I’ve been liking the 3rd year anniversary. I’ve been liking the content I’ve been putting out, and overall my mood’s brighter a little. Given my brighter mood, I thought it was only right to look at an anime episode from a show of a similar nature. A show that’s got a little bit of seriousness behind it, but at the same time is a bright & sunny little series. So get ready for school, get familiar with monster species, and enjoy my review of the first episode of A Centaur’s Life.
Basic Story
Taken from Wikipedia:
“While preparing for a class play, centaur Himeno Kimihara, who is playing the princess, ends up kissing her demon friend Nozomi Gokuraku after a male classmate who had originally hoped to play the prince role modified her script. During the play, a set of steps collapses beneath Himeno and Nozomi, forcing Himeno to make a daring rescue to save Nozomi. Later, during marathon practise, Nozomi and their half-Satyr friend Kyouko Naraku test how fast Himeno can run, which almost results in an accident.”
Each episode is split up into 2 mini-episodes, both of which have their own stories (Some of which are interconnected with each other). These stories are nice & sweet, and since this is the first episode in a series, we’re also given a look at the story of the world that A Centaur’s Life takes place in. Unlike Monster Musume, the monster species in this world weren’t myth, but instead were from a change in human evolution, evolving into 4 different monster races, and changing the history of the world. For ages there was conflict between themselves, often to the point of barbaric. In the modern day, there is now peace & civility between all 4 groups, thanks to a system of laws & rules that were put in place. On the surface this has done good, but on the other hand has created something of an Orwellian environment, where if you offend or go against the system, you’re taken away to a center to be re-educated about the laws & society. Which is ironic, because.....
Overall Mood
The first episode has an otherwise cheerful mood. There is a little tension when the evolution of species/rules are explained, but for the most part there’s a rather happy vibe. It’s just a bunch of young people at school, putting on a play, and essentially going about their lives. The slice-of-life aspect is very evident, as the day goes off without anything weird happening......despite Japan being populated by monster people. It seems to parallel ours almost to a T.....again, apart from the monster people.
Characters
Though we’re given a view of a variety of characters early on, it quickly narrows down to just a couple. For the purposes of this review, I’ll talk about the main 3 that were given the most screentime throughout the episode. Let me start off with the character who gave this show it’s name, Himeno. Called Hime by her friends, she not like Centorea from Monster Musume: she’s nowhere near as ample in the chest area, dresses in more normal clothing (Normal for a centaur from her world), and is a much more friendlier & approachable person as compared to Cerea, who’s sometimes more standoff-ish & aggressive. Nozomi, the demon-girl is Hime trickster-like friend, and is sometimes mistaken for a boy by some (Though not in the opening episode). Despite her nature, Nozomi is really loyal to Hime, and seems like a girl that would be there for anybody that knew her. Kyouko, the half-satyr of the trio, is a little more obnoxious than the others, but that’s only during the 2nd half of the episode. Like Nozomi, Kyouko is close friends with Hime, and adds her own character to the trio.
Animation
A Centaur’s Life has a nice & cutesy look to it. Unlike Monster Musume, the girls aren’t quite as sexualized, and actually look more like normal people (As normal as monster girls look that is). Colors are nice, and the world doesn’t look all that much different from a typical slice-of-life anime in urban Japan. The movement of the characters, male or female, looks fantastic. This might sound strange, but seeing a centaur character move around is strangely refreshing (One disadvantage to Centorea from MM).
Final Opinion & Rating
The first episode of A Centaur’s Life is a fun little slice-of-life anime, filled with a colorful cast of monster characters, and a interesting twist to it’s story. It’s also a far cleaner show in terms of fan-service, although from what I’ve been told my a friend or two, it gets a little dirtier later on. Regardless, if you want a less dirty alternative to Monster Musume, then check out the opener to A Centaur’s Life. It’s cute, and it got me to smile.
A Centaur’s Life Ep 1 gets a 9 out of 10.
So this concludes my official set of posts for this month. I’ve got 2 birthday/retrospective posts coming up (One’s tomorrow, to be exact), and after that October is coming. Until next month, may you be friends with a centaur near you.
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