I am a biiiiiig slice of life fan. Ah! If they hadn’t been there, what would have I done in my life. Apart from hilarious k-variety shows like Weekly Idol,  slice of life anime are my go-to when I feel down. (I am pretty sure, most of the upcoming reviews are gonna be slice of life)

And again, as I said in my last post, this particular genre is quite underrated. People new to anime, either think of it as an anime or dismiss it as something mundane or unwatchable. Hence, some awesome shows go unnoticed and unappreciated. One such gem is this show called Gingitsune.

Plot: Makoto Saeki’s mother died when she was four years old. She inherits a power from her mom called “the sight” which enables her to see shrine spirits. One such spirit is Gintaro, who has been guardian of their shrine. After her mother’s death, her father takes up the job of shrine priest and thus, her life starts with this fox spirit. The story begins with Makoto entering the middle school. It’s about her daily life with new friends, both human and shrine spirits and how she evolves as a human being (the common theme).

There are some loose ends here and there which could’ve developed more. But you can’t expect much in 12 episodes. Even so, the speciality of slice of life anime is that they end at pretty okay point where you don’t really feel the need to know more. Pretty self-contained they are.

Animation: Animation and character designs are pretty good. Many consider the designing style of the shrine heralds quite unique. But frankly speaking, I like the human characters more. The main character Gintaro is sometimes shown with unusually big hands or clumsy tail and such. But all in all, it’s pretty good. Not to mentions the backgrounds. They just melt my heart and feel so peaceful. (I keep adding these to my desktop wallpaper slideshow)

Characters: Makoto’s character is quite likable. Being a motherless child, she has her flaws. But growing up with her loving, at times silly, but almost always intelligent father, she is really caring towards others. Also, she strives to strike a balance between the heralds and human beings.

Whereas, Gintaro is the mature and experienced fox, who guards Makoto and loves her very much. He tries to be hard on her to teach her about life, but can’t bear her tears, hence has to concede most of the times. He is the most knowledgeable but acts childish every so often.

There is such contrast of personalities in almost all the characters in the anime which is quite enjoyable, seeing the two opposite sides in one human being.

Other characters are introduced one by one, slowly, which is, again, a plus point. The quiet, know-it-all yet lacking in knowledge of everyday behaviour Kamio Satoru; the old in age but kid at heart Kamio shrine herald, Haru; arrogant yet kind Yumi Ikegami and the one who makes a 180 degree reversal in her behaviour, Hiwako Funabashi are some of the characters who make Makoto’s friend circle and the plot of the anime.

Other things: Soundtracks are pretty relaxing and go well with the anime. I really love the opening and the ending. And as usual, the anime is full of feels (I know, I know. My choices are good, at least, when it comes to anime)

Summary: All in all, I’ll score it a 9/10. And my final verdict is, recommended, not highly, but if you’re looking for slow pace, peaceful story and easy going characters, go for it! And, here we are with the PV next:

PS: This anime season, there are so many slice of life series, and their first episodes so look promising. I am so very excited!!! Will write about them when they finish, but from first impressions, I am going to follow Shounen Maid, Tanaka-kun wa itsumo kedaruge, Anne Happy, Flying Witch and Kuma Miko from Slice of Life list. Some more series are coming up, will add after watching them.

Recently, I have been in contact with lots and lots of people, thanks to my higher studies preparation. And this one anime, I have been suggesting to everyone and by everyone, I mean every single person, even those who have only Death Note to their “completed” list. And boy! It has worked wonders!

Before I write the review of this anime, I welcome all the “converts” to the anime world. Hope you stay here for long and discover the charms of this place. Now, let’s get started.

Plot: Handa Seishuu is the 23 years old son of a famous calligrapher and is trying to make a name for himself in the calligraphy world. In an exhibition, he loses control and punches a prominent personality just because the old man critiques his piece a little harshly calling it “too conformist” and “unoriginal”. He’s then, kind of banished, to a small village called Goto island where he is given the title of Sensei.

How this city boy adapts to the village life, comes out of his slump, finds his inspiration and succeeds is the plot of the anime. It’s about the daily life of Seishuu and his interactions with the villagers and how they knowingly or unknowingly help him see the world from a different perspective.

Now, it’s a 4-koma gag kind of thing, not exactly like that though. Most of the episodes contain two stories but the plot still flows, so you can’t randomly pick any episode like Nichijou or Azumanga Daioh. There are only 12 episodes and it ends on a great note.

Characters: Since, the plot is about how Seishuu evolves into a kind hearted, original human being from an arrogant and narcissist calligrapher, there is no doubt, his character sees the most development. He also shows the most emotions and brings about different reactions from the audiences at different points of time: He’s disgusting when he punches the director, lovable when he decides to be Naru’s guardian in secret, pitiful when he loses a prestigious competition to a guy much younger than him and…… Shhhh…… won’t give any more spoilers.

The other main character of the series is Kotoishi Naru, a seven year old girl, who lives with her grandpa in the village and has made her base in Seishuu’s house to be, with her other friends. She is the person who sticks to him like glue and turns every situation into hilarious one. The most comic part of the series. Also, she’s supposed to be the lonely child in the absence of her parents and her grandpa always at work, hence she spends the time with her friends and Seishuu. She actually puts efforts to appease him  and is the only one who has the might to handle the moody Sensei. And her voice actress has done a fabulous job.

The other recurring characters are the kids around Naru: Hina the best friend, Tama and Miwa the middle schoolers, Hiiro the high schooler, and other kids from Naru’s school; the old villagers: Naru’s grandpa, the shop manager, village chief, etc. etc.; Sensei’s family and friends: Kawafuji the art dealer, Mom, Dad, Hall director the punched man, are a few from the list. Many a times, giving importance to these many characters in an anime spoils the broth. But the blend created here is just something magical. (I understand that I am praising the series a little too highly, but when a series still makes you laugh, even after watching it for 20 times, either there is something wrong with you or the series is a gem. The feedback I have got for this one, even from the people who run away from anime, shows it to be the latter case, though I won’t deny the former one.)

Animation: Not very clean but not very messy either. The type of drawings used for this one go well with the theme of the anime. And,

Other things: Soundtracks are plain entertaining. Full of feels too. And it has that calming effect, which can only be felt if you actually watch it. Might be inspiring for some as well, because, it’s all about finding yourself and friendships.

Summary: This anime has got the most simplistic and realistic settings but pulls the job of entertaining the people incredibly with right emotions at right time, so much that people forget about the hi-fi anime they have watched, if any. The pleasing to eyes animation and awesome soundtracks in the background complement it so well, that if I am to score it, I would give it 100 out of 10 (yup, you read that right). And for those who find themselves in depression, try it just once. Take from me, you won’t be disappointed.

Now that I read the whole write-up, I think, I have praised it a little too much. But you know, it deserves it. A lot of anime lovers haven’t watched it yet which amuses as well as worries me a lot. When otakus around me say that they haven’t watched the series, my reaction is always

And I realize, despite high ratings on MAL, it might be one of the most underrated anime in the real life. It’s just an observation though. So if you haven’t watched it yet, please do. The anime is available on YouTube as well, English subbed. Here is a trailer for ya:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XDU9KrzyP4

Enjoy!