Introduction
Saenome are tasked with sealing spirits that possess objects and pose a threat to society. Known as tsukumogami, these spirits are generally non-violent, and saenome normally seal them after a simple verbal exchange.
Traumatized by a previous deadly encounter with a malevolent spirit, Hyouma Kunato refuses to use peaceful methods and gets into physical confrontations with all tsukumogami that cross paths with him. Deeming this behavior unacceptable for a future clan leader, Hyouma's grandfather, Zouhei, proposes that he starts living with Botan Nagatsuki, a young woman whose family is composed of six tsukumogami—lest he be excommunicated.
Determined to track down the spirit that took everything from him, Hyouma reluctantly accepts Zouhei's proposal. As unknown groups of evil spirits begin to jeopardize the balance between worlds, the young man must gain the trust of Botan and overcome his hatred for her mysterious family.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
Audience reviews
10 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
sailorkugisaki
Mononogatari, what a beautiful find you are! This review applies to season 2 as well, as I'm writing this after watching the 24 episodes - let's say this is a review for the whole anime (no spoilers, rest assured).
This is a beautiful story about found family, and each character is endearing in their own way. Hyôma hates Tsukumogami, as one of them killed his older sister and brother, and his grandfather sends him to Botan's home, whose family consists of Tsukumogami. He will observe them and spend time with each one, and their bonds will strengthen. As the story progresses, Hyôma will see Tsukumogami differently and grow, finding a new purpose. Hyôma will learn to prioritise this new purpose and put his anger and revenge aside. When I think about Hyôma at the beginning of the anime and H…
Read at the sourcenozomiEX
Your average battle shounen, with a tacked on forced romance component
The only interesting thing about it is the tsukumogami designs. They're basically just gijinkas for traditional japanese tools, but the way they incorporate the properties of the tool into their physical appearance, their personalities, and their combat abilities is honestly pretty creative and refreshing, definitely the highlight of the show. However, the show is extremely stale otherwise. The protagonist is a gary stu and his love interest/macguffin is the perfect mary sue to match. There's not a moment where you feel anything is in danger, the stakes are wholly nominal, the fights are a mere formality, everything narratively is bog standard. The show would work better as a Natsumi Yuujinchou clone, without the force…
Read at the sourceTheRealFokushi
Let’s start this off with by saying I’m making this as spoiler free as I can, so might be a bit vague~ That being said✨
The main character is okay, I don’t love him and I don’t hate him~ and would lean towards more of enjoyment. He is “cringe” but I think that’s on purpose, and I feel there is a very natural build in character development. This isn’t a anime that I expect to blow anyone out of the water, but I watched both seasons in a single sitting~ so it’s enjoyable enough to binge. I feel like the issues that come up with the main character also helps explains some of the “cringe”, lots of elements of trust and understanding wrapped into this anime from episode one; I still don’t think it will make anyone sob.
I find it enjoyable, and not offensive~ animation could definitely be impr…
Read at the sourceHittobox
Like a really chilled out version of Jujutsu Kaisen on a lower budget, focused more on a single character's purpose and socially awkward humor.
The premise is pretty simple. The main character Hyouma, at a young age witnesses his two older siblings die in battle with an evil spirit. He spends his youth training and sealing spirits (sending spirits back to the afterlife) in order to get revenge on the entity that killed his family. With such a hard nosed focus on this life goal, his grandfather sends him away to experience the good side of his narrow-minded viewpoint of all of them being evil.
The show balances between being a humorous house full of differing personalities and action. The show's main humor comes from the main character growing up isolated and sheltered away from social no…
Read at the sourcemushi_Jyou
This show definitely fall under my cup of tea for supernatural/occult genre. Which is why I think this show's rating here is a little on the low side. I hope my review can bring about the right audiences for this show to support it.
TL;DR: Decent animation and sound. Story is paced slower than the usual shounen, but not boring. Premise is easy to understand and accept. World building is done well enough to not leave questions as the story progresses. Would have been better if is a full 24 episode season instead of a half season. adding 1 more point for my rating as this is my kind of story (Rate 9/10, overall review 8/10), and it got me excited for the next season. Recommended if the fast paced, adrenaline pumping, noisy shounen is not the only kind of shounen you can accept. But fight sc…
Read at the sourceKakashitachi
Please note that this show will get at least 1 more season this year, so if that's not for you then wait until the anime is finished.
Summed up in short, this is one of those feel good shows you can't fault much about. It's good at giving enough from the characters that matter to make you feel for them, know them, with a pretty good in-between of stuck in the past yet moving on/growing. A man on a mission ends up in a situation plot that might be for those that like the concept of stuff like JJK/BNHA etc but don't want as much angst, trauma, gore, etc.
There's humor, emotion, secondhand embarrassment, nice sceneries and quite interesting dynamics as well as character designs. It's not your usual "put this hotty we've seen dozens of times before in a new attire so we will sell", some of t…
Read at the sourcemirangod
If you are looking for a fluid narrative, where the characters have charisma, an appropriate design, good sound effects and with a great script from start to finish, always being very conclusive in each act? Well this is the perfect anime for you. Secondary characters that appear only once and leave, are already as well done and written with as much affection as the protagonists who develop the plot and make everything go. Each problem and situation is not placed at random, everything serves to make you feel part of the universe and better understand what is really happening. Several times you will have Mindblows followed by situations, where you, not expecting a certain conclusion, get a blast of surprising information in your face, and your willingness to watch is fed more and more. The…
Read at the sourceSaybarnet
Well this was the seasonal suprise for me, Spirits is a solid B grade not bad not great. pretty much everything is around average across the bored. the better aspects is the story, this kind of story was done fairly often for a bit but with isekais flooding the stage its been a while so its refreshing. okay animations and sound with decent characters make this a solid watch if your nearing the end of your list. So for the ole 3-4 episode if you think the story is lame or characters boring then drop it, there isnt a conclusion pending the outcome of the second season. thats it for the short one now heres the more detailed spoiler free review.
First off the animation is looks good compared to shows a few years back but now id say its about as par for the course as you can get but its very c…
Read at the sourceAnimeEnjoyer420
Overall Impression: Mononogatari is a battle shounen/romance that follows Hyouma, a young warrior monk (for lack of a better term) with a burning hatred for tsukumogami (spirits of inanimate objects) after watching his older brother and sister get killed by one in front of him. He is taken in by Botan, a girl that lives with several tsukumogami as a family, to let go of his hatred and learn that they aren't just creatures to be destroyed. The premise sounds more interesting than it actually ends up being though, this is a pretty run-of-the-mill battle shounen with an identity crisis and a total inability to animate thrilling action scenes. It can be safely skipped.
+ Positives: Hyouma is an actually interesting main protagonist, and a convincing portrayal of someone whose grief has warped…
Read at the sourceKANLen09
You know that expression: "My dog ate my homework"? It's more like "Your dog attacked it", and became something different all at once.
Let's set the record straight for this show. If anyone of you is thinking that this is affiliated to NisiOisin's Monogatari series, it's clearly not that, OK? This is mangaka Onigunsou's Mono-NO-gatari, or more commonly referred to as Malevolent Spirits: Mononogatari. The manga that started almost a decade earlier in 2014 to the present day with (as if this review) 15 volumes out, with Seven Seas's English translation of the manga coming out at the same time as the anime had just started airing on TV, it's definitely the telling of a "hidden work", something that didn't grow as big as it was in Japan. And I will be right to assume that its popularity, even…
Read at the source