I’m a sucker for well written, wholesome and cute shows and that’s what somali was through and through. The story of a girl abandoned in the forest who’s adopted by a “golem” and travels with him across the world seeking answers for humanity’s disappearance.
From a narrative perspective, the show focuses on golem’s emotional development. Initally like his name suggests, he is unable to understand human emotions. Through his meeting and bonding with Somali, Golem slowly becomes more and more human and learns what it means to be a parent. Their jobs , friends and activities that they come across on their travels force both of them to grow and confront reality in a very beautiful way. Every single character that comes into the story does so in a meaningful way and adds to the experience.
The show also does a really good job of dealing with topics like racism and prejudice. In the world of Somali, humans are severely discriminated against. Over the course of the series, new characters who are introduced gradually come to learn that there is very little difference between humans and their species.
In addition to the well written story and great character development, the show features an absolutely stunning artistic direction. I mean that in the truest sense. The art is extremely bright and colourful and adds a lot to the overall vibe of the series. This isn’t a battle shonen, so the animation isn’t anything amazing, but it more than gets the job done. The voice acting performances from Somali’s seiyuu also deserves praise.
In closing, Somali will go down as a criminally underrated masterpiece which successful tells a beautiful story about a father and his daughter gradually learning to understand each other. If you’re a parent, looking for a fresh and original anime, or just want a good story to pass the time, this is your show.
Somali gets 10 golems out of 10 for me.
