| Type: | TV |
| Length: | 26 episodes |
| Genre: | Adventure |
Otogi Zoshi
Summary
At the peak of the Heian Era, famine and disease tear the country apart, deadly assassins fill the court, and wild bandits infest the countryside. The legendary samurai Minamoto is sent on an Imperial quest for the five magatamas that can restore the world. However, he is bedridden with a devastating illness, and his sister is forced to take his place. Hikaru Minamoto and her companions embark on a quest to find the Magatamas to bring new life to Japan.
Review
Otogi Zoshi is made up of two distinctively different, yet related parts.
The first 13 episodes are set in the Heian period. Hikaru, disguising herself as her brother Raiko, is on a journey with her protector, Tsuna. Together, they are searching for the five magitamas in order to restore peace to the capital. I think the first arc has an engaging story and develops a very likeable cast. There is a good dose of sword-swinging action and even a couple surprises. Simply put, the Heian arc is fantastic.
Halfway through, the series takes a drastic change. The plot shifts about 1000 years later, in modern day Tokyo. It follows the same characters, though, as they have all been reincarnated. Hikaru is a high school student who has inherited an apartment complex in which all the characters live.
The Tokyo arc starts off with Hikaru searching for her lost brother Raiko. Some strange events begin occurring around Tokyo so Hikaru and the others begin investigating these strange distortions because she thinks they are linked to her brother. Going into this half I was disappointed because it's not as engaging as the Heian arc. However, when you get to the later episodes everything begins to fall into place as it starts tying into previous events. After finishing the show, I still don't think the second half was as enjoyable as the first half, but it was decent. The ending, though not bad, is anticlimactic.
Otogi Zoshi is really interesting at times because it ties Japanese mythology and Chinese astrology into its story. Yin and Yang, magatamas, and the five elements are all woven together and give the show a mythical, yet realistic atmosphere. Even the character names are from folk tales written during the Heian period. Tsuna is Hikaru's retainer, dedicated to protecting her with his life. During their journey they encounter three others who join them. Sadamitsu is a fun one with his easygoing personality and skill with a sword. Urabe is full of knowledge that aids the group. Kintaro is a young boy with superhuman strength. The cast is very likeable, though I think Kintaro can get a little annoying. The reincarnated characters have the same personalities as they did in the Heian period, they're just slightly adjusted to fit the times.
The animation looks decent overall. The action scenes, which are mostly restricted to the first half, are pretty good. The backgrounds for the Hiean period look like they were done with colored pencils, which doesn't always look very realistic, but I like its artistic look. The Tokyo arc appears to use the same style, but the backgrounds look cleaner and more detailed. There is a bit of live action footage in a couple places during the second half, which I don't care for, but it's used sparingly so it doesn't bother me too much. The show does a good job with the "feel" of each time period.
Otogi Zoshi is almost like two different series. The first arc is awesome, but the second half is average. As a whole, it's a good series.
The first 13 episodes are set in the Heian period. Hikaru, disguising herself as her brother Raiko, is on a journey with her protector, Tsuna. Together, they are searching for the five magitamas in order to restore peace to the capital. I think the first arc has an engaging story and develops a very likeable cast. There is a good dose of sword-swinging action and even a couple surprises. Simply put, the Heian arc is fantastic.
Halfway through, the series takes a drastic change. The plot shifts about 1000 years later, in modern day Tokyo. It follows the same characters, though, as they have all been reincarnated. Hikaru is a high school student who has inherited an apartment complex in which all the characters live.
The Tokyo arc starts off with Hikaru searching for her lost brother Raiko. Some strange events begin occurring around Tokyo so Hikaru and the others begin investigating these strange distortions because she thinks they are linked to her brother. Going into this half I was disappointed because it's not as engaging as the Heian arc. However, when you get to the later episodes everything begins to fall into place as it starts tying into previous events. After finishing the show, I still don't think the second half was as enjoyable as the first half, but it was decent. The ending, though not bad, is anticlimactic.
Otogi Zoshi is really interesting at times because it ties Japanese mythology and Chinese astrology into its story. Yin and Yang, magatamas, and the five elements are all woven together and give the show a mythical, yet realistic atmosphere. Even the character names are from folk tales written during the Heian period. Tsuna is Hikaru's retainer, dedicated to protecting her with his life. During their journey they encounter three others who join them. Sadamitsu is a fun one with his easygoing personality and skill with a sword. Urabe is full of knowledge that aids the group. Kintaro is a young boy with superhuman strength. The cast is very likeable, though I think Kintaro can get a little annoying. The reincarnated characters have the same personalities as they did in the Heian period, they're just slightly adjusted to fit the times.
The animation looks decent overall. The action scenes, which are mostly restricted to the first half, are pretty good. The backgrounds for the Hiean period look like they were done with colored pencils, which doesn't always look very realistic, but I like its artistic look. The Tokyo arc appears to use the same style, but the backgrounds look cleaner and more detailed. There is a bit of live action footage in a couple places during the second half, which I don't care for, but it's used sparingly so it doesn't bother me too much. The show does a good job with the "feel" of each time period.
Otogi Zoshi is almost like two different series. The first arc is awesome, but the second half is average. As a whole, it's a good series.
Score:
Written by Marc Frost on
Content 
Very little profanity.
Violence
Some fighting with blood and deaths.
Sex
There is about a second of rear nudity from a male and female character.