Omnyou Taisenki 01

Elitists may scoff at this title but for yours truly, this is worth a second look. I view this genre as some people enjoy their occasional uber-cutesy shows. I’m drawn to tournament-style formats and overblown fight sequences filled with ridiculously worded chants and bazzilion opponents that the protagonists meet. Basically, your average fluff piece which is a gold mine for merchandise. Think Bandai.

Onmyou Taisenki opens to a scene from the Heian era. Instead of tranquility, we see chaos and turmoil as the vanguard of the city attempt to thwart a massive attack. Unfortunately, it is a losing battle. Meanwhile, in an attempt to protect her child, a woman unlocks a forbidden passage and sends her child to another world. The lad, it seems, is the son of the strongest Onmyou spellcaster. Then cut to the modern world.

Riku is an uber-nice boy who lives with his grandfather. During some festival (the one with burning logs falling to determine the luck of the town), he makes a new friend only to find out that the ‘new friend’ is an ‘enemy’. Of course, he eventually finds his powers (with the help of a cat-like partner) and defeated the opponent.

Honestly, I expect the simplest of plot for the storyline. Ambitious and complicated twists are highly improbable since I’m almost certain, this title is simply a giant advertisement for the collectibles. If you’ve read this far, be aware that even with my obvious disgust for blatant product placement, I still think I’d enjoy Onmyou Taisenki.