2015 modern fantasy, shounen manga adaptation in 25 episodes:
AniDB, vt
"Circle of Reincarnation". High school student Mamiya Sakura can see
spirits. It turns out that her classmate Rokudō Rinne is also working
as a shinigami, helping lost spirits reach the wheel of reincarnation.
But she's entered a dangerous world…
This is quite an old-fashioned show, and that's not entirely
surprising: the manga is by Takahashi Rumiko, creator of several
series that were big in the 1980s (Urusei Yatsura, Maison Ikkoku
and Ranma ½ among others), and while her style has developed over
time it's certainly not as innovative as I see in some other
contemporary shows. (But only some. A great many shows owe a great
deal to Takahashi's work, and ring changes on her ideas without any
particular inventiveness.) It's in small things too: while most other
shows set in the modern day make a point of including the cellphones
that are a key part of Japanese teenage life, they're practically
absent here.
But yes, we have the introduction of a new main cast member whenever
things seem to be flagging, and a minor love polygon, and lots of
comical misunderstandings (particularly whenever Rinne tries to get
closer to Sakura, though at least that's not his sole purpose in
life). This is clearly a series that is intended to set up the overall
situation and then progress at a glacial pace, making the most of its
core relationships without ever changing them substantially.
All the same, there's plenty of good stuff. Sometimes the problem is a
spirit of the week, sometimes it's something longer-term involving
major characters. Once Rinne's father is introduced, many things about
his situation become more clear, and there's a sense of depth to him
which is very uncommon with typical disposable anime characters.
Technically it's competent but uninteresting: backgrounds are quite
standard, and music doesn't get in the way but neither does it add
much. Characters are reasonably distinct, in the usual modern style.
I don't generally binge on a series all at once anyway, but I'd
definitely recommend against it in this case. There's some repetition
and I think that taking it undiluted would reduce one's appreciation
of the good bits. Even so, I quite enjoyed it. Another season is
expected in the summer 2016 slot.
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