Sarazanmai

Another weird mind trip directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara, Sarazanmai is the fourth anime TV series directed by Ikuhara dabbling into eccentric and sexually-charged symbolism. This new series focuses on middle school students Kazuki, Toi, and Enta being turned into kappa by Keppi, a prince of the Kappa Kingdom who tasks the boys to halt the desires of giant kappa zombies in an alternate world called the Field of Desires where they attempt to satisfy their personal desires that affect the normal world in varying capacities. Sarazanmai's main focus throughout its run involves connections. The series dabbles into the joys and pains of experiencing connections through our three lead characters, as well as a couple of the foes they confront throughout the span of the show's run. For all the positives that social connections can have, there can also be unpleasant elements to them with embarrassing or hurtful thoughts and situations. This serves as the main crux of Kazuki, Toi, and Enta's character developments throughout Sarazanmai's run as the three face their own personal problems involving family members and any past strains that affected their bonds with one another. The boys all learn of their problems as each Zombie they defeat results in one of their personal memories being exposed to the other three throughout the show's run and learning to cope with the revelations to one another. As far as the design aesthetics go, Sarazanmai's premise draws from traditional Japanese myths on kappas, amphibious demons with webbed limbs that have varying interpretations of their regard for humans that are mostly malevolent. The showing of pulling shirikodama from a demon's anus and collecting of dishes to grant a wish are nods to interpretations of kappa in myth. Shirikodama are believed to contain a person's soul and are usually sought out by kappa for consumption as part of their evil deeds. Plate collecting is in reference to the small dishes that kappas typically have on their heads that are full of water and exploited by humans as a weakness, as kappas are obsessed with manners by their nature and will respond to bows with one of their own which will spill the water in their plate with the kappa not leaving their bowing position until the plate is refilled with water. If refilled by a person, the kappa will become eternally loyal to them. The storytelling style employed with Sarazanmai with "kappa zombie of the day" threats is a bit of a double-edged sword though. While the episode structure helps to further flesh out the boys and reveal more about the machinations of the antagonists, the way in which the episode story structure's laid out for much of the show's run is a bit repetitive and it does take time for the plot to start picking up steam when the antagonists start to become more proactive directly against Keppi and the boys. Plus, the kappa zombies are nothing compelling for the most part since they only exist to create each episode's conflict and their inner desires are rather exaggerated compared to whatever the major characters in the series are dealing with. Gripes aside on the episode story formula though, Sarazanmai is still a mostly fun mind-trip to watch through compliments of Ikuhara's story direction and the show's exploration on social connections. If you have enjoyed any of Ikuhara's past works like Mawaru Penguindrum and Yuri Kuma Arashi, I'd still recommend checking the series out at least once.

Sarazanmai might just be the weirdest anime to come out in recent memory. The whole premise sounds like it was concocted by some guys doing some hardcore drugs. While it’s definitely weird it’s also quite mesmerizing and original which culminates into a worthwhile experience. I feel like I should put a disclaimer on this review before I dive into the story for this anime. All I will say is that if you do NOT have an open mind then feel free to stop reading now because everything after this will give you permanent stink face. Now that that is out of the way let’s just dive deep into this weird wonderful creation. So... the story of Sarazanmai revolves around kappas, a Japanese mythical creature, that works with schoolchildren to build these connections by vividly entering through the anus so our cast can have a spiritual awakening. Trust me the show visually explains this better than I can but basically the theme of the story is about connections. Every episode has the phrase “I want to connect” featured prominently. This connection while being physical *cough* is also a psychological story of friendship and the bonds that connect us. Because of the connections and bonds that the story stresses, our characters get fleshed out. Also like the weird story that I described above these characters is not your typical cast. For example you have your dark edge lord teetering on the path of no return which honestly is the only normal character in this show. After that you have a cross dresser and a few other who have no problem displaying their yaoi undertones. Even as a person that usually steers clear of that stuff I found it fascinating how it seemingly all comes together to showcase complex characters in a complex world. Not that’s not to say the characters were perfect. After all you can only cram in so much development into 11 episodes. The art and animation for Sarazanmai was a dual collaboration between studios Mappa and Lapintrack the latter of which I was hearing from for the first time. A lot of the visual sequences in this show are very solid even if they do reuse shots for most of the episodes. Despite this all the animation is fluid and a pleasure to watch. The art is very colorful and really makes the characters come alive in their environment. Visuals wise I feel this anime earns some high marks. The music and sound is perfectly chosen in that it plays well with the animation. Many of the sequences especially the one with the BL cops has the right sound and visuals to make you think you are watching an ED even though it’s the middle of the episode. Speaking of ED’s, my god does Sarazanmai have a good ED. It’s the kind of ED that you just want to listen to on repeat over and over again, especially when it starts to play after a real heartfelt, impactful moment. The OP is good too, but that ED is gonna stick with my for a long time. Overall, Sarazanmai is a strange yet fascinating little anime. It’s definitely something for those who are tired of the same old same old that seems to plague the medium these days. If you have a very open mind and are looking for something a bit out of the ordinary, consider giving this a shot.

While I will already expect my review to be overlooked because I am not here to give you a history lesson or even a break down of the anime, considering my review/ opinions should make you want to watch it, not have me explain it to you. That being said the first thing to say about Sarazanmai is it's not an anime you can gather from the cover art or even the actual description. Without sounding too much like some 2008 anime elitist, it has a rather deep message about social circles and your relationships with other people. The way they conduct the story while holding an air of mystery for the three (technically four) main protagonists that doesn't get resolved until the lest 2 episodes really. Along the way it holds a lot of social commentary regarding feelings for the people in your social circle. While this is not a yaoi in any way, there is some homosexual undertones and relationships that hold some meaning. The art for this anime is so clean and slick, however reviewing art in my opinion can be a bit of a waste of time, considering people watch anime for a number of reasons and some don't really mind about the art. Sound, this anime honestly has one of the most catchy endings (stand by me) that I have heard I had to not only buy the physical soundtrack but I have it on my phone as my alarm. Not to mention the animation for the ending with the great integration of anime and live action. All of the characters, even the supporting casts are well done and brought to life with all of the VAs. Their personalities reflect their designs well and honestly you do want to cheer them on as they try to mend their lives. Overall this anime isn't Naruto, this isn't JoJo, it's defiantly got something deeper and while it does have a little bit of action, it is far more a drama and an action. It has a deep story with some high stakes at times If you want something with a little more action I probably wouldn't watch this, but if you're willing to try something new and very different I would 10/10 recommend this.

Some spoilers are down below so read at your own risk. (Summary) In a world full of desires that probably stem from love, lies Kappa folklore, middle school boys, very gay cops and lot and lots of questions. (Story) As I said, this show is very different from most other shows you have probably seen. Its main protagonist is a boy named Kazuki who crossdresses as an idol named Sara in hopes of reconnecting with his (adopted??) sister/brother. He blames himself for the fact she is paralyzed because he tried to run away with his biological mother which caused the accident with his sister. His best friend Enta struggles with the fact Kazuki quit soccer without telling him. Enta is revealed to be in love with Kazuki, but it's obvious that Kazuki likes another of the characters Fuji. Fuji is seen to have issues with his big brother who is in the mafia. Fuji shot a guy when he was just a small bean and his brother took the heat. There's also a monster of the week feel to the show as they fight Kappa zombies. There are gay cops who are the best characters in the show in my opinion. There were a lot of questions that were never answered, but overall I didn't really need answers for them, as it didn't take away from the story overall. (Art) the art was amazing. Every frame was spectacular making the show feel like a masterpiece. It was breathtaking. I really enjoyed the art. It took risks that most shows would never have dreamed of doing and makes them work to its favor. (Sound) The op and ed are bops. The rest of the OST is a phenomenal listen. (Character) I talked about most of the characters in the story aspect because the story is driven around them. The character all act human making them relatable and none of the main cast was annoying and the side characters were great. If I had to dislike one character it would be Kazuki's little sister/brother. It was never really made clear what gender the character was. They were the most annoying character if I had to pick one. (Enjoyment) My overall enjoyment for this show is through the roof. I loved this show and it was one of my favorite of the season. I hope to see more shows like it in the future.

So Sarazanmai is a prime example for anime that is . It challenges your taste in things on so many different levels. I personally was very impressed at how this turned out in the end. Story: The world is set in an alternate universe of Asakusa, Tokyo, and takes you through the turbulent life of Kazuki, Tooi and Enta. In the first episode they encounter keppi, the prince of kappa, a frog-like youkai in japanese mythology. He abruptly turns them into kappa and sends them onto their first mission to fight a kappa-zombie, some kind of currupted kappa. In this show the topics of Hope and Desire play an immense role, being exampled during the various missions and their connecting thread being weaved by memories. They earn a Dish of Hope everytime they defeat a zombie, all wanting to make a wish for a certain someone - to be able to do that you'd have to colect five. During the first half of the show it's pacing is rather slow and the adventures have a day-to-day character, tho this picks up rapedly when the policemen Mabu, Reo and the mean Otters get introduced in the second half. Everything gets pretty messed up from there, the show goes kinda currepted itself, as it turns dark. Characters: At first it does have a 'slice-of-life'y character, with allows you to meet the characters in interesting situations, getting to know their darkest secrets as a side-effect of the kappa-transformation. Kazuki and Enta are your average Middle-School-Boys, whereas Tooi is the typical Outlaw and Rebel. All of them carry rather heavy secrets with them and all act to protect that person involved. Keppi on the other Hand is the very embodiment of Hope, with a huge queer vibe about him, which garantuees a couple laughs, if you open up to this show and its weirdness. Art: Contrary to the dark and depressing mood of the plot, the artstyle brightens everything up in a second, as it's super colourful and flashy. Certainly not everybodies style, but all in all very cute and unique. You'll encounter kappa.zon, the amazon of their times, chubby lil forg-like-beings or mean police, that dance and sing at least twice an episode (which is hilarious in my opinion!), or keppi, who is just random af. Music: Both Opening and Ending are a bop! Kana-Boon, best known for their music in the naruto-franchise, open Saranzanmai with an upbeat tune that raises your mood. The Peggies finish with a rocksong on the softer, melancholic side. The animation in it highlights the standard of visual effects thats used throughout the show. As I've already mentioned, this also has a bit of musical influence too, as they sing and dance on a regular basis. This on the other hand is a more challenging aspect for the seiyuu's. Miyano Mamoru, who's lent his voice to Kida Masaomi (Durararara) Dazai Osamu (Bungou Stray Dogs) and Yagami Light (Death Note) lends his voice to Reo, one of the police dudes, Kazuki gets voiced by Murase Ayumu, who's voiced Shounen Protagonists such asa Hinata Shouto from Haikyuu oder Inamori Asuto from Inazuma Eleven. Conclusion: It's one hell of a ride tbh. But if you learn to embrace the weirdness at max level, it turns into an actual and heartwarming story, told in a very abstract yet emotional way. I didn't know what I was in for when I started this, since i didn't watch neither Sailor Moon nor Utena, but I remember watching the first episode, mailing my soulmate regarding weird animestuff and recommending him to watch it. He was as hooked by it as i was. As I said in the beginning, I really liked how this turned out in the end, everything connects just nicely, because that all it is about - Connections. And everything connects in the end. Score: 8/10

Okay, so I was going to write this review earlier, but I decided to wait until the last episode came out. I haven't really written many reviews before, so please bear with me. *Slight Spoilers* First, let's talk about the story. The story is about three middle school boys who each have secrets that they don't want people to find out. After two of the main characters get into a fight of sorts and knock over a giant statue of a kappa, they basically summon a kappa prince, who turns them into kappas and uses them to fight "zombies". It's basically like a "magical girl/boy" story, but instead of having a fancy Sailor Moon transformation scene, they get eaten by the kappa prince and pooped out of his butthole. Fun stuff. At first, I was very confused and somewhat off-put by the concept of this show, and I was honestly planning on dropping it. However, after the third episode, I actually got pretty into it. It wasn't exactly the main-ish story of three kappas fighting zombies that got me into it, but instead the story of the three main characters lives and struggles outside of the battles. This leads to my favorite part of the series: the characters. The characters in this anime are outstanding. It's amazing watching their character development and the way they work through their troubles throughout the series. Each character has a secret that they don't want anyone to find out about; Kazuki feels responsible for his younger brother becoming crippled, Kuji shot a man when he was like ten, Enta is in love with his best friend. The police officers, Reo and Mabu were also great characters. It was really interesting to see Reo basically willing to do anything to "get back" his partner, Mabu, with no regards for the wellbeing of anyone else. It was really sad when it was revealed why Mabu stopped showing affection for Reo. But yeah, the characters were one of the best parts of the anime. Next, I'll talk about the art. The art in this anime is super pretty and pleasing to look at. The character designs are simple, but very nice, and the backgrounds are great. I also really like how the background characters were drawn. At first, I thought it was a little strange to make them basically look like paper cutouts, but it had a nice visual effect. The art in the ending is also really gorgeous and I love all the beautiful effects in it. The animation in the opening was great too, but I especially liked the ending. The soundtrack in this anime was fantastic. The opening and ending songs are so catchy. The musical numbers in the anime are also pretty catchy, especially the policemen dance. The policemen dance is probably one of my favorite things now. It was just so random and it took me like three episodes to realize that there was some crazy crap going on in the background behind them of a person being transformed into a monster. The background music of the anime was also really great. It didn't especially stand out, but it paired very well with the scenes and added a lot to the anime. So yeah, overall, this was a pretty great anime and I give it a 9/10 overall. Definitely recommend. Especially if you're looking for an interesting, weird anime.

This anime walked so that JJK could run. Best episode by far is episode 5 or 6. Best quote by far. "Your mother....was a whore!" *dies Did this anime teach me to cherish my connections. Yes 100%. 1000% even. Is this a great anime to watch with friends. Yes, 1000% Sara slayed so hard she cuntified the land. Watching this is dub is hilarious and Alejandro Saab and the rest of the cast did an outstanding work! They slayed so hard they also cuntified the land. Does this anime contain doomed yaoi? For sure, but with a good ending. :) For real for real I 100% recommend this as a great watch for non-bl lovers and lovers of bl.

Sarazanmai is a very interesting and enjoyable show that I was actually taken aback by initially. the clashing vibes of the stylishness (animation, character design, fashion) with the awkwardness & emotional vulnerability made for a pretty unique and fascinating experience. the magical realism aspects of the show were some of my favorites, and reminded me vaguely of Murakami works like certain parts of Kafka on the Shore. and those transformation scenes were classic as expected from a living legend. the only thing that took some getting used to was the shirikodama removal method. i won’t spoil this bizarre and hilarious part of the show for you, just check it out and see what I mean for yourself. from what i’ve seen so far, Ikuhara don’t miss! For fans of: Revolutionary Girl Utena, Penguindrum, Kiznaiver, Welcome to Irabu’s Office

A magical girl show where instead of girls there are boys who cosplay as girls and become ninja turt- sorry, frogs. (please don't turn me into a kappa for saying that!) Also no. 1 idol anime. i like it cuz its weird idk what else to write mal... stop telling me to write a longer review oof... how much more should i write for mal to allow me to enter this? mal should allow us to write shorter reviews to!! im just starting my review career, i dont know shit ahahahahahaha mal you make me mad this is probably gonna be taken down...

This was my first encounter with Kunihiko Ikuhara and I really didn’t know what I was getting into. I was expecting a cute little fantasy adventure with the importance of friendship being the central theme, so I was surprised to see this was a visually astonishing and emotionally affective portrayal of queer longing, self-sacrifice, the destructive power of capitalism, and friendship. The main characters of Sarazanmai, Enta, Toi, Kazuki, and even Reo, all devote themselves to a certain "connection" with someone in their lives; a sibling, an unrequited crush, a lover, etc. However, this devotion to their "connection" becomes the source of conflict for these characters as it often leads them to make sacrifices that hurt themselves/others and other regrettable decisions. Simultaneously, Ikuhara's portrayal of the exploitative nature of capitalism, which literally leads to the consumption of human lives, was a pleasant surprise! Reo is forced to work for a organization/system that takes human beings’ lives to turn them into zombies. The scenes that show Reo and Mubo, an explicitly gay couple, murdering people is presented through a catchy musical number with Reo and Mubo’s flashy performance juxtaposed with a backdrop of some sort of manufacturing process in an ominous factory. Reo and Mubo's entrapment in a cycle of violence for self-gain imposed on them by an omnipresent power is eventually explored later in the anime and a lot more can be said about it, but that would probably get too spoiler-y. With that said, the trio of Enta, Toi, and Kazuki is so adorable and their chemistry is just heartwarming. Kazuki is who the audience is introduced to at first, and is a middle school boy who crossdresses as a popular idol in order to maintain a relationship with his younger brother. Toi is the rebel of the group who turns out to be the most emotionally mature of the three. And then there is Enta, who some people may dislike or feel is the most underdeveloped of the three, but I still really appreciate Enta's development and it is adorable how he is young gay panic personified. It was just beautiful to see their relationships with each other develop through the series and I am just in awe of Ikuhara's creativity and talent.

So when I started this anime I was like...this is weird. And honestly? That opinion did not change, BUT Sarazanmai is not JUST weird its funny, optimistic, and cute. I liked the main arch of the story with the kappa and otters that kept me entertained and the three boys and their desires. I also liked that the anime had LGBTQ+ characters and storylines that felt real and not just tossed in like many others. The story is crazy, fun, and interesting. Like there is so much hilarious about this anime. Like BUTTS??? Yes, I said it BUTTS! Overall, I was entertained and found myself smiling along and crying along with the characters. The art was amazing and I liked the songs in the anime. Also those cops??? <3 Watch this anime if you're looking for something NEW and interesting. Sarazanmai will not disappoint. :)

“We live in an age where, with our smartphones and social media, connecting with people is a daily activity— so I wanted to ask, what does that all mean ? What do we want to do with those connections ?” - Ikuhara Kunihiko Disclaimer: This is more so an analysis with aspects of evaluation... I won't be discussing the OST or art or other qualities you'd usually see in a review. Sarazanmai is Ikuhara Kunihiko’s most recent work and a fable on how we cannot bond through means outside of the social media sphere— we are desensitized and disconnected to those around us and connect with others through our persona and not our personality. It’s a take on our advanced technology and how it is not evil, but regularly misused and abused. It espouses the concept of true connectivity first adopted by the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje and is a rendition of his beliefs on technology. For those unfamiliar, the 17th Karmapa presides over the Karma Kagyu school which is one of the 4 primary schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Sarazanmai and its Relation to the 17th Karmapa “I want to be connected but I want to lie.” On social media we are intrinsically inclined to present to others selective pieces of ourselves and of course, this isn’t limited to this sole social context however as opposed to in-person interactions, online interactions restrict our ability to be as responsive as possible by diminishing tone, countenance and slip-ups. The you on social media is ingenuine in the face of the you your closest friends and family are familiar with. This was shown when Kazuki had acted as Sara-chan the whole time but when they meet in person everything goes wrong. It’s easier to be deceitful online. This is because on text we take more time to think out a response and often feign an image so that we appeal to certain people, correlative to Kazuki’s relationship with Harukappa. Kazuki wears the image of the idol Sara-chan for Haruka’s infatuation with her however in doing so he distances himself from his brother and his own self because he focuses on his presentation and not his interactions. In Kazuki and Haruka’s relationship there is no reciprocal because Haruka is disconnected from Kazuki and is instead connected to his delusive, electronic self. Communicating with Sara-chan or communicating through text is a worthwhile pastime however when the human body yearns for intimacy and touch electronics fall short in delivering human warmth. In the modern era electronics are growingly attuning society to virtual forms of human engagement replacing and furthering us from human contact which is equivalent to nourishment for the human body. This is illustrated through Haruka and Kazuki; Haruka wants his relationship with his brother, Kazuki, to be restored and craves physical engagement to virtual engagement given his state of being. When Haruka describes the action of connecting (with bootleg Sara-chan and Kazuki) he holds onto them transmitting human warmth and with Kazuki he tells him that whatever he is associated with, be it a different family, different appearance, he and Kazuki will forever be connected. The importance of touch and human warmth is stressed by the 17th Karmapa and enforced by all of the protagonists including Haruka. Distance is the recurring impediment to every bond in Sarazanmai and the biggest prevention from truly connecting. Like with Kazuki’s and Enta’s relationships there is distance, but in a more immaterial way. Both Kazuki and Enta direct and misplace their desire to connect onto an item and not to whom they want to be connected with. “I want to connect, but it’s not meant to be.” Enta believes it’s not meant to be because it doesn’t play out the way it does in his head; at the end of episode 3 when the mouse (or rat) runs away with Enta’s precious box item, the micanga, he determines that he and Kazuki are not meant to be and worries more about what the micanga represents than his actual relationship with Kazuki. This aspect of Enta’s aligns with his personality and when Toi comments on how it’s easy to speak about virtue. Enta often preaches but he never lives up to his own moral code or his beliefs. He says that he and Kazuki are meant to be the golden duo but his ambitions are fickle and he gives up on them upon taking them on. Kazuki as well misunderstands Haruka’s pure intent to connect and instead determines that he and Haruka are not meant to be due to the foundation of their relationship, with it being built on the lie that he is a part of their family when he is not. He also obtains and fulfills whatever desires Haruka blatantly expresses such as wanting a cat but disregards Haruka’s obvious and most desired desire to connect and be close with his brother. This detail is re-introduced again in episode 6 where Kazuki is going to die for Haruka and in doing so, combat what Haruka actually wishes for. In episode 4, Chika (meaning close) and Toi’s (meaning distant) relationship reinforces this thought; Toi can hear his brother speaking to him through the phone but still feels incredibly lonely without him occupying the space beside him. They literally have a close relationship but also distant. Close regarding understanding but distant concerning the displacement of the both of them. “I want to connect, but you’re so far away.” This reflects back on the 17th Karmapa’s belief on technology and connectivity; even though you can hear that person and are communicating with one another, it’s a fabrication because nobody is actually there. When Toi is a kid and he loses his family, he clings to the soba shop in an attempt to remain connected with them much like the current Enta and Kazuki; however, after he runs into a close call which could’ve lead to his death and sees that his brother, Chika came back for him and assumes responsibility for the man Toi just killed and envelopes Toi in his warmth, Toi begins to see that Chika is not a bad guy and deeply cares for his loved ones. This is when Toi then grows out of the soba shop even going as far as wanting to follow Chika around to the ends of the earth which is very different to Enta and Kazuki as Toi directs his heartfelt emotions towards the actual person and no longer the soba shop. This is also probably why in episode 6 of Sarazanmai it is only Kazuki and Enta who are fascinated by the Kappa world as for Kazuki, it creates an even larger interspace and for Enta, it is a world where he and Kazuki can be together with zero hindrances almost as if they’re fated to be together. “We are discovering that we are far more interconnected than we had previously realized, but our way of feeling and living in the world has not caught up with our new understanding.” - The 17th Karmapa At the beginning of Sarazanmai, in Kazuki’s running sequence, he had a brief monologue on how pervasive connections are and how interconnected everybody is but he doesn’t realize what it means to connect or the significance behind connections. This is reminiscent to the words of the 17th Karmapa, who states that social media introduces new concepts to us meanwhile we don’t truly understand everything that we’re being shown. For instance we understand that poverty is an actuality to many humans populating this earth, but this information doesn’t bring us closer to them. After all, social media accentuates how distinct everybody is from one another making it easier to overlook mutual interests and what brings us together as a society because people often capture what’s pretty about their life and leave out the ugliness. Kazuki also adds that he understands how easy it is to lose a connection which is delusive because he didn’t lose his connection with Haruki and instead denied it because of the fabrication it was built on. Yet he still clings to them and this is because he has a phobia of losing connections, like the connection with his mother, and not because he understands what it means to connect. If Kazuki grasped the …

Every once in a while, an Anime that breaks the mainstream seasonal formula kicks in, but most of the time it ends up scaring off potential fans very early on. A kappa sucking off acorns with rocking music, not a lot of people are into that, but the topping on the case was never a measurement for how it tastes like. - Story (8/10): I find it very fascinating how fast it went from a mysterious, serious looking vibe emitter to some of the weirdest imagery you'll ever see. Toi, Enta, and Kazuki, three teenagers with their respective stories get involved in a sketchy monarchy masterminded by a Kappa named Keppi. They've always thought they've had it bad until the latter transformed them into Kappas with grace in a style that can keep a straight face while fighting a serious fight as they fabulously pose every 10 seconds or so. What I described on the few lines above or at least tried to, is the very abstract description that one can get up rolling in their heads upon watching the first couple of episodes or so. But really, it pulls up its own pace and reveals on the greater story bit by bit. - Art (8.5/10): Wild, crisp, mystic, I really can't phrase it in an audible term. It has a cartoonish feel to it, but still feel very Anime, art-style in mind of course. For a mortifying concept, you'd really miss anticipating the production value it's going have, but not until you see it, the animation has so many frames than an Indie game running on the latest hardware, and that's no stretching it, it really helps sell out the abstract formulas on the screen. - Sound (8.8/10): It honestly hit the note just in the right place you keep you satisfied, for a show that has a lot of vocal performances in it, everything from openings and endings, to the soundtrack to miscellaneous songs was one of the best this season, the voice acting was also on part with all the high-quality content from the get-go. - Character (8/10): I wouldn't say it was revolutionary when it came to presenting a character that you can relate to, it simply did it with the most efficient way possible, even after hitting you with the Kappa thing, you still cried for them, laughed with them and cheered for every one of them. For a story that went along the trio strengthening their bond, you could see the character development they carried, which showed that all the Shirikodama (Don't Google this) thingy wasn't for nothing. - Enjoyment (8.8/10): I was not ready, on so many levels to step into this, I was only interested in watching the series after I saw the infamous butt sucking scene from one of Gigguk's videos, and then it gave me a story I never expected to receive in a similar show, which made me glad I took interest in this series in the first place. - Overall (8.42/10): Just watch it, it's really easy to sleep on this show, very underrated and looked down upon, but seriously, just give it a try. Don't get scared by the ridiculousness that is Kappas put you off, because as much of a relationship it has with the show it's not all the show is concerned about, it has much more to offer and sleeping on it will be such a loss.

Sarazanmai Review Story (6/10) Fine The story to Sarazanmai is a fine one and in a nutshell a giant undertone of accepting your inner desires and love, knowing the difference between them and how to cop with them. If you are a fan of stories like the video game Persona (Particularly Persona 4 and 5) the way they cop with their inner desires is very reminiscent to those games as the main characters have to extract the desires and expose their victims which very similar in fashion to making a person in P4 accept their inner shadow's negative personality trait or taking the heart of someone in P5. The story for the middle portion gets a tad episodic type of villian of the week so if you aren't a fan of that little repetition then you should take that into consideration as well. Art and Animation (10/10) Outstanding The art style and animation for this anime of like this is basically perfect. The artstyle is very colorful and stylish the animation is constantly vibrant and fluid. The animation studio did a nigh perfect job bringing this anime to life in all aspects. There were a few very small scenes of CG like a CG gun being held by a handdrawn character and or the boxes in the first few episodes that do look a tad bit offputting because they don't necessarily mesh well together but it's not something that ruins the experience or completely breaks your immersion of everything else that is perfectly well done. Sound (9/10) Great The sound in Sarazanmai was great. I listened to in it English Dub which all of the characters had life and every voice actor sounded fitting to the character roles they played. The opening, ending and music through the anime is very catchy and never got old, felt like I was watching a Disney movie. Characters (6/10) Fine The characters are fine as they all basically share some sort of secret desire that would make you look at them in a different light which they try to cop with. Which is realistic I get that and nothing is inherently wrong with the characters or the characterization done around this aspect of them. Nor did I find any that would inherently and genuinely bad, some like Enta were confused about their feelings but even him I can't say was a bad character. But I also didn't find any characters that were in my opinion outstanding from a characterization or character development standpoint. They were all fine, not bad but nothing outstanding at least to me which I understand is very subjective so take that as you will. Enjoyment (5/10) Average More Specifically (5.25/10) Average My enjoyment through these 11 episodes were average. I wasn't necessarily bored as this anime is so upbeat and all over the place that it keeps your attention to some degree no matter how wacky it gets but I do feel in order to enjoy this anime any more than just average you'd have to be actually be looking for something like this for what ever reason that drew you to it, because this isn't your average anime the wackiness and approach it came from is far from average. But whether it was the pretty colors of this anime through a trailer, boredom or the other undertones that this anime also had, those are the aspects I feel will make someone enjoy this anime more than your average viewers such as myself but I did enjoy this more than I thought I would which I went in thinking there was no way I was going to love this. That was technically true but I also don't despise this anime because it didn't do anything wrong even though if you read me the synopsis of this anime to be watching it prior I would have assured you I would have hated this which I didn't. Overall (7/10) Good More Specifically (7.25/10) Good Gonna be honest with you I only watched this anime as a part of a 2 part deal. Like I said in the story section if what I stated in that section sounds like your cup of tea then this might be the anime for you, which is a wild and wacky take on love and desire through characters transformation into kappas and how we all must find a connection with someone and cop with our desires hoping the people around us can accept us for our personal and unique desires had they found out about them.

People reviewing this clearly haven't seen the whole show so I'm going to do it a bit of justice and say it is totally worth watching. My rating of 9 is mainly out of my sheer enjoyment of the show as I think analytically I could nitpick but I won't because all of that is overshadowed by how fun but profound this is. The first few episodes are confusing and repetitive because it starts out as a 'monster of the week' kind of thing and only gives you bits and pieces to go on. I only really kept watching because I was enjoying the weirdness. But once you see it through to the end, everything connects up and make sense. It is definitely a bit of a think-piece and pretty cheesy but actually has a lot to say. If you like those friendshippy kind of anime that examine the importance of friends in a dramatic but wholesome way then you will adore this. Plus, you probably won't see most of what happens coming which is a plus - I was constantly completely blind to what would come next and how it would end. I also like that it creates a bunch of storylines and elements and matching them all up in the ending episodes was actually executed well. On the surface level, it is a combination of a lot of overdone tropes, but all together I think it really brings something new and unique. I also did not expect it to have such dark undertones based on the first few episodes but there is some genuinely fvvked up content despite its extremely lighthearted tone. I found it a very fascinating way to tackle such serious topics. The magical elements were also very intriguing. They are left very ambiguous but I assume if you are familiar with Japanese folklore that it will make a lot more sense. However, I like to keep it ambiguous and mysterious because I was genuinely excited to keep learning about how the fantasy elements worked. And they do a good job of giving you just enough to get the gist. Some people seem to find all the 'anus' stuff strange and I will admit, it left me a bit speechless but you and I both know this is far from the weirdest or most disturbing thing to come from anime. I was totally unphased by it by the end and if it's part of the folklore what can ya do. I'm definitely not saying its a perfect show. For instance, I skipped a lot of the singing because it was pretty unbearable (although very catchy). I also think that like other 11 episode anime, it lacked some impact in certain parts because there just wasn't enough time to develop everything, although the pacing did actually feel right to me. It definitely needed those first few episodes (which seem to be what put people off the show) to set the tone of the show and give you a bunch of information that at first makes no sense but comes together in the end (creating a sort of mystery element). But I will admit, by themselves those first 4 or so episodes are pretty mediocre. However, I urge you to keep watching on. I wouldn't normally like this kind of show. But I genuinely adored this one and I hope that more people will give it a chance!

When I say that Sarazanmai is Kunihiko Ikuhara’s most accessible anime, I don’t mean to imply that it lacks the uniqueness of his other work, far from it. What I do mean is that, while it may lack depth in comparison to shows like Mawaru Penguindrum and Revolutionary Girl Utena, it’s still very much an Ikuhara story, with all the visual flair that is to be expected of something under his directorial control. Surprisingly enough, the lack of depth is actually one of the reasons that I think makes Sarazanmai Ikuhara’s best work to date. When watching other Ikuhara shows, I’ve found that at times, Ikuhara’s tendency to overindulge in his visual style can actually detract from the story and characters, yet he seems to do this constantly. I don’t like using the word pretentious, but that’s how Penguindrum and Utena felt to me at times. The moment the visual flair starts to take away from an anime’s ability to tell a compelling story, is the moment that it has gone too far and failed. This is where Sarazanmai flourishes. Sarazanmai seemingly discards most of the depth contained in Ikuhara’s other shows, and doubles down on his visual presentation, all the while escalating the sheer insanity of the story to heights that I’ve never seen from another Ikuhara show. What this does is enable Ikuhara to make Sarazanmai as visually interesting as possible without having to worry about trying to keep the story in tact, because there’s barely a coherent story in the first place. I can understand this being off putting to others, but I personally love this kind of discombobulated story telling. The combination of this kind of storytelling and Ikuhara’s completely over the top visual direction is a perfect storm, and possibly my favourite thing about Sarazanmai. To briefly go over the visuals, the use of CGI is as present in Sarazanmai as it is in Ikuhara’s other shows. At this point, he’s completely perfected integrating CGI into primarily 2D animated shows in a way that is more of a creative decision, rather than just a time saving one. The animation is fantastic throughout, courtesy of Lapin Track, the colour design and character designs are also very strong. Quite frankly, it feels a bit redundant to go over the visuals in this show, because if you’ve seen an Ikuhara show before, then you should already have a good idea of what this show looks like. To add one last thing regarding the production values, I just want to say how delightful I found the insert songs and overall soundtrack to be, very appropriate for the story being told and a worthy follow up to the music in his other work. I feel as though I previously downplayed the storytelling, but despite being rather confusing at times, the characters were all fairly likable and played off of each other nicely. But the absolute stars of the show were Reo and Mabu. These two characters were easily my favourite part of the show, and the part of the story that I was the most invested in. In only 11 episodes, I came to really like them and their character dynamic, so by the time everything started to slide into place later on, I was already thoroughly invested in their narrative. Top class character writing. Overall, Sarazanmai is the definition of a “this isn’t for everyone show”. Your enjoyment of Saraznamai will vary greatly depending on what you are expecting going in, and what you value from a TV anime. And for me, it’s as I already said, Sarazanmai was a perfect storm. A thoroughly enjoyable experience from start to finish.

Twenty-two years ago, Utena promised to Anthy: "Someday, together, we'll shine." Today, Reo and Mabu became shooting stars that shine through darkness. Sarazanmai is a show that is better than itself just because of episode 10 and everything, including the multimedia prequels, that built up to it. How do you convey so well, in the span of minutes, the suffering of not being able to exist as yourself? The deep yearning to be understood by a loved one when life had become so surreal, so paradoxical it had forced you to sever your perception to be at odd with the world around you, something so painful it overwrites even the natural desire to live? That sequence undid me, absolutely undid me.

I ran headfirst into this anime based purely on my love for kappas, and boy I was in for some surprises. The premise: three high school boys get turned into kappas to fight monsters and save the world. What I got: a lot of ass jokes. (For those who don’t know, kappas can essentially suck your soul out of your ass according to myth. This show really likes that idea.) The tone immediately establishes itself as “what the hell did I just watch?” levels of absurd, but that’s actually what makes the show work, I think. It delivers on its weirdass humor (pun very much intended), but the same tone also paves the way for a surrealist plot that never fully makes sense but absolutely digs into abstract themes about emotion and the nature of our relationships to one another. In the first episode, we’re introduced to our heroes each carrying around an old Amazon box everywhere they go containing one of their deepest secrets. It’s a weird and vaguely tongue-in-cheek allegory, but it packs a punch the moment those boxes are opened. It doesn’t make sense right up until it does. This “gotcha” approach to storytelling made me genuinely feel things throughout the show, and also managed to be quite fun and unpretentious in the process. I guess for me the question becomes: is Sarazanmai really that deep? Honestly, probably not. It suffers a bit from not quite committing to the themes it introduces, and so once you’ve parsed through the stylistic elements, the messages are fairly standard anime fare. You might even notice that some of the plot contrivances border on melodrama and convenience when you aren't so bamboozled by the style. (And it’s still a good 50% ass jokes–unrepentantly so.) HOWEVER, this doesn’t at all diminish the emotional payoff in my opinion. It's a rollercoaster of tragedy vs life-affirming hype, and if you just suspend your disbelief and go along for the ride, you’re in for a hell of a treat. In other words, I’m not sure if Sarazanmai holds up to a more critical eye in retrospect, but did I have a great time watching it? Hell yeah, kero. And maybe that’s all a show really has to accomplish in the end. (Yes, “in the end” was another butt joke. I’m not proud of it.)

Sarazanmai for me is another treasure given to us by Ikuhara. But perhaps one of the ones that will turn away people the most due to how absurd it is and how explicit it is at some points. If you're not familiar with Ikuhara's works, these include "Yuri Kuma Arashi" and "Mawaru Penguindrum", and follow the same formula of telling rather tales about the human psyche by following absurd concepts. Will Sarazanmai make you uncomfortable? Yes, it will most likely. Will you go "Wtf?" when watching it? You most certainly will, will you question how could someone come up with such things? Yeah. But that's the thing, Life is like that. If you took the time to question why some of our human traditions or the reason we chase certain things in our society, you'd go like "We sure are a weird bunch.", and it seems Ikuhara (for me ) creates worlds based on this and that's why he doesn't shy with concepts that seem absurd because us humans in this little blue planet, sure have come up with a lot of absurd concepts in what we call "Our way of life.". I love the art of Sarazanmai, which is similar to his other works. The OP and ED were incredibly enjoyable ,and the way each episodes ends with a "I want to connect but..." lets you know that in all the absurdity, there's a tale of human psyche, of who we are as human beings and the challenges we face in being human. The works of Ikuhara might be confusing for some as I've said, the story is quite absurd, but if you let it "sink in" instead of struggling with it, I'm sure you'll enjoy this tale as much as me , and like other of his works. The Anime has alot of repetition in the beginning, which is kind of like a staple by now in all of Ikuhara's previous works. But let me ask you this, is every single day of your life unique or are there routines/repetition embedded into it, inescapable routines that still if collected together would still tell a tale about your psyche. Sarazanmai's whole story revolves around one thing "Connecting" , something that whether we want to admit it or not, is something that we spend our whole lives trying to achieve... connecting with others, connecting with the world, connecting with our own existence. After all, it's not like we all come with a manual that says "This is how to live happily.". And for that alone, I really enjoyed Sarazanmai. The story is serious and beautiful, but it is embellished in absurdity. If you're a person that enjoys a clear cut, straight line story then this anime will not be to your enjoyment. We have acts of evil being committed to fun tunes, transformations, magic, impossibilities and many other things in this story. But let me ask you this, is your "real life" 100% serious all the time? Do you not ever have a fantasy? Hope you enjoy Sarazanmai! And if you do, make sure to watch "Yuri Kuma Arashi" and "Mawaru Penguindrum". Treasures. PS: I've invite you to listen to the OST without the show, it will definitely make you appreciate it more.

Just a heads up, this anime is not for everyone. The whole thing is very conceptual and isn't really plot driven. The whole thing is very colorful and uses a lot of abstract concepts to supply the art and story. There's a lot of things that you just have to accept and not question, which sounds hard sometimes, but when you do it, it makes the experience so much better. I personally love abstract, conceptual anime like this. It has a more simplistic style that's wacky and interesting and you never get bored with it. It's similar to Mob Phyco season 2 with its uniqe style and a more philosophical driven plot. However, Mob Phyco definitely has more of a plot to it. Sarazanmai's plot is so loose that you experience the art form of it all and the concept it's trying to relay rather than the plot. Many things in the anime are purposely undermined to focus more on the concept, which is another thing the watcher needs to accept. For example, there are repeated scenes regarding the action scene where the characters are fighting the 'monster'. The reason they repeat this section is to undermine the fighting scene because this anime is not about the fighting. Even still it's not boring. Now I don't really want to make this review super long so I just wanted to talk about the opening and ending really quick. Both are AMAZING. They COMPLETELY convey what is happening in the anime and uses the fun art style with the more deep and overarching concept. The ending is something unique on its own. You CAN'T skip the ending to go to the next episode. This anime very creatively uses the ending to build suspense. Many times there's still a couple of minutes after the ending which continues what happens before for the true ending to the anime. The suspense you build up while watching the ending makes the next scene all the more important, which it is. Some other anime do the same thing of putting content after the ending, but this anime does it almost every episode and actually uses it in a conventional way of building suspense. Also, the ending is unique by itself! The use of real-life pictures and adding the characters and different glowing animation techniques is just so bizarre and interesting, I can't help watch the entire ending every time. I totally recommend this anime if you are into more conceptual anime with unique styles. However, I don't if are looking for action and a clear plot, because that is not what this anime is about. Do not watch this anime with logic, rather do it with creativity.