The shounen genre has always been a stable genre in anime. So many classics, so many beloved franchises that have been imbedded in billions of anime fans heads.
And it doesn’t seem like shounens are slowing down anytime soon, with the abundance of great new series such as, MHA, JJK, Chainsaw Man, and Demon slayer.
However, there is a new anime that has just sprouted from the earth, ready to shout its name into the skies, echoing in the minds of anime fans all around the world.
And that anime Is Kemono Jihen
Kimeno Jihen starts off as your traditional shounen. Badass mentor meets outcasted boy with a hidden power, and recruits him in an effort to train him to become a hero.
However, that’s ok because it executed its tropes well enough to hook me in the first episode, as any good shounen should be!
The first episode takes place in rural japan, as a detective named Inugami is hired by a hostess to discover the cause of livestock being massacred in masse.
We soon learn of a boy named Kasuka a.k.a the MC, is tasked with slaving away at the farm and disposing of the corpses of ravaged animals.
He is outcasted by society, abandoned by his parents, and bullied by his “family”.
It’s even revealed by his brother Yarato that he constantly reeks of a manure like stench, and is constantly dirty because he was “born’ to work the farm. Hence his nickname Doratabo, meaning a yokai living in the fields. Remember this people, this is very important!
Obviously, this interest the sensei because this is like the most basic setup in any shounen anime lol.
Then were blessed with a very emotional scene of the detective and MC slowly growing a bond, as the detective is trying to fish out any clues on the Kasuskas mysterious past.
It’s revealed that the necklace Kasuka wears is actually a life stone; containing a hidden power only the wearer possesses.
So basically, the shounen hero with an evil power that resides deep inside them trope. That’s fine, considering there are like a billion anime with the same exhausted plot thread.
Nevertheless, Inugami suggest that Kasukas parents didn’t abandon him, and there is a reason he’s living in the middle of nowhere in the country.
Now your usual protagonist would get all emotional breaking down and crying at the possibility that they could meet their parents. However, Kasuka is intriguing because throughout the episode he barely shows any emotion.
However, don’t get the wrong idea. Kasuka isn’t just some bland blank state of a protagonist; he’s actually a tragic character who suppressed his emotions under an abusive household.
Especially from his cretin of a brother Yarato. His brother gloats at his misfortune multiple times throughout the episode, and once the tides turn, he reveals that he’s a jealous insecure prick. And in a very satisfying climax, Kasuka breaks and knocks the fuck out of Yarato!
However, it’s revealed that Kasuka is actually some type of werewolf like entity that transforms under a new moon, when Yarato snatches off his necklace.
Then as Kasuke is sulking in the thought that he is actually a monster, the detective fucking shows kasuka his rear end (lmao) revealing that he is a kemono as well; yokai basically.
Inugami discloses that Kasuka is truthy a half breed (surprise to no one) and his lifestone keeps him from attacking people.
Sound familiar?
In the climax of the episode, Kasuka and Inugami rescues Yarato in an epic battle against a cthulu like deer ghoul.
After Yarato is saved, in a shocking twist Inugami discloses that he was actually hired to kill Kasuka because the hostess thought he was the cause of livestock massacre.
Inugami offers Kasuka the chance to meet his parents one last time but Kasuka declines and simply says “no I'm fine please kill me”.
And Inugami actually fucking shoots his ass in the head!
And if you want to find out what happens, next
WATCH THE SHOW, IT’S ONLY ONE EPISODE FOR FUCKS SAKE!
Kemono Jihen may not bring anything new to the table, but its execution is filled with passion!
You can tell the author of this story really has their own strong vision on what kind of story they want to tell.
HOWEVER, I do have some minor complaints! I’m not a big fan of the character designs, and it’s not helped by the fact most of the cast looks like elementary children lol.
Nevertheless, I will most definitely be giving Kemono Jihen the 3-episode rule at least, and I highly recommend watching it if you’re a fan of shounens, or just want something new and interesting!
And it doesn’t seem like shounens are slowing down anytime soon, with the abundance of great new series such as, MHA, JJK, Chainsaw Man, and Demon slayer.
However, there is a new anime that has just sprouted from the earth, ready to shout its name into the skies, echoing in the minds of anime fans all around the world.
And that anime Is Kemono Jihen
Kimeno Jihen starts off as your traditional shounen. Badass mentor meets outcasted boy with a hidden power, and recruits him in an effort to train him to become a hero.
However, that’s ok because it executed its tropes well enough to hook me in the first episode, as any good shounen should be!
The first episode takes place in rural japan, as a detective named Inugami is hired by a hostess to discover the cause of livestock being massacred in masse.
We soon learn of a boy named Kasuka a.k.a the MC, is tasked with slaving away at the farm and disposing of the corpses of ravaged animals.
He is outcasted by society, abandoned by his parents, and bullied by his “family”.
It’s even revealed by his brother Yarato that he constantly reeks of a manure like stench, and is constantly dirty because he was “born’ to work the farm. Hence his nickname Doratabo, meaning a yokai living in the fields. Remember this people, this is very important!
Obviously, this interest the sensei because this is like the most basic setup in any shounen anime lol.
Then were blessed with a very emotional scene of the detective and MC slowly growing a bond, as the detective is trying to fish out any clues on the Kasuskas mysterious past.
It’s revealed that the necklace Kasuka wears is actually a life stone; containing a hidden power only the wearer possesses.
So basically, the shounen hero with an evil power that resides deep inside them trope. That’s fine, considering there are like a billion anime with the same exhausted plot thread.
Nevertheless, Inugami suggest that Kasukas parents didn’t abandon him, and there is a reason he’s living in the middle of nowhere in the country.
Now your usual protagonist would get all emotional breaking down and crying at the possibility that they could meet their parents. However, Kasuka is intriguing because throughout the episode he barely shows any emotion.
However, don’t get the wrong idea. Kasuka isn’t just some bland blank state of a protagonist; he’s actually a tragic character who suppressed his emotions under an abusive household.
Especially from his cretin of a brother Yarato. His brother gloats at his misfortune multiple times throughout the episode, and once the tides turn, he reveals that he’s a jealous insecure prick. And in a very satisfying climax, Kasuka breaks and knocks the fuck out of Yarato!
However, it’s revealed that Kasuka is actually some type of werewolf like entity that transforms under a new moon, when Yarato snatches off his necklace.
Then as Kasuke is sulking in the thought that he is actually a monster, the detective fucking shows kasuka his rear end (lmao) revealing that he is a kemono as well; yokai basically.
Inugami discloses that Kasuka is truthy a half breed (surprise to no one) and his lifestone keeps him from attacking people.
Sound familiar?
In the climax of the episode, Kasuka and Inugami rescues Yarato in an epic battle against a cthulu like deer ghoul.
After Yarato is saved, in a shocking twist Inugami discloses that he was actually hired to kill Kasuka because the hostess thought he was the cause of livestock massacre.
Inugami offers Kasuka the chance to meet his parents one last time but Kasuka declines and simply says “no I'm fine please kill me”.
And Inugami actually fucking shoots his ass in the head!
And if you want to find out what happens, next
WATCH THE SHOW, IT’S ONLY ONE EPISODE FOR FUCKS SAKE!
Kemono Jihen may not bring anything new to the table, but its execution is filled with passion!
You can tell the author of this story really has their own strong vision on what kind of story they want to tell.
HOWEVER, I do have some minor complaints! I’m not a big fan of the character designs, and it’s not helped by the fact most of the cast looks like elementary children lol.
Nevertheless, I will most definitely be giving Kemono Jihen the 3-episode rule at least, and I highly recommend watching it if you’re a fan of shounens, or just want something new and interesting!