MACADEMI WASSHOI!
Ever do magic... on weed?
Review by: Craig “Beautiful Assistant” Norris
Length: 12 episodes
Genre: Comedy, parody, supernatural, ecchi
Watched: All, subbed
Do you believe in magic? I don’t, which is why it’s so easy for me to laugh at it. Combine that warped Japanese sense of humor with a concept that I find laughable in the first place, and the smart money is on me being entertained. This time the smart money won out big, as I had more fun watching this than I ever did watching David Copperfield, David Blaine, and Siegfried and Roy combined.
Plot synopsis: Takuto Hasegawa attends a magician’s academy that goes unseen by normal people. During a summoning spell exam, something goes awry, and he summons an insanely powerful, cat-like girl who begins running berserk all over campus. When the situation gets under control, and Takuto names the girl Tanarotte (after a cat he used to own), the girl speaks, and pledges her loyalty to Takuto, her “creator.” However, Tanarotte’s power is indicative of both gods and demons, but no one is sure which one she is. And how can Tanarotte even be created by Takuto when new gods and demons can never be created?
Artwork: There are two types of artwork in the series: normal and parody. The normal artwork is not at the forefront of current styles, but for a comedy series it works quite nicely. Character designs are standard fare, with almost every character having different hair and eye colors which all include every color conceived of by the Crayola corporation, and then some. The series shines through the most with its parody artwork, however. Sometimes the artwork adopts the style of the anime or reference that is being made fun of, and also includes some miscellaneous humorous styles including SD, the ubiquitous exaggerated expressions, and even claymation (albeit intentionally sloppy).
Music: The soundtrack fits very well for a comedy series, despite the fact that it does not impress on its own. The opening theme is a cross between J-pop and rap, and is just as crazy and frenetic as the series itself. The closing theme is happy and fun, a departure from a normal formula of using a sad ballad to wind down from the humor and parody. The soundtrack works for the series, but does little else, and is not likely to break any top-100 billboard lists.
Characters: None of the main characters are even remotely similar, which leaves the series free to go in just about any direction at any given time. The straight man is clearly Takuto, who is naturally nonviolent and is considered an average magic student. He is overwhelmed by the attention he receives from summoning Tanarotte, and would just as soon live quietly with everyone. Tanarotte is fiercely possessive of Takuto, and instantly tries to drive away anyone who tries to get too close to him. Aside from that, however, shoe does make an effort to get along with everyone, and is not nearly as volatile as one would expect considering she has the mind of a child and enough power to destroy most small countries. Suzuho is Takuto’s cousin, and is shy to the point of not being able to speak. She communicates by writing her thoughts on a sketch pad. However, when her hair band is removed, she becomes an aggressive blue-haired girl with the ability to drain magical power from nearby people. This has earned her the nickname Midnight Blue Vampire, and causes her to be shunned and feared by the other members of the academy. Falcé is a magical staff that can take on humanoid form, and was the last and greatest magical item produced by a powerful magician. After being defeated by Takuto and company in a stereotypically-designed RPG scenario, Falcé pledges her loyalty to Takuto and begins living with him. This unnerves Tanarotte and Suzuho, since Falcé’s humanoid form is that of a ditzy, well-endowed woman with horns and long flowing hair. Sakuma is a part-time teacher at the magic academy and appears to be the teacher Takuto must report to. Sakuma does not take his job very seriously, as most of the time he is either playing video games or drawing manga. Eineus is a familiar that was summoned by Sakuma, and acts as the voice of reason in Sakuma’s daily affairs. She is actually of a race of demons known as a Vergest (a type of dog demon), and Eineus is rumored to be the most powerful among them. Miyabi and Synclavier are a god and demon, respectively, who were the first to attack Tanarotte. After being defeated their powers were sealed by Sakuma, and they are subjugated by him to perform housework and assist in manga production. As if these characters aren’t interesting enough, there are some secondary characters of note, including a bishoujo figurine-obsessed demon, an animal-ear obsessed professor, an advisor who can remove his head at will, and a bisexual, masochistic angel. An outlandish anime must have characters that follow suit, and this anime is no exception.
Plot: Since there is magic involved, there really is no limit to what can happen in the series, and the episodes try to offer a little bit of everything. Expect battles with magical creatures, gods and demons taking advantage of trips to the human world, and of course a bunch of romantic sub-plots (some of which are much less orthodox than standard fare). The vast majority of the time, the series stays comedic, but near the end it seems like a switch is flipped, and things get very serious for the sake of wrapping up the plot. Fortunately this only lasts about an episode, and then the silliness starts up again. Still, the flow is broken up, and the series suffers somewhat because of it.
CHICKS!: The chicks in this series are pretty unique, so it is very easy to find one or two to get attached to. My personal favorite is Eineus, who looks far more like a catgirl than a dog-girl. She doesn’t have eye-popping curves, but she is very mature both in figure and disposition. Girls with horns are also interesting, so Falcé makes my watch list, too. She is friendly and optimistic, and has chosen a most ravishing figure for when she takes human form. Suzuho has the cute schoolgirl look down, but she just seems so mouse-ish that I would be afraid to lay a hand on her lest she run off whimpering. Tanarotte looks far too young for my taste, though she is energetic and loyal. Maybe in a few years, but she is not ripe enough for me yet. Miyabi and Synclavier are worth a thought because of their luscious figures befitting a god and a demon, and also because they seem like normal people aside from their divine powers. Miyabi can heal people by kissing them. Reminds me of a Marvin Gaye song, and is definitely something I would want to investigate further.
Overall: I never take any display of “magic” seriously, and as this is a whole series about magic that doesn’t take itself seriously (for the most part), it was very easy for me to like. Even if magic, gods, demons, and the supernatural is not up your alley, there is plenty of general off-the-wall stuff going on to keep most people entertained. So the next time an effeminate man dressed in black is trying to escape from a locked, underwater glass box on your TV, turn it off and give this series a try instead. It’s magically funny.
IN A NUTSHELL
+ Funny and crazy
+ Interesting characters
+ Different
- Unneeded seriousness at the end
Rating: 7.5/10
Return to Index