THAT Animeblog

All right, as time is of the essence here, I have done up just a quick summary of the two series. They are very short due to the fact that my interest in the two shows are not that great after viewing them. Nijuu Menzou Musume is of a girl named Chico and the first episode introduces the main female character and her relationship with the “Nijuu Menzou” (20 faced). Kyouran Kazoku Nikki is a series about a group of people who suddenly forms a highly dysfunctional family.

Kyouran Kazoku Nikki Episode 1

Episode synopsis

Oka, an officer in the Supernatural Counter Department, is ordered to marry Kyoka, a cat goddess. It is only a ploy to keep her happy as the department is more than happy to throw the responsibility to Kyoka. Kyoka is an extremely energetic character, and decides to find several of their children to form a dysfunctional family. They include a soft spoken girl, an octopus, a dangerous robot, a lion and a yaoi-loving guy. That left Oka completely confused about what is going to happen with this eccentric family.

Thoughts

Whoever created this series might have been on crack, re-watching FLCL for 24 hours and then decides to write a script about randomness and insanity. The anime gave me a completely WTF emotion at the end of it. I felt extremely tired after viewing it, simply because the action and random behavior just keeps coming quick. Kyoka is a character on complete crack, and I must say that this is one for anyone who wants a high octane anime.

The story plot is wafer thin, and I might say, non-existent. Nonetheless, you are definitely not watching this show for character development. It’s for the sheer insanity and rapid action that throws you something every few seconds. It made me laugh quite a bit, but it also makes me realize that I am getting old. I cannot keep up with the great pace that the show is aiming to dictate. It will be a good show for those who likes comedy and total randomness (and those with a neko loli fetish).

Might I add that the OP and ED are the most awesome things in this series. I really think that the vibes of the series is successfully brought through by the songs. If you realize that you do not like the animation and the style of the songs, this anime is clearly not for you. It will be more hectic once you go past the mid-point of episode 1.

For me, I am not going to touch this anymore. I do not mind comedy, but I did not appreciate it as much as I should. It’s yet again a crazy batshit insane female character and a token male that is being bossed around. Do I feel a poor man’s version of Haruhi Suzumiya here in terms of dysfunctional behavior? The worst thing? I thought that Haruhi Suzumiya is one of the good shows in its year, but not the greatest show ever. Making a lame imitation insults Tsuruya. However, the quirky side characters will probably bring this eccentric series through. I expect enough fans for this series, just not me.

Nijuu Menzou Musume Episode 1

Episode synopsis

20-faced is a legendary thief that steals from the rich precious treasures. He is a fugitive but has managed to slip through every single time. Chico is a rich girl who seems to have a terrible temper, throwing tantrums and refusing to eat her meal. It turns out that she is being poisoned by her caretakers, who are eyeing the inheritance left by Chico’s dead parents. Chico realizes this, which is why she has been rejecting all the food by her caretakers. Eventually, Chico is saved by 20-faced, as he came to take away the family jewel from her caretakers. A man named Tiger throws to hunt down 20-faced, but 20-faced’s compatriots come to save him as they shrugged off his chase.

Thoughts

Maybe it is the major expectations that I have of this show that has made me somewhat biased. With Aya Hirano playing the lead role in Chico, I was probably expecting good graphics (considering Soul eater is a complete romp) and a nice exciting first episode. However, I got anything but that. It feels almost underwhelming as it goes for a more mellow approach to introduce the characters. The thug that is the climax of the first episode feels like fodder material to make the main characters look good.

However, Chico seems somewhat interesting even though I really expected her to be slightly more exciting than she is. The henchman are good though, and I like to see more character development in the coming episodes. They also pulled a very easy fast one on me by making me dislike Chico a hell lot for being a spoilt brat. Eventually, it turns out that she is just trying to survive this human prison. It is small little things like this that makes Chico a decent character that has room for exploration.

The graphics are rather poor considering that it is done by Bones. I was dismayed to see how this series is one of the poorest in terms of animation for the spring review. Considering that you have mega power houses such as Macross Frontier (gorgeous stuff), Soul Eater (sharp and beautiful stuff) and Library Wars (need i say more about production IG), Nijuu Menzou Musume is a complete sore eye.

Still, it shows some potential, even though my heavy expectations probably makes the experience a bit less than how it should have been. It might still turn out good, and there is enough to hint for a second chance.