Amatsuki (2008)

Type: Supernatural, Historical, Shounen
Year: 2008
Studio: Studio Deen
Overall Rating: 3.62
Recommendation: Just for Entertainment

In retrospect, Amatsuki is a well-made series, typical for its genre but nothing unique or special. Other series with similar premises includes Fushigi Yuugi, Junni Kokki, and to a lesser extent, Claymore, DGM or PMK. The story is not yet concluded but it has been a fairly short, engaging ride so far. I’ll probably go back for season two just to find out the true purpose of ‘the blank page’.

Ratings Breakdown:
Visual: 3.5
Music: 3.5
The animation is an improvement over Tactics from the same studio, but still rather conservative and traditional. The opening song is quite catchy and sticks in your mind easily.

Setting: 3.5
Plot: 3.8
Student gets transported to an ancient, historical world aka Fushigi Yuugi and battles the supernatural. Student clearly has a larger role to play in the fate of the world than he initially thought and gets caught up in the plots of Gyouten and Bonten. Not particularly innovative but it keeps your curiosity whetted. More specifically, it is set in around the same time frame as Peacemaker Kurogane and the battle between ‘ayakashi’ and humans is reminiscent of Claymore.

Characters: 3.8
If the series has a strong plot to keep it going, it is undermined by the sheer stupidity of the main character. Rikugou Tokidoki has a daft name and the brains to match (i.e. none). He hails from a long line of well-meaning, not-too-bright anime heros who are known more for their kindness than for their pragmatism, who attempts to save the souls of others without the ability to save their own skin. Tokidoki is in short, a nuisance. Kon and Kuchiha are more tolerable, although rather cliche. Bonten and Ginshu are mystery characters whose plans for the world have yet to be revealed. Kon’s function and role in the entire story is also a mystery.

Tokidoki (what a dorky name =p)

Kon Shinonome (There HAS to be a reason why he preceeds Toki into Amatsuki)