Otogizoushi
A while ago I told myself to stop buying so many things online, but I'm really glad I caved in and bought Otogi Zoshi. It's one of the best anime I've seen in a while, despite of some flaws. I just finished rewatching it - I had to see whether a second watch would help me decide what I think about certain things (which it didn't), and anyway, it's not too long, easily watched in a couple of days.
The story is divided into two arcs, the Heian arc and the modern day Tokyo arc. In the first arc the capital, Heian-kyo, faces hard times: there is famine and disease, and the politicians and rulers in general care more about their own power and the luxury it brings than anything else. A young samurai, Minamoto no Raikou (based on a real historical figure, as I just found out), is sent on the mission to find the stolen magatama, a strange...object, which is supposed to bring peace and prosperity, but he too has fallen victim to the disease. So his younger sister, Hikaru, has set out in his stead, pretending to be Raikou.
The Heian arc, I think, is my favorite. There might be some silly parts, and a bit of anime-style drama ("I will definitely save the city!!"), but the story stays together fine, has some interesting twists, and the art is just beautiful. Not to mention the characters. Seriously, this anime doesn't have a single character I wouldn't like.
The name Otogizoushi refers to a group of Japanese prose narratives written primarily in the Muromachi period (1392-1573). (Lol, you can see I copied that sentence from wiki. xD) There are many different categories of otogizoushi, but the most well-known ones are retellings of familiar legends and folktales. This anime, too, draws much from legends, especially of those that surround Raikou. For one thing, Hikaru's companions are based on Raikou's four legendary retainers. In addition to this, basically all major plotlines in this arc are taken from these legends (though they might be changed quite a lot.) There's the Tsuchigumo, Ibaraki, Shuten Doji, and Kintarou, for example.
The next arc takes place in the modern day Tokyo in which the characters have been reincarnated. It's time to fix everything that went wrong in the past. As the Heian arc drew on folktales, I'm quite sure the second arc uses many real urban legends. But somehow, it doesn't work quite as well. Many of the episodes feel somehow filler-like, not really contributing to the story. In fact, they seem to exist just so that the characters can at one point realize that hey, we went there and there and there, and something strange happened. ...there are some episodes I'll be sure to skip if when I watch this a third time.
That's only for part of the episodes, though, and not enough to ruin the story. There are some great episodes in this second arc too, and the art is still beautiful. I especially like the painting like quality the backgrounds at times have.
The ending... is... maybe ... a little weak. I'm not sure I like it. Or maybe I do. Perhaps it's the right way for this to end. And I don't say this just because it's a (semi?) sad ending - I don't mind sad endings, and it is kind of fitting. It's just that... actually, I don't seem to be able to put into words exactly what I don't like in the ending, and as I want to avoid spoilers, I guess I won't even try.
But. I'd say this anime is definitely worth a try, if you happen to come across it. Please do... the fandom is non-existent, and I want to read Hikaru/Mansairaku fics.
The story is divided into two arcs, the Heian arc and the modern day Tokyo arc. In the first arc the capital, Heian-kyo, faces hard times: there is famine and disease, and the politicians and rulers in general care more about their own power and the luxury it brings than anything else. A young samurai, Minamoto no Raikou (based on a real historical figure, as I just found out), is sent on the mission to find the stolen magatama, a strange...object, which is supposed to bring peace and prosperity, but he too has fallen victim to the disease. So his younger sister, Hikaru, has set out in his stead, pretending to be Raikou.
The Heian arc, I think, is my favorite. There might be some silly parts, and a bit of anime-style drama ("I will definitely save the city!!"), but the story stays together fine, has some interesting twists, and the art is just beautiful. Not to mention the characters. Seriously, this anime doesn't have a single character I wouldn't like.
The name Otogizoushi refers to a group of Japanese prose narratives written primarily in the Muromachi period (1392-1573). (Lol, you can see I copied that sentence from wiki. xD) There are many different categories of otogizoushi, but the most well-known ones are retellings of familiar legends and folktales. This anime, too, draws much from legends, especially of those that surround Raikou. For one thing, Hikaru's companions are based on Raikou's four legendary retainers. In addition to this, basically all major plotlines in this arc are taken from these legends (though they might be changed quite a lot.) There's the Tsuchigumo, Ibaraki, Shuten Doji, and Kintarou, for example.
The next arc takes place in the modern day Tokyo in which the characters have been reincarnated. It's time to fix everything that went wrong in the past. As the Heian arc drew on folktales, I'm quite sure the second arc uses many real urban legends. But somehow, it doesn't work quite as well. Many of the episodes feel somehow filler-like, not really contributing to the story. In fact, they seem to exist just so that the characters can at one point realize that hey, we went there and there and there, and something strange happened. ...there are some episodes I'll be sure to skip if when I watch this a third time.
That's only for part of the episodes, though, and not enough to ruin the story. There are some great episodes in this second arc too, and the art is still beautiful. I especially like the painting like quality the backgrounds at times have.
The ending... is... maybe ... a little weak. I'm not sure I like it. Or maybe I do. Perhaps it's the right way for this to end. And I don't say this just because it's a (semi?) sad ending - I don't mind sad endings, and it is kind of fitting. It's just that... actually, I don't seem to be able to put into words exactly what I don't like in the ending, and as I want to avoid spoilers, I guess I won't even try.
But. I'd say this anime is definitely worth a try, if you happen to come across it. Please do... the fandom is non-existent, and I want to read Hikaru/Mansairaku fics.