Night Wizard flew under a lot of radars during its Fall 2007 run. Sure it started off as a run-of-the-mill game adaptation, with neither the story nor the concept being particularly original, but Night Wizard was still a solid show. It’s a shame that more people didn’t watch this show, because I think it had a lot going for it.

Synopsis:
Renji Hiiragi just can’t catch a break. Under the direction of Anzelotte, he is one of many Night Wizards that fight against the evil Bell Zephyr her Emulator forces who seek to control our world. Though he wishes for a peaceful school life, it isn’t meant to be with Anzenlotte calling the shots.

We are introduced to a new transfer student, Elis Shihou, who is in possession of a mysterious bracelet. She becomes involved with the Night Wizards’ struggle and joins Renji’s ragtag group which includes Kureha Akabane, Renji’s childhood friend, and Akari Himuro, a very stoic girl with a big gun. Anzelotte sends the group on various missions to retrieve the seven jewels of Elis’s bracelet, which will seemingly open the gate to the Emulator realm for a grand scale Night Wizard invasion.

The mission to find the jewels takes the group to many locations from Japan, the moon, and even Elis’s mind. Bell Zephyr and her episodic minions await at every corner, hoping to thwart Renji and company. Along the way, Renji’s group encounters many fellow wizards who help them on the missions to retreive the jewels. Kirihito, an especially powerful and mysterious wizard, takes a keen interest in Elis’s progress and always shows up when she is in danger. With each jewel collected, Elis gains powerful new abilities that shock everyone including herself.

Spoilers (Read at your own risk):
Not everything goes as planned when all the jewels are collected though. It turns out that Elis is the reincarnation of the Grand Emulator Lord, Shaimaal, whose existence threatens both the human and Emulator worlds. The seven jewels, created upon its first defeat, each contain a portion of its existence. When all the jewels are assembled on the bracelet, Shaimaal is fully resurrected with Elis’s consciousness deep within it.

Kirihito’s real identity is the god Gazer, Anzelotte’s direct superior. He was the one who orchestrated all of the missions. Having grown tired of the current world, he wishes to use Shaimaal’s immense destructive power to begin anew. Anzelotte rebels by joining forces with Bell Zephyr with the common goal of saving both their worlds. Renji takes it upon himself to somehow save Elis as well.

Thoughts:
I think Night Wizard is exceptionally good for its genre. Veteran anime fans should be able to predict when and where the major plot twists happen, but that doesn’t stop the show from being a fun watch. Night Wizard proves that generic doesn’t necessarily mean bad or boring. If nothing else, this scene alone will make it worth your time.

What I really want to say is that Night Wizard is very well-rounded. Since the show is about wizards, I’ll compare it to a Final Fantasy Red Mage. Both are good in all areas but don’t excel at any one thing. Sure the story is formulaic and the characters are basic anime staples, but despite these facts the show is still interesting because the story has good execution and I liked the cast. There is a good balance between of action, comedy, and drama. I also can’t help but laugh at the one-sided exchanges between Anzelotte and Renji. Anzelotte is indeed a cruel mistress…

If you’re in the mood for a good, short action show that won’t disappoint, give Night Wizard a shot; It’s definitely worth the 13 episode time dedication.

Night Wizard earns a respectable 7/10.

Akari receives a check-up at the Wizard hospital and visits a comatose friend that helped to save the world in the past. She returns to Eris’s apartment and the gang throws a welcoming party since she will also be staying there to protect Eris. Kureha teases Eris for writing letters to her adopted uncle. Renji makes a ruckus outside and Kureha drags him to the bathroom to clean himself. Kirihito shows up on the balcony and checks on the progress of the jewel recovery mission. Kureha returns and Kirihito disappears and mysteriously as he arrived. Naturally bathroom hijinks ensue when Eris unknowingly walks in on Renji in the buff.

The following day Renji, Akari, and Eris enjoy a field trip to the ice skating rink where they get to relax and have fun. Renji helps Eris practice the basics of ice skating. Kureha has a casual conversation with an old wizard who gives their moral support to protect the world again. Meanwhile, the second years are taking a meal break, and Anzelotte drops by to steal Renji’s dessert and have a spot of tea. The rest of the day is uneventful and as the school trips ends, Eris picks up some souvenirs for everyone at the gift shop. However, this is only the calm before the storm because the other Emulator Lords are making their move to stop Eris from regaining the jewels.

Episode 8:

Renji and Eris are cleaning out the Astronomy clubroom when the two are suddenly fall into a time vortex. The two are separated as they fall through but they both wind up in an ancient alternate reality ruled by Emulators. Eris falls into the clutches of the Devil Lord Amy who was originally hoping to summon Shaimaal using the Jewel of Justice at the Tower of Babel. Anzelotte somehow manages to call Renji and tell him about the situation as well as inform him that he needs to defeat the Devil Lord that summoned them.

Renji enters the base level of the tower with his new goal and is promptly assaulted by a menagerie of beasts. With a burst of magic he is saved; Lo and behold, Kirihito is here too. The two work together despite their differences to save Eris. Renji makes his way up to rescue her while Kirihito works on destroying the tower. Eris escapes from her confinement and also heads to the top of the tower to confront Amy. Amy begins the second summoning on Shaimaal, but Kirihito rains on the party and begins to destroy the summoning elements before it is complete. With Shaimaal breaking apart, Amy decides to substitute Eris as the sacrifice, and Renji joins the party casually late to save Eris from danger.

Shaimaal attempts to take out Kirihito with a final blast but only manages to injure him. As Shaimaal disappears, Amy enacts revenge on the interlopers for their interference. The powerful Devil Lord proves to be too much for Renji to handle alone. Eris takes the Jewel of Justice and it is she that finally gets to protect Renji. Eris overwhelms Amy with a massive attack and defeats the Devil Lord. Renji and Eris return to the present seven minutes after their disappearance with Kureha and Akari none the wiser.

Bell continues to monitor Eris’s progress, and Leon reports that everything happened as predicted in his magical book. With the outcome of the next battle almost ensured in her favor, Bell decides to face Anzelotte in battle for the final jewel.

All in all, not a bad pair of episodes. Not much happened in these two so they got lumped together. I already saw the next two episodes and it gets epic. Episode 9 is a good example of what Touhou the Animation could be. Kirihito is also making his ever ominous presence known and some stuff about him will be revealed in episode 10.

The wizards are enjoying their usual tea time at Anzelotte’s palace and are introduced to a fellow Wizard named Nightmare. Eris has a sudden headache, and Anzelotte surprises the group when she reveals the Jewel of Temperance to them. Upon touching the jewel Eris immediately loses consciousness. Renji loses his temper, but Anzelotte feigns ignorance while explaning the situation in whole to the group. Eris is trapped in the world of her mind, and it is up to Renji and company to enter her dream and wake her up. All too conveniently, Nightmare offers his services as a Dream Hunter to help everyone save Eris. Renji easily sees through the facade and agrees to the mission.

Nightmare brings Renji, Kureha, and Akari into Eris’s dream world. Anzelotte voices her apology to Eris for putting her through this necessary trial. Bell watches from her private domain and sends one of her flunkies to deal to enter Eris’s dream as well. The wizards arrive in a giant library filled with Eris’s favorite book, Daddy Long-legs. They are greeted by a much younger Eris who quickly runs off to look for her uncle. When Renji and the others rush outside after her, they fall victim to a haphazard Candy Land environment. Nevertheless they continue to follow her, and to their surprise the group meets up with Kirihito. Kirihito spouts off a lofty message and leaves them to their devices. Nightmare eyes the suspicious kid but chooses not to take any action.

The Wizards catch up to Eris again to find her playing house with a group of teddy bears. She starts to cry so Renji approaches her with some encouraging words to cheer her up. She runs off into a house and throws a birthday party for herself. Her “uncle” shows up and comforts her, but Renji and the others realize the fake uncle’s scheme and point it out to Eris. She kicks the impostor away and runs off to look for her real uncle. Renji gives chase with a potion given to him by Nightmare. Akarai, Kureha, and Nightmare stay behind to battle the fake uncle.

Renji finds Eris crying alone in a tiny room. He looks at the potion and discovers that it is one of Anzelotte’s special Lowering Tea. Left with little choice he drinks it and becomes a child small enough to fit through the door. He convinces Eris to return to the real world so that all of her friends can help her meet her real uncle. Renji makes a pinky promise that he will always be there for her. He and Eris rejoin the battle as the others are struggling. The fake uncle reveals her true form as Pheus-Mor, an Emulator dream hunter.

She unleashes a deadly blast, but Nightmare blocks the attack. Renji charges but his attacks fall short because of his shortened stature. Pheus-Mor easily deals with the Wizards until Eris intervenes. With a strengthened resolve, Eris absorbs the Jewel of Temperance and unleashes a furious attack. Eris’s power proves to be too great for the Emulator, and Renji rushes in to chain the combo and finish off Pheus-Mor. Nightmare hands a potion of Raising Tea to Renji who promptly drinks it, thus restoring him to his normal state. Eris presents the door out of the dream and they are all taken back to reality. Eris awakens with no memory of the events that transpired in her dream and is teased by her friends who leave her in the dark.

Anzelotte reports the mission’s success as well as her belief in the group to her superior. Later that night Eris is troubled in her dreams. Pheus-Mor somehow survived the battle and roams around the dream world. She attempts to take refuge in an ominous room but sees a horrifying sight within. She runs out of the room in a frenzy, and Kirihito is outside to greet her. The episode ends with a fade to black and Pheus-Mor letting out a blood curdling scream.

I must say that the show has really picked up. If you’ve been keeping up with the releases, this one is sure to not disappoint. My closing thought is just who the heck is Kirihito? I bet his name will come up in conversation with Anzelotte who will either be extremely shocked or completely not know who he is. The answer is bound to come up in future episodes as is Eris’s undoubtedly mysterious past.

Renji is lamenting the fact that he has to take supplementary exams when Anzelotte suddenly calls for him on the school’s PA system. She thoroughly embarrasses him by revealing his academic shortcomings to the entire school. Cutting to Anzelotte’s palace, the Wizards enjoy a tea break as the ever demanding girl briefs them on their next mission. They are to retrieve a jewel being held by a former swordsman wizard named Andou Kurusu. Anzelotte explains that she has known about the situation for a long time, but he absolutely refuses to hand it over to her despite prior negotiations.

They are sent away on their mission and arrive on a desolate island off of Japan’s coast. The group is greeted by a young girl who runs crying to them. Akari greets her and we find out that her name is Mayuri and that she is a fellow wizard. Mayuri teleports away in despair due to her failure to negotiate the return of the jewel. The wizards soon arrive at Andou’s house to find it empty and find him in the back chopping firewood. Eris greets him, but Andou disregards his visitors and goes back to his labor. Their plea falls on deaf ears and an angered Renji musters an attack on his blind side. Andou however easily repels the attack with his axe and sends Renji’s sword flying into a nearby tree. The old swordsman asks Renji why he fights; The answer he receives from Renji is to complete the mission. Andou tells Renji that he will never be able to defeat him with that mindset.

Renji reflects on his defeat as the girls regroup. Eris brings Andou a plate of her famous madeleines and leaves them at the door. The next morning, Renji attempts to get the jump on the old man while he sweeps his yard. Andou easily predicts the attack and soundly defeats the brash Renji with his broom. The girls decide to relax in a hot spring for some obligatory fanservice. Right on cue, Renji comes flying in and lands in said hot spring only to be sent flying again by Akari.

Eris decides to tag along with Andou and watch him while he does his chores. A stray piece of straw pierces his hand as he rolls hay into threads of rope. Eris is quick to patch him up with an assortment of medicines from her Lunar Robe. As she does so, she tells him that she carries all these things around to help her friends when she can. Andou returns the empty plate to Eris, and she is overjoyed to discover that he ate the madeleines. She inquires if he dislikes Anzelotte to which he replies that he neither likes nor dislikes her. He reveals Anzelotte’s willingness to sacrifice Wizards for the sake of saving the world from the Emulators. Eris is taken aback at the claim. Meanwhile, Bell observes the two having their conversation and decides to send in her Emulators to attack the wizards and get the hidden jewel.

Renji approaches Andou again asking that the old man fight him with a sword despite the obvious outcome due to the large gap in their skill levels. His request is cut short when the red moon appears. Andou recognizes the elemental Emulators, Fuuma and Raima, that easily overpower the inexperienced Renji. Akari and Kureha arrive to reinforce their comrades, but their attacks are ineffective against the powerful Emulators. Andou suggests that they fall back. Renji refuses and declares that he will protect Eris at any cost. His words reach Andou and he tells the old man to retreat and protect Eris while they keep the Emulators busy.

Andou takes Eris behind the waterfall and he tells her the entire story of his falling out with Anzelotte. During an intense battle, a much younger Andou was teleported away against his will to save the jewel while his friend, Yuu, was left to die. Andou left the wizards afterwards and took the Jewel of Trust with him. Fitting that he took this particular jewel seeing as how his trust in Anzelotte was so shattered. Andou still blames himself for his own weakness and not being able to save his friend. He finds his resolve and arrives at the battle again with Eris. He tosses his sword to Renji, who manages to pull a shounen power-up out of his butt, and Renji now easily defeats the monsters with his mad dual sword hax. After all that is said and done, Andou takes all of them to the same spot behind the waterfall and gives the Jewel of Trust to Eris. Kureha attempts to persuade Andou to come back with them, but he utterly refuses to work for Anzelotte and badmouths her much like Renji does. Renji requests a formal duel after the missions are over and Andou gladly accepts that offer.

The show is still generic, but I still enjoy it regardless of that fact. What did I think of this episode? It was all right. It won’t win any episode of the year awards, but at least it isn’t Gundam 00. The next episode’s preview looks strange, and from the looks of it we’ll get to see Kirihito and a loli Eris. For fans of mysterious bishies in a creepy Candy Land setting, stay tuned.

We begin with a preface covering the ancient Chinese myth of Chang’E. She was a woman who drank a potion of eternal life and now resides on the moon waiting for her husband. Back to the story at hand, the Night Wizards are enjoying a tea break at Anzelotte’s palace before being informed of their next mission. The next jewel to recover is on the moon, otherwise known as the Oriental Basin, and they are whisked away to their mission by a shuttle-type Artifact.

The group enjoys the view of the earth briefly before everyone decides to hit the books to do homework and study. Coincidentally, Eris is busy reciting the Legend of Chang’E as Akari helps her with a selection of the passage. As they continue their studies, Renji spots a pair of bunny ears outside the windows. The space rabbit and all his buddies begins to pound on the shuttle, and the group decides to abandon ship before its inevitable destruction.

They make it to the moon safely with each member separated from everyone else. Eris relies on her jewel sense and begins her trek unaware that she is being followed. She is ambushed and cornered by a group of the killer rabbits, when she is saved by a mysterious, powerful wizard wearing her school’s uniform. He badmouths Renji in front of her, and Eris stands up for her friends by defending their honor. He apologizes and leaves. Eris tries to stop him but her jewel sense goes off again. Moments later Akari, riding on her gunner’s broom, rejoins her and they resume the mission together.

Meanwhile, Renji saves Kureha from a group of the killer rabbits just in the nick of time. She leaves the dirty work to Renji and scampers off to the shuttle wreckage to find her own jet broom. She picks up Renji and they ride off to find Eris. Akari and Eris touch down in a ruin where the jewel’s location seems to be. The red moon appears overhead and Eris is quite surprised. Akari explains to her that the red moon is a separate entity from the real moon and that it only portends to the appearance of Emulators.

Chang’E appears and introduces herself to the two girls. Akari fires a couple rounds from her gunner’s broom but it is futile as Chang’E easily blocks and deflects the attacks. Chang’E incapacitates Eris and creates a giant monster bearing her likeness with the Jewel of Bravery’s power. Renji and Kureha regroup with Akari in the sky as they spot the giant monster. Akari informs them that Eris is inside the monster with Chang’E, who is preparing Eris as a sacrifice for Shaimaal. Renji formulates a plan and orders Akari and Kureha to weaken one spot with concentrated firepower while he cuts his way in. He falls through and begins his battle with Chang’E. Renji is overpowered by Chang’E's sword until Eris awakens and reclaims the Jewel of Bravery into her bracelet. Renji activates his sword’s Demonic Release and makes quick work of the weakened Chang’E. The group’s happy reunion after the battle is interrupted by the mysterious wizard from earlier. He essentially disses the entire group and earns their ire. Eris suddenly thanks him for saving her life earlier. He dismisses the act and introduces himself as Kirihito before leaving again.

Yes the show is still generic but I think it’s a fun watch. Enter Kirihito: The cool, calm, collected, and icy character type. Eris also seems to have a thing for him too. Anzelotte is a potty mouth. I don’t really have much else to say about this episode because the summary really speaks for itself.

Renji takes point and seemingly activates any and every trap that has been laid out. After progressing for a while, they decide to take a break while Akari keeps watch. Shihou brings a cup of tea to Akari and formally introduces herself to the stoic gunner. Renji as always badmouths Anzelotte when her name comes up in conversation, and he is struck by another trap while reaching for an onigiri that fell on the floor. They resume the jewel hunt, but Laalamuu is already in the chamber where the jewel is located. She reaches for it but a powerful barrier repels her away.

The wizards come across a giant mural. Kureha points out an orange and a green gem that are embedded in the picture. Shihou unknowingly reads a name written on it, Shaimaal. Akari fills in the details on how he was a former Dark Lord of Rikai. Another prominent feature of the mural is the fact that Shihou’s magic bracelet is seen in the ancient picture. They venture further into the labyrinth and it quickly becomes apparent that Shihou is about to collapse. Akari suggests that she use the healing powers of the Jewel of Kindness; Shihou instantly begins to feel better after doing so.

Renji then steps on yet another trap. His floor panel begins to sink, separating him from the group, as the girls are taken to a higher level of the temple. They finally arrive at the jewel room, but Shihou also cannot get past the barrier. Laalamuu grows tired of watching from above and turns several empty suits of armor into monsters to destroy the Wizards. Akari and Kureha hold the monsters at bay. Shihou looks at the flames and relates it back to the mural they saw earlier with two people holding the colored torches. She deduces that the flames around the jewel have to be changed to green and orange respectively. In the heat of battle she whips out her trusty… Chemistry book…? The lesson from Chemistry class details how to change the color of the flames with a chemical reaction. A suit of armor sneaks by their defenses and just as it is about to kill Shihou, Renji lives up to his namesake of the “Falling Man” and drops in from the ceiling of all places to save her. How did he get there anyway?

After the armor suits are taken care of, Shihou tosses some salt into one flame and copper into the other. The flames burn green and orange like in the picture and her bracelet absorbs the Jewel of Wisdom with no trouble now. Laalamuu finally makes her presence known and engages the Wizards in battle in her reality marble I mean private world. She assume’s Akari’s form and begins a doppelganger battle with her. Shihou orders Kureha to attack both of the Akaris. Kureha’s “attack” ends up being a fake out as she throws two dud talismans at them. The fake Akari retaliates while the real one trusts in the group’s tactic. With the Laalamuu’s disguise thwarted, Renji finishes her off with a single swipe. The evil loli, Bell, continues to watch from her dark domain as the Wizards finish off her subordinate. As the Wizards leave the temple, Shihou’s eye suddenly glows as she looks at the white moon overhead, revealing the location of the next jewel.

Thoughts. Hmm. More is revealed about Anzelotte and Bell who both seem to be serving more powerful entities on their respective sides. Akari shows her more gentle side as she interacts with Shihou as well. I just hope the villains won’t be stuck with the monster-of-the-week syndrome as the boss continues to send progressively stronger goons to do her bidding. Alas it looks like that may be the direction the show is going.

Shihou’s class is introduced to a “new” student; Renji Hiiragi. The students in the class whisper disparaging things about him much to his annoyance. Before we get back to that, Shihou thinks back to the previous day that led to this event.

Picking up from the end of episode 1, Anzelotte explains various things about her cause and a few details about magic. The monsters invading the world are from a world called Rikai. Many monsters from human legends such as dragons, vampires, and demons all originated from Rikai. Anzelotte further explains that science is useless to combat the Emulators; Only the magic wielding wizards are able to defeat them. She tells Shihou about the nature of the artifact bracelet, named Eyes of World. Shihou is also informed of her Lunar Robe ability which acts as a barrier and pocket plane. Kureha demonstrates by pulling a paper fan from out of nowhere.

Anzelotte lays out the details of her plan to invade Rikai, but in order to do so they need Shihou and the seven gems that belong to her bracelet. With her power they can open a portal to Rikai to launch their attack. The seven gems are conveniently scattered across the globe, and it is up to the gang to get all of them. The jewels also have a long history of war behind them as many others strove to attain their power as well. Shihou is told that she alone possesses the power to detect and recover the jewels. Great. Anzelotte “persuades” Shihou to help and she more than willingly obliges. Shihou reasons that she was given this power for a reason and she must use it to save the world.

Renji and Kureha are assigned to protect Shihou with Renji getting the raw end of the deal. He has to stay by 24 hours a day including at school, hence his academic demotion to the second year. After school Renji settles in at Shihou’s apartment, but Kureha quickly shoves him out and forces him to sleep out on the balcony in a tent. After dinner, Shihou discusses a person that she writes to and plans to meet on her next birthday with Kureha. Kureha excitedly vows to find all the jewels before then.

The next day at lunch, Shihou demonstrates her mastery over her Lunar Robe as she summons a canister of miso soup from her barrier. Anzelotte appears from a helicopter and abducts Renji for their next mission. Anzelotte sends the party to Magallanica to retrieve the next jewel. They are transported from the palace to Antarctica.

When they arrive, Renji questions the existence of Magallanica at the South Pole, but Shihou points to an ancient ruin in the distance much to his surprise. Meanwhile the evil loli,Bell, is watching their progress and sends one her goons to get the jewel and kill Shihou. As the party explores the ruins, the red moon appears along with a Golem. The golem gets the better of them as they cannot pierce its thick rock armor with their weapons. Renji and Shihou are cornered, but suddenly a magic shot snipes its weak point and the golem crumbles away. The stoic witch from earlier, Akari, hops down and scolds Renji for his weakness. We learn that she is a student at Kimei and furthermore she is in the same class as Shihou. Just as they start to get comfortable, a ton of golems are summoned to even the odds. Episode end!

A lot of exposition and backstory is revealed in this episode, which makes for a long post. I just hate it when an anime sends the characters on a fetch quest. It’s a convenient plot device though and it gets the ball rolling. It’s just so overused.

Renji Hiiragi is the battle servant of a girl named Anzelotto. Despite his many arguments about how he has to go to school, Renji is constantly coerced to do Anzelotto’s bidding to fight the Emulators.

“You may respond with an okay or a yes.”

Renji Hiiragi: Battle servant and third year high school student

Back in the real world, a mysterious transfer student, Shihou Elis, is introduced to a class at Renji’s school and instantly garners much attention. After class she is approached by several classes to join their clubs until a girl dressed as a miko whisks her off in the name of the Astronomy Club.

Shihou Elis

Nerd Alert!

Kureha saves Shihou from a dire fate

After being whisked away to the Astronomy Club’s room, the miko introduces herself to Elis as Kureha. They talk about why Elis transferred and Kureha’s childhood friend (Renji) who is frequently truant for various reasons.

Shana?!

The two of them become fast friends and bring their conversation to a Shinto shrine on the school’s room. Kureha notices Elis’ peculiar bracelet and inquires about it. Elis explains to her that she has had it for as long as she can remember. Elis in turn asks Kureha about a weird tree in the forest that is totally bare. Kureha tells a local myth about it being a legendary sakura tree that will make love bloom if someone confesses their love underneath it. All the while, the two are unknowingly being watched by an unseen enemy.

Evil loli is always watching you

After the school day ends, Shihou is at home recollecting her day’s experience and her new friend to her Oji-sama…in a vase…? We will probably be given the backstory to that later. A red moon ominously appears outside her window, bringing her into a trance-like state. She mutters something to herself about getting her light back. She leaves her apartment in this trance and is followed by Kureha who notices her on the street. Kureha is led by Shihou to the legendary tree. Shihou extracts a jewel from the tree, and it suddenly comes into full bloom. A magic seal suddenly appears which summons a chimera beast.

Kureha does her best to fend it off with her arm crossbow but is quickly overwhelmed. Renji suddenly appears from the sky and cuts off one of the monster’s heads. The monster slips past their offensive and charges towards a paralyzed Shihou. At the last second, the jewel flashes with a light and embeds itself into Shihou’s bracelet. A magic shield appears in front of her to repel the monster. Renji takes the opportunity to finish the monster off while it is dazed.

Renji Hiiragi: Monster slayer and part-time student

Back at Anzelotto’s castle, Shihou is approached by Anzelotto with an offer that she can’t refuse…

Overall opinion: Pretty interesting if a bit cliche. I’ll blog it for a while to see how it goes.

I still have a lot of stuff to watch. My next few series to blog will be based on what I like.