2nd Looks - Kurenai

I’ve now watched 2 or 3 episodes of most of this season’s shows, and Kurenai has emerged as one of my favourites.

This show really sneaked up on me. Nothing significant seems to be happening throughout the first 3 episodes but they managed to be entertaining nonetheless. The closest comparison from last season would probably be Spice & Wolf, where character interaction was the main draw, not plot or action.

Needless to say, I found most of the characters entertaining. The main guy Kurenai basically looks like a nice guy who’s working as an underworld “fixer”, resolving problems for people who’ve run into trouble with the mafia/triads/yakuza. We haven’t been shown why he’s into this business or whether he’s really a nice guy, but he’s monstrously strong despite appearances. He is clueless when it comes to caring for the loli tsundere he’s suppose to protect - but he tries - and we all love the idiot who never says die.

Kurenai can be a cheeky little bastard though, like how he tries to have his cake and eat it when it comes to the 2 girls who are quite obviously interested in him. One is Ginko the slightly tsundere meganekko who has known him since kindergarten and is feeding him info as an underworld informant of sorts; the other is Yuno, an onee-san whose family runs the dojo he used to live and train in. It is hinted that Ginko got involved with the underworld in order to help Kurenai, while Yuno showers him with homemade bento and forces kawaii handphone straps on him. Both girls obviously can’t stand each other, but are too polite to do anything about it besides complaining to the lucky bastard behind each other’s backs. I like the way the romance angle of the show is handled – none of the excessive blushing, ridiculous confessions or over-the-top bitch fights that are a staple of harem anime.

The other star of the show is Murasaki, the adorably chubby 7 year old tsundere who Kurenai is guarding. She’s a really high-class ojou-sama who has escaped from her prestigious but oppressive family and is now bunking with Kurenai in his rundown apartment filled with lovable weirdoes. Due to her sheltered life, she’s ignorant of the lives of normal folk and basically treats everyone like a servant. She appears obnoxious at first, but her good nature shines through as she learns more about the world. Her haughty demeanor and childish curiosity combine to provide some of the show’s best comedic moments. I seriously lol’ed when she proclaimed to Yuno that she and Kurenai were “cohabiting”.

So far, every episode has thrown up questions hinting at some conspiracy or plot twist, such as “Why did Kurenai’s employer “rescue” Murasaki?”, “What’s the secret behind Kurenai’s nearly inhuman strength and bizarre right arm?” as well as “What is the connection between Murasaki’s and Yuno’s families”. Despite that, the story moves at a pace more typical of slice-of-life comedies than the action thriller those potential plot points might suggest it to be. I think I’d rather it remain so for the rest of the series.