Renkin San-kyuu Magical? Pokaan

Renkin San-kyuu Magical? Pokaan follows the daily lives of four young girls. There is just one catch: they are anything but normal. This group of friends—the energetic werewolf Liru, the joyful witch-in-training Uma, the motherly android Aiko, and the seductive vampire Pachira—are actually princesses from the netherworld who have traveled to the human world in search of a new home. Unfortunately, their naivety and severe lack of knowledge make living peacefully among earthlings much more difficult than they imagined.

As they attempt to adapt to their brand new lifestyle, they cause all sorts of trouble, and end up attracting the unwanted attention of a woman by the name of Dr. K-Ko. The scientist believes that these new residents of Earth are up to no good and attempts to capture the girls to prove the existence of the supernatural and gain credibility with the scientific community. Every day brings a new adventure as the girls deal with the insanity of her antics and all that the human realm has to offer.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Liru Main

Nabatame, Hitomi Japanese

Pachira Main

Hirano, Aya Japanese

Uma Main

Saitou, Momoko Japanese

Aiko Main

Akesaka, Satomi Japanese

Dr. K-Ko Supporting

Tsuda, Shouko Japanese

Man Supporting

Taniyama, Kishou Japanese

Lulu Supporting

Kawakami, Tomoko Japanese

Boy Supporting

Taniyama, Kishou Japanese

Keimie Supporting

Nomico Japanese

Jun Supporting

Nomico Japanese

Oosawa, Nobuhiro Producer

Yoshinuma, Oshi Producer

Yatagai, Kenichi Director, Episode Director, Storyboard, Key Animation

Matsuoka, Hiroki Sound Director

Reviews

Aug 15, 2024

tota-chiba

Recommended

A surprisingly funny and nostalgic Ecchi comedy featuring a cast of lovable stereotypes in a complete joke of a show. Everything from the woefully stupid cast constantly fighting over the affection of boys down to the "yuri-bait" (but admittedly badass) opening theme that doesn't fit the tone of the show at all. Its quite a fun collection of spoofing anime tropes, animation jokes/puns, and borderline nonsensical reasoning behind the actions of the cast for humors sake.

The setting involves 4 "princesses" that in-explicitly live in the human world in a treehouse together with a ghost chaperone (presumably to save on the animation budget) and are super ... naive to how said world works. Antics ensue. Good stuff, highly recommend.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Sep 13, 2024

SgtSalamander

Recommended

I'm not often a huge fan of Ecchi anime, as they're usually pretty one-note. They hook you with the anime tiddy, but typically offer little else. However, Renkin San-kyuu Magical? Pokaan, or Magipoka as I'll call it for the rest of this review, really is something special. It's hilarious, creative, passionate, and really only barely classifies as an Ecchi at the end of the day. In fact, it's more like a Moe Slice of Life with Ecchi elements. From start to finish it is charming, endearing, and effortlessly funny, setting itself apart as one of the hidden gems of the ... mid 2000s. Beginning with the story, it's a simple setup, with four girls living together in a big treehouse and trying to understand the human world, these being the Android Aiko, Vampire Pachira, Witch Uma, and Werewolf Liru. They go on all sorts of adventures, and as they do, hijinks ensue, often of a supernatural nature. It's highly episodic, with each episode actually split in half and dedicated to two independent storylines. This formula works extremely well, even when they have totally fictional non-canon asides, as each self-contained adventure is complete with flawless comedic timing and perfect narrative pacing. In short, the story is wonderful, and it sticks the landing nearly every time, save for a couple of rare moments. To be honest, I constantly forgot about the Ecchi elements until they showed up, as they really do take a back seat to everything else. Though, it must be said that in the moments that such elements are on display, they *really* go for it, which can at times be very surprising if you have indeed forgotten that this is an Ecchi, like I did several times.

The art is absolutely fantastic, with a whimsical creative vision and skillful execution that makes this show stand head and shoulders above the standards of the time, all the while flawlessly embodying that 2000s atmosphere. I am personally a huge sucker for 2000s anime aesthetics, and Magipoka embodies the epitome of what this style can achieve, proudly showcasing all the things that made it great at the time, and makes it hold up today. So, not only is the art warm and lighthearted with an inviting, nostalgic presence for those who lived through that era of anime, it also boasts of high production values which lean into the show's use of color and design to get some really amazing shots, complimented by the show's smooth animation and mastery of facial expressions. Indeed, capturing emotion on character's faces can often be a bit of a problem for many anime, but Magipoka has some of the best facial animation I've seen in this regard, hands-down. All of this praise also extends to the exquisite character designs, all of which are unique, complex, and distinguishable at a glance, making for a cast of main and side characters which look fun and visually engaging.

The sound receives similar praise, with an emotional and multifaceted soundtrack that covers a wide range of emotions, opening and ending themes that were never skipped, voice work that is skilled, adaptable, and believable, and sounds of life which are rich and minutely detailed, making the world of Magipoka feel three-dimensional and alive in a way which is often very difficult for Ecchi comedies to achieve.

However, beyond all this, the strongest aspect of this anime has got to be the characters. Magipoka has an eminently likeable cast of characters that feel like genuine friends in the way they interact and talk to each other. These characters elevate the show and its comedy, and are themselves the total drivers of the story, interacting in creative and fun ways with each other and the world around them, be it building a dozen mailboxes to increase their chances of receiving mail, or going to the beach during typhoon season and deciding to have an indoors beach day. Their contrasting personalities make for fun and interesting conflicts, and the way they talk to each other layers on itself in a way that heightens the comedic energy of a scene similar to the three stooges, if you need a point of comparison. However, I'd say there's a fair bit more comedic complexity at play here beyond your usual slapstick, and of course, there are four of them. Well, five I suppose if you count the invisible one, but it's a running joke just to simply not count her, which is something they point out in the outros for the special episodes. It's almost impossible to pick a favorite from among them, as they all work together so well that just picking one becomes a moot point. If I had to rank them in order of my favorites, I suppose It'd be in the order I listed earlier, Aiko, Pachira, Uma, and Liru. Overall, Magipoka is a stereotypical anime elevated to the best it can be. While it isn't necessarily a masterpiece, it is a thoroughly enjoyable experience with high rewatchability and a shockingly high production value, wreathed with fun, cozy, nostalgic mid-2000s vibes which are simply impeccable. As such, Magipoka is easy for me to recommend, yielding a high 7.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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May 6, 2024

Toran71

Recommended

This is one of the best "chill" shows I've ever seen. The fact that it's ecchi and even has some hentai scenes in one episode probably drives a lot of viewers away but thats ok because "real" anime fans are the target audience of this show. It's funny, it's cute, it's relaxing, it's got cool supernatural stories.
I see some people hating on it for being episodic which I don't really get. Some shows are episodic, stories have been told episodically for millennia and there's nothing wrong with it. I preferred being able to put this on to wind down when I felt like ... watching something chill and funny. I wonder if some people who hate episodic shows just ruin them for themselves by watching them straight through?

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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