guardian of the sacred spirit

Recently, I was on a hunt of a new anime [tired of waiting next episode for the likes of Bleach, Fairy Tail, Uraboku & Occult Academy]. I stumbled upon an already complete anime series by the title Seirei No Moribito - Guardian of the Sacred Spirit. I usually had this distortion feeling watching half of the series of any anime series. But this one is a Wow! I don't even know where to begin with this.

A drop dead gorgeous animation, quite simply and a masterpiece from start to finish. Superb artwork and animation I have ever seen in an anime series. Almost movie quality. Characters are detailed and beautifully animated. Not to mention the always gorgeously detailed backdrops. Combat is incredibly fast-paced, intense and is over so quickly that you’ll miss it if you blink your eyes [ok, kidding]. Well, nothing less expected from anime studio of Production I.G. It has brilliant acting, amazing character development, engaging yet not overly complicated story, beautiful musical score. Directed/co-written by Kenji Kamiyama [Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex]. All of those elements come together to form one of the most well-produced anime.

The story is actually quite simple. Takes place in a feudal setting of Japan, it follows the adventures of Balsa, an incredibly skilled warrior, as she is tasked with the seemingly impossible duty of guarding the life of Chagum, the second prince of the Imperial Family. Balsa first catches the royal family’s eye when she rescues prince Chagum after he falls off a bridge and into the rushing river below. That night Chagum’s mother reveals to Balsa that her son is apparently possessed by the spirit of a water demon, doomed to bring a devastating drought to their lands. For this reason his own father, the emperor, has secretly ordered the prince to be killed.

Balsa accepts the job of protecting the prince and flees the castle in the dead of night knowing full well that on one hand the emperor’s most seasoned warriors will be sent after them, and on the other hand keeping the prince alive could mean the death of thousands due to the prophesized drought. But for Balsa there is only one choice. She will not go back on her word and the prince’s life will be protected at all costs.

The cast of the show is not that large and everyone has an important role to play in the story. Balsa and Chagum are often accompanied by four of their closest allies. First we have Tanda, a childhood friend of Balsa who is an expert herbalist and has been acting as Balsa’s personal medic for years. Next we have shaman Torogai. She is Tanda’s teacher and has incredible knowledge regarding the spirit realm and as old as she may be, she can actually hold her own in a fight. Finally Balsa is joined by Toya and Saya, two orphans who were rescued by Balsa years ago and will do anything in their power to try and repay her.

I really love anime series of a feudal Japan setting and a female protagonist that looks powerful and can take over the world in one swing of her weapon, like Erza Scarlet of Fairy Tail. [hehe].

This one is definitely my favourite of all time. Reasons?

1. So to say, it contains no fan service to speak of. No lolitas, no 14 year olds with DD breast, etc. [I’m kind of tired with that theme]


2. Fantastic action sequences. Do not expect any still-frames, one minute stare contests or lengthy mid-fight discussions. Fully choreographed action and as realistic as it could get with extremely fast and fluid movements. However, this isn’t an action/shounen anime, so fight scenes only occur when the story calls for them. They also do not take entire episodes. My most favourite is the fight between Jiguro Musa and his best friend in the Nine Warriors team that served the King of Kanbal kingdom. Jiguro is Balsa’s caretaker. He raised her up as her father’s request and they live constantly on the run from the King’s assassins.


3. Extraordinary music scores [Kenji Kawai – The one who gave you Ip Man’s music]. The OP, Shine by L'Arc-en-Ciel and EP, To the Loved One by Sachi Tainaka are quite appropriately conveys the pace and mood of the show. But the main strength is the Original Soundtrack. Feudal setting makes the music more traditional-sounding. The most stand-out song is “Nahji no Uta” [the Yakue rice planting song], which is used throughout the series in various forms, relatively important to the central themes of the series and is directly connected to the story. It crops me all over during the series and eventually shows up in full strength, complete with lyrics near the end. It's a beautiful, heart-felt song that is even more powerful when heard in the context of the series.


4. Every character seems to be morally good. With the exception of anecdotes concerning the ruler of a neighbouring empire, no real evil character or general bad guy can be found. Even on the battlefield people seem to be divided only due to circumstances. Everyone basically seems to make the correct decision given the choice. [I will feel tired watching anime with too evil character with the exception of Aizen-sama of Bleach, Hehe.]. Well, after all even in real life most people aren’t inherently good or evil. They’re simply on opposite sides due to events outside of their control.

It is actually the first part of a ten volume fantasy novel series by Nahako Uehashi. The anime aired in Japan on April 7th, 2007 consists of 26 episodes. 2007? Why I haven’t seen this back then? I must be busy catching Bamboo Blade, Rosario Vampire. Ahh, world of ecchi, tsundere, harem etc. [Haha]. Like the first book in the series, the anime's story is concluded but left open-ended enough for a sequel. So far there's no word on whether Yami no Moribito (Guardian of Darkness) will be made into an anime but like all good books, I would love to be reunited with these characters again. Let's hope that Production I.G. and Kenji Kamiyama decide to do another series. I want to see Tanda again. [Oh, why my dream guys always appear only in animation?] Teheehe.