First impression: Demi-chan wa Kataritai

A biology teacher with an obsession for demi-humans gets his long cherised wish of having a harem full of demi girls.

Demi-chan wa Kataritai: vampire

Well, that’s a very cynical take on this show, but not entirely incorrect. Takahashi Tetsuo is a biology teacher who had wanted to do his dissertation on ajin or demi-humans — who had only recently been revealed to exist — but who hadn’t managed to find any. Cue the first episode of the series and he immediately runs into a vampire. Takanashi Hikari, a first year student, is energetic, cheerful, likes garlic and thinks crosses are unfashionable, doesn’t really drink blood other than the monthly boold pack she gets from the government and in all is a bit of a troll. Her biggest problem is sunlight, as she feels the heat quickly, which is why she agrees to have regular chats with Tetsuo so she can stay in the cool, shaded biology class room.

Demi-chan wa Kataritai: dullahan

Machi Kyōko is a dullahan, somewhat shy but with a good head on her shoul^w^w^ in her hands. One of only three dullahans in the world (the others being Celty and Lala) she has somewhat more trouble in her day to day life with her condition than Hikari has. Obviously having to carry your head everywhere is a bit of a handicap and that’s exactly how the series treats this, a condition that has some disadvantages and difficulties to overcome, but can also be an advantage to have your body at home while your had goes shopping. It’s one of the ways in which the anime improves on the original manga, by putting a little bit of thought in how these characters would work in the real world.

Demi-chan wa Kataritai: succubus

Case in point: the succubus. Satō Sakie is a maths teacher who dressed in an unflattering track suit and glasses for a reason, to dampen down the erotic feelings she invokes in men that come to close to her. She takes the first and last train to and from work for the same reason, to minimise the risk of contact and has to live in a rundown shack in the arse end of nowhere too. There’s a sharp contrast between how the public sees succubi — sexy seductresses — and her daily reality, which has kept her single and without ever having had a relationship, that’s also present in the manga but given more presence here. Taking a minute or two to show her commute impresses more than seeing the same thing depicted in one or two pages.

Demi-chan wa Kataritai: yuki-onna

If it is the succubus who arguably suffers the most from her powers and nature, it’s Kusakabe Yuki, the yuki-onna, who is the most conflicted about being demi. She doesn’t trust her powers and keeps her distance from others as a result. It’s interesting to see how each of the demis have adapted to their powers, from Hikari who’s basically no more than a normal high school girl with some strange habits to Sakie and Yuki, who either have to adjust their lives around them or are psychologically scarred by their demi nature. There are obvious parallels here with real world disabilities, which lends a bit of realism and grit to what’s essentially a light hearted not quite romantic harem story. Speaking of which, the harem aspect of this is a bit more creepy in the anime than in the manga, just seeing it animated. Which might be enough to put you off.

No Comments

Post a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.