Sometimes you discover a series so weirdly nostalgic that you can’t help but want more.
There is magic in
Gingitsune, a magic that’s kind of hard to pinpoint if you’re relatively new to anime or otherwise not usually interested in these sorts of premises. This is, as much of the season has already proven to be, rather “old school”, for want of a better term, and personally,
I find it charming in a way I haven’t found many recent series to be. After all, this isn’t a show that’s concerned with weaving a majestic plot, nor is it really an eye candy series of any type (unless you count some of the very pretty animation, though it’s a come and go situation), nor is it really a complete slice of life experience. This is an animal of a different breed, reminiscent of the melancholy
Natsume Yuujinchou, though not quite that heavy. I don’t think many of us will watch
Gingitsune and consider it a defining moment of our anime watching experiences; this is a series that lives and breathes in the moment, not quite subdued, but
definitely pleasant and refreshing if you prefer something a little less jarring on the senses.
The story revolves around our young heroine, the cheerful Saeki Makoto (
Kanemoto Hisako), the Oracle at an Inari shrine, and her Herald/partner Gintaro (
Miki Shinichiro), a silver fox that only Makoto can see. The first episode does a good job at introducing our main protagonists and setting the tone, as well as in setting up the
relationship between Makoto and Gintaro, which is something of a cross between a familial relationship, a close friendship, and a work partnership, a dynamic that works quite nicely in favor of the atmosphere. Gintaro clearly cares a lot for Makoto, whom he’s been with since she was four years old, and Makoto definitely relies on Gintaro a little too much for her own good. But overall the
relationship is sweet and somehow very relaxing to watch unfold, something I’m sure we’ll see more of in the future.
Overall, then, this is the sort of series with a sort of “problem of the week” vibe to it, and I can see some sort of overarching plot line developing from the absence of Gintaro’s Herald partner (
they’re meant to come in pairs), but for now, at least, this is the story of a young girl and her fox, and how they work together to help those who live near them and depend on their ability to communicate with one another, whether they are aware of it or not.
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