Short Synopsis:
One day,
Koto finds herself in a place called the
"Mirror City"; it is a place that people may not normally enter nor leave. This city is run by a counsel of three, who were left in charge of the city under the premise that their parents would someday return.
Koto intrigues the counsel of three as she bears resemblance in both flesh and name to their parents. As
Koto attempts to find a way to return herself home she also begins to become curious about her origins and looks for clues of her family as she tries to escape Mirror City.
Notable Cast:
Koto - A young 14 year old girl. Carries a hammer weapon that can change in size.
Myoe (Yakushimaru) - A Buddhist Monk that takes care of
Koto and her familiars.
Yase - An oni (demon) girl. She appears to be very elegant and polite most of the time.
Kurama - An elderly man who sits in a giant sake cup. He is the main head of the city.
Characters:
Kyousougiga has very quirky characters (which is not a bad thing at all). It was very entertaining to see
Koto antagonize
Myoe, or to see
Yase explode in anger. For those of you who hate to see cookie-cutter character archetypes, I think you would really enjoy this show. The only problem I have with this series is that some characters have the same name, which was especially annoying if it wasn't obvious who was being referred to just by the context alone. Overall the characters were really great and entertaining to watch.
(On a side note, not a single one of the characters in the anime annoyed me, which is quite rare for me to say actually.)
Plot/Storyline:
The story might seem really convoluted to some people, which I supposed is a minor downside to this anime. But I on the other hand really loved how they executed their story telling.
Kyousougiga seems to really be invested in its characters; the show gives each character their own episode to allow the viewer identify the motives behind their actions. Even though these episodes aren't exactly necessary, they didn't feel like filler content either. The great thing about this anime is that it doesn't exactly lay out every single detail for you; rather, it gives just enough information to allow you to draw your own conclusions about certain things. And this is what makes these character specific episodes so great.
The main story held my attention well, but at the same time it never had me "dying" to see the next episode. Even though this show never really had you at the edge of your seat, it did generate quite a bit of thought. You can really tell that a lot of effort was put into the writing of this series.
Soundtrack/BGM:
Kyousougiga had a very excellent soundtrack. I liked the OP and ED enough to watch them each time I sat down to view an episode, but one track that especially stood out for me was a piece called "City of Eternity". This track was very mellow and calm, it complemented the atmosphere of the anime beautifully. Needless to say I was impressed. . .
Link to "City of Eternity":
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=to8dlsvxrde
Animation and Artstyle/Aesthetics:
Kyousougiga was animated by
Toei Animation studios. The artwork was very bright and colorful, which is a nice change in pace from what I'm used to. Another notable thing to mention is that the overall quality in the animation never seemed to drop at any point in the anime (This is obviously a very good thing). So unless you have any qualms about the particular art style, then you should find
Kyousougiga to be very aesthetically pleasing.
Overall Entertainment/Enjoyment:
The most important aspect of any anime is it's lasting impression.
Kyousougiga is by no means your "average" anime. It has a very different feel to it which helped set it aside from other shows I've seen in the past. I really enjoyed the show and I definitely recommend it to anybody looking for something a tad bit different.
Pros and Cons:
[+] Funny/Quirky characters.
[+] Beautiful to look at and listen to.
[+] Story generates a lot of thought from the viewer.
[-] Similar names can lead to confusion if the viewer isn't paying close attention.
[-] Some parts of the story feel needlessly convoluted sometimes.
Something fresh and new; albeit
Kyousougiga is not the perfect anime, it still has many great features. I don't feel disappointed watching it at all!
Final Score: 8.4/10
Thanks for reading!
Reviewed by HG, revised and edited by RAZ. (pending)
HGandRAZ reviews