Shelf Life

Cake Boss

The Everyday Tales of a Cat God is cute and silly, and although most of the series is fluffy entertainment, it's got a surprising amount of heart as well. Unfortunately, those moments are few and far between, and are mostly concentrated on the one human character, Yuzu, who ends up being one of the few characters in the series that gets a backstory. Yuzu comes from a long line of antique dealers who have an impeccable eye for appraising old timey ceramics and spotting counterfeits. If she were the main protagonist, she could probably star in her own show about a wunderkind appraiser who has an emotional connection with pottery. Alas, the true star of the series, and the titular “Cat God” in the series name is the rambunctious Mayu. She's been banished to Earth by her parents as punishment for her gambling problems, and since then, she's lived happily and lazily under the same roof as Yuzu. Turns out, there are all sorts of gods around town and they all hang out together, so we get a whole smorgasbord of gods, ranging from the God of Poverty, to the Goddess of Cherry Blossoms. As you might expect, they get into all sorts of fun little adventures.

As one might expect from a series that bills itself as a comedy about a lazy Cat God, the show is fun and peppy, if not exactly groundbreaking. Some of the episodes are better than others, and while I personally enjoyed the more serious ones about Yuzu and her painful past, and her love for antiques, I could also see how those would turn off some viewers. I liked some of the bittersweetness that they brought, but they're definitely different from the god-oriented episodes and don't necessarily mesh all that well with the contents of the series. At the same time, out of the large cast, Yuzu is one of the only characters that gets some development, although one could argue that her talent for identifying antiques isn't really the most fascinating of story elements.

What the series lacks in riveting storytelling, it makes up for with cuteness. This series is pretty darned cute, but not obnoxiously so. It has just the right amounts of quirkiness and fan-baiting that make it a fun way to kill some time during a weekend. As a lover of all things animal-shaped, I also enjoyed one of the gods' giant, nubby anteater-looking critters. Which is to say, if you like Cute Things, you'll likely be able to find something enjoyable in this series, regardless of what target demographic you generally reside in. And yes, there's a beach episode, but it plays out unexpectedly and with good humor, which I appreciated.

As usual, NIS America gives this title wonderful treatment. The box, like all their art boxes, is incredibly sturdy, and the hardcover artbook inside is charming and wonderfully laid out. I don't necessarily think that the all-star premium edition treatment is needed for a title like The Everyday Tales of a Cat God, but for those fans who do really love this series, this is a beautiful release. I'm not exactly dying to rewatch this series again anytime soon, but I had a good time with it, and I could see this show being a good title to watch with friends or an anime club.[TOP]

Here's the annoying thing about Darker than Black. They made a second season, but there's a lot about some of the returning characters that don't make sense until you've seen the OVAs…which they released after the second season. So when you're watching it in the order in which the episodes are released, you think to yourself, “What the hell happened to Hei? He looks terrible.” It's a little unsettling, because you feel like you accidentally popped in the wrong disc, until you just kind of suck it up and realize that while the timeline is linear, and some of the characters have returned, it just feels like a whole new beast. Then you watch the OVAs, which take place sometime between seasons one and two, and then you realize, “Oh…” I guess I'd recommend watching the OVAs first. There are bits and pieces that won't make sense, having not seen the second season first, but it just flows better in this order. It feels more like a primer, and less like an afterthought.

Anyway, that all having been said, I actually enjoyed Darker than Black: Gemini of the Meteor (which I keep unfortunately wanting to call War on Geminar). I found it to be a little more involving and exciting than the first season, even though the primary character is a little lackluster. Even though Hei and some others (and squirrel-version Mao) are in this series and provide plenty of action sequences (with the same dumb-as-ever Contractor obligations), it mostly focuses on a gal named Suou. Her twin brother Shion is a Contractor, but is locked up and kept a secret. Meanwhile, her best friend turns into a Contractor, and then everything kind of falls apart. Suou gets mistaken for her brother, ends up on the run, gets her own Contractor powers, and becomes buddies with Hei, who's looking for Yin. Where's Yin? Oh yeah, it's in the OVAs.

Overall, I like the simplicity of this season a lot. It's easy to watch. Everything flows in one clean line, and it's fun and exciting, and you don't have to expend any brain energy enjoying it. Part of it is thanks in part to Suou, who is kind of a non-character, in that she exists and is the main protagonist, but doesn't really have any personality or memorable qualities. She is the cart on which the story pieces are assembled, and once you've given her a push, away she goes. It's the easiest kind of entertainment to watch, and although I'm not going to pretend that this is spectacular storytelling, it infinitely consumable. I think it was a really smart call adding her to the mix, because it adds a little flavor to Hei's arc and gives a slightly different perspective.

I've never been a giant fan of Darker than Black, although I enjoy it just fine. It's a neat little show, and the fight scenes are fun to watch, but I could never take the Contractors seriously. I thought some of the payments were just flat-out stupid. I'm all for something dramatic and terrifying like having to cut yourself every time you use a power, but when you've got a guy who needs to eat a taco whenever he wants to fight someone, that's just ridiculous. Do the Contractors with those kinds of payments have to provide their own tacos, I wonder? Or can they spirit them using their powers? If it was the former, I'd make sure all my fights occurred around food establishments, because there's nothing worse than finding yourself in a grueling death match and having to pull out soggy food from your rucksack. For the same reasons, I can't really get into the second season, although I did find it successful at keeping me occupied for an entire afternoon. I think that if you enjoyed the first season, that you'll definitely enjoy the second one, but I'd strongly advocate watching the OVAs first.[TOP]