Tsugumomo

Tsugumomo which is adapted from the manga of the same name is an interesting anime that has a rather unique premise and story behind it. Very few anime these days actually have names that relate to the subject matter of the anime itself and in this case Tsugumomo is probably the first example I actually seen. Tsugumomo which is something that actually exists within Japanese traditional legend are essentially objects that after long years of use and cherishment by its owners have gained sentience and their own bodies and through the use of magic spiritual abilities. Tsugumomo combines this premise with a traditional exorcist storylinethat works similarly to the likes of Twin stars exorcist which pairs the Tsugumomo with someone that has with a bond with the Tsugumomo thus creating a team that can be used to deal with hostile enemies that have been possessed by evil miasma. Story and setting The main story for Tsugumomo largely takes place within the town of Kamioka and the surrounding areas and takes place in the modern time period. The story follows the life of Kazuya Kagami a normal high school student that one day is confronted with the fact that the obi that he had inherited from his mother had somehow become sentient and thus introducing him to the world of Tsugumomo’s and malison cleansing. The story behind Tsugumomo is essentially a fusion of comedy and action that is derived from both the everyday lives of Kazuya and his duties as a malison cleanser. The unique nature and setting for this series story means that apart from having a rather unique story and setting it also has many interesting enemy types that are tied with the theme itself. With the enemy’s in this series I liked the fact that in going with the theme they tend to revolve around the target’s inner desires which also affect how powerful they can be. One of the things that are present in each episode that I particularly like is a short introduction of the enemy type that is to be featured in each episode. I thought that these were informative and useful to the viewer. Kazuya Kazuya voiced by veteran seiyuu Yuuko Sanpei of Boruto Naruto Next Generations and 3 Gatsu no lion fame is one of the main characters of the series and is the main protagonist of the series. In the beginning of the series Kazuya was an average teenage boy that attends the local high school. In the beginning Kazuya as a person did not have much personality traits that made him really stand out. In the beginning of the series Kazuya’s chief personality traits was that he was honest, understanding and kind hearted but tended to get scared easily. These starting traits of his though weren’t completely removed as the series went on but stayed and were improved upon as the series went on. As the series progresses Kazuya as a person also starts to improve thanks to the challenges that he and Kiriha overcome as well as the results of the bonds that he forms with people that he helped. Because of these improvements Kazuya becomes more dependable as he comes to understand the role that was given to him and more determined to help those that need his help. More importantly because of his new-found determination Kazuya also become much more brave and willing to take a stand against a terrifying opponent and end it there before it can hurt anyone else. Kazuya’s defining trait is without a doubt his kindness as though his role as a malison cleanser means that he will have to deal with hostile creatures that are born from evil malison such as the various types of Amasogi Kazuya always tries to understand the reason that they were formed from and understand what led to them being formed. This trait of trying to understand the reason behind how they were formed puts him in good stead as though he must deal with them eventually Kazuya at least tries to understand them and determine what the reason behind them was before exorcising them. This trait of trying to understand your foes I felt was nice to see. The bond that Kazuya shares with his partner Kiriha is without a doubt one of the center pieces of the series. In the beginning of the series we can see that though Kazuya was grateful to Kiriha for saving his life that he didn’t fully trust her and indeed did not really know who she was other than the fact that she had materialized from his mother’s obi. At this point Kazuya often finds himself being abused and taking advantage of by Kiriha who takes advantage of his kind and honest personality. Often Kazuya is forced by Kiriha to serve her by getting things for her. Though their bond started off on a wrong foot as the series progresses however the trust that Kazuya and Kiriha develop with each other starts to manifest more with Kiriha more willing to listen to him. Though still lording over him a result of the trust that the two have built up means that both Kiriha and Kazuya have developed a partnership between the two that shows how much they care for each other. Notably in later parts of the series Kazuya tries to ensure that he doesn’t use Kiriha’s true self in his attacks as this will affect her life. In overall, I felt that the character of Kazuya was a well-rounded character that was well designed. Though at first, he was a rather average character with few distinguishing characteristics I felt that the character development for him was well done and seeing the character gradually transform from an average Joe to someone that has both conviction in his duties and compassion and understanding that enables him to understand the events that led to a amasogi’s formation. I felt that his seiyuu Yuuko Sanpei really did a great job portraying the character of Kazuya. Kiriha Kiriha voiced by veteran seiyuu Naomi Oozora is one of the main characters of the series and is the series main heroine. A veteran Tsugumomo that has lived for a long time Kiriha is the manifestation of Kazuya’s mother’s obi and had previously served her. A feisty and mischievous young woman that’s boastful and has a lot of self-confidence Kiriha has a personality that can be said to be a direct contrast to the one that Kazuya has. In addition to being feisty and mischievous in the beginning of the series Kiriha also had a rather self-centered personality that when combined with her feisty nature really made her hard to deal with for Kazuya as he often become victims of her impulsive nature. However though lazy and slothful when she’s at home when dealing with hostile forces Kiriha adapts a more serious nature that’s more serious, cautious and focused on dealing with the enemy using the best way possible. Similar to Kazuya Kiriha is one that doesn’t like to destroy Amasogi entirely proving that she too detests mindless destruction if it can be avoided. Kiriha has a number of running gags within the series that help define her character. Firstly, is Kiriha’s love of fooling around with others that comes from her teasing nature. Although not harmful these episodes of fooling around which most often targets Kukuri is a sign of the trust that she has in the people that she teases though this is something that she wouldn’t like to be found out. The other running gag of the series regarding Kiriha is her love of pudding and her desire to have one every day. When she doesn’t for some reason get what she wants Kiriha tends to be more impulsive than usual with a notable exception when she created a song for not getting one. Kiriha’s bond with her master is one of the main aspects of this series and also serves as a means for her development as a character. In the beginning Kiriha did not really have a high opinion of Kazuya both as a person and as a fighter. As a result, she often treated him harshly and in turn created a sort of master slave relationship that only she believed in. As the series progresses however and as Kiriha sees how determined Kazuya has become in becoming a malison cleanser her attitude towards him changes and she begins not just advising him on the various Amasogi that he must face but also in training him as well. By the end of the series Kiriha’s trust in Kazuya has become strong and that she really respects the strength that he has developed over the series. I felt that Kiriha as a character was a pretty well-designed and that her seiyuu Naomi Oozora really did a great job portraying her. Kukuri Kukuri voiced by veteran seiyuu Yurika Kubo of Urara and High school fleet fame is one of the main characters of the series and one of Kazuya and Kiriha’s allies. The goddess that is charged with watching over the area that Kazuya and Kiriha and their allies live in Kukuri is a contrast to Kiriha’s feisty personality in that she is a friendly young woman that however has a tendency of being overly proud of her status as a god. At the same time, she is also rather dutiful and serious about her duties as well. Kukuri’s most prominent trait is no doubt her humble nature as despite her status as a god she never looks down on people and always treat people with respect whether they are fellow gods, humans or Tsugumomo like Kiriha. Kukuri is also very diligent and willing to help in performing small tasks which is also another contrast with Kiriha’s lazy nature. Like Kiriha Kukuri also has a running gag within the series with her being not being taken seriously by others despite her status as a god. This little byplay is most often seen when she’s with Kiriha and is always a funny thing to see. The character of Kukuri i felt was an interesting character and was perhaps the last image that I had when picturing a god. The byplay between her and Kiriha was funny every time I see it and her humble and diligent nature actually made her pretty cute. I felt that her seiyuu Yurika Kubo really did a great job voicing her. a notable trait of Kukuri is the fact that she speaks in an accent that’s very peculiar and uses words not often seen in conventional Japanese. This serves to make her even more charming though. Chisato Chisato voiced by new seiyuu Noriko Shibasaki is one of the main support characters of the show and one of Kazuya’s allies within the series. A childhood friend of Kazuya’s Chisato is also the class rep for the class that Kazuya is in and as such is often the one that chides him when he’s distracted by something. A cheerful, upbeat and positive person that’s also kind and caring it can be seen quite easily that Chisato cares a great deal about Kazuya. As a result, her first meeting with Kiriha was a nasty shock to her as she now must contend with her for Kazuya’s attention. Despite that as the series progresses their relationship soon turned to respect instead. Though a mere human being when compared to the likes of Kukuri and Kiriha Chisato like her fellow human ally Osamu can assist Kazuya by using their intelligence and reasoning to help determine things that he might have missed. Though only a support character I felt that for her first role Noriko Shibasaki actually did a pretty good job of portraying the character of Chisato and I hope that she will continue to improve her skills and get more roles and establish her career. Sunao Sunao voiced by veteran seiyuu You Taichi is one of the main support characters of the series and is a plot central character for the latter part of the series. A fellow malison cleanser like Kazuya Sunao is a confident, determined and passionate person who unlike Kazuya wanted to become a malison cleanser by choice. Apart from her desire to become a malison cleanser what really sets Sunao apart from Kazuya is how she perceives the Tsugumomo. Unlike Kazuya who sees tsugumomo’s as partners and treats them as such Sunao however sees them as nothing but tools that should only act when she commands them to and not be treated as anything else. In a way, the contest that erupts between the two is as much as a contest of strength and techniques and one that pits their perception and views of Tsugumomo. In a way Sunao really isn’t really a bad guy in truth but they were forced to be on opposing sides because of their vastly different views regarding Tsugumomo and how they should be treated and used. Unlike Kazuya whose role as a malison cleanser was forced on to him Sunao willingly accepted her role as one and as such her abilities as one far outstrips Kazuya’s skills. Never less seeing Sunao go up against Kazuya and seeing them go straight out against each other was interesting as was seeing the techniques that she used which is very different to how Kazuya usually fights. I felt that Sunao as a character was a well-designed one and introducing a character that was like Kazuya but views Tsugumomo differently was a good move. The clash of both ideology and might between the two I felt was nicely done as it highlighted the strong bond that Kiriha and Kazuya have forged over the battles that they have been through and proves that friendship and trust can beat even people that are more powerful that you are. Arts and animation Arts and animation for the series I felt was pretty good. The character designs for the characters I felt were done pretty well and was largely faithful to their counterparts in the manga. The various environments that the cast fight in was also well detailed. The animation for the series I felt was pretty good with the fight scenes between the various types of Amasogi being of high quality. However, I felt that the final dual that took place in the anime had the best animation in its fight scenes though compared to earlier battles. Music The music for the series I felt was reasonably good in regard to both the scene music and the opening and ending themes. The combat scenes in particular had some pretty good scene music that changed depending on the battle is going and I felt that this was well designed. The opening theme for the series which in this case was METAMORISER by Band Ja Naimon I felt was pretty catchy and helped convey the comedic side of this series which is helped by the visuals that is shown during the opening song. This is contrasted by the ending theme which is I4U which is sung by veteran singer Michi that seems to convey the bonds and friendships that Kazuya has formed with his friends and allies. Of the two I would say that the ending theme was actually one of my favorites because of the message that it conveyed and the visuals that were used there. Voice acting The Voice acting for the series I felt was pretty good with particular praise going to Naomi Oozora and Yurika Kubo who voiced the characters of Kiriha and Kukuri who I felt did a great job portraying their characters and making them stand out. Other seiyuu that I felt also did a great job was Noriko Shibasaki who despite her thin role managed to portray the character of Chisato reasonably well. One seiyuu that really surprised me in this series was You Taichi who voiced the character of Sunao. Though I have heard her voice before most notably in Owari no seraph in which she had a minor support role her performance here I felt was excellent as she managed to portray the character that she had been assigned to here pretty well. Indeed, after Kazuya and Kukuri Sunao is my third favourite character which is largely due to her hard work. Overall conclusion In overall, I felt that Tsugumomo was an interesting anime that’s main advantage was the fact that it had an interesting theme, story, characters, fight scenes and capable voice acting from a young voice cast. The theme of the series which is actually derived from a commonly held belief that states that if you treat an object with care over a period of years that it will eventually gain sentience. This theme itself I felt was pretty interesting and served to only enhance this series and make it more interesting. The overall story of Tsugumomo can be said to be a fusion of a comedy and an action anime and in this I felt that it succeeded as the series itself had plenty of good comedic moments as it has in good fights. The overall story I felt was reasonably interesting and seeing how Kazuya and Kiriha grow in power as they forge a bond that is formed from executing their duties of clearing malison from their area of operations and confront increasingly powerful enemies was really enjoyable. Though the series itself did make use of a villain of the week troupe that is most often seen in tv shows each of the enemy types that was featured in the series apart from having great fight scenes where they were exorcised also features a period where the cast investigates the nature of the enemy which in this case is often a Amasogi and from there determine what was the true reason that caused it to form. This aspect of finding an aberration and then trying to determine the reasons that caused them to form before ultimately fighting them after understanding the reasons for their formation I though was well done and gave the impression that malison cleansers are not just heartless exorcists that only live to exorcise Amasogi without trying to understand the circumstances of their formation. Of course, without a good cast of characters in the series this anime wouldn’t go far even with a great story but in this I felt that the series also did well in. The main character of Kazuya though a rather average person at the start of the series was developed pretty well as the series went on and seeing him forge a strong bond with the main heroine Kiriha and seeing them both increase in power was something that I liked seeing. Seeing and understanding the motivation for Kazuya’s actions and seeing how determined he is with is line of thinking was also something that I appreciated. Though he obviously didn’t want to take up the mantle of becoming a cleanser at first it was nice to see him eventually grow to like the role and also develop the understanding that Tsugumomo are not merely tools to be used in battle like weapons but are living things that have their own personalities like that of a human and should be treated with the same amount of respect. The character of Sunao though a support character also had a large role within the series and was a pretty interesting character that I felt was well developed and acted. In terms of both personality and skill Sunao served as a contrast to Kazuya in that she treated her Tsugumomo very differently to Kazuya while at the same time both her skills and motivations that she has is vastly different to Kazuya’s. As a result, the struggle between the two was as much as a contest of strength as it was a contest against conflicting beliefs and ideologies which made the struggle between them even more interesting to watch as I was curious to see how it would play out. Though the main cast I felt was developed and used pretty well in the series I felt that some of the support cast could have been used more. The character of Chisato I felt didn’t really have much of a role in the story and could have been used a bit more. The same could be said of Kazuya’s older sister Kasumi who was played by veteran seiyuu singer Ayana Taketatsu. As a result, I felt that their roles were a waste of their talents and I wished that their characters were more fleshed out. As a fight anime, it was important that the series have excellent fight scenes that make good use of the setting and theme and in this I felt that it succeeded. Each of the fight scenes in the series I felt was well designed and thought out that though of a layout that we have seen in other series before was also unique in just enemy types but also determining what their weaknesses were and how their true desire could be factored into the fight as an advantage. The struggle between Sunao and Kazuya that took place near the end of the series notably had some excellent fight scenes that I particularly enjoyed watching.