Subculture Anime Blog

OP: “Sekirei (セキレイ)” by Saori Hayami, Marina Inoue, Kana Hanazawa, and Aya Endo - The animation is kind of standard, but it’s definitely pleasing to look at. The song is done by four of the main seiyu, with their distinct voices easily recognizable.

Summary:

A group of soldiers is unable to shoot down a single woman that has invaded their facilities, as she easily kills all of them. In the meantime, another woman named Yume saves a young girl from the same area. In Tokyo, a student named Minato Sahashi sees that he has failed to pass his University entrance exams once again. After getting off of the phone with his mother about this, Minato takes note of news about the organization MBI. On the train, he recalls that the MBI’s main building is the high skyscraper in the center of the city. While despairing about his current life state while walking home, Minato is shocked to have a girl fall on top of him from the sky. Minato sees that two other girls are chasing after this woman as they blast lightning in her direction, but he is dragged off by the girl before he can witness any more. When Minato wakes the next day, he is further shocked to find the girl next to him in bed. When she begins to change clearly in front of him, he quickly leaves the room. With this, he realizes that the previous events were not a dream.

After the girl had run a far distance away, she finally took the chance to apologize to Minato who she had dragged into her situation. She then introduced herself as Musubi, before passing out from exhaustion. Taking her to his apartment, Minato treated Musubi to hamburgers to help her regain her energy. Minato finally took the time to wonder about the situation he had just experienced, but Musubi then took his attention again by expressing how nice it would be if her Ashikabi was someone like him. Back in the present time, Minato runs into his apartment’s manager who is suspicious of someone being in Minato’s room. Musubi greets Minato shortly after changing, then expressing that she is hungry. After treating Musubi at the expense of his wallet, Minato runs into the girls he had seen attacking Musubi the previous day. Minato attempts to warn Musubi when she returns to him, but she quickly engages combat with the two girls.

Minato refuses to let the two girls attack Musubi, getting in their way and then running away with Musubi in his arms. Musubi starts to feel a hot sensation in her body, and by the time the girls Hikari and Hibiki catch up to the pair, Musubi has already shared a kiss with Minato. With this, Musubi gains a mark on her back as she sprouts a pair of wings. Hikari threatens Minato after this disappointed, but she is quickly fended off by Musubi. Seeing that the situation has turned against them, the two girls quickly escape. Hikari and Hibiki meet a masked individual named Homura afterwards, who continues to wonder about their actions against wingless Sekirei. After demonstrating his obviously stronger powers, Homura simply leaves the two. With this, Hikari and Hibiki recall that they are participating in a battle royal against Sekirei. Minato asks what exactly Musubi and the other girls are in the aftermath of the fight, so Musubi explains that they are Sekirei.

Reaching home, Minato speaks on the phone with his younger sister Yukari about sending him some female clothing. Yukari seems to get the wrong impression, but agrees to do so because it seems interesting. While thinking how nice his situation is while watching Musubi cook, Minato is surprised to see his television turn on behind him. He is further shocked to find that the man on screen is directly speaking with him, but Musubi recognizes him as a man named Hakase. Hakase finds it interesting that Minato has not heard of him, then explaining that he has become involved in a game called the Sekirei Plan. After hearing a bit of explanation, Minato realizes that he has become Musubi’s Ashikabi who will help her to fight against other Sekirei. After a bit of warning about what Minato will be running into from now on, Hakase simply says farewell to the two. Minato receives a package from the MBI shortly afterwards, finding that it is a box full of Musubi’s clothes. Before Minato can leave the room as Musubi begins to change, Musubi declares that she will fight for Minato’s sake. The apartment manager shows up soon after, however, forcing Minato to leave after finding that he really had a girl in his apartment.

Minato fails to find a new apartment throughout the day the next day, and in the pouring rain later that night, he wonders why someone like him was chosen as Musubi’s Ashikabi. Musubi describes Minato as her special person in response, giving him another kiss. With this, she declares that she will do anything that Minato desires. As Hakase describes the battle among the 108 freed Sekirei, Musubi flies with Minato up into the sky to view a wonderful full moon. The start of a miraculous love story had begun.

Preview: Landlady time.

Impression:

So are you going to be watching this for the fighting, or the love power? Your choice, but anyone who says they’re watching this for the actual plot is totally lying. I picked up the Sekirei manga to sample it a few weeks ago, but now I can’t get my hands off of it. It’s typically rare for me to become attached to manga, but when I do, it usually shows that I really enjoy the series. The first episode of Sekirei did not disappoint me at all, and seeing everything animated is all the more exciting. I’m obviously attached to the strong cast, especially Musubi’s role being played by the talented Hayami Saori. The animation by Seven Arcs is quite good as well, and it even surprised me to see how clean everything looked. The story was handled only slightly differently from the manga, but it did serve its purpose in establishing the main plot of the show. As far as the ecchi levels go, I laughed pretty hard when I saw that things like flowers were being used as “censoring” (the manga has boobies). Anyways, I have already guaranteed to blog this series. I’m certainly looking forward to more Sekirei, and the introduction of even more of the large cast of characters.