Hitsugi no Chaika (or "Chaika -The Coffin Princess-") aired from April 10, 2014 to June 26, 2014 and was based on the titular novel from 2010. It stars Chaika Trabant, a young wizard who carries around a coffin; Tooru Acura, a saboteur and former soldier; and Akari Acura, Tooru's adopted sister. The story is more or less a big McGuffin quest to find the remnants of Emperor Gaz. That's really all there is to say about Chaika because that's all that's even notable about the show. Hitsugi no Chaika is one of the most painfully average shows I have even seen. It starts average, ends average, and never rises above the middle ground. It does just as many things right as it does wrong.
Story: [5/10]
For starters, the story is average. It is, as I said, a big McGuffin quest involving the remains of the deceased Emperor Gaz. It's difficult to even say more than that because the story and writing are so bare-bones that there's basically nothing left for me to talk about. The biggest problem here is the tone. The tone of Hitsugi no Chaika is pretty much boring. This is one of the most tone-deaf shows I have ever watched. It is played completely straight with light-hearted moments sprinkled in, but at the same time there are several moments of heavy violence and gore. This is a huge problem when it comes to tone. Chaika swings back and forth from light-hearted to flat to dark at the drop of a hat. The show doesn't really seem to know what it is or what it wants to be, and the outcome of this is a show that lacks any real identity. It does not feel like a naturally progressing plot; it feels more like a semi-related string of events. It's like a box of candy. You open it up, and from start to finish what you expected is exactly what you get. And when you get to the bottom of the box, you eat the last piece of candy and soon forget you even consumed it at all. That's what Chaika is like. It is a series of incidents that start and end; with no build-up, no clever twists, and no climax. Generally speaking, if your audience is having thoughts such as "wait, that was supposed to be the climax?" or "it's already ending?", you probably didn't pace your story very well.
Art: [5/10]
As for art and animation, it is average. All the character designs are completely average, and for good measure they went ahead and used the "only main/supporting characters and villains get unique hair" trope, which of course means that you know exactly who you should pay attention to and who will contribute little to the story. Once more, another element that makes the show very predictable and uninteresting. The animation is nothing special. There are moments where it is pretty good, and many moments of incredibly laziness.
Sound: [5/10]
The sound and music is average. The sound design is middle of the road as well, as there is an even mix of good sound effects and bad sound effects. The music is...does anyone even remember the music? I can only remember the opening theme. I don't remember a single track from the score that stuck out as memorable. Overall, a forgettable effort from the sound department.
Characters: [5/10]
And as you could probably guess, the characters are average as well. Outside of Chaika, there are no memorable characters whatsoever. Akari and Tooru are horrifically boring and monotone, and not once did I really give a crap about what happened to them. All of the villains are terrible and cliche, with no effort put in to subvert your expectations. All of the supporting characters are uninteresting as well, with the possible exception of Fredrica. To be honest, Chaika is really the only thing that keeps this show afloat. Answer me this: if Chaika was absent, what would be left? There would be absolutely nothing for the audience to latch on to. Her cuteness and bubbly personality is the only source of life and personality in the entire show. If it were not for her, I honestly think this show would be completely unwatchable.
Enjoyment: [4/10]
I was bored out of my mind for most of Chaika. The characters were bland and uninteresting, the story was too predictable and tonally inconsistent, the art was uninspired, and the music was completely forgettable. It would be a miracle if I remembered anything from this show 6 months from now.
Overall: [5/10]
And that's Hitsugi no Chaika. There is nothing remarkable or noteworthy in this show aside from Chaika herself. If you like middle of the road action/adventure fantasy shows, then I suppose I could recommend it. Outside of that, there's no real reason you couldn't just pass on this one.
