Amatsuki

Information of Anime

Tokidoki Rikugo is high school student that is weak in History.  He ends up taking supplementary classes for this subject in order to improve his grades.  He goes to a state of the art museum that uses virtual reality to recreate Edo of the Bakumatsu period.  Something goes wrong to Tokidoki as he sees a strange creature called Nu that takes his left eye away.  A girl named Kuchiha saves him from Nu, but the damage is done.  However, Tokidoki realizes that he's not in the virtual world anymore as he is now in the actual Bakumatsu period.  He has no way in getting back as he is now trapped.

Storyline (CONTAINS SPOILERS)

Below is a summary of the storyline I've seen.  If you haven't seen the series yet & don't want to be spoiled, skip this section.  If you want to know the story & want to see how I viewed it, read on.

With the help of Kon Shinonome, another high school student trapped in Bakumatsu, Tokidoki manages to adapt to the environment quickly.  He's taken under the care of him, Kuchiha who has a wolf ayakashi inside her, & a monk named Shamon.

Tokidoki's science trick to get revenge on the people that abused Kuchiha who land him into some troubles.  While taken to see the princess, he meets Botan; a winged human-like being that knows about this world & the outside world which it's referred as of Tokidoki's original home.  The meeting of him & the princess who gives Tokidoki more information about his missing left eye.  He is labeled as "blank page" by the princess & comes to understand how powerful his left eye is.  Although he wants to return home where the people call it Paradise, Tokidoki plans to stay first to complete his goal which is to remove the curse from the Princess who is actually a man.

However, Tokidoki & his crew's goal would sway when he decides to go to a different location.  He would met Shamon who is investigating a demon presence in a friend's drug store. But the demon presence would turn to something else pleasant from a piece of tree trunk & finds some cocaine as well.  The trunk would attract a fox demon that is obsess with it as it was her master.  As her revenge is taking her over, Tokidoki manages to use his Blank Page powers to save the fox demon.

During this battle, Botan & his crew is present to witness Tokidoki's powers.  The next day after the incident, Botan explains to Tokidoki about his Blank Page powers.  Also, he asks him which side he want to choose.  During this time, the Princess tries to attack Teiten after summon him to defy his orders.  This would cost his life.  In the other side, Botan tells Tokidoki about how the Princess is trying to destroy this world while he's trying to save it.  The show ends with Botan tells Tokidoki that he wants to use his Blank Page powers & make him the next Teiten.

My Personal Review

Amatsuki was something I picked up at random somewhat.  I read a bit about the show's description & I wasn't too highly interested in it.  But I decided to get it out of boredom really.  Kind of paid off a bit.

Animation

The character designs pretty nice, but has a bit of a 90s look to it.  Long faces, big eyes, & long & big mouths.  Although it has a fresh look in comparison to other anime shows that are released during its time, it gave me mixed reactions.  They were somewhat ok.  As for the clothing, it does match the historical Japan period.  Simple & not too stylish.  Matches the theme well.  As for the body proportions, there are somewhat long.  This may be the reason why I'm having mixed reactions to the designs.

The backgrounds are pretty simple.  It's got some details, but they match the time period the show is in.

The colours are pretty much on the dull side. This is a good choice as it display the time period correctly.  The characters are a little bit bolder through.  But they don't clash with the backgrounds as the mixture is balanced.

In terms of the animation movement, it's a mixture of real & comic.  Most of it is heavily on the realistic side.

Sound

The sound effects are heavily on the realistic side.  Even for the comic scenes, these sounds are used.  The projection of the sounds & timing are ok.

The seiyuus here aren't too bad.  It's a fairly strong cast lineup.  Despite that, I found the performance to be above average.  It's not something mind blowing.

The music is something that I thought that is weak in the show.  It's got the ancient Japan style & feeling with the piano & strings going, but it felt drying & lacking.

Story

The story evolves mainly around Tokidoki & his Blank Page powers than him trying to find a way to go home.  Many people & demons are trying to get it as he is learning to use it.  Although his good nature character affects people around, it seems to play a small role on it in terms of character changes.  The only exception seems to be Kuchiha where Tokidoki accepts her as she is than an ayakashi.

The show does have a typical plot, but yet it has something interesting about it.  It may be the characters or seeing how Tokidoki's powers grows in the plot.  It's somehow draws me in.  But it would lead to disappointment.

The ending of the show is a cliffhanger & incomplete.  The story just stalls there with so many things not cleared up.  Hopefully, there is another season for this to finish this up or else reading the manga is the answer.

Overall Conclusion

Amatsuki seems more like an average show to me.  Yet, I have the urge of watching it immediately when the next episode comes available.  I don't know if I want to watch it just because I got nothing else to watch at the time or it's some sort of craving.

Amatsuki gets a six out of ten.  The show has something that keeps drawing me in.  Although the show is fairly dry & has weak music to set the mood, the storyline & character seems to draw my interest well.  However, the ending was the biggest disappointment for the show.

Last updated on August 19, 2008