Along with Tsuritama and Galilei Donna, this anime I would say falls into the category of the hidden works of A-1 Pictures. The first time I had watched Kannagi was back in early 2012, and I remember this was all the rage at the time. (Not just because of the Bean Farmer and "It's a Sony!" memes, but the series itself became a big major hit)
Unfortunately, as time has gone on, Kannagi is still popular, but gradually fading into obscurity more and more. This is one of the earliest works from A-1 Pictures (being from 2008), and this anime was made back in the days before the studio created their BIG BIG BIG BIG BIG major hit shows, such as Sword Art Online, Your Lie in April, Blue Exorcist, Fairy Tail, Anohana, Darling in the Franxx, and Seven Deadly Sins. If only Kannagi had been created within the same time frame as the seven shows I had just mentioned, it probably would've blown up with the same amount of success.
Anyway, let me break down the elaboration for the six key anime elements:
Story - 10/10
The story is just phenomenal. I really think the idea of carving a statue of a girl out of wood for an exhibition and having the statue burst open to reveal a goddess named Nagi is extremely creative. It's great to have a story revolve around an average boy named Jin whose mission is to help Nagi cleanse the impurities of the areas and to help her maintain her existence as a goddess. I also think it's cute how later in the story, Nagi's tree gets bulldozed completely to the point where she is on the brink of disappearing unless she finds a new object of worship, and that is to become an idol within Jin's high school.
Art - 10/10
The artwork is just gorgeous. It reminds me a little bit of a modern take on Studio Ghibli animation. Granted, this series was not only created by A-1 Pictures, but also Studio Ordet, so the artwork is going to look a bit different from their other shows. (i.e. Fairy Tail, Blue Exorcist)
Still, it really stands out by 2008 standards, and you might find it looks a little bit hard to look at by 2019 standards, but to be fair, it's only good to criticize shows by the technology that they had at the time.
Sound - 8/10
The voice acting is great, but the soundtrack isn't the best. It's just a bunch of peaceful supernatural instrumental songs, which is good on its own, but when it comes to sound, I prefer anime shows that have catchy upbeat songs.
Characters - 10/10
All the characters in this show are wonderful. Nagi is hilarious in the ways in which she interacts with Jin, Tsugumi, (who is Jin's childhood friend who also has a crush on him), and Zange (who is Nagi's younger twin sister, and who is also the main antagonist of the show)
I also like the supporting characters (Daitetsu, Akiba, and Takako). I think they are pretty funny in how they interact with Nagi as well.
Enjoyment - 10/10
This series is a must-watch. Although it is currently ranked as the 883rd most popular anime as of today according to this website, it still deserves a shot. Although this anime still has quite a bit of success as of today, I still find this show to be extremely underrated.
Overall - 10/10
Please check this show out! It really is a phenomenal peace of artwork created by A-1 Pictures. :)
