Ranked #1026

Wagaya no Oinari-sama.

I always find it odd that so many shows get labelled as something other than what they are. Even stranger is the fact that almost everyone will view the series in a given way, often missing a prominent feature of the show.

Wagaya no Oinarisama (or Our Home's Fox Deity), is just such a series as, whilst very clearly being a supernatural/fantasy tale, the strong slice of life tone of the story is often overlooked or completely ignored.

Based on a series of light novels by Shibamura Jin (with illustrations by Hoden Eizo), the series was first adapted for manga by Shofu Suiren, and was originally released in Dengeki Comic Gao! from February 2007 before being transferred to Dengeki Daioh in April 2008. The anime adaptation, produced by Zexcs, and directed by Iwasaki Yoshiaki (Gokujou Seitokai, Hayate no Gotoku season 1, Love Hina, Zero no Tsukaima season 1), began airing in April 2008 on Chiba TV.

The story is surprisingly straightforward, and centres around two brothers - Takagami Noboru and his younger brother Toru. Noboru is the head of the Mizuchi family who, for many generations, have been exorcists, priests, and practitioners of arts involving water ki (lit. Mizu-chi). Because of their strong spiritual power, the brothers find themselves the target of a youkai. Noboru, because of his age, is less prone to attacks, however Toru represents a tasty morsel for any passing demon.

Enter Kuugen, the fox deity that used to be the guardian of the Mizuchi family until it's meschievous behaviour managed to get it sealed away in a cave. Noboru and Toru release Kuugen in orderto protect them (especially Toru), from the various demons who want to eat them.

The animation throughout the series is generally very good, however there are some noticeable flaws with some of the characters faces and body movements at times. The character designs are a tad on the generic side (I'll go into this in more detail in a bit), however this isn't really any big issue with the series, especially given it's focus.

The backgrounds and settings are also verging on genericism, and whilst the art may be detailed, the often cheery overtones can be at odds with some of the "darker" story elements.

The sound and music is of a very good standard throughout the series. The voice actors are generally able to bring the characters to life, and whilst I would have wanted Toru to sound more "boyish", Shimamura Yu does well to bring a certain air of gentleness to the character. The fact that Kuugen requires two voice actors (Nakamura Yuichi for the male, and Nogami Yukana for the female), is something unusual, and can be amusing at certain points, especially when the gender switches mid scene.

The sound effects are used to good effect throughout the show, and are fairly understated during the action sequences (moreso than I would have expected). The thematic music is generally atmospheric, however there are some tracks that don't seem to fit with the on-screen action.

On the whole, the characters are decent enough, if a little on the bland side. Although there is development for both Noboru, Toru, Kuugen and Kou, the amount was definitely mismatched given the prominence of the characters. It would have been nice to se more depth to Kou's character, and to know more about her as well. Toru, on the other hand, ends the series pretty much the same way as he began it - naive, helpless, and far too trusting. Given that he's one of the main characters, and protecting him is one of the main plot points, it's odd that he shows very little in the way of growth.

This disjointed development is symptomatic of the episodic style of the show. In some respects the series has let itself down by having no real plot other than the basic premise, something which is reinforced by the format of the show. However, given that this is very much a slice of life tale (a little more unusual than most, but that's actually a plus point), I found myself enjoying the series far more than I thought I would. When viewed in the same light as shows like Aria, To Heart, Binchou-tan, Mokke, etc, the numerous "filler" episodes turn out to be rather enjoyable romps in the realms of absurdity. The basic premise after all, is nothing more than an excuse. The main concept behind the show was simply to put Kuugen, and Kou to a lesser degree, into the modern world, let them explore, and watch as they try out new things.

One of the biggest plus points for this series is that it is enjoyable because of it's flaws. The generic character designs and artwork hark to typical school comedy-dramas, something which actually works in favour of the show as it's not really meant to be taken seriously. Unfortunately some of the flaws can't be hidden by the charming nature of the series, or the appeal of certain characters - the biggest one of these being the fact that the show really doesn't go anywhere. It would have been nice if the loose ends had been tied up and, whilst the ending is enjoyable in it's own right, it just doens't feel complete.

This isn't a show that will appeal to everyone. Fans of Rental Magica, Aria, Mokke, etc, may enjoy the series, however it probably won't appeal to hardcore action junkies.

Wagaya no Oinari-sama is a decent series, and is very enjoyable if watched in the right frame of mind. A second series would be nice to see though, or at least an OVA that explains a few more things about the characters. read more

Wagaya no Oinari-sama is a show I was very excited about seeing this year. And for the most part it didn’t let me down. It follows the fox spirit theme that seems to be so popular lately but has a number of interesting new ideas that make it fresh and interesting.

The premise of the story is that two brothers who are the children of the former water priestess whom their family has been involved with for many years are being targeted by other evil spirits and specters. In order to prevent anything from happening, a fox spirit named Kuugen takes on the task of protecting the boys along with the family’s sentinel Kou. The action starts off fast and the story starts moving along pretty fast and most early episodes revolve around various specters targeting the boys, mostly Tooru the youngest who seems to be especially delicious to these evil spirits. It’s an interesting premise and I found myself drawn into the story immediately.

However in the end I did find myself disappointed. Mainly because while the overall theme was laid down pretty well there was not a very detailed overall story line or goal. Basically it was just this week fight this monster, rinse and repeat. There was also quite a few what you could call "filler" stories that really had nothing to do with anything that the rest of the show was about. Oinari-sama diets, goes to work, goes to the hot spring, etc. While I didn’t dislike these stories the fact that there wasn’t any real story depth in any of the other episodes was a letdown.

The main characters do get fleshed out pretty well. Noboru, Tooru, Kuu, and Kou all have plenty of screen time to get you to know them well and they are all enjoyable characters. Kuu and Noboru get the most story time. To not give away any spoilers though they left quit a few loose ends with pretty much all of the main characters but especially and probably most confusing of all is Kou- the sentinel. They give her some mysterious powers and an important artifact early on but fail to give any follow up or explanation later. The most glaring omission being her special ability. She also has almost no back story to explain why she is a sentinel or why she is so clueless on everything or any of her history prior to the start of the show. This is probably especially disappointing for me because she was my favorite character from the show.

The supporting characters are given pretty fair treatment as well, though a number were kind of left hanging with no real resolution to their story arcs. Sakura is the one with the most screen time and maybe she could be considered a main. She is the comic relief and her constant angst about confessing her love to Noboru and what the relationship is between him and the various girls around him are is pretty funny. But none of this is resolved in the show nor is her rivalry with any of the other "love" interests.

The music was really great I thought. The ED themes were especially good. The voice acting is also top notch. The performance from Kuu and Kou were very good and I thought they nailed the personalities down well. The animation is also very exceptional, with a few exceptions. While the two main female leads looked very good, Noboru and Sakura were plain looking most of the time.

Overall though I come away from this show with a very positive reaction. I really enjoyed it despite the things I mentioned above and I think anyone who watches it will like it as well. Hopefully a second season will come and that will allow the things that were left open to be resolved.
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