| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
|
|
|
Tapster
Joined: 22 Dec 2017
Posts: 4
|
Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2026 2:02 pm |
|
|
|
I agree this was an excellent series which wasn't widely viewed for a couple of reasons: it started a bit slow and the period-accurate hairstyle which made the male characters unattractive by modern anime standards.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
Yune Amagiri
Joined: 28 Jul 2016
Posts: 1331
Location: France
|
Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2026 2:16 pm |
|
|
|
The last few episodes were clearly a big step up from everything until then, so maybe I wouldn't mind having a sequel if this series keeps focusing more on its fantastic genre but either with another protagonist or POV, he was by far one of my worst protagonists from last season.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
Granflorician
Joined: 01 Apr 2025
Posts: 11
|
Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2026 2:28 pm |
|
|
|
I'm glad some of the overlooked shows of last season are getting reviews
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
Zhou-BR
Joined: 28 Feb 2008
Posts: 1585
|
Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2026 3:19 pm |
|
|
|
This show didn't seem very interesting to me at first, but I kept watching it because Noitamina rarely steers me wrong, and boy, does it get better with each episode. By the end, I was completely satisfied by the story it told, but I think general audiences were probably turned off by the chonmage hairstyles that not only made the male characters less attractive but also made it harder do tell them apart.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
whiskeyii
Joined: 29 May 2013
Posts: 2478
|
Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2026 3:26 pm |
|
|
Oh man, a good mystery is pretty much enough to get me to try anything these days, but a good mystery co-signed by Rebecca Silverman is guaranteed to be a good time
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
Terraziel
Joined: 01 Jul 2023
Posts: 112
|
Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2026 4:37 pm |
|
|
|
I didn't hate the show but by the end I did find myself wishing that they had just made a movie instead; too often I found that it dragged too much to be considered slow-paced or thoughtful and was just dull.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
Key
Moderator
Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 19161
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
|
Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2026 6:34 pm |
|
|
|
Very glad Rebecca reviewed this one. It was in my Top 5 for the year (behind only The Apothecary Diaries, Orb, and May I Ask For One Final Thing?), so I'm eager to see it promoted more. I especially appreciated the intricacy of how everything fits together and the "lived-in feel" Rebecca mentioned.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
Top Gun
Joined: 28 Sep 2007
Posts: 5308
|
Posted: Sun Jan 04, 2026 6:43 pm |
|
|
|
Hadn't so much as heard of this show before now but it sounds interesting.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
Glordit
Joined: 11 Sep 2020
Posts: 1203
|
Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2026 12:36 am |
|
|
| Zhou-BR wrote: | | This show didn't seem very interesting to me at first, but I kept watching it because Noitamina rarely steers me wrong, and boy, does it get better with each episode. By the end, I was completely satisfied by the story it told, but I think general audiences were probably turned off by the chonmage hairstyles that not only made the male characters less attractive but also made it harder do tell them apart. |
I think the biggest turn off for a lot of people was how slow got. The initial episode was good and hooks you but then it seems to push that aside in favor of doing other things for a while before coming back with a bang.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
Sasuke149
Joined: 09 Sep 2009
Posts: 123
|
Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2026 6:07 am |
|
|
|
Oh, I guess I will give this one a shot.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
SaneSavantElla
Joined: 25 Jan 2013
Posts: 296
Location: Philippines
|
Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2026 6:54 am |
|
|
|
This is by no means a complaint (just an observation), but you can replace most of the ayakashi involvement here with regular humans, and the core plot would be largely unchanged. Like the review said, the supernatural plays an important role in the overarching twist, but otherwise, it is a very down-to-earth mystery that does not overutilize magical powers or use them to resolve or explain away the events that occur in each episode. The human characters are in fact, more memorable than many of the yokai that we meet, who, true to their nature, stay in the background disguised or unseen by ordinary people. I really find it a refreshing use of yokai in anime, which I often find distracting especially when their existence is treated as a given, and they are reduced to stereotypes.
P.S. It is interesting that they used relatively unknown yokai in the main roles. I've only seen a hakutaku in Hoozuki no Reitetsu while inugami are often reduced to minor roles. And this is the first I've even heard of a byobu nozoki, ironically the flashiest (and my favorite yokai character) in the story.
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|