Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari is a Japanese anime series based on the Mononogatari manga by Onigunsou. Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari explores the supernatural world of spirits and their interactions with humans. Malevolent Spirits is a must-watch for fans of supernatural anime and those who appreciate visually stunning animation.
The stories are rich in detail and vividly portray the supernatural world in Japanese culture. Despite their dark themes, these tales have captivated readers for centuries and are a beloved part of Japanese folklore.
Malevolent spirits play an essential role in Mononogatari. These spirits are believed to inflict damage and misfortune on people who come into contact with them. The paranormal, morality and the repercussions of one’s actions are all explored in the series.
Hyouma hesitantly accepts Zouhei’s proposition, determined to find the ghost that stole everything from him. As unknown hordes of evil spirits threaten the world’s equilibrium, a youthful man must acquire Botan’s confidence and overcome his hatred for her enigmatic family.
The Japanese voice cast of Hyouma Kunato is done by Takeo Ootsuka, Botan Nagatsuki by Yuuki Takada, Aogi by Kouji Okino, and Nagi by Chikahiro Kobayashi.
- Name – Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari
- Directed by – Ryuuichi Kimura
- Studio – Bandai Namco Pictures
- Total Episodes – 12
- Genre – Action, supernatural
- Where to watch – Crunchyroll
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Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari Plot
When spirits traverse the human realm, they can take on the shape of old items and become Tsukumogami. Tsukumogami is a group of entities that inhabit the universe of Mononogatari. Because of their capacity to possess inanimate things, these supernatural beings can be good and evil.
So, to prevent the devastation, the Saenome clan quietly assists in returning them to the spirit world. Kunato Hyouma is a clan member, but he is not at ease because a Tsukumogami stole something essential from him.
Hyouma’s hate for the spirits worries his grandpa, who sees disaster on the horizon. As a result, he moves away to reside with Nagatsuki Botan in Kyoto. Her new friend despises Tsukumogami, but she resides with them as if they were family. After meeting her 6 “friendly” Tsukumogami, Hyouma might or might not alter his opinion about the creatures.
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Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari Story
It starts with Hyoma, who witnessed his siblings being killed by a Tsukumogami, leading to his hatred for them. Hyoma’s grandfather sends him to live with a family of six other Tsukumagamis for a year, hoping to teach him to make peace with them. Initially, Hyoma refuses to trust them, and a fight ensues with a Tsukumagami Nagi who uses his power to make swords. Hyoma passes out, and when he wakes up, he tries to get to know the Tsukumogami better to avoid being thrown out of the estate.
Nagi and Hyoma then bond over their shared hatred for Tsukumagamis because Nagi had to hunt and seal them to protect his family. During a mission with Chizuru, they come across a good Tsukumagami who passes the test set by Chizuru. Still, a suspicious Tsukumogami launches an attack on them, leading Hyoma to get angry and want to seal her, but he stops upon hearing the name of Nagatsuki.
The evil Tsukumogami plans to wipe out the Nagatsuki family, and Hyoma is tasked with getting Botan’s signature. However, Botan makes it clear that she hates him and won’t sign his name, so Hyoma attacks her with hairpins, but she almost dodges and doesn’t want to fight with him.
When Hyoma corners Botan, he still doesn’t fight back. Instead, he tells her that through his experiences with the Nagatsuki family, he understands their good intentions and won’t attack them unless they give him a reason to.
Suddenly, the enemy Tsukumogami appears, and they start attacking the family, causing Hyoma’s hatred to arise, and he kills them one by one. His actions scare Haori, who is hoping that Hyoma will overcome his hatred of the Tsukumogami, but she still sees hope in him. The Nagatsuki family welcomes him as a potential marriage candidate for Botan.
A series of events unfold as Botan accidentally meets Hyoma and apologizes for bothering him about the wedding. When Hyoma responds curtly, Suzuri and Kagami try to tell him he hurt her feelings, only to be interrupted when Hainarashi, an enemy of Tsukumogami, attacks Botan. Hyoma arrives just in time to rescue her and fight off Henarashi. The situation is worsened when Nagi and Yuu join the fight, causing more chaos.
Later, Hyoma apologizes to Botan and assures her he wouldn’t be averse to marrying her, circling back to the initial incident. However, Hyoma finds trouble when he sticks too many talismans on things that later have bad side effects.
After several events, he is kidnapped by enemies Tsukumagamis Aogi and Uchiki, who question him about the Kunatos’ plans. Despite their torture, Hyoma refuses to betray the Nagatsukis but fights the enemies to protect Botan.
Hyoma tries to learn more about Botan from Haori. He wants to protect her better and understands why Ayogi is curious about her. Haori reveals that Botan has been watched since she was born, and people suspect she has immense power that they want to gain.
They never wanted Botan’s power, instead wanting to make her happy and see her grow up happy. This results in them developing a parental love for Botan. Additionally, Aogi appears and informs Kagame that some groups are planning countermeasures against Hyoma since some employers of Aogi question his presence with the Nagatsuki family.
The plot thickens as three groups of Tsukumogami – Genbi’s Tsukumogami group, Katamari’s Cenones, and the Bureau of Traditional Music – believe that Hyoma is staying with the Nagatsuki family to enrich himself from Botan’s power.
Everyone is suspicious of each other, and Aogi has a message from the Katamari group that even he doesn’t know who they would go after first. Hyoma dresses up as he is invited to the Katamari group’s mansion and learns they only see Tsukumogami as a monster to be eliminated.
Taiju Kadomori demands that Hyoma seal the Nagatsuki family, including Botan, but Hyoma refuses, stating that he sees Botan as human and wants to protect her. Taiju Kadomori then attacks Hyoma with talismans, resulting in a fight that impresses Taiju Kadomori, who then lies about the previous events being a test of Hyoma’s strength. Despite everything, Hyoma is given Tsubaki’s phone number by the Katamari group and takes care of Yagen, who is given to him after the attack.
You will learn about Hyoma’s promise to take care of Yagen, who is to be taken to the Kanado family, and a warning from Yagen to protect Botan from the many Tsukumogami that his power attracts. In a conversation with Botan, Hyoma shares his tragic past and his belief that all Tsukumagamis are evil because they were responsible for the deaths of his siblings. Botan encourages him and notes that he has already changed his attitude toward them.
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Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari Review
The way Mononogatari uses its narrative plot by having the Tsukumogami ghosts pass over into the human world and occupy items and acquire physical shape is reminiscent of a more underground work: author Megumi Hatakenaka’s Tsukumogami Kashimasu.
But where the show deviates from the norm is in the regulation system, in which exorcists (or Saenome) from clans will assist in clearing out wandering spirits that pose a threat to society, negotiating a deal and sealing them return to the world of spirits in a non-violent state, avoiding destruction.
To begin with, Hyoma is unlikable at best. The protagonist is a hard-headed, suspicious character who always has a severe, unfazed expression; it’s as if he sports a façade both inside and out, and it’s the same wherever he travels. But, again, it’s because of his early suffering, so it’s understandable.
Only when he encounters the leader of the Nagatsuki family, Botan, does he begin to settle his senses and trust the Tsukumogami again, as represented by her six most dependable benign spirits: Nagi, Yu, Kagami, Suzuri, with guardians Haori and Kushige.
You’ll get the impression that the show is opposed to considering itself seriously while also setting the tone as something important. This is because the series employs a few unnecessary chibi segments for comic effect.
We have a typical male lead. A traumatized child harbors many grievances from their upbringing. This makes him wince at first. Not bad since he could be a lot worse. Except for a woman’s viewpoint, the primary female lead is almost as cringy. Despite her naïve, bubbly, and timid demeanor, she is a demon.
This series appears to be attempting to be all that simultaneously. Fortunately, the rhythm is fast enough that it never becomes monotonous. The drawing quality is both average and outstanding. The motive for this is that the visual effects and cinematography are stunning when there is actual action, but when there is more dull action, the show descends to cellar budget quality.
The show is watchable but forgettable and, like its manga cousin, will stay in a cult-like position for the few who received a chance to witness this “flying under the radar” work.
The execution is rather average, with nothing particularly remarkable to mention. Even though Bandai Namco Pictures has been attempting to broaden its anime library since 2015, it is primarily on the edge of releasing more shows aimed at children.
The original music, on the other hand, is quite good. It’s quite excellent and suits the anime’s themes quite well. ED by Miho Karasawa is an excellent choice for a closing tune. Overall, it’s the anime’s high point.
Malevolent Spirits: Monogatari doesn’t appear to be a bad show in and of itself; it’s just that there’s no hook to the show being intriguing and distinctive in some manner. Just be sure to temper what you’re expecting first and foremost, as it is a reasonable time-waster of a program with no wow factor.
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Final Verdict
This is a team of amateurs attempting to adapt a professional-written story. The series begins with excellent character development and then discards it to transform the series into a romance ship anime. It eliminated any possibility of the characters evolving naturally.
Except for the narrative, everything could be improved. Random humor ruins a serious story. It does not believe its audience to be grownups capable of dealing with reality. In some circumstances, the discussion quickly transitions from college to middle school. There are so many amazing ideas and so much promise. It’s worth watching if you can ignore the terrible bits. Bleach, Noragami, Bungo Stray Dogs, and Fruit Basket are all combined into one program.
It’s worth seeing; it just feels like, like much current anime, it’s trying to accomplish too much at once, and the objective suffers. A show with such weighty issues as childhood trauma, overcoming anxieties, and growing up among individuals you despise is also attempting to be a comic, which breaks the immersion.
Our Rating: ⭐ (3.8/5).
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