Thursday, March 22, 2012

Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit

WARNING! This blog post may contain spoilers.


(This image is from http://animeuknews.net/.)

I have just finished watching the Anime series "Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit." I have already seen a few episodes here and there on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, but I couldn't see it from start to finish based on my schedule. Luckily now, it is available on Netflix.


(I found this image on Google.)

This Anime drama series is about a bodyguard named Balsa who takes on the job asked by the queen of protecting a prince named Chagum, who is possessed by a water spirit. Chagum's father, the Mikado (Emperor), has ordered to have his life ended because it is feared that this water spirit is evil and will bring misfortune to the land. Balsa and Chagum have to face several enemies and challenges as Balsa tries to find a way to remove the spirit.

 

Overall, it was a really good series. It wasn't the best series, but I enjoyed watching it. This series seems very believable even though there is a spirit world. The heroes have good traits and flaws, and the supposed antagonists at the beginning didn't seem "evil" as they had good reason to do what they did at times based on what information they could gather, which they realized their mistakes. Balsa is a great female protagonist. She is strong, smart, independent, and she looks beautiful without having to resort to unrealistic skimpy outfits or unrealistic body proportions. It seems weird to have that in most Anime. Also, she looks as old as she is. She is about thirty where many busty anime characters are about 16 despite their full figures. There were a few parts here and there that I thought could have been improved.

 For instance, I think there could have been more action sequences. Even though there were only a few of them they were animated beautifully. There is a lot of other, slow story parts that some people might not care for. There were some parts that I think were resolved too easily, like the final fight against the army of the egg eaters. Seriously, the light of the morning sunrise forces them to stop? The Egg Eaters barely even managed to wound someone let alone kill anyone. The finale decision made by the Mikado to have Chagum claim complete claim of the victory over of the Egg Eaters just so that he can be praised as a hero to the country seems ridiculous. The Mikado had been trying to have Chagum killed, so why should he agree to what his father demands? Also, they had their entire history covered up and forgotten, so would more lies really help? Besides, it should be welcoming to the story to have a woman in this fictional world to get the right praise for her extraordinary work in a world where women are looked down upon, even if Balsa isn't that type of person. There were some weird parts here and there.

Anyways, it is still a good anime series.

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