This anime series in centred on Aoi Tsubaki, a college student who can see Ayakashi, supernatural beings. One day one lures her into the Hidden Realm. Here she learns that he is Odanna, an ogre who knew Aoi's grandfather. He was well known in the Hidden Realm; he also ran up debts and as part of his payment Odanna expects Aoi to marry him! She isn't so keen so negotiates with him so that instead of marrying him she will work at Tenjin'ya, an inn he owns. She soon impresses other Ayakashi with her cooking; this isn't an entirely good thing as it leads her into some dangerous situations. This twenty six part series was a real delight. The story is told at a gentle pace which enables us to get to know the characters. There are plenty of mildly perilous situations but one never really fears for Aoi. She is a likeable protagonist and the characters who surround her are interesting. It probably helps if one has some understanding in Japanese folklore even if, like me, it is what one has learnt from other anime. It shouldn't be too much of an impediment if you don't though. The character designs and backgrounds are impressive and the animation is of a high standard. Overall I'd definitely recommend this to fans of anime that combine Japanese folklore with humour, drama and a touch of romance. These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.

See other user reviews