Review: Gugure! Kokkuri-san

Gugure! Kokkuri-San is a hilarious comedy about a young school girl who releases an otherwise haunting fox spirit. After discovering her terrible eating habits, he decides to be her guardian. Unfortunately, his presence only allows for other animal spirits to haunt her, introducing her to a new life of disorder and curious circumstances.

Kohina Ichimatsu is a self-proclaimed doll with a robotic personality and addiction to cup noodles. The way she is drawn in comparison to the other characters adds to her charm. She is in a chibi form and we rarely see a glimpse of her “human” form. In the first episode, Kohina intentionally, and yet unintentionally, summons the trickster spirit while playing a game. Kokkuri-san, is a famous scary game in Japan, similar to an Ouija board. The game promises the summoning of a fox spirit who can answer questions about the future. Kokkuri-san appears outside of her door and barges into her home. He declares himself her caretaker after he discovers her lonely and unhealthy lifestyle. Kokkuri’s role is clearly to protect and care for Kohina, a clear father figure. Her rejection of Kokkuri’s aid, detached nature, and introduction of new spirits creates a refreshing, binge-worthy anime.

Their relationships and interactions are the highlights of this anime. Kohina acknowledges and rescues a dog spirit named Inugami. Inugami is infatuated with Kohina and can sometimes get uncomfortably perverted. This character does not have a set gender and constantly switches from male to female. Kokkuri and  have frequent competition concerning their love for Kohina. Another main that arrives is Shigaraki. He is an old and poor tanuki spirit who is constantly drinking, and ends up taking shelter with
Kohina as well. Despite his awful attitude, he actually has a softer side and is a bit of a philanthropist. Some episodes are surprisingly complicated with new complex characters and situations…I won’t be giving any spoilers away with those. Just trust
me, there is a golden episode in there that brought me to tears.

There is definitely a lack of character development in terms of Kohina. At the start of the anime, it seems the ultimate goal is to break Kohina out of her shell and to remove the “robot” tendencies. I imagined a dramatic scene where she blossoms with a warm personality, but instead we only see glances of her “real” image. But truthfully I wasn’t disappointed with this incorrect assumption. I en
joyed her robotic form because it created more room for entertainment and comedy. I do wish there was more of a backstory or eInugamxplanation as to why she reflects this robotic persona. That being said, there could very well be an explanation in the manga or in a second season. No second season has been announced as of yet.

As for my personal opinion, I was obsessed with this anime when it first came out. Each week when the fall episodes were released, this was the first show I watched. The anime hysterically pulls references from other anime, current events, etc. that don’t quite belong in the anime setting. It has an unexpected and almost dark sense of humor, but I find the character banter to be thoroughly amusing. I appreciated more of the comedic aspect of this anime than any other theme it offered. I didn’t necessarily enjoy this anime because of its major plot points or character story lines. I don’t want that to discourage you from watching it though. I am still hoping for a second season because of said humor. I wish these characters were real and could be my actual friends. Except maybe without Inugami’s perverted tendencies…

-S.

IMDb: 7.6/10