Ranked #448

Kannagi

At first glance Kannagi might appear to be just yet another school harem romance comedy and for the most part that’s about all it is. However once you start it becomes apparent that there is a little more to it to separate it from a genre that is overcrowded by bland and average titles.

The premise is pretty typical of any other show of this type, only the names and the origins ever seem to change. Though I did find it to be a bit unique with this one. Our lead Jin Mikuriya has just completed a wooden sculpture of a tree spirit he saw as a boy for his art class. Shockingly the statue dematerializes and substituted in its place is a girl, Nagi. Nagi claims to be the god of this area and an amnesiac who needs Jin's help to purge the area of impurities that have arisen because the sacred tree she was bound to has been chopped down. It’s an amusing start and Nagi herself is instantly lovable as a character.

Kannagi's story though soon gets off track. Instead of developing the stories premise it stars to meander along and becomes basically a slice of life comedy. Some interesting plot elements that are brought up early seem to be pushed aside and forgotten about altogether. The ending is also slightly disappointing in that it changes focus again and gets serious and doesn’t really end decisively. What saves it though is that I really didn’t care because Nagi and many of the supporting cast are just so much damn fun. There is a lot of great comedy and even though I complain about the poor plot development the episodes, particularly in the middle part of the series, are extremely amusing. That’s the real charm of Kannagi is that despite it being shallow it has a special feeling about it that makes it stand above most other series of this genre. Kannagi also manages to be titillating and sexy without resorting to tasteless fan service. If you’re hoping for a bevy of boobs and panty shots you’re going to be extremely disappointed.

As with most harem shows the most interesting characters are usually the harem itself and not the male lead. Kannagi's appeal begins and ends with Nagi. She carried the show and makes it as interesting as it is. I find it doubtful that anyone watching this wont love her from the start. Her personality oozes out from every scene she’s in. Overall I thought she was pretty unique, moe without being helpless, tsundere without becoming the typical stereotype, and a quirky weirdness without coming across as a Haruhi clone. Sadly though because of the shows plot failures and slice of life pacing through the middle episodes we just don’t get enough back-story and development a character of this importance deserves.

For the rest of the harem the reviews are mixed. Though I found all of them amusing and enjoyable several are archetypes that frankly I am becoming a bit tired of, namely Tsugumi. You know who she is; the childhood friend who's in love with and secretly pines for the lead. (usually a tsundere though in this case she’s not) Girl, I have no sympathy for you. Admit your damn feelings already or get out of the way! Zange was also a tired and overused archetype. She was also poorly developed as none of the issues regarding her characters situation are ever satisfactorily addressed or resolved. Among the supporting cast, Takako steals the show. As the perverted otaku type she manages to be very funny without feeling like a cliché.

Finally Jin is adequate as the lead. He manages to not be the dull weakling who has no business attracting this harem of beautiful girls. Though he certainly has some of those character attributes, I found him to be amusing and interesting. There is great chemistry between him and Nagi and I really enjoyed watching them interact with one another. Again as with Nagi, there is very little overall development of his character which was disappointing.

The styling and animation in Kannagi was excellent. It’s one of the big appeals to this show. I loved Nagi's look and the settings and fashion designs were really cute. The voice cast is outstanding and in my opinion the OP animation and musical number is one of the best I have ever seen. If you watch it and don’t come away wanting to see more then I seriously question your judgment.

Kannagi is light on substance but high on enjoyment. I recommend this show to anyone who is looking for a few hours of mindless entertainment. Despite its failures with plot and some tired overused character types it stands out as a show that shouldn’t be missed.
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There will be no comparison between this anime and the manga

Kannagi is a 13 episode series that drives its plot through comedy and character interaction. When the fall season started, I originally wasn't going to watch this show since the whole goddess popping out of nowhere fiasco has been done numerous times. Once I saw the OP however, I decided to take a look at the first episode and I was definitely glad that I took this up. It takes the conventional "boy meets girl" theme and builds it up with plenty of interaction, parody, and drama.

Story: The plot starts off rather strong and fast with our protagonist, Mikuriya Jin, encountering a goddess called Nagi that has taken its vessel out of a carving Jin made from the local shrine's holy tree. The plot contains no action packed scenes of Nagi trying to banish great evil impurities but it instead drives the plot with comedic devices. The comedy is the show's main driving force. The interactions between the characters are all amusing even if they're bickering over the simplest things. The pure randomness of the humor adds in the extra feel that makes the comedy even all the more funnier.

The original plot unfortunately gets lost in the middle of the series with several episodes dedicated to nothing but comedic interaction between the characters but it ends with a strong finish in the last two to three episodes.

Art: The animation is not exactly the most crisp and clear cut state-of-the-art work but it's the way the animation flows seamlessly together that makes it great. Each scene has many small intricate movements such as a flick of hair waving about or background characters that actually move to even the sleeve of a shirt moving about in the wind. This makes the scenes appear to be natural and alive, not stiff and lacking.

Sound: The soundtrack is not a great memorable collection of BGM that'll have you scrambling for the OST. The high points of it would have to be both the OP and ED. Both of them shows a sharp contrast in how the anime is driven. The upbeat OP details the slice of life and comedic moments while the mellow ED details the seriousness and melancholy of the show.

The VAs are great too in bringing out the emotions in each scene, whether it be comedic or serious. Tomatsu Haruka not only does a great job at both OP and ED, she truly brings out the character of Nagi straight off the paper.

Character: There are only very few characters who actually receives an ample amount of development but the great supporting cast just brings everybody together. The various dialect between the characters just seem natural and it shows a lot of personality to all of them even if they don't have any large amount of development given to them.

And not to mention the main male character is actually pretty damn normal (except for his strange ability to see impurities). He's not a hot-headed brawns-over-brains idiot. He's not an annoying arrogant bastard. He's not a self-righteous piece of shit. He's just a completely normal guy who goes to high school. Nagi is a great character herself. She may appear to be slightly arrogant but the way she goes about doing things is just pure hilarious. She'll go off on how she's a great goddess and doesn't get all bitchy when Jin will occasionally smack her upside the side.

Kannagi has a great cast of supporting characters too. The supporting characters have some of the best lines in the whole show. From Akiba's "It's a Sony" line to Takako's karaoke concert, the supporting cast gives great development towards the main characters.

Enjoyment/Overall: Kannagi may have had its plot get lost somewhere in the middle, but its comedy more than fulfills its part. It's supported by a great cast of different characters and the different little scenarios they get themselves into is great. Kannagi is a fun little show with some very lulz moments and is able to deliver a strong finish too with its plot. read more

"A great series that started with a bang but could have ended better."

A first glimpse of Kannagi will make you think the anime is overly simplistic and cliche. Don't be fooled! The everyday comedy throughout the early half of the show, plus the references to certain other anime/show, makes Kannagi a good one-day-marathon candidate. In fact, I would recommend even to those who are not interested to just spend a few hours to watch the entire series (takes no more than 5 hours of your lifetime).

As to be expected from a 13 episodes series, the story was a bit lacking, especially when attempting to clarify who Nagi really is at the end. Surprisingly it did not feel like the show was rushed, however the lack of explanation and the blurry conclusion really hurt the show near the end. As expressed by a fellow MAL member, "...and true the series did take a nose-dive when things got too serious [in the latter half]." - Master_M2K

But from a comedy anime perspective, Kannagi was an outstanding piece of art. Of course, there are other factors that also contributed to the overall success of this show as this review continues to break it down into components.

Perhaps the first thing that caught your attention about Kannagi is the high quality animation and superb soundtrack in the OP. Later you may find that the scenery too, are of exceptional quality. But strangely, there seems to be some slight inconsistency with the level of animation throughout the series leading to some attractive looking characters end up looking rather ugly at times. Fortunately, for the most part the background animation quality remain unchanged.

The CV of Kannagi, while most of them being fairly new to the industry, did a fantastic job in performing each character to their fullest. But if you are knowledgeable in the seiyu world and and are looking for big names, then you will probably be disappointed (well Mai Nakahara being perhaps the only exception, but her role in Kannagi was pretty limited in many ways).

The main casts have a decent amount of character development in the show at the expense of the side/supporting casts. Most of these developments were through daily interaction with one another as the viewers slowly take a deeper understanding of the general concept of the show. However, it gives the impression that the sidelined characters are somewhat "hollow" as very little was actually revealed about them. For instance, it would have been great to actually get a clear view of how Shino actually look with her eyes open.

Overall, Kannagi has proven its worth as one of the more entertaining show of 2008. While it may not top the chart in any particular category, it is still one that should not be missed by any anime lovers or hardcore otaku. read more

Kannagi is like one heck of a awesome party. You're left with the feeling of a bloody good time where you're too damn drunk and happy to care about the minor details... like who invited you, why you were partying, or how he hell you got there. Sure, it was just generic party, but hey, maybe it was the vodka, maybe the company, but for reason, you loved it.

Kannagi exemplifies how brilliant humor and characters may polish even the most cliched plot devices into a worthy gem. The premise of Kannagi is almost capable of inducing many facepalms. A magic girl/god (Nagi), due to some ridiculous circumstance, lands into the house of some teenage guy (Jin), who despite his complete lack of experience with the opposite gender, manages to score himself a harem within the next 6 episodes. By now, you can probably fill in the rest of the plot.

Its the details that make Kannagi special.

Almost every joke in Kannagi appeared somewhere, but few of them have ever been executed so well. From the sheer hilarity of an Otaku who gets offended when anyone assumes that he loves anything remotely anime, to the Art class seniors who speak of forming a `balanced party' of adventurers (artists) to to a boss (cleaning the antic). While the animation and voice acting isn't spectacular, it support the humour perfectly. Its enough to get you drunk with laughter, enough to forget, and forgive, the rather contrived circumstances that make up Kannagi's plot.

Kannagi major weakness is in Episode 11, as it sets up the drama for the final arc. Suddenly that shield of humor is removed. The experience is akin to screaming with an excitement on one of the best rollercoaster rides you've had, only to have it suddenly slow down to 5 miles/hour and transform into a museum tour of ancient Greek literature. The drama isn't bad per se... but the experience is so discontinous that you begin to wonder if you're still watching the same anime.

In the end, Kanaggi isn't without faults. The plot is thin, the situation cliched, and the final ending, while heart warming, leaves many questions unexplained. Yet, you're unlikely to care given that it is a show that will certainly make you laugh.

Kannagi may not be perfect, but it is a perfect execution of an imperfect story.




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Kannagi is a Supernatural, Slice of Life, Romantic, Comedy with the kind of story set-up that any hardcore anime fan is familiar with. However this particular anime is highly enjoyable with a unique charm to it that helps justify its fandom.

It is about a teenage boy Jin Mikuriya, who carves a statue out of a sacred tree and in your typical anime fashion the statue turns into a cute girl, clad with a standard top and extremely short miniskirt. Well this guardian deity is fuming at the fact that her sacred tree was chopped down but with no other choice she decides to intrude upon our unfortunate? young adolescent boy’s life by living with him. Nothing ground-breaking here, just your average abnormal girl cohabiting with an ordinary boy and being mostly filled with random misadventure you’re bound to wonder what makes this 13 episode series so special. Sure I say Kannagi has supernatural and romantic aspects but it’s really just the comedy that makes it such an enjoyable series. With a mix between subtle references that only the otaku would get and the outlandish slap-stick comedy anyone could laugh to, makes this into an anime series with a diverse audience in mind. And to me it is the Nagi in Kannagi that brings such a dull premise to life.

Haruhi needs to take a step down from the podium as there’s a new idol in town and that is Nagi. Sure she is based off some popular character archetypes but her hot, foxy attitude is what makes her so entertaining to watch. Her interactions with the protagonist Jin are some of the highlights of the show and it’s to no surprise that Jin falls into the average teenage boy role but he’s a lot more relatable than most of the losers found in this kind of genre. Sure there are several other characters like Zange-chan & Tsugumi that give the series a harem feel at times but it’s more or less about Nagi & Jin.

Another strong point of the Kannagi anime series is the animation, as it is almost un-par with some of the quality Kyoto Animation shows. The settings & scenery usually range from the typical high school setting to Jin’s home, but it’s really the character animation that stands out. Their actions & reactions are animated so well and the studio truly does a lot to bring its characters to life. The music and voice acting of Kannagi can be compared to the likes of the Melancholy of Haruhi, as they both have memorable OP & ED themes but their BGM’s uninspiring. This in turn allows the voice actors to shine, most notably Nagi’s voice actor who’s able to pull off the most unique one-liners resulting in some truly hilarious moments.

Overall Kannagi is one of those obscure comedies that come about every year and is destined to be a hit amongst the Japanese & Western audience, like the well-known Lucky Star phenomenon. With all the comedy it is easy to forget what this series was originally about but later on when it tries to remind us; those serious, emo-driven episodes really didn’t feel like a part of the show I fell in love with. Well even though the last 3 episodes disappointed me in some way, this was still a remarkable series that warrants a sequel.
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If broken down to its individual components, there’s hardly anything new presented in Kannagi. An average guy for a protagonist, magical girls, childhood friends, highschool life, convoluted love triangles, otaku references, doses of fanservice, product placement, etc. If I had known earlier that the show contained these, I would have never even bothered to try it out. Fortunately, I was oblivious of this and, having finished the show, I must give credit to its creators for creating a palatable mix of these elements. By featuring a bit of everything without going in too deep and alienating some audiences, I believe they have made a show with much potential for crossover appeal.


Story: 7
The premise of the story seems to be heavily dependent on fantasy elements but not (yet) to the same extent as in other shows like Kamichu! or The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Most of the series is mainly slice of life in content due to its focus on the characters and their more mundane interactions with each other. Like many other series of this genre, Kannagi’s humor makes use of slapstick comedy, parodies, Easter eggs, cameos, lampshading, 4th wall breaking, completely conspicuous product placement, and a healthy dose of fanservice. Thankfully, they don’t go overboard in terms of quantity or execution so the gags come across as amusing rather than offensive, obscure, or downright stupid.

Occasionally, bits and pieces of the “main story” are served throughout the show, and a very large chunk is thrown in towards the end. The later episodes feature much more drama and viewers who enjoyed the light atmosphere earlier might find this change quite drastic. On the bright side, this allows the story to progress further and character development spikes up at this point. Many questions are left hanging but it gives hope to fans who wish for a second season.


Characters: 9
Since Kannagi seems to be a character-centered story, it’s only fitting that the show has an interesting bunch for the cast. Much of the humor of the show is fueled by their various and complementary quirks, and even supporting characters get plenty of onscreen time because of this. The two main characters in particular are pretty well-developed. Nagi plays a variety of roles ranging from spoiled and childish to refined and divine, while Jin is much more mature than the typical highschool lead character despite often being labeled as “ordinary” by his seniors.


Visuals: 9
The Kannagi has few special effects to boast of but the show isn’t lacking when it comes to visuals. The animation of characters in particular was very impressive, and this evident enough from the OP animation alone. The studios certainly didn’t scrimp on frames; the smooth and consistent animation is on par with many movies and the hair movement is so fluid that it reminds me of shampoo commercials.

In additions to this, ordinary settings are brought to life through minute details. For example, interior shots show various items scattered throughout the room, as in the case of the art club and its cluttered boxes, scattered comics, paintings, busts, beverages, and half-finished drawings. External shots of the town may are close to some real life counterparts with some illustrations bordering on scenery porn. Figures in the background such as pedestrians walking on the other side of the street are also fully animated.


Audio: 8
The OP and ED songs capture both sides of the main character’s personality. The upbeat motto☆Hade ni ne! features Nagi as a charismatic idol while the soothing Musuhi no Toki is a song fitting for a goddess.

Although the rest of the soundtrack isn’t as memorable, it’s more than effective enough in supplementing the mood of the show.


Overall: 9
Kannagi is probably one of the most well-rounded comedy series that I’ve seen so far. Besides delivering a truckload of gags, the show offers slices of life, hints of romance, several heartwarming scenes, and even a few bits of trivia regarding otaku culture. In terms of execution, there’s nothing shabby either in the show’s animation, music or direction. Overall, it’s a very enjoyable experience that worth repeating while waiting for a second season.
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Well seeing as how I just finished the last episode, it would be best to make a review. Though it is one of the few that I want to make a review for as I have a lot of thoughts that need to be said. That being said, let's continue on.

Kannagi is one of a kind romance/comedy anime that really stood out for me. Though some of it's comedy might not be humorous to everyone, once you go over it again I am sure you will understand it. It's not as if it's a slap-stick comedy and it's quite easy to comprehend, it takes you into a deeper meaning of comedy that is rarely used in most romance/comedy anime. Though that is rarely used in the series itself. But let's get on with the rest.

Story
Though the story seems simplistic and overly cliche, that would be because it is simplistic and overly cliche. It's rather formfitting to be a romance/comedy anime since the main character is introduced and rather instantly a girl appears before him. Though it can never be said that he likes her or she likes him, there are a lot of hints that provide this fact. Apart from the usual "main character gets lots of girls to like him" thing, it's really your average romance anime. What really stood out the most was when overall plot of the story. It's random at best, but because of the randomness stands out the most. Though in the end, they summarize it but it still leaves an ambiguous nature to the story.

Art
I found the art to be quite intriguing. It's not your typical art style and that to me is special. The character drawing and background artwork is simply spectacular. It seemed like a cross of Clannad and Haruhi to me, which are two of my favorite animes as well. Not much to say about the art as I loved it but it was not as in depth as I wanted it to be. At most it can only get up to an 8 in my standards.

Sound
As for the sound, there was not much to make out of it. I did like the opening theme as it was catchy and fun to listen to. It had a nice beat to it and it was nice to sing along (haha yes, I did sing along as I got to know the song). Though the ending didn't really stick with me since the opening was catchy and upbeat. The ending was monotone and had a sad tone to it. It didn't really appeal to me as I found the episodes to be happy and joyful. The background music and overall music for each episodes were plain at best.

Characters
The characters are what made me enjoy the anime the most. From the random and quirky Jin to the otaku-in-denial Akiba, the range of characters is always fun to watch. They would get into arbitrary situations, which in the end, would lead to Jin getting embarrassed or harmed in any way possible. Albeit it seems like any other characters in any other anime, they really stand out the most in terms of how they are introduced. Each character is different in their own way and with different faults/actions/ways that they can be embedded in your brain for a long time. Their antics are always fun to watch and the comical situations they face are endearing.

Enjoyment
What can I say. Maybe I am being biased since Nagi/Zange interests me, but I did enjoy each and every episode. Though in some episodes the comedy was rather dry and humorless, it still had some kind of meaning towards the end.

Overall
Overall I gave the anime a 9/10. Because of the characters mostly since they did stand above the rest for me. And it has come to be one of my favorite romance/comedy anime. read more

Editing this review after completing Kannagi...

Kannagi deserves a second season. Not just because the storyline hasn't been completely covered by the first season, but because if the same animation and production team carry on adapting whatever is left of the manga in the same vein, we can expect moar enjoyable off-beat humour and crazy antics.

It is hard to rate the storyline of Kannagi without reading the manga, for this anime follows the manga very very closely. And to be frank, for this first season there wasn't really any story or plot to talk about. We had the introduction of Nagi, followed by her assimilation into Jin's school life. Zange comes into the picture soon enough, then Nagi's elevation into idol-like status, and after which comes a few filler-y episodes that seem thrown in purely for comedic effect, but advance the plot bit by bit, then finally the identity crisis arc near the end. However, the plot does set the tone for the second season (if there is one), asking a few questions, particularly about Nagi's true identity, and uncovers some interesting mysteries that should be answered sooner or later (like Shino Okouchi's eyes, heh)

However, you don't watch Kannagi and like it just for the plot. You watch it for the characters. Kannagi is character-driven, not plot-driven. With a rather small cast of about 8 characters, Kannagi manages to give each character their deserved screen-time, and make each character seem important, but at the same time we know just who are the true 'main characters'. Each character has their own quirks and traits that make each of them so likable and lovable. The interaction and dialogue between characters are very well written and scripted, and is one of the reasons why Kannagi is so watchable. Whether it's the pointless but humourous babble, or the arguments between 'lovers', or the heartwarming reunion between Nagi and Jin near the end of the series, all of it seems so heartfelt, so real, and there isn't any of the corniness plaguing other animes at all.

Kannagi was a very enjoyable series, I enjoyed every minute while watching it. It was humorous, there was pure slapstick humour, there was also 'thinking' humour, there were the references/parodies of other anime series, and of course, there was THE karaoke singing. I enjoyed the pointless banter between Nagi and Jin. I enjoyed the drama in the final two episodes, and the touching moments between Nagi and Jin near the end, along with encounter with the spirit after that, as Nagi's benevolent side was revealed. IMHO, Nagi steals the show here. Like Haruhi, she's a god behaving (rather) badly. But yet she gives off so much energy and enthusiasm.

This series impressed me with its fluid animation and crisp art. The characters are all very well animated, with all the little movements that make them seem more human, and there are many fine details to take note of in the background. I particularly like the attention to detail shown whenever the setting moves outdoors to one of the many places in Kannagi City, from the shopping district to the riverbank to the forested shrine, the backgrounds are all very well-drawn.

The voice-acting is great. Nagi's seiyuu manages to switch between Nagi's many 'split personalities' effortlessly, from sounding like the haughty tsun-dere free-loader to being the polite ideal lady to being her mysterious god-like self, and at the same time, managing to belt out the catchy and energetic OP while also singing the slow and somber ED. Zange's seiyuu manages to flesh out the part of the sexy seductress well. The instrumental version of the OP is surprisingly pleasant, and goes well when played during emotional scenes with its melancholic tones.

The OP surprised me with Nagi prancing around on stage and its catchy theme at first, and the ED surprised me even more since it was totally opposite to the OP, being slow and somber. It reflects the general mood of the show; it can be both fun and upbeat at times, but also melancholic and slow at times. To be frank, there was a pacing problem - it seemed like all fun and games at the start, only to rush through a rather sad semblance of a plot in 3 episodes near the end, but disregarding all the complaints about the plot and whatnot, Kannagi is a breath of fresh air. Is it slice-of-life? Yes, if you consider free-loading spiritual beings, harems and the sudden appearance of idols in school part of a normal life. It is a comedy, but also a drama, a tale about the supernatural, with some bits of ecchi-ness thrown in.

IMHO, one of the best comedy animes of 2008. I'd would recommend this to everyone, because I can't really see why someone would dislike this. read more

I wasn’t familiar with the manga, but based on the buzz, I had pretty high hopes for Kannagi, and by the end of the season, the show managed to meet and exceed most of those expectations. If you're looking for a zany, episodic, slightly romantic comedy with a lot of heart, Nagi hits the spot.

Story:
I may as well get this out of the way right now, but in case you're wondering, Kannagi isn't a harem anime. With that said, "crazy shrine maidens" sums up Kannagi pretty well. Its "storylines" from an episode to episode standpoint were comedic gold and occasionally brilliant. The closet ep, the love square ep, the karaoke ep, the maid cafe ep. Kannagi had the most memorable episodes I’ve seen since Haruhi. However, the overarching dramatic storyline faltered as the season went on, as they seemed to forget and move away from storylines they introduced earlier in the season. But that aside, there wasn’t a single episode that didn’t at least bring a smile to my face at one point, if it didn’t leave me in side-splitting laughter.

Art:
I’ll always caveat myself by saying I’m not an animation expert, but the show looked great to me. Obviously there’s no battle scenes or heavy action animation, but all the character designs standout and a lot of attention was paid to the little details and expressions which made it a joy to watch.

Sound:
The OP is great, it’s an upbeat song with some cool choreographed dance moves. Otherwise,the music doesn't really standout, the BGM was pretty plain, and the ED is your standard mellow ballad. The only exception would be during the Karoake episode, in which all the songs and performances were pure win.

Character:
The characters are what makes Kannagi so awesome. You’ve got a good mix of the standard character stereotypes: the bashful and inexperienced harem guy, the unpredictable, loud-mouthed girl who walks in on the main guy’s life, and the insecure childhood best friend. And then you’ve got the crazy, zany characters like the light prostituting Nun-cosplay idol, the hardcore otaku, the perverted fujoshi, and the huge, but sensitive art prodigy. They’re all loveable and enjoyable on their own merits. But the best part is the relationships between them gives each of them a chance to shine, without it making them seem like they’re one-shot, one-dimensional punchlines-in-waiting, which makes them, and the show, that much funnier.

Enjoyment/Overall:
If it hasn’t been clear, I loved this show. It's a light-hearted comedy with a lot of heart that I looked forward to watching every week, because I knew it wouldn’t fail to deliver the comedic goods.

I hope this review was helpful to you, if it was/wasn't, i'd love to hear feedback. thanks! read more

I'll try not to keep things too long. Having just finished this series, I can say this: Kannagi is an extremely entertaining 13 episode series, and nicely done too. Here's why I think so:

Story: 7/10
I'll admit, in terms of story, Kannagi certainly does not progress much, most of the episodes consists of mainly comedy and slice-of-life aspects that are rather standalone and move the plot slowly. Interesting themes and subjects are brought up but not touched upon frequently enough, I can understand those who were unsatisfied with that. However I do think that Kannagi's strongest aspects lies not in its plot, but rather the comedy and interaction of the characters in the series.

Art: 9/10
Art and animation wise, Kannagi excels in this department. I was very impressed with all the fine details given to everything from Nagi scratching her leg occasionally as she sits to hair blowing in the wind to the electronic noise usually present in old analog television sets. Movement is fluid and natural and the characters and their surroundings are drawn consistently every episode. Not many still shots or other effects are used in place of actual movement.

Sound: 8/10
The music used in Kannagi is good, it fits their respective scenes and help add to the overall atmosphere. Th variations of the main theme as well as the instrumental versions of the OP/ED are pleasant to hear and give me nothing to complain about. The OP/ED themselves are catchy and very different from each other. All the voice actors also did an excellent job in bringing their characters and their personalities to life.

Character: 9/10
The cast of Kannagi each have their own unique personalities and quirks, most of which had me laughing as I kept watching. Development wise there isn't too much of that, save for the two main characters of course(even that was not too much). It is the way they interact amongst each other that deserves a 9 for character. There will certainly be someone you can relate to or situation they end up in that remind you of something similar.

Enjoyment: 10/10
In terms of enjoyment, Kannagi presents lots of it. Each episode has comedy to have you laughing, likeable characters, parodies/references and even some drama to top it all off. Personally I enjoyed every minute of Kannagi and in my honest opinion, you have to stop thinking of its lack of lot development in order to enjoy this series fully.

Overall: 9/10 (10/10 to me, but I'm trying to be more fair here)
Overall, Kannagi is a pleasant, thoroughly enjoyable experiece, be it the slice-of-life situations, comedy, parody/references to popular culture, brands and etc. to the characters themselves. Sure, for a 13 episode series the plot barely moved or resolved but honestly with the above mentioned things I feel that they nicely make up for it and is much more enjoyable when you overlook the pacing of the story. Probably one of the most enjoyable anime this year(certainly is to me )

You are not obligated to fully agree with my ratings and opinions nor does this review truly reflect what this series is like. Hope you enjoyed this review.

P.S. It's a Sony! ;D


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