Gingitsune: Messenger Fox of the Gods

This is why I like animes, after getting thoroughly disappointed by watching something with excellent animation and music fall way beyond mediocrity due to lack of originality, unnecessary fan-service and a crappy sense of humor; getting angry at yet another butchering of a video game adaption into a utterly stinking pile misdirection and lack of effort; and laughing at a purely unrealistic and shameless attempt at seinen through yet again short skirt wearing superhuman schoolgirls, I get to experience a show like Gingitsune. This anime is not trying to achieve any new grounds and actually does not attempt at anything other than simplistic beauty, triesto teach us some values with so refined subtlety and courageously realistic presentation of the relationships that we observe and gain just by leading our everyday life. Among other things Gingitsune is the story of the daughter of a priest, Makoto Saeki who lives in a Inari shrine with his father, from early childhood she has the power of the sight as she can see gods' heralds, which in her shrines case is the lazy and obnoxious fox spirit Gintaro. Early on the story mainly focuses on how with the help of somewhat reluctant Gintaro, Makoto helps the people around her. Through her unique relation and ability she gain new friends and even meets other heralds. At a first glance and after the first few episodes it might seem a bit too simplistic slice of life with such a slow pace and an all together happy-feelings kind of a show. But soon it delves into much serious ground with the introduction of the character Satoru who like Saeki has the power of the sight, but very unlike Makoto had a troubled childhood and due to circumstances had to live his shrine forever. He comes to live with the little family in Makoto's shrine and we get a little look at his tragic past with the early lose of both of his parents and how his troubled childhood made him a total introvert and socially awkward individual who's only attempt at happiness is through Kendo and the relatively young fox spirit Haru. As the story progresses through quite a slow pace we get to learn some nice life lessons as well as get to experience quite a varied array of different emotions sometimes even through the eyes of many of the side characters which was quite unique, these nice change of viewpoints felt very natural. There were even a few of episodes where the focus is completely withdrawn from some of the main characters to let viewers fully appreciate the emotions and turmoils of other characters. The writers viewpoint on romance and modernized relationships along side traditional influences were quite refreshing, as he tries to portray relationships in a more realistic way. The involvement of the characters with each other through their daily life, the slow progression of their attitudes and views on others were really done with vivid imagination. This is how real world works mostly (not like the fast to fall in love and fast to get together world of the animes and mangas). There are all kinds of romances; the subtle yet slow development of feelings, the unrequited emotions of someone falling for a guy/girl with a big age difference; even the amazing feeling of love at first site; everything was done quite naturally and with a lot of skills. Another important aspect for me was the clear line of demarcation that was put between the world of heralds and humans. Heralds with their long years of life are so much more different in their views of the ways of the worlds, the beautiful imagining of their emergence into the supernatural world through flashbacks were quite nicely done to. Overall the so simple, minimalistic yet beautifully imagined story, even without no real on going plot-line or even distinct beginning or end was one of the best aspects of the show. It gets 9 out of 10 from me. As expected characters are the real highlights and driving force of this elegant tale. Makoto is a naive yet energetic girl, who gets into lots of fights with Gintaro yet somehow always makes up with him as he is kind of family member to her; although she tries to use the power of the herald sometimes for her benefit yet at the end of the day learns the real importance of using the power for others. Through her growing up in this beautiful shrine with her loving father and Gintaro she slowly understands various aspects of being special. As she gains friendship of other people in her school and her interaction with the people visiting the shrine she tries to always do what is best for the people around her at the end of the day in her own particular way. Ginataro on the other hand may act very arrogant and annoyed at Makoto but deep down really adores the girl. By living for thousands of years he had learned many things about the fragility of human life and the freedom of simple belief. Her lectures to Makoto and others not only gives us funny moments but sometimes even gives quite a few good life lessons. Satoru is perfect example of someone brought up with the cruelty of this modern world. Through losing his parents in early childhood and then his grandfather after that, he learned the sadness of reality very young. By the neglect and prosecution of his aunt's family he has grown into an introvert, a socially awkward young man who thinks he has to do everything by himself. Through his journey to the new shrine and school we as viewers get to experience the joy of being accepted and even loved, the joy of getting new friends and over all the joy of learning to live for your own-self again. Haru is a real cute character who seems kind of one dimensional at first with her short-temperament, being too proud and obsessive affection for Satoru. But through her beautifully told back-story we get to learn her tragic entry into the world of heralds as well as the special and unique bond that she shares with Satoru. There was some really emotional and memorable scenes in her past indeed. The other characters were also very deeply detailed in respect to such a short series. Makoto's two friends, the carefree and adventurous Yumi and the gentle and intelligent Funabashi; the other heralds and even some people in the lives of the side characters (like Yumi's boyfriend, Funabashi's fathers assistance/driver, Satoru's kendo team members etc) gets their story told in somewhat short yet delicately careful details. The characters are quite well imagined and does the show justice, so gets 9 out of 10. The animation gives us nicely detailed scenery in and around Saekis' small shrine and also other beautiful landscapes are thrown to give the atmosphere that much of a push towards a mixture realism and supernatural. The subtle color and stylistic changes that was introduced when we were getting flashbacks along with the beautiful music was really something that added to the total experience. The realism even persisted with the character designs as the writer avoided including unnaturally good looking and well endowed designs and used simple yet appropriate imagining. This was a really welcomed change after the plethora of too good looking or too cool looking characters that are now-a-days overflowing the anime scene in general. I, myself really enjoyed the animation although it felt a bit aged to be honest while comparing it with some of the works we are seeing these days. While it does not actually hold anything back from the experience it was indeed something that should have been looked upon. the art/animation gets 8 out of 10. The soundtrack/music isn't anything special in spite of use of nice in-show music specially in the flashback scenes. The total in-show music as a whole does something in adding to the overall enjoyment as giving new dimensions to the experience but some of the tunes were a bit over used to be honest. On the other hand while being quite appropriate the OP and ED didn't really do anything for me as I mostly skipped them after a few listens. The real achievement in this regard for Gingitsune is the excellent voice acting. The voice actors really did put in their best efforts and really gave the emotions that much more vigor and realism through their works. Special mention should be given to the voice actors of Gintaro and Satoru as their efforts really caught attention and made it that much more easy for us viewers to relate with them and appreciate their dilemmas. The music/soundtrack gets a score of 8.5 out of 10 from me. Despite all of its strong point this show is not something for everyone. This is a show for people who enjoys the simplicity of life, the joy of living each day and the greatness of having people around you who care about you. For me the slow pace of the story with its unique blend of realism with supernatural; the portrayal of various aspects of relationships, friendship and love and the overall simplistic nature of the messages given like the life lessons that we get to learn everyday just by being alive was a very enjoyable experience. I will recommend this to any lovers of slice of life and seinen out there. Believe me, although it may not seem so now, you will really enjoy this if you just give this a try. Overall Score - 8.5 out of 10.

Gingitsune is one of those shows that feels "alive" in every respect. There's honestly no better way to describe it. From its general beauty to its inner world of provocatively enriching emotions, this show always has something to mesmerize you with. Story: Keep in mind that this is a Slice of Life show, so the thing is that this is a story much more than it is an underlying plot. This is far from a bad thing; in all honesty, I find this show to be a very refreshing take on the Fantasy genre. For example, the rule that makes only one bloodline member possess "theSight" was extraordinarily different and well played in that it manages to maintain this show's reality close to our own. Think about it, and I'll use Naruto for a reference here: any family with a bloodline ability is practically a super ninja (which is more than half the main cast), so that begs the question: "What is normal supposed to be?" Gingitsune never had to beg that question. What I also enjoyed about the story was how the shrines themselves feel like characters in their own right, though more on that in the character section. Another thing in this show's favor is the characters' back-stories were very heartfelt and real. Sure, Makoto may have always had the Sight as far as she can remember, but if I was to ask her "Was it worth losing your mother?", what do you think her response would be? See what I mean? There may be a pacing block or two and the beginning may be a bit rough, but this was a very easy show to marathon and empathize with. 9/10 Art: Simply AMAZING! Many people immediately take for granted the gorgeous blue sky, brightly starry nights, the detail in the trees, the variable mix of color; but this show packs an extra punch in this department, something that's often not accounted for: The visual variety in scenic architecture. Modernity and tradition CAN work together to create a harmonious masterpiece that becomes a truly living, breathing world. This creates a kind of immersion that is an unforgettable experience for viewers to explore and to craft a journey that feels like a heavenly ascension. The characters' expressions were kept in realistic proportions which is good because after years of watching anime, I felt tired of seeing over-exaggerated feelings all the time and this again reinforces the down to earth aspect the show has. The humans' designs were smoothly done, while the heralds' appearances were appropriately extravagant, mystical, and enchanting which is a constant, yet pleasing reminder that this IS a Fantasy. The animation itself was plain and simple, yet fluid for the most part, but the show obviously had no need to go all out here. The CG was thankfully minimalistic and never really interfered with the gorgeous scenery since it was reserved mostly for cars. 8/10 Sound: The voice acting was immaculately done. Each voice suited its respective character well in body, personality, and emotion. Nothing much to say there, but what really makes this category stand out is the music! This is one of the liveliest Slice of Life soundtracks I have ever listened to. This is what allows the show to feel like the adventure that it is and absorbs us into its world. The instrumentation is primarily a traditional Japanese orchestra with catchy and revitalizing modern compositions that respect the olden times and culture in a very pleasing way that rivals Disney's classical scores sometimes. This is where I believe the show's heart is, and I want that heart to beat through my speakers for a long time to come. 9/10 Characters: I absolutely adore the variety and cohesion of these characters! From the main pair Makoto and Gintaro, to her friends, to the other heralds themselves; they all have various quirks that make them enjoyable to some extent save for one for the most part, Satoru. He's not a bad character by any means, but it does take a while for him to be fleshed out instead of being a walking statue with hurt feelings. These characters learn and grow together in a way that's very similar to the way we do in real life, especially the relationship between Hiwako and Yumi. There are other characters that people may have a problem with for example...Haru. Now, Haru might be another stereotypical tsundere character; however, she is not a tsundere not just for the sake of having a tsundere in the cast, which is rare these days. She is given actual depth into why she acts the way she does, her tsun and dere sides get equal shares of the spotlight, both sides are given a reason to exist, and both are played realistically given her age (she acts 10 because that's about how old she would be in human years). Do not automatically assume a tsundere to be a bad character; she just needs to be written more carefully than most, which this show thankfully took into account. I mentioned before that the shrines were their own characters, and I'll explain why here: they offer life to the setting just as much as the living beings do. Writing the shrines out would have completely killed the show's amazingly unusual atmosphere. They are the symbolism behind the settings inner workings. They are the heralds' perfect compliment in design, grace, and personality. They are the very soul and essence of the show. 9/10 for characters. Enjoyment: This is THE Slice of Life show any fan of the genre should marathon! 10/10 Overall: 9/10. The merit and variety this show has is astounding! This is a true adventure into art, life, and ourselves and what we can see, imagine, and inspire in others.

To be perfectly honest, I thought at first that this anime would be headed into a great plot development, seeing the whole fox-spirit and shrine maiden theme, until I actually watched through the entire thing. I've seen a lot of people hype about this anime when it was clearly nothing special. Maybe it's just me, but I tend to dislike the whole slice-of-life type of anime. Gingitsune isn't that bad, but clearly nothing special. If you're looking for an anime that's completely calm and if you like the slice-of-life genre then it's worth checking out I suppose. Story: 4/10 Call me strict, but there was nearlyzero plot in this anime. From episde 1, up to the final episode, I was still trying to figure out what the plot for this anime was supposed to be. I get it, it's just your typical cultural, slice-of-life anime, but of course you can't keep watching an anime series if there is no interest in the plot and in my opinion, the plot is what matters most. The story didn't start getting interesting until Satoru and Haru joined in, but it started losing it's interest around the last episodes again. Art: 6/10 The animation was not too bad, but again nothing special, I've seen better. What I liked about it is that the colors were always appealing to the eye and the animation was nice and simple, but nothing that impressive. There weren't any great effects either, but I find that the best part about the artwork in this anime were the backgrounds. Very well done and good job to the concept artists. Sound: 6/10 Again, the soundtrack was nothing special. I like how they kept the music simple, since it fits in this anime, but then again it didn't have any themes that impressed me and it's not a soundtrack that I'll go back and listen to it. The opening was decent, the ending song was pretty nice though. Character: 5/10 Another major problem about this anime was absolutely no character development. And when I say absolutely no character development, I mean it. It seemed like they were going to develop Satoru a bit, but they just kinda dumped him after some time. The only character that seemed to have some slight development was Haru. I wanted to learn more about Gintaro though and actually see Makoto, since she's the main character, progress a bit, but it just seemed that she kept getting worse with each episode. Enjoyment: 5/10 The fact that I was half-watching each episode, especially the ones that Satoru and Haru were not in, probably shows that I didn't really enjoy this anime. There wasn't really something to enjoy after a certain point and the fact that the characters were either unninteresting or that the anime itself wouldn't develop them was a huge turn off for me. There were many things they never finished explaining and of course, they did have time to do that, if only they didn't waste time on matters that the viewers wouldn't care about. Then again, that's what most slice-of-life anime do. Overall 5.2/10 Don't get me wrong, I might be strict with my ratings, but I only rate anime in this way because there are others who deserve a much better rating. Gingitsune wasn't one of those, for me at least. Don't go assuming that I'm rating it so low because I hate slice-of-life anime, I've watched some others too and they were more interesting than this one, but I've also seen worse too. Again it's probably one of my least favorite genres so if you want, you don't have to listen to my opinion, although I tried keeping it as unbiased as possible. For me, this anime could have been more interesting than the average slice-of-life since it also had the fantasy type to it.

Gingitsune caught me at a good time, offering a bit of heartfelt drama and a relaxing atmosphere to take it all in with. Looking at the premise I almost skipped over this series entirely, mainly due to my personal bias against slice-of-life and how I usually see them as snore-fests where nothing really happens. In the end I gave the first episode a chance and my expectations were quickly surpassed. What exactly caught me off guard? It would be the fact that the script and characters brought genuine life to the story, both subtle and meaningful. I’ve grown used to slice-of-life having little to no story,and themes that ultimately are delivered in such a limp-wristed way that you can’t care about it. Already in the first episode, Gingitsune accomplishes to remind me of how drama can teach us things about real questions we face in everyday-life. At its best points, the series focuses on problems ranging from isolation and bullying, to more philosophical matters such as what gives apologies their meaning. The animation fulfills its purpose and always manages to stay at an above average to great level, showing that plenty of love went into the making of the series. The design and direction manages to be colorful yet never abundantly so to the point where it sticks out, giving it a more neutral tone that feels more grounded in reality, disregarding the presence of fox-spirits and other deities of course. The use of the soundtrack helps in creating a tranquil environment for the series, with its use of flutes and string-instruments at the forefront, emphasizing the feeling of being at a mysterious shrine that contains more than meets the eye. It is also a perfect fit for the bits of Japanese culture and Shinto religion that is shown. The one thing that could have been improved sound-wise would be some of the voice-acting, as certain voices didn’t fit the characters’ ages, and in the case of the spirits there are some who get very loud and annoying at times. As for the down-sides of the series, there are a few annoyances and at least one greater flaw. The biggest con among the pros of Gingitsune is that it‘s short and incomplete. Normally when a series’ main flaw is that it leaves you wanting more, that is a compliment. At the time this review is written however, there seemingly is no available manga to continue the story with, leaving the viewer with some loose threads hanging at the end of episode twelve. Ultimately, Gingitsune captures its audience with a lovable cast and skillful writing that makes you care for the simple things in life. With a relaxed yet mature tone that doesn’t talk down to its audience, Gingitsune includes a lot of heart into its characters and script, ultimately ending up a short but sweet experience.