Kure-nai
 

Easily one of the better shows this season. Almost like Hayate no Gotoku if you took out the comedy, put in a really dark plot, and have the plot actually advance at all. Anyhow:


Synopsis: Shinkurō Kurenai is a high school student by day, but at night, he works at odd jobs ranging from mediating disputes (a euphemism for beating up his clients' opponents) to slightly less dangerous tasks, all of which are done through his employer, a woman named Benika. After performing well for awhile at his job, Benika finally hands him a new, dangerous assignment: the task of serving as Murasaki Kuhouin's bodyguard. Murasaki Kuhouin is the eleven-year old daughter hailing from a rich family. Why she opted to leave her rich lifestyle to live in Shinkurō's squalid apartment (he lives by himself and takes these jobs to pay the bills) has yet to be explained. Even more troubling is that Shinkurō's body seems to have been modified so that it's stronger and more durable. How that came to be is anyone's guess, but it sure helps him with his job.

Other side characters in this series includes Shinkurō's school friends Yuuno (a pretty girl who apparently runs the school newspaper or something of that sort) and Ginko (a more bookish girl who acts as an internet detective, informing Shinkurō of his client's background and who harbors some jealousy whenever he talks with Yuuno. Oh, and she's probably got a shady background too). Then there are also his neighbors Tamaki, an easygoing woman, and Yamie, who appears to be a goth or someone really interested in exotic accessories (like a skull on a necklace). Finally, we have Yayoi, one of Benika's underlings and who constantly tries to jockey for a more favorable position in Benika's eyes.


Thoughts: Of all the ones I've actually seen, this one's managed to grab me with its animation quality (which really reminds me of Red Garden) and the characters interactions that really allows you to go deep into each character's personality and motivations.

While there hasn't been much in the way of action (save for a scene or two as Shinkurō is out on whatever job Benika assigns him), the ones that we have seen are pretty decent and raises a lot of questions about just how Shinkurō came to be the way he was. Also, every scene was pretty fluid and it didn't look like the animation is plagued by any shortcuts since everything comes out really cleanly, down to the characters' facial expressions.

But the highlight of the show definitely is on the plot which contains a whole lot of mysteries that need to be resolved, as well as the character interactions, which have been interesting so far, especially when it comes to socializing Murasaki into everyday life for most people out there. Her maturity level is a bit jarring for a seven year old, so be prepared to suspend a little bit of disbelief. Shinkurō's interactions at school also open a lot of plot avenues, and with the episodes shown so far, Ginko and Yuuno will be tied to the main plot in some way. In any event, I'm looking forwards to seeing how things pan out and get resolved as the series progresses.

So, for people who think this is tl;dr, just watch it. You won't be disappointed since this show isn't one that narrows itself down to one genre, which makes it a show that everyone can enjoy. This show is probably going to be one of the better shows of the season. I'm currently enjoying it more than Allison and Lillia, which says quite a bit for how good this is.

Links (BSS's mkv HD subs only):
Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3

I have to say, this is suddenly my favourite series of the current season. Character interaction just works in this show. Murasaki is absolutely endearing; so is everyone else, in fact. There's a lot of dialogue in this show, but it's interesting dialogue which didn't bore me at all -- every single line reveals just that little bit more about the characters behind them. Even the anonymous extras are given some great lines of their own (I especially loved that baseball player countering Murasaki's utterances with a completely straight face). Allison and Lillia had better buck up in this regard :mad:

I didn't know they had an anime adaptation out for Kure-nai. I was reading the manga, and it's pretty cool. Not usually the kinda stuff I read, but hey.

Edit: Ah, I caught up on the last volume again. I had forgotten a little bit about the series but now I remember. The harem aspect is hilarious.

Watching this now too, and I agree, some of the conversations are hysterical. I'm very curious to see how they will explain what happened to Shinkuro, but I'm betting that will stay a mystery for a while yet.

All in all, good find, and thank you for making a thread. I doubt I'd have heard of it otherwise.

friend of mine randomly gave me a torrent telling me for sure i would like this anime, gave it a go and now i'm hooked
anybody else think the art style looks like Red Garden?

Hopefully that answers your question :) I believe that while this isn't a Gonzo work, Kure-nai's director also worked on Red Garden, which might explain the emphasis on the character development. With that in mind, I'll probably watch this and scour for more similarities.

Also, kudos on them being able to handle that three-way dialogue in episode 3. I've never seen it handled in such a way as to make them both easy to follow along. Needless to say, that was a really fun segment to watch.

After going through this, this show easily tops my Spring 2008 list. The amazing amount of development that went into the side characters and the gripping plot just has no competition at this point. Although I'd argue that the second half of the series was a bit less enjoyable than what had preceded it, this show is competently handled from start to finish. Everything resolved neatly and life goes on.

I'm still blown away by that episode in which they perform the play though. That episode isn't likely to be topped any time soon.