With a history of court magicians and diviners, it’s easy to imagine ancient Japan as a fantastical world. Onmyoji depicts Abe no Seimei, Japan's most famous historical court cosmologist, as he solves cases that involve the supernatural. With people turning into demons, or demons possessing people, you’d think that the anime would be mystical, fantastical, perhaps even totally crazy, as magic could free the story from normal earth-bound logic. However, Onmyoji stays on the tamer side, mostly explaining its magic through Seimei’s dialogue, and each case’s flashbacks. The show doesn’t even delve into the court politics that would drive Seimei’s rivalry with a genderbent Ashiya Doman. Onmyoji feels like a missed opportunity to go absolutely nuts with its magic.
Synopsis
In the gilded enclave of the imperial court, Minamoto Hiromasa befriends the mystic Abe Seimei, solving tricky cases rising from the demonic realm.
Storyline
In ancient Japan, the best practitioners of onmyodo, a system of cosmology, can be appointed to advise the Emperor on spiritual matters. The best known onmyoji is Abe Seimei, and with the musician Minamoto Hiromasa, they solve cases from the demonic realm.
TLDR
The show promised magic, demons, and mystery, but so much time is dedicated to just explaining magic… Though, let the historical legend Abe no Seimei be your inspiration for a red eyeliner look.
What stands out
Onmyoji isn’t just one story. The whole concept started as a series of short story collections and novels in 1986, that continued to spawn multiple off-shoots, including movies, dramas, and manga. Because of this, there’s definitely an abundance of stories for the anime showrunners to choose from, and instead of focusing on one thread, each episode portrays a new case. It’s the standard format for procedural TV, with the main connection between all episodes being Seimei and Hiromasa, but the episodes do feel disconnected from each other, at least until the appearance of Seimei’s rival. For those curious about Japanese folklore, each story might be interesting, but without establishing a great connection between the two leads, the series feels adrift as they journey from place to place.
