#21 A Centaur's Life!

     A Centaur's Life could fall under a few different genres, school life being the most prominent. It could also fall under comedy, slice of life, and monster girls. It focuses on our main character Himeno, or Hime, who's a centaur. We get to meet characters of different races and see how their society functions 'without prejudice.'

     A Centaur's Life has some subtle political undertones that we get to see in the first episode. The politics mostly focus on how the government pushes the equality between races and avoid 'hate crimes.' I'm glad that it's only addressed every once and awhile, otherwise it might alter the fun slice of life feel the show has going for it. (At the same time though, the undertones keep it from being just another monster girl school life anime.) If you want to check out some of the other undertones and or themes that both the manga and anime include, click here. (It's actually pretty cool to look at)

(just a side note I've also seen it translated to Centaur's Worries so if you're looking for that you're in the right place)


     One of the cool things about this show is how they address evolution and why their world ended up the way it is. Just like I said in the Made in Abyss post, I love learning about new worlds that stories introduce. It's awesome when the writers and animators take the time to explain the world the story takes place in. Although, I think A Centaur's Life takes place on an earth that's just evolved differently. (If you're confused this is all explained in the first episode.)

     Another great thing about this anime is that it shows you how the characters, who are different races, live depending on their differing sizes and limitations. For example, there are specific desks and cars made for centaurs. And there's a robot walking device made for mermaids. Usually in a monster girl anime or any anime that includes fantastical characters, it's never addressed how the society has to change in order to accommodate things like extra limbs or tails.

      One of the only problems I have with A Centaur's Life is the mermaids structure. As you can see, the tail starts much lower on the legs than a normal mermaid. I personally think it's disturbing to have a weird slit between the legs and then a tail. All of the other races look the way you would expect them to, except the mermaids. (Coincidence? I think not) 

     Another really great facet about the show is that the mermaids internal structure gets explained. There are a few other times where the structures of the different races are explained and we get to really understand the races themselves, instead of just accepting the characters as being fantastical. For example, in one of the episodes Hime explains why centaurs have to stay at a certain weight. (You're going to have to watch it to find out why)

     

     A Centaur's Life also includes a gay couple, which is fantastic! Especially since they're given actual personalities and aren't just there for extra fluff. When you think about it, on the surface A Centaur's Life looks like any other monster girl, school life anime but when you start watching it you begin to see all these little details that make it so much more interesting.

     If you want to watch A Centaur's Life click here.

     I've actually written a review about this one on anime planet if you want to check it out! (Click here.)

I do not own any of the pictures, gifs, or videos used in this post or any other post on AnimationNomination they are protected under the fair use policy 

#19 Hozuki's Coolheadedness!

Hell. A common theme in anime, but I'll bet that the other anime didn't have a rabbit torturing the deceased.

          Hozuki's Coolheadedness focuses on the different parts of hell and how they, the hell minions, deal with the people that end up there. Since this hell can be a little confusing you might want to click here to learn more. (this link does include some extra information)

          Hozuki, our main character, is the chief of staff for King Enma, and he typically has on a poker face. He's a pretty serious character but he does like to make puns every once and awhile and, since this show includes parody, he's usually the one referencing other anime. 
          Much like Gintama, Hozuki's Coolheadedness has its own story with a sprinkling of references to other shows. Although, as the show goes on we see less and less of other shows and it begins to focus more on its own characters.

          Offsetting Hozuki's serious and cold attitude is King Enma, who is sort of like a fluffy teddy bear. He's kind and happy-go-lucky and is much warmer than Hozuki. He is tough on the deceased but can be lenient towards his staff.

          A few other characters in Hozuki's Coolheadedness are the working demons and animals that help run hell. For example, in animal cruelty hell the deceased are attacked and mauled by animals for having hurt animals while they were alive. Some of these animals may seem soft and cute, but they take their jobs seriously and definitely make the deceased pay.

          Each of the episodes is split into two segments consisting of 10 minutes each. Since the segments are so short there really isn't an underlying plot, and the episodes could technically be watched out of order.    

  
          Speaking of episodes, one of my favorites is episode 5 of season 1 "The Instrumental Duo of the Mighty Rivals / Mental Sports Day". I found it hilarious but I'm not going to tell you about it because you have to see it for your self. 

          Right now there are 2 seasons out with a third season coming out October 7th 2018. I know I'm excited for it!

          Another awesome thing about Hozuki's Coolheadedness is its opening themes. In season ones opening there's a weird mistake or easter egg concerning one of the characters in the lineup at the end (if you know what I'm talking about leave a comment!) Season 2 has an awesome ending song and animation sequence. 

          (Unfortunately the season one opening animation does not exist on youtube but click here if you want to just listen to the song. And I can't find a link to the season 2 ending song so it looks like you'll just have to watch the show!)

          If you have seen the show comment with your favorite character! Mine's definitely Shiro! 

(If you want to read the official description click here)

I do not own any of the pictures, gifs, or videos used in this post or any other post on AnimationNomination they are protected under the fair use policy