Enter the Shop of 'Fukigen no Mononokean' and Exorcise Spirits

It's not every day you find a creature that wanders in the real world and is actually a resident of the otherworld. If ever you happened to be in this kind of situation, get to know Hanae and Abeno to help you out of this dilemma.

Hanae Ashiya is a junior highschool teenager who lived with his mom who owned a flower shop. A day before he entered high school, he came across a white furball lying by the side walk. He put it inside a spare plastic grocery bag and hung it by the siderail by the sidewalk; however, the white furball stuck on him as he was leaving.

Hanae with the white furball
stuck on his back

From day one of entering high school until day five, Hanae never reached his classroom and was instead sent to the nurse's office because of fainting. What was worse, only he could see the white furball and it grew on him everyday resulting to his body weakening. Desperate to get rid of the thing, Hanae found a post concealed on the school's bulletin board. It was a shop that searched for a new employee to exorcise spirits.

Hanae calling for help;
Abeno inside the Mononokean Shop

Hanae met a blond guy wearing a red kimono who led him inside a tea-like room inside the school. The room was a demon controlled shop managed by the Mononokean Master named Haruitsiki Abeno. Abeno refused to help him at first but gradually changed his mind. He helped Hanae to exorcise the white furball by letting it play ball with Hanae for five fours. He then summoned a portal which has two foxes painted each on twin sliding door to the Underworld.

After returning the white furball (that developed fondness towards Hanae) back to the Underworld, Abeno charged Hanae for his service, an impossible amount for Hanae to pay, so he had to work for Abeno instead to pay off the debt. The next day, Hanae found out that Abeno was his own classmate who sat just behind him at class.

Abeno and Hanae in the Underworld

Hanae and Abeno encountered different kinds of demon spirits that sought their service. Not everything was downright easy for the two as their personality clashed but eventually friendship developed between them. On the course of their work, they have to be cautious yet effective demon exorcists as they met different kinds of clients from the naive kind of people to the familiar ones with the Underworld stuffs to the skeptic sorts of human beings. They not only provided assistance to human beings but also to the demons who were lost in the human world and has to return to the Underworld.

Fukigen no Mononokean Manga

Fukigen no Mononokean is a thirteen episode anime adapted from the manga created by Kiri Wazawa. It belongs to the supernatural comedy genre. The anime series was directed by Akira Iwanaga and written by Takao Yoshioka. The animation was made by Pierrot Plus. 

The plot for this story is simple but the characters involved are totally out of this world. If you're a Japanese, you might be familiar with them but to a foreigner they are somewhat strange yet interesting things to know. This makes the anime different from other anime. The Japanese folkloric elements are embedded in this supernatural comedy. 

The illustrations for this anime is a mixture of classic style and modern art. I particularly like the scenarios inside the Underworld as it portrayed the otherworldy feel of the environment painted Meiji style while the normal human world is illustrated in vivid and elaborate drawings. 

The characters are beautifully drawn. I like Abeno Haruitsuki more because he was drawn a bishounen. Voice actor Tomoaki Maeno did a wonderful job voicing the arrogant master of Mononokean Shop. He was mean and frank but quite an understanding guy. Hanae Ashiya is a cute lead character although he has a somewhat weak personality. He appeared very easy to manipulate but he was the more emphatic guy in the anime which makes him a lovable lead character. Yuki Kaiji did a great job dubbing for Hanae. He showed in his voice not only the naivety of this guy but also the depth and gentleness of his character.

Yahiko, the demon fox with three tails is a very cute demon child but his cuter when he is in his fox form. Voice actor Ikue Outani did a superb job providing voice for this demon child. I particularly like Yahiko when he droned in a sulky playful voice calling Abeno his childhood nickname, "Haruitsuki". Zenko Fujiwara who was voiced by Ayahi Takagaki is an honest straightforward girl. She is the exact female version of Hanae. They're both inexperienced and naive characters caught up in the strange demon world of Mononoke where both tried their best to understand it.

The opening song "Tomodachi Meter"  is a neat but weak J-pop melody sung by The SuperBall while the ending theme, "Tobira no Mukou" sung by the main voice actors, Yuki Kajae and Tomoaki Maeno is a livelier pop song enlivened by the colorful background sounds.

Overall, the anime is quite an interesting watch when you want to be entertained by the unique Japanese folkloric feel imbibed in the modern world. Each episode presents a story to a new character introduced. It's cute and kinda funny in its own way. The drawings are great combination of old and new. The demons spirits exudes cuteness at all level. They're like very fluffy stuff toys. An attractive way to capture audience to try watching this supernatural anime.

Seek Hanae and Abeno in 'Fukigen no Mononokean' and drive evil spirits away. You're definitely in good hands.