Nyanpire The Animation

To start off, I must admit that it's sort of intimidating writing a review for such a masterpiece. However, I will try my best to convey to you all as to why this show is truly a masterpiece that transcends the medium as a whole.

GONZO is finally back in full force after a 2 year break. Now what do they have to show for after these 2 long years? That would be Nyanpire. During these past few years, anime has been filled with pointless moe, excessive fanservice, and are completely lacking of any substance. Because of this, Nyanpire is a bright light of hope for ... the industry in these dark times.

Moving on to the story. GONZO shows a certain brilliance that has been lacking in anime for quite some time. The ability to use such a simple premise, yet execute it flawlessly has been almost completely lost in today's world. At the same time, the messages that they are trying to convey are something to be admired. GONZO really does care about the anime industry, and I must say, they are here to save it.

Yet again, GONZO shows that something so simple, if used properly, can become something great. The art style is so very simplistic, it seems like any average person with no prior experience could draw this show. What I draw from this (no pun intended) is that they are telling everyone that the art doesn't need to be excessive in any way (I'm looking at you, SHAFT) to serve it's purpose. Now, I'm not saying overly done art is bad, it just doesn't automatically make a show good, and they prove this with Nyanpire's art.

Sound, what can I say about the sounds of Nyanpire other than it's simply perfect. From the Seiyuu chosen, to the miscellaneous SFX used, and even to the ending theme done by Hyadain. It just screams perfection and will not leave you disappointed.

Now, for the main focus of the show, the characters. Nyanpire is truly a tragic character. Left to fend on his own after becoming a vampire-cat by drinking the blood of a vampire. His struggles to find blood to drink so that he may live on will truly fill your heart with sadness and despair, but at the same time, hope. Hope that he may one day get the blood he needs to continue living on in this world that shunned him long ago. The life of Nyanpire will truly strike the hearts of anyone who watches this. I personally cannot wait for the other characters to be introduced so that I may be immersed into this masterpiece more so than I am now. I can already tell things are going to get real heavy once Masamunya appears.

The enjoyment factor of this show, to put it simply, is one that cannot be rivaled within this lifetime. It has everything you will ever be looking for in this medium, and only after 1 episode. If they continue on this course, there will never be a need for any other anime to be made. They will have obtained the unobtainable.

I never imagined this day would come, when something so amazing comes along that it leaves me in complete awe. I've gone back to edit my score for this repeatedly, but I just cannot fathom a rating that suits it. A perfect 10 would never be enough. GONZO has finally done it. They're back and here to save anime with this masterpiece called Nyanpire.

I have to admit, I started Nyanpire with pretty low expectations. My friend's recommendation had been a less-than-glowing "we just watched Nyanpire; it was really freakin' weird!" Going solely off of that vague statement and the rather silly title (I mean really, Nyanpire?), I started watching it without high hopes. Fortunately, I can say quite confidently that my initial impressions turned out to be wrong.

That's not to say that Nyanpire isn't exactly what it sounds like: a silly collection of short episodes about a cat vampire and his friends. It's exactly that - nothing more, nothing less. But Nyanpire takes this ridiculous concept and does ... it well, managing to fit less than three minutes of deliciously cute story into four and a half minute long episodes. The remaining minute and a half is devoted to an ending theme that is as enjoyable, cute, and ridiculous as the anime itself.

While there was no real overarching storyline (the final episode had the opportunity to set up an actual plot, but instead opted for the cheesy ending), the plots of the individual episodes were executed smoothly enough that I didn't really mind. Each episode moved along so quickly that I always found myself surprised when it was over, while at the same time feeling completely satisfied that it had been exactly as long as it needed to be.

Combined with the light touches of orchestral accompaniment and adorably simple art, Nyanpire was the perfect short anime to watch between class and while doing work without having to worry about getting completely absorbed for hours. It really is just as it appears to be on the surface, but that's by no means a bad thing. Compared to anime which try too hard to be philosophical, or go way overboard with plot twists and complex character designs, Nyanpire is refreshingly honest and simple. If you're not into the cute and silly, then Nyanpire probably isn't for you. But hey, at less than an hour of total watch time, there's no harm in giving it a try.

In all seriousness, this series is an absolute throw-away.

To its credit, it makes no pretension about being anything other than a mindless cute-bomb. Going into this series expecting differently is begging for disappointment. While I'm not a fan of this genre, I did last through several episodes of Chi's Sweet Home, and figured this would be similar, but with fangs.

The sound and character designs in Nyanpire have an edgier (loosely speaking) and more polished aesthetic than in Chi, and are generally successful. The characters themselves, however, talk too much. Nonverbalness is associated with babyhood and helplessness, both traits that enhance the perception of cuteness. ... The constant blather, rendered with mediocre voice-acting, detracts a lot from the cuteness needed to overlook the substantial limitations of the show, thus tipping the series from watchable to wastebasket.