Michisio Nagasumi is your average 14-year old schoolboy, who was dragged along by his parents to go on a summer vacation on the remote inland mountain beach of Seto. When he and his parents went to the beach, bad luck strikes when he got washed away on the sea, leaving him helpless on the fact that he is about to drown, when suddenly, while on the brink of death, a girl with a tail (in Nagasumi's blurred sight) saves him.
However, bad luck seems to be Nagasumi's brother-in-fate, when he discovers that the girl who saved him, named Seto San, is actually a mermaid. Catch is, San is the only daughter of Seto Gozabura, boss of the Seto Group, a Yakuza-like organization that has a grimly rule: Any human who discovers a mermaid/mermen must be killed, or the said mermaid/mermen would be killed instead. The only way for Nagasumi and San to escape this rule, is to get married (even if Gozabura objects, and only wishes to kill him instead)!
Facing dire (and stupendous) consequences, Nagasumi starts to embrace his eccentric new life, as he slowly adapts himself to the world of Mermaids and Mermen, as well as to learn more about them, especially his newly-wed wife, San-chan, while balancing them with normal Human life.
By: shinshinovi
Story & Characters
Seto no Hanayome. The first time I saw this in Crunchyroll (if you guys spot a certain C.Roller named arcaneguardian, ignore him, it's not me! j00 hear me?! EETS NAT MEE! *snicker*),
I clicked it out of boredom, while waiting for the next Bleach episode.
Looks like I made a right choice.
I don't know Gonzo, but I heard his name on this particular manga named Afro
Samurai, which has been getting applause from my associates, but if I'll base Seto no Hanayome's plot to Afro
Samurai's, I can safely say Gonzo is a very good author. The fact that on the first episode alone got me hooked on this
anime, it also started a craze in Crunchyroll, C.Rollers laughing like nutcases who escaped out of a nut hospital, me
included. And yeah, Afro's tone is very different from Hanayome, making Gonzo a universal author.
The story began somehow, in a serious tone, with the main character, Michisio
Nagasumi drowning out there in the secluded mountain seas of Seto (BTW, is this place real?). A mermaid saves
him. So I quickly assumed that Seto no Hanayome is a harem anime, and I am getting bored of harem anime. Blame it on
Shuffle! Don't blame it on Suzuhira Hiro-oneesama, or I'll kill you.
/joke
I am pwned. Again. Damn.
The rest of the story is well... AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA NGIYAHAHAHAHA AHAHAHAHAHA WAHAHAHAHA WAHEHEHEHEHEHE WAHIHIHIHI
AHAHAHAHA *snort snort* uh, excuse me, hehe, everytime I remember the anime, I always laugh, haha! Seto no Hanayome is
guaranteed 100% fun, fun, fun. The producers themselves must have a hard time concentrating on it's production, because
the whole series (which just ended recently) is wild, REAAAALLYY wild. You might not imagine yourself as Nagasumi-kun,
with tons of Yakuza-con-Mermaid guys staring, plotting, waiting, reeling, and hating him because their young mistress
saved & married him, notably their big boss, Seto Gozabura. The main reason is: Any mermaid who exposes themselves
to humans must be killed, or the human suffers the consequences. If not for San-chan's mom, Nagasumi could have been
shark food.
More and more adversaries arrive later on for the right to claim San-chan as their wife, and so, the usual comes anew:
staring, plotting, waiting, reeling, and hating Nagasumi. The ways Nagasumi escapes 'dark' fate will surely amuse you
(although most of the time, Nagasumi fails to save himself, but others do, notably, San-chan). Of course, San also had a
similiar situation, as other females starts to fall for Nagasumi's charm (or, rather, stupidity XD)
What got me really hooked is the idiotic presentation of the story itself, with most of the characters mimicing several
popular characters like Suzumiya Haruhi or, OH NOSE, teh TERMINATOR! This anime is totally out of this world, so if you plan to watch this one,
be warned: Mental Health Authorities might suspect you. You'll realise what I meant after you start watching
it.
BTW, I mentioned idiotic jokes, right? If you're a person who has a moral code or somethin`, forget it. You require 100%
mind humor for you to enjoy Seto no Hanayome.
Rating: 9
Art
Not so good. The kawaii level is high, but so is the idiot meter. But that ain't matter anyway. But it matters if you
prefer anime that focuses itself on detail. Not so much detail is given to the characters, but I can safely say they
pass the standards for cute-lovin` (and possibly ecchi-lovers :P) otakus and watchers alike. I won't get hooked if it
does not.
Basically, the artworks are so basic, you ignore `em, and you focus on the character's features. San is cute. Nagasumi
is normal. Not. You got a hot-lookin` Yakuza guy turned P.E. instructor who only intends to eat. Anything that's edible
and made of meat, `cause Shark Fujishiro is a Shark. YAY, run! You got a n afro (Gonzo-san, are you AFRO? o.o) hottie
who easily converts Nagasumi from straight to gay, and yeah, the mimics. They're really good. You got a policegirl
wannabee who looks like Haruhi. You got a perverted monkey, este, buddy who transforms into a hermit. You got a
Spiky-guy who imitates Richie Rich. You got a shy Class President who, until the end of the story, is yet unknown (the
name, that is). Blah blah blah, what am I talkin` about?
Aside from San-chan's hawtness, the rest is basically mimic. For fun. :)
But if they only incorporated good anime designers... I might really fall for Incho (Class President).
Rating: 6
Sound
Japan is well-known for good music. Seto no Hanayome is no exception. The music stimulates thy mind for you to absorb
the word "laugh". Voicing is quite nutty, since I can't imagine some kids who had older voices not suitable
for their age. But hey, that's possible anyway.
I don't know the musical director, but thumbs up to him/her. But only one thumb.
Why? Still basic. :(
Rating: 7
Presentation
One word: Humor.
You might also trip on some good values. Throw the bad values. and you get a good (but not total) package.
Seto no Hanayome is purely entertainment, and I can safely say I am entertained enough. However, critics might not
agree, although I am more than sure they'll agree that Seto no Hanayome is clean fun. ^__^
Rating: 10
Final Verdict
8.50 (very good)
Reviewed by shinshinovi, Oct 21, 2007