Anime Review: Otogi Zoshi

Review Otogi ZoshiWritten by Warpshadowrating good/ very good

One of the reasons that people watch anime is that they learn about Japanese culture that way. If that is true for your then Watching Otogi Zoshi is a good show to watch as it has 100% of you daily culture requirement in every DVD.

In the Heian period the capital of Kyoto is suffering from a curse. In order to save the people Hikaru Minamoto has disguised herself as her brother Raiko, who is too sick to go on the quest, and recover the magatama from the Tsuchigumo tribe. What Hikaru doesn’t know is that her quest will span not only the country of Japan but cross into the future as well.

The best way to look at Otogi Zoshi is that is it is two 13 episode shows combined into one. The first half is a nice adventure story with some but not overpowering mystical elements. It can be looked at as an alternate retelling of the story of the Legendary Warrior Yorimitsu. The second half is more of a mystery story where the supernatural elements are more blatant despite the modern setting. The first half of the story worked far better in it’s genre than the second half even if it was anticlimactic. The character designs were realistic, which is a plus in my book. The DVDs of this show have a lot of information for those interested in Japanese culture, which is the prime demographic for Otogi Zoshi.