Director: Masui Soichi (RahXephon,
Scrapped Princess)
Writer: Machida Touko (Hamatora, Ookami Kakushii)
Main Cast:
Majima Junji as Tooru Acura
Anzai Chika as Chaika Trabant
Hara Yuuko as Akari Acura
Character Design:
AraiNobuhiro
Music: Nagaoka Seiou (Strike Witches, Tenchi Muuyo)
Sometimes, a show that looks like it will be the dullest, stupidest thing can be pleasant surprise. I'm not saying that the story of Hitsugi no Chaika is the some great epic, it's not. It is a basic "search for the MacGuffins" plot that would be right at home as the first arc of a JRPG. What was nice was actual competent exposition. Plot points were revealed over the natural course of a conversation, most of the time anyway. And I like the decision to keep the cast small enough so I can get to know both sides of the conflict. This is helpful because of the one thing that grabbed my attention when it already had my curiosity. This show isn't following the good guys.
Instead of trying to stop the ancient evil wizard emperor and prevent war, the main character, Tooru Acura, actively wants another war. That's because Tooru is an out-of-work soldier, a "saboteur" who has a form of magical powers that help him in melee combat. He meets a girl in the woods, Chaika, who carries a coffin with her. Said coffin contains her magic wand, as she is a wizard, which looks just like a sniper rifle. She speaks in broken Japanese, only saying the essential words to get her point across. The two quickly bond over killing a savage unicorn, and develop a good rapport. She then decides to hire him and his sister, Akari, to help her steal a magic item from a local lord. This item turns out to be a part of her dead father, the aforementioned ancient evil wizard emperor. So begins the quest to find all eight parts, which Chaika wants to give a proper burial, but will probably end up being part of a final battle of some sorts.
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| "I found her in the woods and we killed a unicorn. Can we keep her?" |
What I enjoy about Hitsugi no Chaika is how things seem to have a shade of gray. The man following the main party, trying to stop the AEWE's body from being put back together, seems like a decent guy. He cares about his subordinates, listens to their council, and gives Tooru and Akari every chance to back out of the ordeal when he finds them. Hell, the same could be said of the lord who fought them in his castle. One man's killing the protagonist is another man's defending his property. And given that the main character is a
However, this show isn't without its problems. While I like Tooru and Chaika, Akari is a different story. She is the stereotypical fighter who is violent towards her brother, yet extremely possessive of him. Yes, the fact her brother has been out of work for several years has probably annoyed her, but we don't see him being the lazy bum like she insinuates. So, when she is violent towards him, it comes off as unfair and out of place with what has beens seen. Her complete lack of a personality doesn't help either. There is also the annoying tendency of women to harass Tooru for having Chaika, his employer, pay for his expenses. The last concern is that the plot could easily get to be too much monster-of-the-week, so I'm hoping something pops in here to keep my attention.
And it gets that chance to keep my attention because Hitsugi no Chaika is getting a pass. I can't give it a strong endorsement, but it does enough right to merit further viewing. The world is well-built, the action is pretty darn good, and I like two of the three characters, which ain't bad. And I'll close by talking about the action. It's nice to see how the battle takes place in an action show like this. There isn't a lot of use of slow-motion, and the camera placement is able to catch all the flips, cuts, and tricks Tooru uses to fight. It's stuff that doesn't look spectacular, but it's efficient and it gets the job done.
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