Amatsuki

Synopsis:
Rikugou is a young boy that has just failed his History midterm. Because of the outcome of his exam, he chose to attend a virtual tour of Japan’s Edo period where he meets Shinonome. There, his virtual glasses are broken and he is trapped in the virtual Edo period referred to as Amatsuki…

Plot:
Within Amatsuki, Rikugou is referred to as the Blank Page seeing as his existence is unknown to the god, Teiten. However, his existence did peak the interest of the Princess that rules the land and thus is invited to her temple. There, the Princess’s secret is revealed; she was cursed by a snake demon some time ago where she dies and is reborn each day. Because of this, Rikugou begins to journey to free the Princess of her curse and then decided whether or not he wishes to return to Higan or stay in Amatsuki.

Characters:
Rikugou Tokidoki – the anime’s protagonist. Affectionately called Toki by close friends like Shinonome and Kuchiha, Rikugou is a gentle young man from Higan or the real world. He was transported to Amatsuki when his virtual reality glasses broke in a virtual tour of Japan’s Edo period. Sight in his left eye was stolen by a demon when he first arrived in Amatsuki.
Shinonome Kon – Rikugou’s friend from Higan. Shinonome met Rikugou at the virtual reality tour of the Edo period. He was trapped in Amatsuki approximately two years before Rikugou arrived. He was also attacked by a demon upon entrance and because of this, he lost all feeling in his right arm.
Kuchiha – a young woman that lives as Shamon’s foster daughter. She carries a samurai sword with her and uses it as a primary defensive measure. Unknown to the rest of the village, Kuchiha’s body is the home to an inugami (demon dog) which makes her more or less a demon. At first, she dislikes Rikugou because he seems like a weak person but as time goes on and she gets to know him, she grows to like him.

Sound & Graphics:
The best part of this anime. The sound and graphics here are perfection! The artwork was what kept me watching the anime when I had my doubts. Each of the characters is animated beautifully and all of their voices fit their personalities. Along with beautiful artwork and great voices the music is great as well. The OP begins the anime with a nice pop song but the ED ends off with a soft ballad. As I mentioned before, the sound and graphics are the best part of this anime.


Entertainment & Replay Value:
To be honest, Amatsuki’s story bored me at first. To the point where I was falling asleep during episodes but eventually the story caught my attention and I began to enjoy the anime. I grew to love the characters and their unique looks and abilities. I was actually disappointed that Amatsuki was only 13 episodes. The chances of me replaying this anime are very high. Once I’m in the mood for a brawl between demons.

Genre: historic, Shinto
Rating: N/A
Number of Episodes: 13