Shounen Onmyouji Episode 1 - This Boy is Seimei’s Successor
OP - Egao no Wake (HAL) - the song sounds a bit like a doujin soft OP, but it’s not that bad, and the animation’s pretty decent which is nice. Apparently it’s a Yuki Kajiura composition!
ED - Yakusoku (Saori Kiuji) - can’t say that I can actually remember anything about this…
GIANT WORMS AND A DISMEMBERED COW!
Masahiro Seimei is the grandson of the legendary Abe no Seimei of onmyouji lore and hammy live-action films, who mostly just loafs around doing nothing until a small demonic rabbit thing drops out of the sky. The rabbit thing (which Masahiro christens “Mononoke-kun” or “Mokkun”, and likewise constantly calls Masahiro “Seimei no Mago”, or “Seimei’s Grandson”) says that Masahiro must have great spiritual power within him, a hitherto unexplored avenue for the boy, who then has to deal with his slightly odd grandfather’s cryptic notes on the subject.
Their first test of Masahiro’s onmyoujitsu is a giant worm thing that comes out of the ground and DISMEMBERS A COW (well, an ox). Whilst it almost eats Mokkun, after Masahiro unleashes Mokkun’s true power by calling him by his real name (which I can’t even remember now!) he transforms into a fire-blasting bishounen demon, the most powerful shikigami of all, and wastes that worm good.
Spiffy.
The Shounen Onmyouji series of novels is one of the best selling light novel series in Japan at the moment (presumably after all the other ones that have already been animated…) and is supposedly targetted at girls. Aside from the bishounen demons, however, Shounen Onmyouji seems to be pretty standard shounen action fare; admittedly, it’s got a pretty decent budget, but none of Studio Deen’s usual animation tricks (I’d kill for another OP like Higurashi’s, but even the same director can’t pull that off here) and it’s otherwise mostly rather average.
Even so, I can’t say the first episode is all that bad. This kind of thing bites me on the ass quite frequently (EreGerad, this means you) but I’m a sucker for relatively generic fantasy action shows; the large cast looks promising, although I’m a little worried that the token love interest introduced next episode might be a bit of a wet blanket what with not-so-progressive Heian-era attitudes and all, but I’m intrigued enough to check out the next episode at least although it’s not really grabbed me as yet.
October 7th, 2006 at 7:52 pm
Something about this screams shounen ai pandering
October 7th, 2006 at 8:05 pm
There appears to be an annoyingly passive female love interest in the next episode, though, so who knows?
October 7th, 2006 at 9:54 pm
I’ve been eager to watch this show. I admit the first episode isn’t particularly winning, but the show is cute and the animation pretty.
October 9th, 2006 at 6:21 am
It screams shounen-ai because of Mokkun/Guren/Touda being very delicate and friendly with Masahiro. Also, I find it interesting that this great shikigami just sort of drops out of the sky in front of Masahiro and decides to follow him around. And did anyone notice the last image in the ending, with him and a baby (Masahiro, probably)? What do you want to bet there’ll be a theme about humans aging and shikigami not?
It was a pretty simple first episode. I liked the giant skull-and-spinal-cord monster. The exorcism chants sound weird. Masahiro’s shoes are annoying, but I like his gloves and ponytail tie. In the eyecatch with the original manga pictures, he looks a lot more delicate, with the thin face and pointed chin, than in the anime. I think some of the other shikigami designs are really going to annoy me later.
Anyone read Yami no Matsuei (Descendants of Darkness) manga? Same shikigami. Also, “Guren” means crimson lotus. (Wait, Mokkun says that, doesn’t it? Sorry. I just really like that for some reason.)
I don’t like the love interest’s character design. Her bangs look very odd, and her red strings have nothing on Shuurei (of Saiunkoku Monogatari). Also, the little monster things that seem to hang around her really, really bug me already, just from the ending and preview.
That’s not good at all. The only reason I watched Erementar Gerad was because I think Cou is the cutes shounen hero ever. (He’s really cute, especialy in the last episode. He’s useless and too arrogant, but really cute.)
Masahiro is kind of cute too, but not as much. I really like how he yelled “Mokkun, Mokkun, Mono no Ke no Mokkun!” He really sounded his age just then.
November 11th, 2006 at 3:41 pm
I watched this show until ep6. I really wished that this is going to be shounen ai anime(especially from the opening when Masahiro and Guren hold their hands together XD), but I think they will still pair up Masahiro with Akiko, a princess who can see spirit. It is true that the baby lying on Guren at the ending is Masahiro, Guren had vowed to protect him ever since Masahiro is a baby. hahax
November 26th, 2006 at 1:51 am
Aw damn, I had such high hopes for this - and then I watched the ending >_> Damn girls in anime, always interfering… I honestly went “no-no-no-no-no” out loud when I first watched the ending (until my sister told me to shut up x_X). I hope they’ll keep it at least somewhat slashable, because I really like it so far! The plot captivated me from the first second, I liked the opening song, I like the main character, I like the art (the bishies!! Just look at the op and ed animation!!) a lot, and I very much like the seiyuus ^__^ I look forward hearing some of them (I’m only on the 2nd ep yet). Ah well, the girl kinda ruined my fangirlish yaoi-high, but I’m so gonna watch any possible “affection” between them, as some kind of very much PLATONIC brother-sister love ^^;; that way I might not throw up every time I see her x_O And someone commented about Yami no matsuei and the Shikigamis; since the Shiki are in a lot of Japanese legends, you’ll find that Touda, Suzaku, Byakko & co. aren’t exactly restricted to Yami matsu :P Anyway, I’m glad I finally took up watching this, since I’ve had it on my computer for a month or so now :P /Sev
January 1st, 2007 at 3:04 am
I think that the art in this series is great and overall it shows real promise. While I am open to boy-boy, girl-boy, or even boy-boy-girl (you get the idea…) romance, I’m okay with just platonic love too. It irritates me that some people think anime has to be all sex all the time… If that is what you want go find some hentai site and put your mousehand to good use;). Leave the rest of us alone to enjoy this series.
January 3rd, 2007 at 1:06 pm
อยากดู shounen onmyouji มาก
January 22nd, 2007 at 9:42 am
Wow … just wow. Those of you who hate female characters because they get in the way of “TEH HAWT B0Y SEX0RS!!11!!!!1shiftone11!!!” are beyond pathetic. Grow the hell up already and get out of my fandoms you fantards.
February 24th, 2007 at 8:43 am
i wonder why ppl spend the time to argue on what they prefer in the anime or what they think about the other’s preferences. isn’t it just a forum to talk about what u like or not about the anime? it surprised me how some ppl really take it up personal. since, it’s nothing they should be too concern. i’m posting this coz i’m just curious coz i just started watching ’shounen onmyouji’ ‘n wanna find out more info about the manga if possible. so, this is what i found here.
it’s a nice animation with good story line. i love the “TEH HAWT B0Y SEX0RS!!11!!!!1shiftone11!!!” aspect of it, as u put it Melanie-san. i find it pretty entertaining ‘n cute, isn’t it? u have to say that the characters development does give rise to such a thought even to u..or maybe not! *laugh* altho it’s absolutely wonderful to enjoy the normal girl-boy line of the anime. so, being open minded in this kind of fandom is good, don’t u think? it comes with all manga/anime anyway. even tho u might not like that ppl bash around a bit, but that’s their obsession, isn’t it? isn’t it selfish to be banishing ppl or retorting at them just because of that? i just find it funny to read in such a forum of the anime i like to watch. it’s just not very productive, nor very entertaining.
hah! ‘n to contribute to the on-going topic of shounen onmyouji, i’m quite taken with the main characters; Guren ‘n Masahiro can be a very adorable slash couple. Akiko is just beyond cute ‘n so pure, so it would be kinda hard to be looking about anything more than just what the creator has make of her. i enjoy the development of her relationship with Masahiro so far. very cute, i have to admit. it is quite rare to find any manga/anime that write the female character out as adorable. to conclude, i pretty much love Guren ‘n Mokkun! *laugh* just great!
February 24th, 2007 at 8:47 am
oh! yah! i watched it up untill the latest episode. it’s quite hard to try to understand everything in japanese without any help of the sub, but i guess i have to try listening to it more often from now on. it would be great if i don’t have to read the sub anymore! *laugh*
June 11th, 2007 at 10:17 am
Cool and Cute Masahirooo!!!
i Love Masahiro very Muchh…!!!
mmmmuach…
hahaha5.
btw, is there Shounen Onmyouji session 2?
July 3rd, 2007 at 11:04 pm
*If you don’t want to be spoiled don’t read this*
Let me just say this, I don’t mind a little shounen ai. In fact I’m writing one, but that’s besides the point. When I first watched this series it took my breath away. The art, the music, everything. There were some same old, same olds in it and I could guess some of the outcomes in the episodes I’ve seen, but I think this show is quite promising. And on the subject of Akiko-san, she is a wonderful character. Sometimes when I watch anime I find myself disliking the female role, but not this time, and even though the anime has the same old “rescue the woman I love theme” I found it enjoyable despite the fact. Akiko also has a good personality. Sometimes I get the impression that, like Masahiro, she does not want to be weak, and she is going to do something to make herself stronger. I think Masahiro, and Akiko are the same in that respect becasue Masahiro does not want to be known as “semei’s grandson” and Akiko does not want to be known as “princess.” What disappointed me though was that even though I like Akiko, I wished they would have been a little more realsitic with her marriage. I knew they would twist it so she would end up with Masahiro (This I don’t know for sure because I’ve only seen 15 ep, but it’s probably true.). I think if you really want to judge the series you should watch more of it first, and see more of the characters’ development and get further into the storyline. Furthermore I see Masahiro and Guren as siblings, not lovers. I son’t think the creator intended them to be that way.
July 24th, 2007 at 5:38 pm
I really enjoy this anime and can’t wait till the other episodes are subbed (there are only 16 now).
Still, from the very beginning of the anime (from the moment when I saw Guren in his true form, that is) i noticed myself wishing it to be a shounen-ai anime. Well really, I mean, look at them together! Guren and Masahiro are so perfect together it screams of yaoi! and remember that moment in the 5th episode?
“I’ll be in trouble if you die!” and all that? Well, and every other second in the anime.. This should really be yaoi.
And the worst part is - there’s even no fanfiction on this pairing! That’s just strange. They’re one of the greatest possible pairings…
I understand that Akiko herself is not a bad character, she’s cute (supposedly, i don’t think so myself), wants to become stronger, tends to help Masahiro when there’s a chance and all.. But still i don’t like her.
And somehow i don’t see Guren and Masahiro as siblings or anything else like that - they look like those in-love teenagers fallen for each other. They sometimes eve sound like in a soap opera)))
Oh gosh, i know that animators are not such perverts as i am, they won’t make those two lovers anyways…
But we can hope and dream and - of course! - imagine)
February 28th, 2009 at 4:47 am
I really don’t get people sometimes, this anime is great. But isn’t Guren/Touda is a GUY! And isnt Masahiro a guy too.When I read some of the comments above and I just don’t get it. I mean Guren and Masahiro are better off being siblings. But if somehow Masahiro is a girl I think it will fit…