Story & Characters

At first glance, Shonen Onmyouji may seem like a typical shonen action show with a boy fighting a "monster of the week." However, it's more than that. It's actually a unique combination of action with shoujo-style character development/relationships. It starts off a little slow but before you know it, you're emotionally invested in the characters.

The show revolves around Masahiro, the grandson (and apparent heir) of the great onmyouji (or priest) Abe no Seimei. Masahiro's constant companion is Mokkun, a cute creature who is actually the powerful Guren, one of the twelve Spirit Summons who serve Abe no Seimei. By day, Masahiro trains to be an onmyouji and at night, he uses the skills his grandfather taught him to fight evil spirits. There are two arcs in the series. The first focuses on an extremely powerful foreign spirit while the second features a mysterious woman with ties to Seimei's past.

What drives this show, however, are the character relationships. Masahiro and Mokkun/Guren are best friends through and through, something which contributes to the show's most emotional scenes. Then, there is the budding romance between Masahiro and Akiko, an Imperial Princess. Their scenes are cute as Akiko's powerful spirit-sensing ability leads their paths to cross often. There is also the love/hate relationship Masahiro has with his grandfather. Abe no Seimei counts on his grandson one moment and playfully downplays his abilities (to motivate him) the next.

It should also be noted that this show does a good job balancing the amount of characters it has. There's not enough room to talk about the rest of the supporting cast such as the other Spirit Summons, Masahiro's "rival" in the Onmyou dorm, the minor demons that help him, or the god that takes a liking to him. All the characters that appear make an impact and even when their scenes are minimal, they never seem half-baked.

Shonen Onmyouji's story is not a complex one, but it's better than you'd expect. This show is quite enjoyable and gets better as it goes along, especially towards the end. As a result, the story gets an 8.

Rating: 8

Art

The art in Shonen Onmyouji doesn't particularly stand out but it suits the show's action/shoujo aesthetic. The male characters are clearly meant to be more attractive than the female characters. Masahiro looks a little less masculine than similar heroes and Guren fights without a shirt. Even Abe no Seimei gets into the act as he fights using his soul (which so happens to look like his younger self). The female characters are still quite pretty, though.

The various creatures and demons in this show have interesting designs. They are suitably cute or creepy. I like Mokkun's design in that it's completely nondescript. He's not a dog, cat, rabbit, or any combination. This is a show that doesn't shy away from violence. It can be a bit more graphic than you'd think with characters covered in blood and creatures that are eaten.

The only thing that bugs me about this show's design is how some characters (such as Guren) have heads that are too small in comparison to their bodies.

The art is pretty good but not spectacular. As a result it gets a 7.

Rating: 7

Sound

The sound for this show is truly a mixed bag. The opening and ending songs are good. The soundtrack works well in the show but it's not good enough to enjoy by itself.

The Japanese voice acting is pretty good. I especially like the difference in the way Mokkun and Guren sound. Mokkun still sounds tough but just smaller. What is going to drop this score, however, is the English dub.

Watching the English dub of this show will make you appreciate how far North American anime dubs have come. The English dub for Shonen Onmyouji was produced in Singapore and doesn't feature any voice actors that American anime fans would know. A few years ago, dubs like this would be considered decent. It seems to be pretty close to the original and the actors have no trouble pronouncing Japanese words. However, the actual performances leave something to be desired. For example, the voice for Abe no Seimei sounded like a younger actor trying to sound old as opposed sounding like a real old person.

Okay soundtrack, good Japanese version, and slightly subpar English version results in a 6.

Rating: 6

Presentation

Overall, this is a show that sneaks up on you. You'll try to write it off as a simple action show, a mediocre product destined to fade into the woodwork. However, once you start watching, you end up enjoying it more than you thought. By the end, you'll wish there were more episodes.

I think this show is one of the more underrated anime series out there today. It's fun to watch, has great character development, some decent action, and a conclusion that gets you emotionally involved. If you're sick of the same old same old, this show is a light and welcome change.

For being a unique hybrid of action and shoujo sensibilities that's enjoyable, the presentation gets an 8.

Rating: 8

Final Verdict

7.50 (good)

Reviewed by sterfish, 41wk 4d ago

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