I was really feeling under the weather since the start of this week. My throat hurts and my nose seems to not cease from drying. It felt like hell, so I decided to take a break for a while. But of 'course I can't really control my cravings to watch new anime, so while I was constantly snivelling I watched this new anime I'm into. Unlike the previous ones, this somehow is more serious. It doesn't have that much comedy (or it doesn't have one at all), but what surprised me is that it didn't make me feel bored.
Its plot is something else because I was entertained by how well-written it was. This one isn't your typical historical fantasy anime because it really surpassed my expectations. So now join me as we dive into the captivating and mysterious world of three legged ravens in Yatagarasu: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master.
About the Anime
Yatagarasu: The Raven Does Not Choose Its Master (Karasu wa Aruji wo Erabanai) is an anime series that premiered in the spring of 2024. This aired from April 6, 2024, to September 21, 2024. This anime series was produced by NHK, NHK Enterprises and was animated by Pierrot. Its genres are fantasy and drama, while its main themes are historical and mythology. It has 20 episodes in total, which I thought at first would be dragging to watch, but it turns out when I finished it, it became in fact too short for me. This anime was based on the novel written by Chisato Abe.
So the story happened in the land of Yamauchi, where there live the three-legged ravens that took human form and they're called yatagarasu. The yatagarasu lived among the mountains, and there they built a kingdom ruled by Kin'u. A true Kin'u is a golden raven whose not only a ruler among the yatagarasu—but also both a mother and father to all of them. Unlike the previous Kin'u, the current ruling Kin'u isn't the firstborn son; rather, he's the second son born to a concubine. This caused quite a stir in the imperial courts, with the Queen enraged that her son, the eldest, wasn't chosen to be one.
Despite the fact that he's already hailed as the next Kin'u, this doesn't stop those who question and oppose him. He must, with all his strengths and wits, maintain the balance and peace in Yamauchi, and while doing this he also need to choose himself a wife among the four young women. But choosing among them isn't as easy as choosing the best clothes, for a wrong decision could tip off the subtle balance among the four nations. Will it be from the warriors of the North, artisans of the West, musicians of the East, or merchants of the South? Each of these women has motives and secrets—both potentially good and bad.
With the competition rising, Yukiya, the second son of a village chief of Taruhi, was sent to become the prince's attendant. Although he didn't want to be one, he was forced to do so since this position can potentially help his hometown. He thought it was just luck that brought him into the imperial courts, but it's no mere luck or coincidence. He will discover the reason behind it soon, with his life in grave danger.
This anime is, I think, one of the most underrated anime this year. With its interesting fantasy story, intriguing characters, unexpected plot twists, and gripping action scenes, I'm surprised that it didn't get the amount of attention and appreciation it deserves. Watching it was definitely quite a change for me because, unlike other animes that I usually watch, this doesn't have much humor at all. It was probably a while since I watched a historical anime that doesn't focus on action scenes, for its plot is enough to keep me hooked onto it.
At first I thought it would be like those typical palace harems with the usual demure and subservient women, but it turns out to be different. The characters were really written well with both depths and motives, and that made the plot more intriguing because you can't easily predict them. Of 'course I noticed some subtle details, the very fine ones that most of the viewers usually overlook. These little details seem trivial, but I like how it became the foreshadowing of some major plot twists. The creator did really a good job in making characters that you will love and then hate later (ahahahha this one is probably a spoiler). I already suspected her, though, because I'm not really fond of characters such as her, but I guess she fooled a lot of viewers (lol).
I'm not particularly fond of its art style, but I don't dislike it either. The characters look gorgeous, especially the women. Its artstyle isn't that unique, but what really amazed me was how they depicted the sceneries all across the Yamauchi. It's really majestic, and even though they usually use long static shots to feature those sceneries, the beauty of how it's portrayed complements well with the lack of animation. It doesn't bother me at all because the details on those still shots were mesmerizing and enjoyable to watch. Further, I like how fluid the animation is on the transformation scene. It's just pleasing to see how nice those transitions are, from their raven form to human form and vice versa.
As for its soundtrack, I don't particularly find it that memorable, but I certainly like its catchy opening song. It's lyrics were certainly perfect for the anime. Also, its beat is really enjoyable to hear, I think it's kinda off for its historical genre. Nevertheless, it's a great way to start an anime because it does emanate an upbeat mood. On the other hand, its ending song was totally a fit for the feels of this anime because it really gives off a mood that matches with the historical genre. Overall, the soundtrack was fine, and I guess it managed to somehow enhance the emotions that this anime wanted the viewers to feel.
By and by, my personal rating for this anime is 9/10. For me, it was surprisingly engrossing for a historical anime. I know that not all can really appreciate the beauty of this anime, but I think this ought to be really recognized. It's a slowburn one, but trust me, it'll get more intriguing and gripping as the story progresses. Its plot is devoid of any forced humor that were usually there just to engage the audience; rather, it hooked me up to it because it really made me feel like I'm also there, thinking along with them. So if you're up for a historical fantasy anime that has interesting characters and a well-written plot, then you definitely need to watch Yatagarasu because it's certainly an anime you shouldn't sleep on this 2024!
Before I end this review, I gladly share with you its trailer, so—
Have you watched this anime? Or is this your first time encountering it? If it is, then this is definitely your sign to watch it. That's all for now, minna-san! I hoped you enjoyed reading my review.
Arigatou and tanoshinde ne~
The pictures that didn't have source were screenshots from the anime while the last picture was edited in Canva.
It sounds really intriguing, with that mix of historical fantasy and complex characters. I like that it's not your typical comedy-filled anime; sometimes a more serious approach can be refreshing. I'll definitely add it to my list! Hope you feel better soon.
Thank you... Hopefully yes, but for now I'll bear with it. Yep! Sometimes serious stuffs are good break from the generic anime genres lately. I really enjoyed watching it, and I do hope you'll also enjoy it when you watch it.
Great! you saw it too, I thought I was the only one here who liked this anime. I don't know why but it was inactive for a while, I waited weeks for the next episodes to come out. If it's already finished, I'm going to give it priority since its intrigue was pretty good. Thanks for sharing! 💕
It's already finished with 20 eps in total. I also tried watching it way back when it premiered, but I somehow got tired waiting for its update, and when it's finished, I somehow forgot to watch the latter eps. Thankfully I remembered about it, then I binge-watched the whole series, and tadah—it was definitely worth watching! I really love the characters and plot twists~
Btw, you're welcome, and thanks for stopping by!
Thank you for sharing this post with the community and for preferring us, it is a pleasure for us to have you here.
We hope to see you soon. Best regards!
You're welcome! It's always a pleasure to share the anime stuff that I like here...
So yeah... Ja ne~
I notice from what you write that the anime has gone unnoticed and if it is a pity because Yatagarasu has great mythology, is pure folklore of Japan and I see the drawing style very delicate and striking, what I read and see in images at least be entertaining 😎
Yatagarasu is really an interesting mythology from Japan, and it's amazing how the author was able to create a well-written plot from that lore. The portrayal of the mystical village of Yamauchi was also stunning, and because of those, it's really a wonder why it didn't get much attention. Though this series was slow-burn, it was enjoyable 'til the end.
Ooh, this will be added to my ever growing list of animes that I'll watch later on, thanks for sharing.🙂
You're welcome, @vincric! I'm glad that this anime captured your interest. Hopefully you'll watch it soon!
Thanks for stopping by and ja ne~
Loved this, but I can understand why it's not a mainstream fave given it's one of those more focused on art than fan service plots.
Yep... Sadly, most of the viewers aren't into complex plots. Its serious air may not be appealing to the mainstream viewers who're mostly into comedy and fanservice stuff. But yeah... If it's not getting much attention this year, I hope it will in the future.
es una novela jeje esconde varios puntos de infidelidad y verdades ocultas, buen post!
it's a novel hehe it hides several points of infidelity and hidden truths, good post!
Wahhh, have you read the novel? Is it good? Although the anime ended on a good note, I'm really intrigued by what will happen next. There were still a lot of underlying issues that were left unturned, so I was kinda hoping it'd have its second season in the near future...
Good anime you have there. Though I'm not used to historical anime, I've only watched one well, two actually. Rurouni Kenshin—which wasn’t quite what I expected. And, of course, Demon Slayer. Well, I absolutely loved that one.
What I'm particularly drawn to is the art style, which I seem to like from watching the thriller. It gives off a historical vibe, similar to Demon Slayer, and I think I’d really enjoy watching it.
It could be the perfect way to end my anime watch list for the year.
Thanks for sharing!
Woahhhh... It looks so nice,the anime I mean.
Sorry about your nose,the sniveling and all. Hope you get better.
Just added it to my watchlist!❤️