Seirei no Moribito/精霊の守り人

Some info:
1) ANN
2) Wiki

Another great anime series to watch. This 26 episode series brings the viewer through a journey of Chagum (bottom right of picture), who “houses” the egg of a water spirit, hence becoming the Guardian of the Spirit (that’s why it’s the title I guess) and the various obstacles and difficulties he face in trying to deliver his “duty” as the “chosen one”.

It all began with Chagum was under constant threat of being assassinated because it was thought he was housing a demon, when it was really an important spirit which bestows the land and a bodyguard (the lady beside Chagum) was hired to protect the kid. The fateful meeting and saving of Chagum brought Balsa (the bodyguard) into the picture. Surprisingly, the client is none other than Chagum’s mother, who can’t bear to see her son come under constant danger in every other corner.

By “abducting” a prince away from the palace would certainly mean that the duo will be constantly under siege by assassins sent by the Emperor. This naturally means fight scenes will be quite a common sight, and it’s good to know that the fight sequences are nicely done, with appropriate music and atmosphere on many occasions. Maybe I’m biased towards Production IG. But of course, the 2 of them can’t possibly win battle after battle without aid from others, and thus you’ll see the introduction of more characters who have their own crucial parts to play in the development of the story. The flow of the story is pretty nicely done and it gives each of the significant characters time to develop their individual personality and characteristic, while integrating the big picture together.

More about the spirit Chagum houses is made known to the viewers (who generally get the picture faster as usual) as well as the star diviners (hey, I’m just following Wiki terminology) as the story progresses and the latter realise how grave a mistake they nearly made. In the later part of the show, everyone combines forces and tries to protect Chagum together, especially from the demons that want to prevent the birth of the spirit. Well, after many trials and dangerous instances, the story finally ends on a peaceful/happy note, with all the main characters still alive and well, and the spirit born and reviving the land. If you’re interested to find out more, I can only suggest that you watch the show as well. Heh.

This anime was also broadcast in 720p resolution with 5.1 surround sound, which is really shiok. High definition just rocks, and Singapore has still yet to integrate it at full scale. Prices of HDTV will drop once Singapore introduces HD to all, and not just limited “testing”. Oh well, Japan will always be ahead of Singapore in terms of such technology and way of life, at least in the foreseeable future. And of course, the fact that Production IG is in it just makes it even better (biased biased).

Overall, it’s worth the watch. It was enjoyable from start to end, at least to me it is so. Do give it a watch if you manage to find the time and opportunity to do so, unless of course such shows aren’t your cup of tea.