Shōnen Onmyoji: The Young Spirit Master

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Animation

Shōnen Onmyōji is a light novel authored by Mitsuru Yūki and its illustrations done by Sakura Asagi.

The anime also premiered on Animax under the title, Shōnen Onmyoji: The Young Spirit Master.

I haven't read the manga at all, and what attracted me to watching the anime was the cute creature Mokkun. Later on, even if it became apparent to me that it really was a simple story with a dash of action and supernatural fantasy flavors thrown in, I was hooked enough to come home early from work to catch the episodes on cable tv.

Bare-bones summary of the anime eps I watched:

Set in the Heian era, Abe no Masahiro is the grandson of the great onmyōji, Abe no Seimei. Masahiro's spiritual powers were sealed away when he was very young by his grandfather, as he was still unable to control it and would be in danger.

One day, when Masahiro is a bit older, he meets a fox-like creature which he names Mokkun who shows him his true potential powers after fighting a demon. Mokkun is actually Tōda who prefers to be called Guren. He is one of the twelve shikigami called the Shinshō who has pledged his loyalty to Seimei and is helping Masahiro to surpass his grandfather.

Only two arcs have been shown so far on the anime version of the novels.

Although this is a mix of historical-fantasy-comedy-supernatural, I found the friendship between the characters of Guren/Mokkun and Masahiro quite touching. I don't mind admitting I shed a few tears over the episodes wherein Masahiro sacrificed so much in order to ensure Mokkun's peace of mind.

Aside from this and the conflicts and adventures arising from Masahiro's quest to surpass his grandfather (he doesn't want to live in his grandfather's shadow), I find the Shinshō characters adding flavor to the stories a good comeback to my back-in-elementary-interest in mythology of all kinds.

Btw, Abe no Seimei was a a real person.

He was an onmyōji, a leading specialist of onmyōdō during the middle of the Heian Period in Japan. In addition to his prominence in history, he is a legendary figure in Japanese folklore and has been portrayed in a number of stories and films.

I think this kind of anime can both be enjoyed by girls and young boys as the budding relationship between Masahiro and the princess will appeal to the romantic types, while the battles between Masahiro and demons may appeal to the action-oriented boys.