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Demon Detective Ragnarok: Matantei Loki RAGNAROK Rating:   Genre: Action, Comedy, Magic, Occult Studio: Studio Deen Year: 2003 Length: 26 episodes Reviewer: SHiN_aKuMa Synopsis: Mayura Daidoji is a mystery obsessed girl whom constantly looks for the supernatural. One day, she stumbles on a talking doll. The awestruck Mayura takes the doll home and soon after, the doll disappears. Loosing the only evidence of the paranormal, she calls the help of a detective agency that specializes in unusual cases. Little does she know that the detective running the agency is actually Loki, an exiled Norse God taking the form of a young boy. Why is Loki banished from the heavens? Why do other Gods taking the forms of high school students and cute girls want to kill Loki? Why does Odin (the ruler of the Gods) wants Loki to be killed? Is the coming of Ragnarok causing all these questions? What will happen if Mayura discovers Loki's secret? Is after watching all 26 episodes gonna answer all of the questions? With the aid of his loyal partner Yamino-kun, they set out to uncover the mystery. Review: Matantei Loki RAGNAROK is one of those animes who has a unique setting but failed to make most out of it. Where can you find an anime who has a funny take on Norse Mythology? As the synopsis suggests, the plot revolves around an exiled God solving paranormal cases in hopes of finding clues on why Odin banished and tries to kill him. At first, I thought it was a detective story and after watching episode 1, this series is more of a funny anime and more or less nothing dark it is based from. Each episode deals on Loki solving generic puzzles, fight monsters, meeting other Gods and watch them interact in funny ways. Though certain episode focuses on the main story, others are fillers just to expand this series to 26. On the bright side though, some of these episodes are needed for developing the characters and nothing more than a barrel of laughs. Speaking of comedy, this is the best part of this anime. I can guarantee that most episodes will leave a smile on your face. Somehow, this anime soothed my mood. Maybe because this anime is like a delicious dessert after eating the main courses. What I'm trying to say that RAGNAROK is a light-hearted choice after watching philosophical-ridden, teen-angst-driven, occult-bearing, love-torn, emotionally charged anime series. Characterization is very good. All of the characters are given sufficient depth and all of them are very likable. I really adore the characters, especially the Norse Gods, they make this series worthwhile and you'll feel its magic. There's the workaholic Thunder God Thor, The beautiful Norns (Verdandi, Skuld and Urd), The cute and seductive Freya, her equally funny brother Frey and my personal favorite, Mayura, the mystery-obsessed girl. The music is good. Haunting, magical, cute and rocks. None of the music is out of place and they are just good to hear. My best music is the haunting type; it's very spooky to hear. I also love the opening and ending themes. For the art and animation, I have no complaints in this department and the designs are just beautiful. The characters looked so good that I actually fell in love with the girls. Personally, I find Mayura, Hel, Freya, Leila and Skuld so damn cute! My favorite part of this series is when Mayura changes costumes that fit the scene. She dresses as a tour guide, waitress, policewoman etc., It's amusing to watch. Action you say? I find the action generic. I've been picky on action lately since my chaotic incident on Samurai Deeper Kyo. If you watched SDK's action sequences, you can easily guess what type of action Matantei Loki RAGNAROK has. I'll make an exception this time; I will give the action an OK. It fits the light-hearted content of RAGNAROK compared to the serious content on SDK. I think I've covered all of the good parts, now on to the bad. The filler episodes are just one of the problems. I would like it if the filler episodes contain some bits of information on the plot to keep me intrigued and will encourage me to watch continuously. I was really disappointed, after each episode, I often asked myself, "where is the plot?" Second is the ending, when the mystery starts to reveal itself and Verdandi finally quotes "We'll soon find out what is causing Ragnarok", the series stops cold without answering the questions. I screamed "WHAT THE FU**!" I checked my video store if I missed an episode; sadly, the series really ends on 26. I will have to blame the filler episodes for "filling" RAGNAROK and squeezing out the conclusion. The only part of the ending I enjoyed is the fact that Odin is very cute. I hope they should make a 4-episode OVA or a 2nd season to conclude RAGNAROK. "Oh, Odin, answer my prayer, show me a sign." All in all, Matantei Loki RAGNAROK is a light-hearted, inconclusive, magical and an enjoyable series to waste few hours on your weekend. And for those who hate abrupt endings, avoid this anime at all cost. |
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