he can't admit it.  That idea seeps into his brain and he begins to ponder the truth of it.  Mishima and Kiyomi decide to return to Tokyo after only a few days and the eve before they leave Mishima asks Haruto to talk in private.  She tells him that he should move back home after graduation instead of going to college with her in Tokyo.  He counters saying he wants to be with her and asks her to go out with him.  They don't do to well in keeping their relationship hidden as his friends force him to join the girls on the way back to Tokyo, so he can spend time with Mishima.

    Now that they are a couple how much will things change for them?  They bicker over everything but seems to be doing well enough, each finding comfort with the other as they move beyond the lose they have endured.  What will the future hold for them, we will have to wait for the next arc of the story as they enter college.

Part three, the college arc.

To Your Eternity - Season Two

  To Your Eternity (不滅のあなたへ) is an adventure anime based on the manga of the same name by Oima Yoshitoki.  The second season aired between the Fall of 2022 and the Winter of 2023.

    After decades of isolation, the outside world finally tracks down Fushi.   He is visited by a young girl named Hisame.  She is the grand daughter of his nemesis, Hayase and contains the nokker that her grandmother had joined with in her left arm.  He decides to travel with the young girl, to see what is happening in the world around him.  He ends up in a village were he encounters and aged Tonari as she nears death.  After her death, Hisame tells Fushi about her desire to have his child.  Neither of them understand what that means and afterwards He returns to isolation.

    More time passes and he is again visited by other descendants of Hayase, each wanting to have his child.  After successive generations, a male decendent arrives named Kahaku.  He who ensures him he is not his father.  His desire to be with Fushi has not changed with his gender and he convinces him to assume the form of Parona.  Kahaku tells him about a village that worships him and have been battling the nokkers.  On their journey to this village they gain a companion in the eccentric Prince Bon.  Bon has the ability to see spirits of the dead and is enamored with Fushi's mysterious abilities.

     Before leaving Bon's kingdom of Uralis, trouble follows Fushi in the form of the Church of Bennett.  They have been spreading their message of hatred and distrust towards the immortal being, labeling him as a harbinger of doom and destruction.  In order to prevent nokkers from attacking he doesn't stay in one place for long.  With Bon and Kahaku, they travel the land, warning people of the danger they may find themselves in.  Before long they attract the attention of the Church of Bennett and all of them are imprisoned.  The church puts Fushi, Bon and Bons manservant Todo to death.  Todo and Bon are left to die of starvation while Fushi is imprisoned in a sphere that they pore metal into.  Through his inability to actually perish he persists and succeeds in breaking out of his hellish prison, astonishing everyone.  He rushes off to rescue his friends at which point Bon learns that his closest servant is actually a woman who has been in love with him for a long time. 

    The church still desires to make an example out of the prince and sentences him to death for his alliance with the Devil.  A plan is concocted and his execution is faked.  Upon returning home he understands he can never attain his wish to sit on the throne, especially with him officially being executed.  He changes his mannerism and leaves his home, searching for Fushi.

    It doesn't matter if Fushi continues to move around, the nokkers are attacking more regularly, targeting both him and places of larger population to draw him into their traps.  The Black Man warns him that a major attack is going to happen in a city Renril and he must make a choice about fighting them or ignoring the threat they pose.  Driven by his attachment to humanity he decides to do everything he can to make this the final confrontation with his persistent enemy.   He struggles to bring hope to the residents of the city and is rejected by its rulers after he pleas with them to work together.

    He leaves the city and begins to formulate a plan to help them without their authorization, leaning into his ability to recreate anything that he has come into contact with.  In the course of his training, Kohaku and Bon find him, amazed at what he has been able to accomplish.  Fushi has also gained a new ally in a strange mute girl named Eko.  The allies return to Renril in order to attempt to convince the Princess to let them help.  Bon gathers three new allies to the cause, people he claims can be very useful to Fushi.  He also convinces the Princess to give them an audience to discuss their plan to protect the city from the nokker threat.  She again rejects their offer but Fushi is not disuaded.  He is determined to help protect the city with or without its rulers permission.  His training ith recreating things has giving him a tactic to fight the threat.

    If he can sense the nokkers before they are able to attack, he can fight them before anyone is killed.  In order to do this he needs to make himself part of the fabric of the city and the land around it.  He begins a campaign of rebuilding as much of the city he can with his own ability, connecting them to himself.  Slowly he builds a network of himself through the city, attracting some skeptical attention.  Soon it becomes hard to hide whats going on and he explains what he is doing and why.  Eventually he has to return to the Princess to convince her to let him do the same to the palace and other military targets.  By the end she relents and the vast majority of the city is, in reality, Fushi.

    As soon as that task is done and a plan is put into place with the soldiers, the nokkers make their move.  According to the Black Man, all of the nokkers that exist have gathered for what may be the final stand.   Fushi is taking responsibility to handle killing the nokkers on himself as everyone nervously waits.  As the first day turns to night, the strain of controlling the entire city, killing as many nokkers as he can find, rebuilding damage and further extending his influence underground, takes its tole and Fushi passes out.  He awakes in the morning to find the city in the midst of furious battle and the three new allies all dead.

     Feeling that victory is slipping from his hands Fushi learns at a moment that almost lead to his defeat that the three recently deceased allies have been restored to life.  Copies of them he created in his misery, revived once they were cut from being connected to him.  He now had three soldiers that were immortal as well and the efforts were redoubled to fend off the threat.  Day after day they continued to fight but it was a progressively losing battle.  The nokkers were invading the city and killing citizens, reanimating their corpses to further the attack.  with each new strategy employed by Fushi and his allies, the nokkers adapted to new attacks.  It was at this point that the nokker inside of Kahaku began to act on its own, forcing Fushi to make a choice.

    He confronts Bon regarding the three allies ability to return to life again and again.  Fushi tries to reanimate March but is unsuccessful.  Unknown to him, a copy of her he had stored in a different part of the city had already been restored to life after it slipped out of the bonds connecting it to him.  She was searching desperately for Fushi.  When she finally locates him he is being horribly attacked by the nokker in Kahakus arm.  Reducing him to his original orb status, successfully stealing all of the people he had memorized.  Kahaku, regretting the episode, tries to cut it out of him only for it to flee into the city.  Marsh finds Bon and brings him back to where Fushi was reduced to almost nothing and the search is on for the nokker that stole all of his memories.

    In a desperate attempt to save him, Bon kills himself over Fushi, which means that Fushi will take on his body and abilities.  As he wakes he discovers the fate of his friend and sees his spirit, who fills in the gaps.   For the first time he sees the spirits of his long lost companions.  Bon explains to him that at the time a person dies they make a choice to remain on as a wandering spirit or move on to another plane.  All of his friends who remained have the ability to inhabit the facsimiles he makes of them.  They renew the attack on the nokkers, finally eliminating all of them with the exception of the one that had resided in the decedents of his old rival, Hayase.

The story continues in Part Three.

To Your Eternity - Season One

To Your Eternity (不滅のあなたへ) is an adventure anime based on the manga of the same name by Oima Yoshitoki.  The first season aired between the Spring and Summer of 2021.

    In an unknown time and an unknown place a mysterious orb comes into contact with a dying wolf.  The orb transforms into the wold following its passing and begins a journey that will take it to lands and times far away from its place of origin.  The recreated wolf's first contact with humanity is a boy who has been abandoned by his tribe, left on his own in the arctic wastes, the sole resident of his village.  The boy does not know the wolf before him is a replication of his pet and companion and welcomes him back with love and warmth.  The boy soon desires to reconnect with his people and sets out across the ice shelves.  AN accident proves fatal for the boy and he returns to his home to die.  After his passing the recreated wolf realizes it can assume the boys body now as well.  It transforms into this new shape, one that has had an impact on it, and resumes the boys trek across the barren landscape.  The journey proves perilous and difficult, but the transformed boy learns that it can not be stopped by death or damage to its form.  After a short period it will restore its self to the previous form, allowing it to continues on its course.

    After an unknown amount of time the transformed boy succeeds in leaving the arctic region, finding its self in a lush forest.  In the forest he comes across a young and wild spirited girl named March.  Marsh's small tribe are forced to offer up their children to be used by a stronger neighboring peoples as sacrifices to a massive bear they consider a god.  Marsh, with the help of an older girl from her village, Parona, has succeeded in escaping the Yanome people as she was about to be few to the bear, Oniguma.  The transformed boy helps her to escape the pursuers.  Even though he is older than her, March realizes the boy before her struggles with basic functions and helps him find food among the trees.  AS she rests with the boy, she realizes that her baby sister will most likely be sacrificed in her place and decides to return to the Yanome.

    The woman, Hayase, leading the small band of Yanome warriors finds her first, drugging Marsh and bringing both of them back to the sacrificial altar.  With everything back in place they prepare to leave until Parona returns, attempting to rescue the young girl again.  This time the bear has arrived as well and Hayase stays to watch the spectacle.  In the ensuing battle, the boy is killed, returns to live, transforms back into the wolf and succeeds in dealing a fatal injury to the bear.  Hayase decides to bring the three captives back to the capital of her land, with unknown intentions.  On the long journey Marsh gives the boy the name Fushi and continues to teach him as if he were her new born child.  In the city, Hayase treats the three to wonders they had never before experienced, ultimately drugging them during a meal.  The three awake to find themselves imprisoned, Marsh and Parona in one cell and Fushi alone.

    Curious about the nature of Fushi, Hayase begins to experiment on him, having him killed multiple times, trying to understand the nature of his apparent immortality.  Fushi makes a new friend, in an elderly woman named Pioran who joins him when Parona attempts an escape.  The bear god has died while in the care of the Yanome and Parona believes that if she returns with a piece of it to their village, they will be able to stop the sacrifices from continuing.  As they make their escape, Marsh shields Parona from a volley of arrows, sacrificing her short life for the older girl.  In rage and fury, Fushi realizes he is able to transform into the now dead bear god and ravages the pursuing forces, allowing them to escape.  They make the somber journey back the village, where Parona tells Marsh's parents about what happened and her death. 

    Suspecting the return to their village, Hayase has taken a group of soldiers to the village to ambush them and capture Fushi.  The trap is sprung but Parona in turn sacrifices herself to allow Fushi to escape into the woods.  As he travels, alone again, he encounters the old woman Pioran again and the two continue on together.  As they journey together, she teaches Fushi how to speak, as he only learned a few words during the events with the Yanome.  Pioran wants to return to her homeland, an area called Takanuha, which is currently at war with the Yanome.  As they reach their destination, Fushi is attacked in the night by a strange orb like creature, which steals his memories and ability to transform.  At this point the being who created Fushi long ago appears to him.  He tells him that the creature he faces is his enemy and the enemy of all life, a being known as a knocker.  Each time the nokker succeeds in killing Fushi it will steal the memories of the form Fushi had taken at the time of the death, stealing it from him.  Fushi creator tells him that his purpose for existing was to preserve the world and the things with in it but if the knockers steal all of her memories they will win.

    After defeating the knocker and retrieving the memories it stole, they arrive and Pioran's hometown and find her old boyfriend, known only as Booze Man.  Booze Man allows them to live in his house and help out with his business making and selling alcohol.  A young boy named Gugu helps the old man out as well after he was saved from death by him.  Gugu has grown up on the streets, living hand to mouth, doing whatever work he can with his older brother.  His older brother though has abandoned him and life has been rough for the young boy.  He fell in love with the daughter of a rich merchant in town but has never been confident enough to really approach her.  To make things worse, Gugu was almost killed in an accident, crushed under a massive log.  He survived it, but was horrifically mutilated.  Booze Man helped nurse him back to health and provided him with mask to hide his disfigured head from the public.  The rich girl, Rean, frequently comes to the Booze Man's shop, but does not know the boy in the mask is the same street urchin she has encountered before.

    Fushi and Pioran settle into a carefree life with Booze Man and Gugu, a number of years pass and both boys have grown in body and spirit.  Fushi has adapted well to living as a human and has learned to speak and act quite naturally.  Tensions grow between Gugu and him when Rean begins to show signs of affection for Fushi.  A group of men attempt to kidnap Gugu, only to be rescued by Fushi, who transforms into the bear god.  With his secret revealed, the two discuss Fushi's nature as an undying being meant to preserve the memories of the world around him.  In time, Fushi has grown to understand some of the aspects of his ability and how he is able to replicate things he is close to at the time of their death or destruction.  He promises that he will preserve Gugu in the same way, ensuring he is never forgotten.  That chance comes sooner than either would like when the village is attacked by a group of nokkers.

    In the battle Fushi is killed and discovers that when he restores himself back to the shape of the boy from the arctic village, he is restored back to its younger form when he died.  Gugu is killed in the battle, protecting Rean.  In order to protect the girl, Fushi takes Gugu's form and lies to her, saying he needs to go on a long journey.  Realizing that the nokkers are drawn to him, Fushi decides to leave the town and head away from large groups of people.  Against his wishes, Pioran join him as he travels to new lands.  In the next village they are immediately captured and sent away to an island populated only by prisoners.  Fushi is distraught when he becomes separated from the old woman, fearing for her safety as the grim reality of his new home sets in.

    The island is a land ruled by the strong, where the weak are exploited for anything of value.  He is determined to rescue Pioran once he learns that she is being help captive on the island.  He encounters a band of children lead by a girl named Tonari.  He is not confident that he can trust her, especially after he reveals his immortality during a gladiatorial competition.  The competition is help to determine who will be making decisions for the island as a whole and Fushi see's this as a way to rescue Pioran.  During one of the bouts he unconsciously turns into Parona, informing him that she has died.  Fushi is reluctant to continue killing combatants, causing the audience to revolt.  During the melee nokkers attack the island, leading Fushi to shift into protection mode as he once again battles his persistent enemy.

    In the final gladitorial battle he faces none other than Hayase, who is trying to recapture Fushi for her own mechinations.  In the form of Parona, he allows himself to be defeated by Hayase.  She in turn spins a story about how she brought the immortal being into sentience and crowns Tonari as the leader of the island.  Fushi agrees to go along with Hayase's plans in exchange for all of the children to be removed from the island, Tonari included.  Hayase wants to carry Fushi's child, believing that it will allow her to create a lineage of immortals.

    All of the children are drugged as their ship sets sail but Tonari is able to overcome its effects.  She heads back to the island, attempting to rescue Fushi.  Her efforts are cut short when the nokkers return again and begin taking over the dead.  In the end all of Tonari's friends fall prey to the attack, becoming reanimated corpses themselves.  Fushi rescues both Tonari and Hayase from their own death, concocting a plan to defeat the nokkers.  Fushi leaves the island with Hayase, once again leaving Tonari in charge.  On the way back to the mainland she pledges her undying love to him.  This angers him and he leaves her to her own designs.

    Reconnecting with Pioran, Fushi and the old woman head off into the wilderness, settling down on a remote tropical beach.  Pioran is suffering from dementia and soon she passes but not before she is visited by the Black Man.   She asks him to allow her to be useful to Fushi after her death.  Fushi morns the loss of his companion and settles into a decades long isolation until a nokker finds him, which he destroys easily.  It appears his sanctuary is compromised after decades of isolation.

The story continues with Season Two.

Deaimon

Deaimon (であいもん) is a 12 episode slice of life anime based on the manga of the same name by Asano Rin.  The series originally aired during the Spring of 2022.

    Ten years after leaving home to pursue a dream of being a professional musician in Tokyo,  Irino Nagomu returns to Kyoto in order to take over his families confection shop.  He dropped everything to return home after receiving a letter from his mother informing him of his father being hospitalized.  The reality that his families traditional Japanese sweets business would disappear suddenly shocked him out of his stupor.  He rushed home, ready to assume the role of heir, only to discover he is unwanted and unneeded.  His fathers health issue was more routine than anything life threatening.  He left home a decade earlier they have written him off as being involved in the business.  Perhaps the most surprising change is the appearance of a ten year old girl named Yukihira Itsuka.  Itsuka has been living with his parents for the past year, having been abandoned by his father and her mother being gone even longer.  They have taken to the serious and respectful girl so much that his father plans on making her his heir.

    Left with nothing else to do, Nagomu stays and begins his training.   Unfortunately for him, no one has any faith in his abilities.  Nagomu is carefree and emotional, prone to crying over some of their most luxurious wagashi being sold.  He wears his heart on his sleeve and bumbles through life without forethought or reflection.  Due to an offhand remark from his mother, he begins to work at being a replacement father figure for Itsuka, much to her annoyance.  Itsuka is a serious child, driven by the fear of abandonment.  Her mother left the family when she was five and her father abandoned her with this unknown family.  The Irino's however have done everything they can to make her feel safe and comfortable.  Her earnest attitude and motivation to please them, showcases Nagomu's opposite approach to life.  Perhaps out of jealousy or perceiving him as ungrateful, she treats him almost as harshly as his father does, with outright contempt and hostility.  But, understanding that those around him have a right to view him that way, doesn't let that dissuade him and continues his efforts to befriend the abandoned girl, all while trying to become a version of himself that his father won't outright detest.

      This is a slice of life series that can be summed up as, healing.  Perhaps a lot of that has to do with how laid-back Nagomu is or the artwork that feels like water colors at times.  It is not a stretch to consider this an iyashikei.  The only downside of the anime could be how it ends, with just another day passing and uncertainty still in the air regarding a few show length arcs.  Itsuka is always yearning for her father, searching for him when she is able to.  Near the end of the final episode we see a shot of him, knowing he is in the area, but nothing more is done.  We don't know if he comes to find her or she him.  There is also a woman that Nagomu left when he returned home, his long time girlfriend Kanoko.  When he told her he was returning home to take over his family business and asked her to come with, she leaves him.  His easy going nature lead him to shrug and continue with his plan.  Shortly after returning home Kanoko ends up moving to Kyoto and someone becoming a part of his life again.  There are moments where we see into her point of view and she struggles with the situation, somewhat wanting to get together with him again but unwilling to make the move, relying on him to do it instead.  We pretty much never see what Nagomu thinks about any of this and are left hanging on their future together.

    A lot of people may become discouraged and upset with how the series just...stops.  But there is always the manga, which I suspect has more story after the anime.  But its also true to its nature as a slice of life story, we are literally taking a peak into the lives of these people for a slice of time.  Its unnatural to have everything wrap up nice and tidy by the end of the voyeurism.   Honestly, I am happy that it just ends.  I was dreading the final two episodes falling into the same pattern that so many dramatic slice of life shows do.  The second to last episode leaves us on a cliff hanger where the comfortable existence that has been established is in danger of going away.  Then the final episode resolves that danger, even if the life doesn't return to the exact same state it had previously be in, it is still recognizable as the ideal outcome.  Beyond all of that, this is a fantastic and calming series with a wide range of enjoyable characters...I should probably pick up the manga for this one as well.

The series is available on Crunchyroll.

Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These - part 4

Legend of the Galactic Heroes: Die Neue These - Intrigue (銀河英雄伝説 DIE NEUE THESE 策謀) is the fourth 12 episode season of the remake based on the novel series Legend of the Galactic Heroes by Tanaka Yoshiki.  The series was originally released as three movies over the Fall of 2022.

    Things seem to be stable in the galaxy as the Alliance and the Empire have drawn to an uneasy truce.  Yang and his loyalists are holed up in Iserlohn.  Reinhard has solidified his rule over the Empire with just a few minor details to iron out.  He is not content though, he views the continued existence of the Federation as a thorn in the side of his ambitions.  He renews his efforts to unify the Empire once and for all.  With Iserlohn under the control of his nemesis, it would be a waste of manpower and resources to pointless throw them against the fortress.  Instead he needs to think outside of the box.  The only other viable route into Federation space is through the neutral Fezzan.  Luckily for Reinhard ambitions, one lof the enclaves authority figures, Rubinsky, is more than willing to make a deal to further his own wealth and prestige.

    The Fezzan plans are a bit more complicated than just agreeing to allow Imperial warships into its territory.  A plan is hatched with disaffected members of the aristocracy to kidnap the current Emperor, 7 year old Joseph the Second.  The plan succeeds and the young Emperor is taken out of the reach of Reinhard and deposited in the capital of the Free Planets.  There one of the exiled nobles makes an announcement with the Free Planets president, talking about how he and a group of other exiled nobles have formed a government in exile.  They announce that the Alliance has recognized this government in exile and have partnered with it to oppose Reinhard and his authoritarianism.  This doesn't bode well for either of them as the Empire in exile has no actual authority of way to enforce their existence.  The backing of the Alliance causes social unrest and conflict, weakening its position as well.

    All of this instability and uncertainty is part of Reinhards plan, as his cooperation with Rubinsky in allowing the young Emperor to be kidnapped and escape was a tool to create weakness in the Alliance as he plans to launch his invasion.  Yang sees right through the plan, and warns his allies in the capital that the Empire will more than likely punch through Fezzan to invade this time, instead of wasting their time with the impenetrable fortress he commands.   But his warnings fall on deaf ears, as people in power feel they understand the situation and tactics better.  They stick to the ideals that Fezzan will never sacrifice its independence and access to wealth and prosperity willingly.  Unknown to them, that is exactly what is happening.  Unfortunately for Rubinsky, he seems to underestimate how much the under the table negotiations will remain in his favor.

    In response to the declaration of the exile government, Reinhard makes an address calling this an act of war and aggression, rallying the people to the cause of returning the Emperor to his home and punishing those that kidnapped him and support his displacement.  A massive mobilization is enacted, seeking to build a force of 100 million soldiers.  He knows, in order for his diversion to work, he will need to make the force attacking Iserlohn large enough to be convincing.  This requires him to have that force be larger than the previous one that failed.  In order to make the sneak attack work, he will need an even greater force at Fezzan.  Thus his plan unfolds and Yang finds himself stuck in a position where he has no hope of affecting the outcome of this new attempt at invading the Alliance.  Reinhard appears to be in position to win this drawn out rivalry and bring his goals of revenge into its final stage.

As with the other seasons, this one is available on Crunchyroll but currently only subtitled in English  There is no word yet on a fifth series to continue to story and we are left as the precipice of this assault.

Bucchigiri?!

 Bucchigiri?! (ぶっちぎり?!) is an original 12 episode shonen comdey anime created by Kishimoto Taku and produced by MAPPA.  The anime originally aired during the 2024 Winter season.

     Tomoshibi Arajin returns to his hometown to find is overflowing with juvenile delinquents.  His high school life will be quite difficult surrounded by threatening muscle bound, fight obsessed men, but a cute girl in his class gets his attention and sends flutters through his heart.  The girl, Jin Mahoro, has ulterior motives in mind and invites him to a date only to have her brother Jin Marito challenge him to a fight before his gang.  Little does Marito suspect, Arajin has a secret weapon at his disposal.  A local legend exists around a race of super beings who imbue their strength to worthy individuals, honki, or genies.  Revaling it as a child, hes waved it away as the fantasies of youth.  While attempting to evade being beaten by members of a different gang, he hides in an abandoned shrine which is at the center of the legends.  As he desperately tries to defend himself he sets off an event that leads to the vessel of a genie named Seya to be embedded in him.  The genie appears, eager to merge with the weak young boy and become a legendary brawler.  Arajin tries to escape the genie and his strange expectations but is unable to.  While facing down the older and stronger Marito, Arajin agrees to join forces with the genie in order to lose his virginity.  Powers granted, the physically inferior Arajin delivers a clean shot on his opponent winning both his safety and respect.

    Arajin's childhood friend, Asamine Mataraka, is excited for the boy he admired to return.  He is desperate to rekindle their friendship and have him join him in the pursuit to be a honki.  Arajin wants nothing to do with him, brushing him off at every turn, focused only on dating Mahoro.  Marito is impressed with the new kid and invites him to be a member of his gang, the rival to Mataraka's gang.  Arajin, wanting only to be close to Mahoro, eagerly agrees to the invitation, pleasing Senya.  Senya only wants to fully merge with the boy and take on the mantle of honki, seeing the sudden immersion into youth gang life as the perfect outlet.  Arajin doesn't suspect anything form anyone and is purely driven by sexual desire.  When rival factions start to set up a major conflict between his school two gangs, he finds himself in the middle of what might become a blood bath.  But the real fuel behind the carnage is Senya and a another jinn with a rivalry for the ages.

    This is a strange anime all around.  Its a story about gangs of savage high school kids, most of which you can't take seriously because of how over the top their appearance and personalities are.  Then you toss in a tale around two jinn souls who have traveled time and space to continue their rivalry in modern Japan.  Not to mention the homeroom teacher who frequents a hostess club at every opportunity as a side story.  Arajins mom is ridiculous, hand waving everything that shows up at hr doorstep as a natural part of adolescence.  AT its core its about Arajin trying to come to terms with his own inadequacies and the guilt he struggles to express about his past.  Its a world were authority doesn't exist and hooligans are free to do whatever they want, with only their twisted honor as a safety mechanism.

    I had a lot of fun with this show.  The artwork is amusing and the directing goes a long way to enhance the absurdity of the story.  It is not as joke laden or brain melting as Cromartie High, but it is a good choice for fans of that older show.  A show about super naturally powered delinquents who are trying to straighten out personal issues that aren't earth shattering for anyone not living their world is best served with a smile.  If this series took its self seriously it would be boring and uninspired.  Instead it winks at the audience and gives us a ridiculous damn near steamy yaoi action comedy.  Tell me this isn't a boys love story...I dare you.

The series is available on Crunchyroll.

Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf

 Spice and Wolf: Merchant Meets the Wise Wolf (狼と香辛料 merchant meets the wise wolf) is a 25 episode dramatic romance based on the light novel series Spice and Wolf by Hasekura Isano.  This second retelling of the light novel originally aired during the Spring and Summer of 2024.

    Kraft Lawrence is a traveling merchant in a time of transition from the old ways to the new.  Traversing a world that is falling under the sway of a central religious authority, focused on sweeping away historical beliefs and practices he does what he can to earn profits through the exchange of good across the land.  He travels to a small farming village during their wheat harvest in order to acquire some quality grain to trade in a city.  He leaves with more than he bargained for when the wolf spirit who has provided the village with their quality harvest for generations sneaks aboard his cart in the form of a young girl.   The wolf god Holo asks Lawrence to allow her to accompany him on his travels as she desires to visit her ancestral homelands far in the north.  She is curious how the world has changed around her after all of this time and fancies him as the perfect guide on her journey.

    Lawrence agrees to get her safely to the northern lands, something endearing the ancient wolf girl to him along with his compassionate nature.  Holo does not want to be a burden on the man and offers her abilities at his disposal.  She has an innate ability to detect untruths and a keen sense of negotiation, given her long life and unnatural abilities.  However, her long life has made her shrewd and patient, never offering her services outright, waiting for Lawrence to realize that he would be in a better position by asking for her help.  The arrangement seems to benefit both of them until the Church begins to sniff around, rumors traveling about Holo's potential unnatural nature.  Wolves have always been feared and hated by humans, so Holo does what she can to conceal her true nature, but the power of the Church means it is not as easy as hiding her ears and tail.

    The original version of the anime has long been on my list of series that I need to watch.  It has been revered for a long time and considered a quality romance as well.  The reboot seemed like a perfect opportunity to finally see what all the fuss was about.And I was pretty disappointed.  I don't really see why this is considered a romance when there is very little in the way of romantic connections between Holo and Lawrence.  Sure, she has a level of admiration for him that is evident through a lot of her actions regarding him and his safety.  But the story focuses almost exclusively on the dangers presented by the growing authority and autonomy of the 'church'.  Lawrence struggles at every turn to keep Holo's true nature hidden while protecting his own livelihood.

    This is really a story about mercantilism and the perils of making enemies in a world were its easy to be disappeared when enough power moves against you.  The art isn't bad, the character designs and world building is solid as well.  The biggest shock was Holo's attitude when I finally got around to watching the series.  I had only ever been exposed to it through still images and a narrative that belies the reality of the story and her personality.  I was very surprised to learn that she is not some subservient and agreeable teenage maiden.  Instead she is head strong, calculating and very very shrewd.  She plays games with Lawrence but when she needs him to understand that she holds all of the cards she doesn't hold back.  Holo...instead of being a male fantasy of the ideal subservient partner, is a quality representative for woman's equality and independence.  The story is good, the world is detailed but its not the story I was looking for and its not the style of world I tend to enjoy.  The problem is with me...not Spice and Wolf.

The series is available on Crunchyroll.

Zom 100

Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead (ゾン100〜ゾンビになるまでにしたい100のこと〜) is a 12 episode horror action series based on the manga of the same name by Aso Haro.  The series originally ran during the Summer of 2023.

     Tendo Akira is a young salary-man working for a black corporation, draining the will to life from him as he trudges through days of abuse.  When the zombie apocalypse strikes he suddenly gains a new optimistic outlook on his life...he finally has the time to kick back and relax.  He turns the collapse of civilization and daily immanent/grisly death into his opportunity to life a fulfilling if someone shortened life.  After reconnecting with his best friend from college, Ryuzaki Kenichiro, the two team up with a goal to do everything they ever wanted to do before they fall prey to the zombie hordes.

    They begin to construct a bucket list and with Akira's desire to see is his parents are safe, they head off to the countryside.  Along the way the pick up fellow survivalist, Mikazuki Shizuka, to join them.  Shizuka is pragmatic and calculating.  She has easily transitioned her calculating resourcefulness to surviving the hellscape that is Tokyo with great success.  She however understands that staying in the maze like city reduces her chances of continued success and agrees to join them on their journey.  As they travel the country side they quickly learn that the living is more dangerous than the dead as bands of abusive  humans begin to interfere in their trip.  The collapse of civil society really can bring out the worst in some people can't it?

    This was a highly anticipated series at the time is premiered in 2023.  The production quality was rather high with excellent directing and a colorful palette.  However it fell victim to its own workload and the final three episodes were pushed back to the end of December.  This caused me to drop off from watching the series as it simulcast to not completing it to well over a year later.  But its production delays weren't the only thing keeping me from finishing it.  I rally fell in love with this fresh take on the zombie trope.  The survivors were fun and enjoyable as they enthusiastically took each day on with carefree abandon.  Akira and Ryu's go-lucky attitudes did a lot to make the series fun and funny.  There was a lot of over the top scenes where their survival was only gotten through the magic of fiction and I loved it!

    Then it fell prey to what every great zombie story falls prey to, the need to shift the dangers from the brainless undead masses to the darkness of human tendencies for control and domination.  The halfway point, where they encounter a trap on the freeway that is set by a band of slave-driving sycophants really turned me off and made me lose excitement with each new episode.  Humans as the real threat is a boring and worn-out trope in zombie films.  I understand the godfather of the genre, Night of the Living Dead set this principle, but we can also explore other narratives beyond that.  I really though Zom 100 was going to be different.  It was at first and it was fun and exciting and lovable.  But it fell back on the common garbage and lost its steam.  It lost its interest, it characters alone struggled to carry on the joy that was experiences in the first few episodes.  The final arc, the one that got delayed, was even less interesting and the story seemed to fall apart with no real goal in mind.  This story could have been so much more but fell into old routines and lost all the shine it had.  Sad...

The series is available on Crunchyroll and Netflix in both sub and dub formats.  There is also a live action version on Netflix.  

I Have a Crush at Work

I Have a Crush at Work (この会社に好きな人がいます) is a 12 episode romance based on the manga of the same name by Enomoto Akamaru.  The series aired during the Winter of 2025.

    Mitsuya Yui greatly dislikes Tateishi Masugu, one of the employees in the accounting department of the giant confectionery company she works for.  She greatly dislikes his unbending attitude and his extreme adherence to policy and formality.  She doesn't like having to grovel before him to get things done when they need to be done.  Tateishi has a reputation for his sternness but also for being helpful.  He doesn't like having to deal with Mitsuya's aggression, when all hes trying to do is his job.  While these two coworkers hate each other in the workplace, they are dating in secret.  In order to prevent unwanted disruptions in their work life, they agreed to hide their relationship from everyone.  But that means they have to continue with their aggressive rivalry during office hours.

    As time goes by Yui and Masugu work hard to juggle their work responsibilities and time together.  They feed off of each others motivation and strive to push their success at work, encouraged by the others efforts.  But its hard to find time to be intimate when they have to meet in private and avoid going anywhere they may be spotted.  A Golden Week get away leads them to make a challenge, to further their work goals, the looser pays for the return trip to the same hotel.  Adding in the extra effort means that they have less time to see each other after work.  Will they be able to keep up the charade in the office when they become starved of each others attention under the extra workloads?

     This is a straightforward, no nonsense, adult romance.   We begin the series with them already dating.  There is no, will they won't they moments, no plot lines rotating around miscommunications or over active internal dialogues.  There are plenty of times where it delves into the work-life experience.  This is through and through a office life romance about being a normal boring ass adult.  I loved it for that!!  Which is why it was so frustrating that this series was not picked up by any English language streaming services.  This was such a sweet and grounded love story about two believable and realistic characters.  Their situations was relatable and their environment is realistic.  Maybe that's the problem...maybe its too real and too honest to be desirable.  It doesn't present children as sexual objects or fabricate a juvenile representation of romance.  Lets be honest, Rent-a-Girlfriend may be largely about adults, but its no different a story than if the setting was high school instead of college.   I Have Crush at Work is such a needed take on realistic romances its a shame it won't get much attention from the wider anime audience.

    As with a lot of slice of life romance, the artwork isn't the greatest.  But what drives the story are the characters and their situation.  Masugu and Yui are fantastic and developed well enough to carry the story.  We also get side characters that add more life to their environment, enhancing its delivery.  There is even a rather touching side story related to Masugu's direct manager and another underling in a different department.  All in all, this is a top notch romance for those looking for something that doesn't involve unnecessary panty shots, plot lines based on ridiculous misunderstanding or the need for a beach episode.

Sadly...there series is not legally available in North America.  The manga is though!!!

A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School

A Terrified Teacher at Ghoul School (妖怪学校の先生はじめました!) is a 26 episode comedy series based on the manga of the same name by Tanaka Mai.  The series aired between the Fall of 2024 and the Winter of 2025.

     Abe Haruaki dreams of becoming a teacher, but his first experience as one leaves him less than encouraged.  Haruaki is easily intimidated and when attempts to scold delinquent students backfires he quits teaching.  He is encouraged to try again, this time at a school on a remote island.  Uneasy about the position, he is warmly welcomed by the administrator.  This new assignment isn't exactly what he expected it to be.  He has been contracted to be the only human at a school exclusively for yokai around the nation.  The school its self is located on an isolated island that is only populated by yokai as well.  Being a human among monsters is the least of his worries.  His class has zero respect for him, largely due to his flighty nature and concerning passion for women/girls uniforms.

    Haruaki decides to continue his job, even in the face of unusual circumstances and mortal danger.  As his tenure proceeds he begins to earn the respect of his rowdy class, often selflessly endangering himself to help them.  The reason he was chosen for this position is due to his paternal lineage.  He is the descendant of a powerful  Heian era onmyouji, Abe no Seimei.  He possess his ancestors ability to dispel yokai but he is unable to control that ability.  The schools administrators have knowingly brought a dangerous person in their midst in hopes of being able to keep track of him and prevent anything problematic from happening.  Fortunately for them, Haruaki is lovable, gullible and recklessly passive.

 

    Over all this was an amusing series that didn't fall into repetitive patterns.  The cast of goofy characters ws enjoyable and covered a wide breadth of yokai, complete with brief descriptions.   A lot of the charm with the series is the frequent shifting of character design to enhance the comedy.  In reality there isn't much of an over arching story that unfolds.  Over the course of the series you learn about the backgrounds and motivations for a number of the students, some of the other teachers and of course Haruaki.  It didn't dawn on my until I was done watching it but this is pretty much a yokai spin on Great Teacher Onizuka.  I did enjoy the series and was happy when it got extended into a second cour.  Halfway through the second cour I started to lose interest in the shows apparent meandering but was snapped back in when the final half dozen episodes coalesced into a plot.

    This was a fun and hectic comedy that just so happened to use the absurd backdrop of an all yokai school too add some extra flavour to its delivery.   Over the decades I have come to really appreciate manzai style comedy and this series offers that in excess.  Haruaki is the classic kind hearted idiot.  A lot of his students are serious and ruthless in their interactions with him.  Almost all of the cast being yokai does well to help explain away the absurdity throughout the show.  There was one episode in the second cour though that almost made me quit the series due its rather blatant and unfortunate racism towards people of Chinese decent.  It was...alarming, something one would expect from an older anime.  Its unfortunate that publishers and production teams are still accepting of that type of sentiment.

The series is available on Crunchyroll.