Matantei Loki Ragnarok
Since the Maloki TV series is finished (at least for now), I am going to do a long sort of tribute/review thing for it. First of all, you can find this anime through Bit Torrent at http://www.animesuki.com
GENERAL:
Matantei Loki Ragnarok (Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok) is about the cursed prankster god Loki who is banished to Earth as a little boy. There, he sets up a detective agency with his companion Yamino. They are then joined by mystery freak Mayura, the puppy Fenrir, pink marshmellow Ecchan, sweet little Reiya, poor Narugami, and other friends. Meanwhile, Odin the Allfather is plotting Loki's demise....
THOUGHTS:
At first, I wasn't too impressed. It was cute, and I liked the little kids. But there wasn't too much plot. After a while, it became a very character driven story... and then BAM! Suddenly the plot is really important. It's really excellently done, though- and you realize how important the earlier slow episodes are later in the series.
The first five or six episodes aren't that interesting. But, seriously, stick through it. After that, it gets pretty cool, and then from ep. 19 and up, it's AWESOME. The ending of the series (26) is open ended... so hopefully they will be able to pick the rest of it up at a later date.
I wasn't too fond of the design at first, but after a while, I grew to be fond of it, and now I love it. There are a couple things where the direction isn't so great (namely the crying snake), but other than that, it seems very well done and very action oriented.
CHARACTERS:
Loki: The trickster god... Of course Loki is THE Loki from Norse mythology. He is sweet but overall can be very unpredictable. I am really fond of his character, but I can see in the manga more how he is the trickster Loki.
Mayura: The mystery girl... Mayura is sort of the secondary main character. She's really sweet but dumb and overobsessed with mysteries. I didn't think I'd like her, but when everyone seems to react around her the way that normal people would around someone like that- she seems a lot better.
Yamino: The mail-order guy... Yamino is somehow related to Loki (tee hee) and he loves to take care of the little god. He's very fond of getting things from mail order and cleaning and cooking for Loki. I think sometimes he's a little over-obsessed considering his relation to Loki.
Ecchan: The pink marshmellow... Ecchan is sooooo cute! Loki was trying to summon up a dead spirit at one point, but his magic malfunctioned and he ended up summoning Ecchan who he named that because it was "erai" or remarkable.
Fenrir: The talking puppy... Fenrir is really funny. And though he looks a little weird, his attitude makes him very cute. He's really great how he acts cute around Loki but then is so demanding around Yamino.
Narugami: The thunder god... Narugami is Thor the god of thunder. He always carries Myollnir (his wooden sword) around with him- even to school. He's very poor, too- and always has a new part-time job. At first he's sent to kill Loki, but they are really good friends.
Reiya/Freya: The girl with a goddess inside... Reiya is a really cute cute little girl who is actually the goddess Freya. Freya isn't quite so cute. But she's funny and sometimes kind of cool.
Freyr: The thief god... Freyr is GREAT! He is so stupid and funny and totally in love with Mayura. He seems sort of like a really dumb Yamino-kun. He's supposed to be searching on Earth for Freya his sister, but instead he follows Heimdall around like a puppy whining about how much he loves "Yamato Nadesico"- his name for Mayura.
Heimdall: The hawk god... Heimdall is so cool. And his story is really kind of sad. Towards the end, I liked him a lot better than I did in the beginning. I feel kind of sorry for him, too- because he has to live with Freyr all the time. u_u
Gullimbrusti: The mechanical pig... Gullimbrusti is Freyr's way of getting around. Basically, its there for Freyr to ride on. I'm serious. A mechanical pig that Freyr rides on. I guess I could be wrong about the mechanical part, though- because he eats.
The Norns: Urd, Skuld, Verudandi... These girls are the fates. I don't really care either way for any of them, though Skuld is kind of sympathetic and Verudandi is cute.
Mayura Papa: The man who doesn't believe... Mayura's father is more spiritually endowed than she is, but he doesn't believe in ghosts or spirits. He's pretty funny and very caring towards his daughter. Though he thinks she's stupid. ^_^
Hel: The mysterious girl.... Hel is Loki's daughter and the guardian of the underworld. Apparently she was shunned from the world of the gods because she was so melancholy or something. Other than that, just watch the series.
Kou-chan: I can never remember his real name... it's like Koutaro or something. But Loki calls him Kou-chan. He's not super interesting, but he's a nice human addition to a cast of gods.
OVERALL
The Good: overall storyline, design, character development, music, open ending
The Bad: beginning 6 or so eps, Odin's eye
The Ugly: Odin's eye
Definitely check out Maloki. It's really worth it. ^_^
GENERAL:
Matantei Loki Ragnarok (Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok) is about the cursed prankster god Loki who is banished to Earth as a little boy. There, he sets up a detective agency with his companion Yamino. They are then joined by mystery freak Mayura, the puppy Fenrir, pink marshmellow Ecchan, sweet little Reiya, poor Narugami, and other friends. Meanwhile, Odin the Allfather is plotting Loki's demise....
THOUGHTS:
At first, I wasn't too impressed. It was cute, and I liked the little kids. But there wasn't too much plot. After a while, it became a very character driven story... and then BAM! Suddenly the plot is really important. It's really excellently done, though- and you realize how important the earlier slow episodes are later in the series.
The first five or six episodes aren't that interesting. But, seriously, stick through it. After that, it gets pretty cool, and then from ep. 19 and up, it's AWESOME. The ending of the series (26) is open ended... so hopefully they will be able to pick the rest of it up at a later date.
I wasn't too fond of the design at first, but after a while, I grew to be fond of it, and now I love it. There are a couple things where the direction isn't so great (namely the crying snake), but other than that, it seems very well done and very action oriented.
CHARACTERS:
Loki: The trickster god... Of course Loki is THE Loki from Norse mythology. He is sweet but overall can be very unpredictable. I am really fond of his character, but I can see in the manga more how he is the trickster Loki.
Mayura: The mystery girl... Mayura is sort of the secondary main character. She's really sweet but dumb and overobsessed with mysteries. I didn't think I'd like her, but when everyone seems to react around her the way that normal people would around someone like that- she seems a lot better.
Yamino: The mail-order guy... Yamino is somehow related to Loki (tee hee) and he loves to take care of the little god. He's very fond of getting things from mail order and cleaning and cooking for Loki. I think sometimes he's a little over-obsessed considering his relation to Loki.
Ecchan: The pink marshmellow... Ecchan is sooooo cute! Loki was trying to summon up a dead spirit at one point, but his magic malfunctioned and he ended up summoning Ecchan who he named that because it was "erai" or remarkable.
Fenrir: The talking puppy... Fenrir is really funny. And though he looks a little weird, his attitude makes him very cute. He's really great how he acts cute around Loki but then is so demanding around Yamino.
Narugami: The thunder god... Narugami is Thor the god of thunder. He always carries Myollnir (his wooden sword) around with him- even to school. He's very poor, too- and always has a new part-time job. At first he's sent to kill Loki, but they are really good friends.
Reiya/Freya: The girl with a goddess inside... Reiya is a really cute cute little girl who is actually the goddess Freya. Freya isn't quite so cute. But she's funny and sometimes kind of cool.
Freyr: The thief god... Freyr is GREAT! He is so stupid and funny and totally in love with Mayura. He seems sort of like a really dumb Yamino-kun. He's supposed to be searching on Earth for Freya his sister, but instead he follows Heimdall around like a puppy whining about how much he loves "Yamato Nadesico"- his name for Mayura.
Heimdall: The hawk god... Heimdall is so cool. And his story is really kind of sad. Towards the end, I liked him a lot better than I did in the beginning. I feel kind of sorry for him, too- because he has to live with Freyr all the time. u_u
Gullimbrusti: The mechanical pig... Gullimbrusti is Freyr's way of getting around. Basically, its there for Freyr to ride on. I'm serious. A mechanical pig that Freyr rides on. I guess I could be wrong about the mechanical part, though- because he eats.
The Norns: Urd, Skuld, Verudandi... These girls are the fates. I don't really care either way for any of them, though Skuld is kind of sympathetic and Verudandi is cute.
Mayura Papa: The man who doesn't believe... Mayura's father is more spiritually endowed than she is, but he doesn't believe in ghosts or spirits. He's pretty funny and very caring towards his daughter. Though he thinks she's stupid. ^_^
Hel: The mysterious girl.... Hel is Loki's daughter and the guardian of the underworld. Apparently she was shunned from the world of the gods because she was so melancholy or something. Other than that, just watch the series.
Kou-chan: I can never remember his real name... it's like Koutaro or something. But Loki calls him Kou-chan. He's not super interesting, but he's a nice human addition to a cast of gods.
OVERALL
The Good: overall storyline, design, character development, music, open ending
The Bad: beginning 6 or so eps, Odin's eye
The Ugly: Odin's eye
Definitely check out Maloki. It's really worth it. ^_^