Kannagi ~Review~

I can recognize the faults this series may have, but sometimes when I watch something that becomes so amusing, these faults don’t really matter anymore and Kannagi is one of those cases. So, now that I’ve finished the 13 episode series, I decided that it would be worth the time to write a short review about it. The story is about a boy name Jin who is giving a piece of a sacred tree from a friend to carve. Little does he know, that after he carves it, it turns into a real girl. Naturally, no normal human would originate out of a piece of wood, and this girl known as Nagi claims to be none other than a Goddess. Though it doesn’t end at that either, she also fights off impurities, which is only the beginning of the wackiness!

With a simple plot as I’ve basically described it as, you would expect Kannagi to be like another other series, but after just the first episode, you can already see how it sets itself apart from anything else. The plot is strongest at the beginning and end considering the middle had some unneeded, yet amusing episodes. The characters are some of the best from any series. I find that the relationship between the people in the art club to be actually relatively realistic. Naturally, it is exaggerated in scenarios and such, but the way some of them act with one another is a pretty good depiction to real life. Though, when the characters are just over the top and outrageous there a joy to watch as well. Within 13 episodes, you were really able to depict each of their separate personalities, even if there wasn’t much development between them besides our main characters.

The animation is very consistent and smooth; it has some nice details that go well with the setting. The character design itself is pretty simple, but I liked it just the same. The soundtrack for the series isn’t really anything to rave about, most of the only music used throughout the series was in the last episode and it wasn’t really anything amazing anyway. The only thing that really stands out when it comes to the soundtrack would be both the opening and ending themes, which are fantastic!

The series manages to incorporate a bit of everything, although mostly comedy, except this is probably where the main fault is. Kannagi is just a bit all over the place when it comes to genres and transitions from one story to the next. Though, even if there isn’t much consistency, at least each thing it tries to be is done well. When it comes to the enjoyment factor of the series, I can without a doubt say that there is plenty of it! I’m not sure how others feel about this anime, but while I was watching it, I was always so amused and even now as I look back on it all, I still will keep to the statement that this series is indeed one of the most entertaining of the year. When it all comes down, a series has to entertain me above all things, which is exactly what Kannagi did, which is why I enjoyed the series so much. I would really recommend this series to almost anyone considering its genre, which isn’t really one thing, can be enjoyed by most. I’m actually surprised that this series hasn’t been licensed yet, but I can imagine Bandai Entertainment licensing this in a few months (don’t ask why I think Bandai). Well, in the meantime, I will be hoping for a second season!