This is a story of a Tanuki who is the son of a great Tanuki. Literally, the entire season is more about his father than the main character. But let me back up a bit to explain these characters...
You have Yasaburō, the main character is a Tanuki, who'm I'll refer to as Yasa for sure.
You have Akadama, the Tengen considered a professor in this season for reasons I'm not sure of.
You have Benten, a very weird girl who is never explained.
You have Sōichirō, who is the father of the main character.
You have Soun, who is the brother of Soichiro. He's the main
...
antagonist.
The rest of the characters are pointless to even mention as they have no effect on the storyline what so ever.
For some reasons I guess, the main character takes care of his professor, Akadama, who has lost his wings as a Tengen (literally) due to a reason that is supposedly partially his fault. This is never explained in detail outside of giving the accident a name (The Demonic Tree incident I think? It's mentioned exactly one time).
The story quickly goes into the character of Benten, who we quickly learn joined the Friday Fellows, captured the main characters father, and literally ate him in a pot of soup. Is she the villain? No. The anime paints her as a friend of the main character. The main character doesn't care that she literally ate his father which is frustrating in the least. As a matter of fact, he is for some reason attracted to her. Even then, this Benten character *literally* tells the main character that she will eventually eat him. And yet, he doesn't care. Okay.
Anyways, half the storyline is about a feud between the family of his father's, and the family of his uncle's (from his father's side of course). A quarter of the story is about Akadama losing his wings and him seemingly losing his sanity like an eldery person in an elderly home does (which is apparently "interesting" to other people). The other quarter is the main characters father. Notice that I didn't say the main character has any part of this story line because he doesn't. The storyline shoves in a weird tension between Benten and the main character but it doesn't develop into anything.
**SPOILERS**
The season finale is the main character and his family being captured by the Friday Fellows. They end up learning it was the working of the uncle, Soun. The end. Wait, no explanation on Ben Ten? Or the incident removing Akadama's wings? Or what happened to the Friday Fellows? Or why the main character has no remorse of his father or Benten literally eating his father? No. None of these are answered. There are no clues, there are no dotted lines to put together. I haven't read the manga (if there is one) but this is one rating train I have no intention to jump aboard.
As a matter of fact, this anime left me so wanting for an equalizer, this review is currently acting as a buffer. I feel like this really could have been a good show. But potential is not current reality. Perhaps in later seasons, they will fill in various gaps that are essential to understanding this world but as it is now, you literally don't have enough information to be able to relate to a most characters in this world. Nobody would look at someone who ate their father and not feel something. Nobody but a complete psychopath would eat someones father and not have remorse over killing the father of someone they like. Akadama is relatable but in a way that is nothing but sad, tormented by the fact that he was something great and is no longer. The father was friends with Akadama who didn't seem to give a single shit about the father's death. NONE OF IT IS RELATABLE.
I've read other reviews and some of them just straight lie. Some claim each character is explained very well and go on to say the anime helps us relate by showing their past stories. The main characters past outside of maybe sometime explaining his relationship with Akadama which is where he met Benten, is never explained. Benten's past, the most complicated character in this series, is never even touched outside of the fact that she joined the Friday Fellows and ate Yasa's father. Yasa's brother who turned into a frog is explained but it doesn't explain why other Tanuki are not stuck like he is or why he's treated like some type of folk lore. His mother's past is never explained on why she's afraid of lightning, why she dresses like a captain and plays pool. Yasa's bride-to-be is never explained. She literally saves the mother and THAT'S IT. We know the uncle cut off the marriage (who'm we later learn is the main antagonist) and the mother was upset. BIG section of important story line there just kinda jumped over. The biggest past story is the Father's. We learn why he became respected by Akadama, we learn why they were friends. What we don't learn is why Akadama is okay with him literally being murdered and eaten by some fat fucks in Friday Fellows who frankly should be powerless against both Tengu and the Tanuki. We don't learn about the Friday Fellows other than they're greedy man children who eat Tanuki for seemingly no reason.
There's just not enough information and too many gaps. It's designed as a linear story but it's all over the place.
But... at least the art and sound was well done. Later seasons might also fill in a lot of the gaps and if they do, this season could make a hell of a lot more sense. There's potential but I'm not judging based on potential here.
Apr 30, 2017
Uchouten Kazoku
(Anime)
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This is a story of a Tanuki who is the son of a great Tanuki. Literally, the entire season is more about his father than the main character. But let me back up a bit to explain these characters...
You have Yasaburō, the main character is a Tanuki, who'm I'll refer to as Yasa for sure. You have Akadama, the Tengen considered a professor in this season for reasons I'm not sure of. You have Benten, a very weird girl who is never explained. You have Sōichirō, who is the father of the main character. You have Soun, who is the brother of Soichiro. He's the main ... |
