Chaika: The Coffin Princess

It’s always difficult to review shows like Hitsugi no Chaika - ones that are clearly enjoyable to watch, but not necessarily of high quality. The characters are nice, though flat; the world is mysterious and intriguing, though it doesn't remain so; and the politics and ideologies are interesting, though simple. It’s the type of show you might marathon some lonely weekend, enjoying as you watch it, and then completely forget about. The show takes you through the adventures of Chaika Trabant, Toru Acura, and Akari Acura to recapture the remains of a deceased, tyrannical king - Emperor Gaz.The king was a “bad guy” who loved war, and thus the question throughout the series is whether war is a positive or negative good. Don’t expect this to be investigated too much; this is not one of the better shows on the morality of war, like Now and Then, Here and There. But they do interesting things with the motif. Along with that, questions of identity begin to pop up, prominently for Chaika but also for others; the question of how we determine and relate our identities to what we think, or what history claims, us to be becomes a formative point for a variety of characters. Many of the other reviews seem to praise the storyline - and I can see why. There is a sense of scope, of ambition, in the epic suggestions the story attempts to suggest. But to end a review at what the show attempts to do, and to forget how it actually turns out, does a disservice to readers. There are little interesting details, but Hitsugi no Chaika doesn’t do this particularly well. There is a vague alliance of nations - the Six Nations - that serve as the constant backdrop to the adventures of our hero and heroines - they really only come into play when the show wants to show how badass the villain is, who will inevitably destroy their slow fleet. They might be vaguely based on European kingdoms. That “bad” king? He ruled for a long time, did bad stuff with magic. Never really elaborated. You will never truly be invested in the world Hitsugi no Chaika describes, because we’re not really meant to be invested in it. Rather, we’re drawn to the characters. Toru Acura is a lazy bum of a saboteur, one bored dry by the armistice with the Gaz Empire drawn up fifteen years prior. His passion for fighting and the saboteur lifestyle has led him to become idle in the era of peace. Akari, his sister, is...well, into her brother. That’s really her most important quality. The show plays up her fascination to outrageous, hilarious degrees. Chaika, with her adorably broken Engrish, grows and develops as a character during their adventures to retrieve Emperor Gaz’ body parts. Soon others pop up too, but the focus remains on the core three - for awhile, at least. Again, don’t expect too much here. The characters are nice, but nothing to write a paper on. Peppered throughout are plenty of adequate action scenes - occasionally, they’re even awesome, though only occasionally. The fights are distinguished by teamwork and cooperation, which give an exciting and tangible feel to an otherwise confusing battle system. For example: Toru and Akari - both hired by Chaika as saboteur bodyguards - heighten their powers via the Iron and Blood Transformation, an unexplained technique that, well, makes them more durable. Why? Because lineage, one supposes. The music is decent, nothing extraordinary. Decent art - nothing to write home about. Clearly I’m not enamored by the series - but I tuned in to watch it, and its sequel, every week. As long as you don’t expect too much from the show, I recommend it to everyone - especially to those who love a series that hints at a large, almost epic scope. I don’t think the series really keeps that hope alive for very long, as most of the promising things about the series fail to live up; they are, instead of becoming great, wholly adequate. Chaika might be among the most adequate shows I’ve ever seen - everything is fine, nothing is particularly great. I don’t intend to pretend that this show is worth a particularly high rating - it simply is not relative to other anime series, and I think anime scores should be, in some fashion, relative to the quality of other anime. Don’t let the numbers deter you, though - we all easily gravitate towards 10s and the like. Sometimes a light, lower score is still worth a watch - often, in fact. Chaika is an instance of a show that does everything alright - sometimes bad, sometimes good, but rarely great - and can entertain you without blowing you away.

Every season there are a handful of shows that are overlooked and underrated. Hitsugi no Chaika takes this fact, and shoves it down peoples' throats by making itself even more underrated. Before the Spring 2014 season began, I had mediocre expectations of Chaika. But sooner than later, I found myself as one of the lucky ones to stay with it all the way through. Story: 8 At first glance the plot of Hitsugi no Chaika may seem "dull" or "cliche", but Chaika ultimately stands to deliver a fresh, new kind of plotline that is rather unprecedented in my opinion. It's not often you find adventure shows withthree characters traversing the Earth and having badass fights every episode. Personally, the story saves Chaika from mediocrity and adds a lot of originalty. Art/Animation: 7 Okay, yes, the art style of Chaika was probably the largest turn-off for most people. But all in all, the art actually complimented the show quite nicely. Although Studio Bones did choose an original style, overall it doesn't really compete with some older anime. The animation however was decent enough, and each fight scene was very engaging, especially considering how they fought. Another thing about the art that stood out were the 3D magic effects. On their own they looked nice, but together with the normal art made it seem out of place most of the time. Sound: 9 The sound/music of Chaika is arguably one of the highest points in the show. The voice actors for Toru and Akari fit their personalities and roles quite well. Chaika herself stands out the most...why? Well...Her actress did portray Chaika well enough, but at times her voice did make her a little annoying. Also the opening (DARAKENA) is an Excellent choice for the show's tone. Personally, I couldn't get through it each episode without replaying it. Characters: 7 The three main characters: Chaika, Toru and Akari are definitely some of the most original characters I've seen in a while. Both Toru and Akari are perpetual badasses, and while they don't have much of an outstanding personality, they are still very likable. Now, Chaika is a cute character and all, but most of the time I found myself getting very annoyed with her character because she doesn't do much more than just sit back and act as the show's Damsel in Distress. Enjoyment: 9 I think it goes without saying that this is very enjoyable show. Not necessarily a diamond in the rough, but definitely something that will keep your eyes peeled almost every minute. Overall: 8 Hitsugi no Chaika is definitely one of those shows that was massively overlooked during it's respective season. One thing, if any, is that Chaika does not fail to administer a dose of "originality" something that most anime seem to lack nowadays. Something as refreshing as Hitsugi no Chaika is meant for everybody, and should not be missed by anybody.

At first glance, Hitsugi no Chaika (Coffin Princess Chaika) may be interpreted as a cheesy adventure. We get a trio of characters traveling on a sort of journey across the continent in a fantasy realm. And one of those characters is a young girl named Chaika with mysterious origins while carrying a coffin almost twice her size. As peculiar as all this sounds, the show has an alluring premise filled with mysteries and charming moments. From these moments also draws forward an ability to make the audience follow its story. And trust me, it’s worth every single minute. First thoughts coming into this show is adaptation.After all, the show is based off of a light novel of the same name. The show isn’t unique or a solitary premise considering the idea of traveling and adventure. But what rains this show with wonders is the progress as an adventure to capture and deliver its message. Communicating that message takes effort but thankfully, this show aces through that with its story, characters, and abstractions. What the show offers is a bit more than just an odyssey but story value and integrity. The journey our characters are part of takes place in a fantasy world where a past war resulted in various circumstances. In retrospect, the show identifies itself with its premise and follows it through with clever usage of historical events. These include the 200-year war that ended 5 years ago as well as the death of Emperor Arthur Gaz, a prominent figure of the past. Now in present time, his daughter Chaika seeks not revenge but a way to give him a proper funeral. It’s safe to say that such ambitions would create controversy. By controversy also means opposition and resistance so naturally, Chaika often finds herself in danger. That is until her fateful meeting with Toru Acura and his foster sister Akari that she sees as hope to bring purpose in her journey. Mysterious yet reliable, Chaika is a riddle in this show. As the titular character, she is both a wizard and prominent figure in this fantasy world as various factions seeks her out in attempt to avert another war. Her encounter with the Acura siblings can be interpreted as fate or one of those classic ‘red string’ folklores. But of course, there isn’t any romance built from that in the beginning as their first encounter is also a bit peculiar. The reason being is that an abnormal unicorn attacks them out of nowhere and took their teamwork to bring down the beast. Odd as it all seems, the show has a surprising charm when it pulls this off elegantly. Despite being total strangers, they function well as a team and already has a potential as a group. Joining them as well is Akari, a girl with an unorthodox personality with her words and actions. Together, they make up a formidable trio when put together as a unity for their ability to accompany each others’ abilities. This is evident throughout the show as they are able to survive and escape death during compromising situations. All the way, the show also adapts itself as a cat-and-mouse scenario as Chaika becomes a person of interest for capture by the Gillette Corps. Despite the premise and idea of the show being straightforward, it is also bounded by mysteries. Besides that though, we get an approach to identify and characterize the characters. Although a small group, they generate charm through their relationship building. The construction mainly details between Toru and Chaika as neither is similar but strangely provokes thought when putting the two together. It’s not a romance tale per se but rather a story of journey. And throughout that journey, we find out more about all three of the main characters with various flashbacks. These flashbacks not only tell the characters of their pasts but also reasons as to why they are as of today in the present. But more importantly is how the show puts this all together effectively to mark this group as entrancing towards the audience. That’s where the charm comes in as Chaika appreciates Toru and Akari to be more than just business partners. They become allies, friends, and even family-like throughout their journey. Specific events shows their progress and how they rely on each other for survival. Toru, a young warrior with skills he thought would be useless in the present world, suddenly now finds himself with purpose. With that in mind, it makes their journey all the more worth and something to truly treasure. The journey becomes more important than the destination. As the show progresses, one could also realize the strange phenomenon going on. One prominent feature involves Chaika and her identity, as to who she really is and her purpose. Hints and foreshadowing are drawn out throughout the show as we find out more about her origins. One other aspect of the show that ties with this is a series of impersonation attempts that makes the whole concept more complicated as other characters tries to pass themselves off as “Chaika”. Character identity isn’t just an attribute though, as the show also has more emotional scenarios involving other characters such as the tragic Fredrica. Despite this, the show’s mystery can also be staggering when it comes to execution. Some bits of the show feels predictable while other parts are resolved relatively quickly despite the built-up. And while the series isn’t infamous to plot twists, the way it is executed isn’t spellbinding enough to seduce the audience into taking them by heart. What I do take to heart though is the well-executed comedy. Whether it’s Chaika’s way of speech with her sentence fragments, Akari’s borderline yandere behavior, or Fredrica’s “murderous” gags, the show does itself appropriately to balance the mood. There’s hardly any explicit fan service either as the show focuses more on plot rather than substance. What we get from this show also involves a building chemistry between the three main characters. It’s the kind of relationship that expands beyond than just companionship and business. It gets personal and build itself piece by piece, all the while by maintaining decent balance with its story. The structure and setup holds itself together as the show never staggers off from their journey. Whether its character focusing or plot direction, the show stays honest with sincerity. The show’s magic mechanics are also explored with aesthetics whether it’s Chaika’s abilities with her large gun or other various spells. While the show stays consistent and delivers promise, there are bits that can steer people away from appreciating this adaptation. One problem is adaptation as the show does omit parts from the light novel to condense material for this one cour season. Also, the comedy delivery can be a mixed flag that fall into the cliché hole. The incest innuendos does not hide itself and often or not portrayed repetitively. Even when it seems genuine, the show plays it off as a joke often with Akari’s poker face and trollish behavior. Speaking of which, Akari herself is more of a comic relief with underdeveloped traits and aspects. One could see her as both a child and warrior with her personality that can be difficult to appreciate when both traits fused into one entity. And finally, the antagonists of the show is underwhelming with their motivations. Hardly any of them are explored in depth when it comes to characterization. In general, the show delivers more of a story oriented product rather than a character-centric theater. While the show looks simple on the surface by artwork, there is actual decent amount to take in by fantasy standards. There is exceptional mileage with character designs to make the characters look distinctive. This is especially true for Chaika and the weapon she carries on her back. Not to mention, her eyebrows and albino hair stands out to show her as the titular character. She can look adorable while being badass all the same time. Similarly, Toru and Akari are designed to fit their personalities, almost like polar opposites. Elsewhere, the fantasy world is designed marvelously with its landscapes and structures. It looks convincing with the architectures and overall style with its natural backgrounds. The monsters and beasts of the show also gives off a mystical vibe but at the same time also demonstrates ferocity to stir up fear. Fan service is minimal with action taking more of its place along with some bits of violence. Thanks to Studio Bones, the action is well coordinated whether it’s swordsplay, magic duels, or the sharpshooting curtsey of Chaika. In essence, the artwork ultimately captures the Old World feeling fitting for its fantasy genre. To describe the soundtrack, I would say it’s clean and precise. Set by fantasy standards, the OST does itself well for action oriented scenes, emotional drama, or the more humorous displays from our characters. The more you listen to the soundtrack, the more you will get out of it with its stylish charm. And speaking of charm, Chaika is the epitome of that in this show with her personality. Aside from her broken speech patterns, she has more a serious and childish side as being naive. Her voice mannerisms captures the very essence of that. Similarly, Akari’s sisterly relationship with Chika and borderline yandere behavior with Toru are also drawn out with her tone. It’s comedic and contagious just like most of the conversational dialogues. Furthermore, the OP and ED songs are fluid with consistency and sets a fantasy show by example. Hitsgui no Chika is a superior example of how a fantasy show should be portrayed as. Despite some general tropes we can see and draw similarity with, the show decorates itself with tolerable lighthearted comedy. Its small yet distinctive character cast sheds light with their development. And although some bits of the adaptation fails to cover every solid detail, it ultimately steers its direction with consistency in terms of its premise and story. All in all, this show is a great chunk of fantasy recreation with appreciable ideas. With season 2 in the horizon, it would be a shocking truth to not check it out.

Chaika? Yes, Chaika. Chaika. Created by the author of Scrapped Princess and Outbreak Company, this light novel adaptation is part of Studio Bone's trio of shows in the Spring 2014 season. Surprisingly, I felt that Hitsugi no Chaika was the strongest out of the three with its quirky and well-constructed elements in the storyline, characters and action department. These things help create one of the more memorable fantasy adventure anime in recent years. Set five year after a war, which resulted in the dismantlement of the Gaz Empire, the world is now in a peaceful state much to the detriment of Toru, a saboteur who is capableof performing the ironblood transformation. Without any meaningful civilian employment skills, he spends his days, along with his sister, Akari, rotting away and waiting for the end to come. One day, while foraging for food in the mountains, he comes across a 14 year old girl carrying a coffin on her back. Eventually, she hires Toru and his sister to aid her on a quest to gather the remains of her father, who is no less than Emperor Gaz himself. Along the way, they meet the various heroes who kept a piece of his body when they defeated five years prior. On the trail of Chaika's party, is the Kleeman Corporation, commanded by Knight Gillette, who is commissioned to keep the peace and capture her. There are plenty of other factions and characters that connect to Chaika in some sort of way and each one only adds the mystery surrounding her existence. Hitsugi no Chaika's world is curious mixture of old school fantasy and early 20th century technology. The various devices that are shown reflect this odd mashup of aesthetics like the communication room working like a Skype call or laser cannons/barrier shields mounted on a flying fortress. Traditional fantasy elements like monsters and spells exist alongside with the more modern gundos and automobiles making the setting unique among its peers. Chaika assume that the audience is smart enough to figure out the mechanics by giving out just enough information and letting the viewer fill in the rest of the blanks. Things that are casually mentioned become the center of focus several episodes down the line, like the magical fuel powering all machines and spell-based weapons. This fuel, paralleled to our gasoline and diesel, is the key concept behind the core plot, economic system, and thematic overtones of this anime. Like grades of fuel at a gas station, the Emperor remains are all in a class of their own, which becomes very apparent in the later episodes. As such, all the locales visited are interwoven through this plot device making the background feel authentic and consistent. From a town's bustling marketplace to the subdued atmosphere of a mining to an ominously unsettling interior of a floating castle, this world begs to be further explored by the viewer. Just be mindful of the demonic unicorns, roving packs of lightning wolfs and the fog of despair. Given that a good portion the current anime is overrun with loli, Chaika is a breath of fresh air because she is not defined by fanservice or pointless antics. In her profession as a badass wizard, she brings the hurt through her magical sniper rifle while lugging around a ginormous coffin. In addition, she is a skilled mechanic driver, and one of the few people in the show who can operate magical devices. Aside from wrecking people's days from afar, there is a certain charming side to Chaika that many viewers can't help but be entranced by it. While her casting skills are formidable, her attempts at cooking are just downright hilarious. By attempt, I mean that firing her magical rifle at uncooked food counts as such. Also unrefined is Chaika's speech pattern, which is filled with fragmented sentences and the subject of many GIFs floating around the internet. Toru, when contrasted with Chaika, is far more serious in his demeanor and outlook on life. Trained as a saboteur from his childhood, his life lacks meaning in peacetimes and it is only when Chaika employs him that his mindset begins to evolve. While not as memorable as Chaika, he does have his moments of fun and is far from a cardboard cutout of a character. Although, they have completely different backgrounds, they both complement each other well both on a combat and emotional level. Both of them cover each other's weakness in combat as Toru is a close-quarters specialist while Chaika is a ranged caster. In their downtime, Toru acts as a guide and mentor to a very naive Chaika and in return, she gives him hope for a future that doesn't just involve fighting. Their relational development is very well-done as it felt natural to have this pair grow closer together on this journey. Providing a majority of the comic relief, Akari, non-blood related sister to Toru, is deeply and madly in love with him. Incestuous vibes seems to be all the rage right now but Hitsugi no Chaika does it in an approach that is more akin to siblings bickering, rather than full on eroticism. Toru is very much aware and rather annoyed of her feelings towards him. Her suspicious timely interventions are done in a deadpan manner and is played out for laughs rather than being a detriment to the overall show. The last character, Fredrica, to join up with Chaika is most certainly the wildcard out of the entire party. Being a dragoon, which is the equivalent of a nuclear weapon in fantasy lore, tends to overshadow any foe quickly. She is not present all the time when fights do happen but make her presence very felt when she does decides to show up. Overall, I do think that she is a fun addition to the cast being the bloodthirsty loli, and is essential for saving the day when the plot calls for it. The team under Gillette tracking down Chaika is a odd assortment of former soldiers who had nowhere to turn after the war. As Gillette is a man who believes in justice and is an idealist, they are grateful to the knight for his compassion and share his in vision to keep the peace. Not much time is spent on them but I don't consider them to be the antagonists as they are quite justified in their reasoning for chasing her down. One particular member, Viivi Holopainen, is one-noted character being her infatuation with Gillette as the defining point. In a series that has a good amount of depth to the main characters, the supporting cast is a bit of a disappointment when compared to them. Many other characters are encountered along the way and they all have their own story to tell. Some you feel sorry for, others will make you want to see them on the receiving end of Chaika's rifle. Easily one of the highlights of Hitsugi no Chaika, the fights are expertly choreographed, fast and brutal. This is where teamwork, tactics, and sheer skill triumphs over any overpowering foe or magical contraption. It smartly avoids the shounen trap of yelling out attacks and having character reaction shots by giving the audience a straight up brawl. One of the few things that I value when it comes to character is competence and it shines through during the action sequences. Each person in Chaika's party knows exactly where to go and what to do to place their opponents into overlapping fields of fire. Traps, ranged weaponry, blades strikes and are often used in combination and in quick succession for maximum efficiency. Same goes for the opposing force as their composition is also a mixture of different class types and employ ambush tactics, which makes for some very entertaining clashes. It's not just humans that our protagonists faces for the world of Hitsugi no Chaika is filled with monsters and other very unpleasant things. A demonic-looking unicorn that shows up in the opening minutes sets the tone for how ruthless this show can be when it comes to its creature design. The weakest part of the show is, by far, in its visual department. It comes in a distant third when compared to Bone's other offerings like the attractive looking Captain Earth and Soul Eater Not!. The problem stems from the lack of all the fancy shading, reflective flair and light bloom that modern anime seems to be so fond of, making it look rather low budget and something that aired years ago. Thankfully, the motion is fluid enough during its more intense scenes and it's only a small blemish in a show. I want to give props to the Seikou Nagaoka (Strike Witches and Pretty Rhythm) for a solid accompanying soundtrack as orchestral tones fits in well with Chaika's adventure. The opening and ending are no slouches either. Both, being of the rock genre, are filled with dark imagery and gives off a unsettling feeling that Chaika is caught up in something far greater than her goal of giving her father a final funeral. From the reading up on the previews, I wasn't quite of what Hitsugi no Chaika was all about. To my pleasant surprise, it became one of my top shows of the season with it charming characters, seamless world building and excellent fight scenes. My gripes with Chaika is primarily with its comparatively low animation budget and the slightly weaker characters on Team Gillette. If I could give Captain Earth's entire budget to Chaika, I would do so in a heartbeat. However, these minor concerns should not deter viewers from diving into this show as they will be greatly rewarded through the one person that stands in the center of it all. Chaika. 8.5/10