| Average |
7.0 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Story |
7 |
| Character |
7 |
| Value |
6 |
| Enjoyment |
7 |
| I think it takes a lot of creativity to make a series involving the mediation of spirits, because it opens up a realm of possibilities that are both whimsical, intriguing, and sometimes downright frightening depending on what the creator chooses to focus.
If titles like Mushishi and Mokke are any indication, they can showcase the trials and triumphs of an individual mediator who finds themselves doing it by hobby, for the sake of helping whomever may be caught in the crosshairs of spiritual wrath, or simply because they have such an ability. ^_^
I would personally put Shounen Onmyouji as closer to Mokke: a fun coming of age story involving spiritual mediation and showcasing themes specific to the power of friendship and individual growth. However, it establishes itself in some collectively serious grounds as it progresses overall, providing moments of genuine loss and emotional tendencies. The problem, however, is pacing itself enough to where those tendencies have proper depth and connection. Mokke sometimes had this problem, and so does Shounen Onmyouji.
The series depicts the efforts of Abe no Masahiro, a boy training to follow in his grandfather's footsteps as an Onmyouji, which is something akin to a spirit mediator in a retrospective era. He struggles to find his way out of his grandfather's, the illustrious Abe no Seimei, shadow and make a name for himself while training.
Unfortunately, Masahiro doesn't quite come into step with becoming a proper onmyouji until he comes across a little monster who helps him realize his true potential. That monster is Mokkun, a cute yet savvy creature who takes on a god-form to serve as Masahiro's guardian, under the name Gurrenn. Gurren, alongside other guardians of similar form, enables Abe no Seimei and Masahiro to fight against the demons that threaten their kingdom.
The story shapes itself around the episodic adventures of Mokkun and Masahiro as they bond while mediating spirits and fighting against dangerous demons. The series itself never seems to drag too much as most battles conclude in an episode or two, and in the first part of the series, it has an excellent balance of action (with some significant blood in places, reminiscent of Princess Mononoke), humor, insinuated romance, and character focus. I adored the first part of this series and fell into step with it very well, as balanced a mesh of humor with rather pulsing/on-the-edge battles with menacing creatures.
There is a point in the latter arc of the series where it becomes a bit predictable for events, so much that the payoff in the ending may leave one disappointed (there is payoff to be had here, but at the same time, it's emotional connectivity doesn't quite hit home as hard as it could). This is with respect to the main story, which never loses its overall aim or feels like it jumps from one point to the next. On the contrary, it flows quite well and gets to where it wants to go smoothly, but it feels like when you get to a certain plot point, you already know what's going to happen before it happens.
It doesn't mar the overall journey, though, and there are genuinely funny moments and potent emotions to be had here. I really enjoyed the interactions between Mokkun and Masahiro, as well as Masahiro's interactions with his rather charming grandfather, in both physical and spiritual forms. Some of the guardians I felt had too little time to really come to know and connect with them, but they have fun or, at the very least, interesting personalities. Perhaps the format of the series was too abbreviated to allow for expansion with even the secondary characters.
The greater charm, is watching how Masahiro grows with Mokkun, and I think that's the larger message of what Shounen Onmyouji elucidates.
The animation standards of this series are well worth noting for a 2006 anime. I thought the character designs were gorgeous and the cel production values, particularly in the periodic era settings, were spot on for the most part. The battle scenes are fast and fluid, but perhaps not as clean as peer series in some areas.
Music is a toss up for the most part. The Yuki Kaijura penned opening "Eago no Wake" is gorgeously paired with the animated OP sequence, making it one of my favorite anime themes noted in the past year or so. The ED song isn't quite as strong, and didn't appeal to me on first listen, but I learned to grow into it as the series came along. BGM doesn't tend to jump out, but works well in its respective scenes to suffice.
I would recommend watching Shounen Onmyouji at least once because it has a lot of potential particularly in the first part of the series, and it's hard not to be enamored with some of the characters here, alongside the intrigue of the spirit encounters and dynamic action sequences. Yet, those who look for inventive stories might find it frustrating in parts, as it does tend to fall into predictable territory during latter parts of the series.
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