Moyashimon

One could say that freshman college student Tadayasu Sawaki has a wide range of vision. He has a peculiar ability that allows him to see microorganisms with the naked eye. Sawaki can see all sorts of microbes, from the fungi that cause athlete's foot to the yeast used to make alcohol, with him perceiving his little friends as cute chibi creatures. Attending an agricultural university, his talent piques the interest of numerous professors, including Professor Itsuki, who specializes in fermentation.

Sawaki starts school indifferent toward his ability, choosing an agricultural school in Tokyo. However, with the help of the eccentric community around him, he slowly learns to appreciate these visible microbes and his talent. The whimsical cast of professors and classmates attending the university almost makes Sawaki seem normal despite his ability.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Yuuki, Kei Main

Saiga, Mitsuki Japanese

Hasegawa, Haruka Main

Ohara, Sayaka Japanese

Sawaki, Tadayasu Main

Sakaguchi, Daisuke Japanese

Itsuki, Keizou Main

Nishimura, Tomomichi Japanese

Aspergillus oryzae Supporting

Touma, Yumi Japanese

Aspergillus niger Supporting

Yoshida, Hisanori Japanese

Mutou, Aoi Supporting

Noto, Mamiko Japanese

Oikawa, Hazuki Supporting

Kanda, Akemi Japanese

Misato, Kaoru Supporting

Konishi, Katsuyuki Japanese

Kawahama, Takuma Supporting

Sugiyama, Noriaki Japanese

Yamamoto, Kouji Producer

Watanabe, Tetsuya Producer

Sano, Hiroaki Producer

Taniguchi, Osamu Producer

Reviews

Sep 4, 2021

SuperJohnDoe

Recommended

Another great anime to relax to. While the premise is almost forgotten about for half the show, the mellow slice-of-life tone and the characters' chemistry was more than enough to keep me invested. I love fermented foods too, so this anime was a rare but wonderful surprise for me.

What I didn't expect was the sudden, but eventually welcome change of tone in the last two episodes. The agony and struggle to find one's place in the world can be intense and seemingly endless at times, but the anime ends on a very positive and optimistic note.

The colours and animation were solid too, something you wouldn't ... expect from such a chill anime. There's a lot of attention to detail and not two characters look the same. Brilliant show, overall!

It's also very rare to see so many sex jokes that aren't over the top. The show is definitely self-aware in that regard and it's a nice bonus. Maybe all the homosexual jokes in particular are about trying new things and finding yourself as well!

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Sep 13, 2024

SgtSalamander

Mixed Feelings

Moyashimon is an anime which starts out strong, with the makings of something really special, but seriously loses the thread, spending its last few episodes burning whatever narrative pacing or coherent characterization it had, all in service of a weird, anticlimactic ending that leaves the viewer confused and generally unsatisfied. As such, it is, in a word, disappointing. Analyzing the story, let's begin with the positives- the first 8 episodes are funny, educational, and atmospheric in that peculiar way only anime from the mid-2000s can be. It takes its admittedly bizarre concept and forges something unique with it, making you ... feel intrigued by the nature of microbial life as they encounter it each episode, and developing the setting of the agricultural university as something characteristic and alive, with its own cultural traditions and warm sense of community. The characters grow as people and grow closer as friends as they pursue various goals or overcome a myriad of challenges, be that brewing sake, trying out fermented foods, or coming up with some scheme to benefit their lab, as they all drink, work, and just generally have fun together. It all feels really natural, and pairs very well with the art style. Now, for the negatives- the show knows what it wants to be, and follows its delightfully oddball path, until about episode 9 or so. From then on, the story feels as though it is rushing towards an ending that nobody asked for or saw coming, one that makes no sense and unfolds in total disregard to the pacing and characterization set out by the rest of the show. There are jarring twists, nonsense motivations, shock value distractions, and, worst of all, a total abandonment of the foundation upon which the show itself is built- a focus on microbial life. These last three episodes do untold damage to the show, and bring it all the way down from an 8 to a 6. It almost feels like an entirely different anime. This represents a mournful waste of potential on the part of Moyashimon and its story. From what I saw of season 2, the new tone of the show follows this same scattered, unfulfilling narrative, and is ultimately not worth watching as a result. Indeed, I even decided against continuing with it, which is a decision I very rarely make. In short, the last few episodes are this anime's undoing. Everything else I have to say about this anime, however, is quite positive.

The art is wonderful, with a distinct visual style that especially manifests itself in the character and microbe designs. The color palate is soft and inviting, the backgrounds are detailed and refined, and the animation itself is smooth. Overall, the art is the strongest aspect of this anime, and truly embodies the nostalgic, immersive aesthetic of mid-2000s anime, from the ambitious live-action CG fusion OP, to the gorgeous anime itself, to the claymation ED.

The sound is very strong, with a fun, emotional OST, voice work that suits each character, and most of all the detailed sounds of life, from the humming of scientific machine instruments, to the sounds of natural microbial life activity.

The characters are broadly wonderful, and really help to bring the story to life. They all feel like they break your average archetypes in fun and interesting ways, all the while feeling genuine, and their developing friendship between themselves as a group is heartwarming to watch. Of course, this gets seriously muddled towards the end, when nobody seems to make any sense anymore, which is why the characters aren't the strongest aspect of this anime, despite how strong they are for most of the show. Of them, my favorites are the hapless duo Misato and Kawahama. Falling into the classic 'fat man and tall man comedy duo' archetype, they provide ample comedic relief, all while gradually proving themselves to be well-intentioned, and genuinely good friends by the end of the story, which is really solid character development. Overall, Moyashimon could have been something special, and indeed WAS something special until the last few episodes. I don't know what possessed the people behind this quirky, oddball edutainment title to do what they did, but it took something that was fun and unique, and turned it into something utterly unrecognizable. Once again, disappointing.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Mar 30, 2009

Unregistered00

Not Recommended

"A potential that has been wasted"

That is how I should sum up Moyashimon. It has a good grip on comedy but there's not enough of it going through the whole 11 episodes. There's some educational elements injected here and there but the lessons didn't attract my interest both in whatever they're teaching and the story itself. What did interest me is it's difference in whatever was being subbed at the time. Let's see, it's called "Tales of Agriculture". Yes. It sounded boring but it did pique my interest.

The simplicity in both art and sound works for the anime for some odd reason. Almost everyone can ... tell that they busted their budget on the OP which is the best thing going for this anime.

The second best thing going for this anime is the lead character. The funny scenes usually involve him and something gross happening. The other characters are just there to fill up the screen so there's really nothing going for them.

It isn't bad "BAD" but anyone can live without watching this unique piece of anime that seems to have lost its direction halfway through. However, if you're like me who has a tendency to lean towards the "road less travelled" then just try it out. It wouldn't kill you.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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