Chocolat no Mahou

This anime shows several short stories from the manga, but also anime exclusive ones. It's a pity they didn't do more episodes, because the manga has so much more stories. The animation is okay, it's not great, but this is just a little series to promote the manga, so you can't expect that much. I wish it had an opening song. I really like the ending song.
The story in general is very interesting in my opinion. It looks cute, but can get pretty dark. Every little story (1-2 episodes) features new characters who come to visit Chocolat Aikawa. It's the same formula every time, but ... I think the stories are all interesting and they also change up the formula several times. We also get Chocolat's backstory here, which I think is cool.
I really like the mysterious atmosphere in this and I wish we got more episodes.

Why you should watch Chocolat no Mahou (The Magic of Chocolate) anime? / Zašto pogledati Chocolat no Mahou (The Magic of Chocolate) anime?

English language: At first I thought it was a children’s anime, but when I saw it was a horror genre I changed my mind. A very interesting anime in which we get a new story and characters every episode. The main character is Chocolat Aikawa who owns a shop where she is selling chocolates. These are not any chocolates, but magical ones that can fulfill wishes but only if the person gives something precious in exchange. Things are not so simple and many ... do not even understand what they can lose and how it will affect them. Everyone who comes has some problems they want to solve. In addition to watching someone new every episode, the episodes also reveal something about the main character Chocolat and how it actually happened that she runs that magic chocolate shop. The truth is much darker than one would expect. All in all, I really liked the anime. Dramatic, instructive, interesting and mysterious anime with short stories. There are 13 episodes, each lasting about 14 minutes, so whoever wants to watch I think they will find it interesting.
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Hrvatski jezik: Na prvu sam mislila da je dječji anime, ali kad sam vidjela da je horor žanr promijenila sam mišljenje. Veoma zanimljiv anime u kojem svaku epizodu dobijemo novu priču i likove. Glavni lik je Chocolat Aikawa koja posjeduje trgovinu u kojoj prodaje čokolade. To nisu bilo kakve čokolade, već magične koje mogu ispuniti želje ali samo ako osoba u zamjenu dadne nešto dragocjeno. Stvari baš i nisu tako jednostavne i mnogi ni ne shvaćaju što time mogu izgubiti i kako će to utjecati na njih. Svi koji dođu imaju neke probleme koje žele riješiti. Osim što se svaku epizodu gleda nekog novog, kroz epizode se sazna ponešto i o glavnom liku Chocolat i kako je zapravo došlo do toga da ona vodi tu trgovinu sa magičnim čokoladama. Istina je puno mračnija nego što bi netko očekivao. Sve u svemu mi se anime jako svidio. Dramatičan, poučan, prezanimljiv i tajanstven anime sa kratkim pričama. Ima 13 epizoda od kojih svaka traje otprilike 14 minuta pa tko god želi pogledat mislim da će mu biti zanimljiv.

Few phrases sum up this anime quite so well as 'bitter sweet.' Perhaps the next best would be 'beyond mediocre.'

Story: 4.5

Each episode - or sometimes two - focus on a different set of characters. Each time, a person in need finds themselves wishing upon magic sweets, provided by the aptly named witch Chocolat Noir. But for every wish, there is a price, and sometimes the price paid is far worse than the consequences of not wishing at all. Often, the series throws in a touch of humanity or humour. Unfortunately, the bitter tends to outweigh the sweet more often than not.

Some episodes are truly ... intriguing, filled with a surprising amount of unexpected twists, that for the most part, pay off. Unfortunately, other episodes are just depressing. In fact, the first episode was, frankly, horrible. It ends feeling concluded, yet is filled from start to finish with nothing but bullies, bad decisions, and rejection. It was incredibly tempting to drop the show then and there, because there isn't anything endearing about watching people suffer for 22 minutes. Luckily, the second episode picks the story back up, providing the series with some redemption, as well as introducing what will become the overarching arcs of the series.

That said, calling anything in this show a 'main arc' is misleading. This is perhaps the most episodic, monster-of-the-week styled anime I've seen in a while. Although there is, eventually, an underlying story and drama, it just isn't soon enough or expanded enough to be as engaging as the episodic plots.


Characters: 5

Given the episodic nature, the 'main characters' stand largely in the background, watching over various humans and their blunders. Ultimately, no character is likeable, or even unlikeable - they're just sort of there.

Art & Sound: 5

Art wise, it's pure average. Cosplayers and Lolitas alike will be pleased by the number of kooky, frilly, and creative dresses shown throughout the series. Occasionally, the camera shifts to create a very art-house vibe, but for the most part there's nothing spectacular - good or bad - to write about. The cat transition sequences are appropriate, if a bit distracting at times.

Sound wise, I honestly can't remember anything awful, or spectacular. Which is to say it was utterly forgettable.