Karasu wa Aruji wo Erabanai

Yatagarasu is the anime equivalent of NHK’s Taiga drama, a historical television series highlighting certain prominent figures in Japanese history every year (the last one I watched was Sanada Maru from eight years ago, highly recommend that one if you haven’t seen it already). The story follows two second-born sons and their political conflicts, one as the crown prince and the other as a servant to the former, during what looks to be the Heian era (per the show it takes place at Yamauchi in an alternate universe). Although the concept of power struggles within the imperial court and bureaucracy in general are not new by ... any means, the portrayal is reasonable, considering that in traditional cultures first born sons tend to succeed as family heirs versus latter born children. Moreover, the addition of the ability to shapeshift into ravens makes the plot more interesting as well. The art style is a bit too rigid for my liking but it works.

It’s certainly a breath of fresh air to see an actual seinen anime that lives up to its tag and not some cliche isekais that are a dime a dozen. This show is easily one of my favorites for the season, albeit not garnering enough attention. If you enjoy period dramas and/or a proper seinen story similar to the likes of Ōoku, don’t miss this one.