I’ve been watching anime a lot more lately than I have been posting about it. As a matter of fact, I just wrapped up two series this week, courtesy of Netflix. So, I’m going to use this as an excuse to post something. Don’t worry about spoilers – there isn’t much material for me to spoil.
The Familiar of Zero
This is a series that’s appeared in many RightStuf Weekly Specials at a very reasonable price, and I’ve been tempted to blindly buy it for awhile. Luckily, I managed to exert a modicum of willpower and rented the series from Netflix instead. That’s not to say the series is bad. On the contrary, I found the series to be fun, and entertaining with plenty of laughs and a decent amount of fan service.
The Familiar of Zero cast.
The series takes place on a magical world not unlike medieval Europe. Society is divided between peasants and nobles. If you are able to use magic, you are considered nobility. If you’re essentially a “muggle,” you’re considered a peasant and relegated to service providing positions.
Louise is a noble attending the magic academy of Tristein. She’s earned quite a reputation with her zero percent casting success rate, and she is unlovingly referred to as “Louise the Zero.” Tired of the taunting, she proclaims that she is capable of casting a spell that will impress everyone. Calling her bluff, the students simply ask her to prove it at the familiar summoning event.
While her classmates are summoning frogs, fire-breathing salamanders and giant moles for familiars, Louise’s spell calls forth Saito, a boy from present day Japan. It is immediately assumed that Saito is a peasant despite his otherworldly attire, and is treated as such until he receives the marking of a familiar.
Saito is a likable character and clearly proves why the series is worded the way it is. The one flaw that really bugged me about him was that he did not once stick up for himself towards Louise. Perhaps, it is part of the budding relationship between the two, but it was clear to me that Louise was taking advantage of his “lower” status by asking him to do her laundry and other chores you never see the other familiars doing. Saito complies and rarely ever complains.
This 13-episode series is well worth a watch, but I’m kind of glad I didn’t buy it. It wastes almost all of the first disc trying to find it’s direction, and once it does, the series ends leaving you (well, in this case, me) unsatisfied.
Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok
Loki has been banished from Asgard by Odin. He doesn’t understand why, and we’ll never find out. Now, he’s forced to live among the mortals in the body of a young boy, who is clearly wiser than his years.
Loki, son-servant Yamino, and pet-thing.
Enter Mayura, an overly enthusiastic girl obsessed with mysteries. Mayura stumbles upon Loki’s home/detective agency and tries to hire them to locate her missing doll – a floating, talking doll she found in an old attic that she brought home with her and subsequently flew out of her bedroom window. Loki naturally dismisses Mayura as a lunatic and refuses the job. Mayura vows to find the doll on her own. Still, something tells Loki that he should look after this girl.
It turns out the doll had returned to where Mayura found it, and the doll has mistaken her for its previous owner, a little girl who died in a fire. The doll refuses to let Mayura leave, vowing they’ll be together forever. Loki and his son/man-servant intervene, rescuing Mayura, and essentially inviting her to become a permanent fixture in their lives.
The series goes on for another 25 episodes and introduces more characters from Norse mythology as they take on non-traditional roles amongst the humans while living in society. Clearly, the creators did some research, and of course, took some liberties to move things along.
Unfortunately, the series stays at a steady level of average until it draws to an anticlimactic end. I’m definitely glad I didn’t spend the cash on this one since it offers very little replay value.
