Synopsis
This is the story of Aoi, a female college student who holds pride in her cooking and has inherited her deceased grandfather’s ability to see ayakashi. While feeding some ayakashi one day, an ogre demon suddenly appears before her and spirits her away.
He informs her that her grandfather owed him a debt and in order to pay for it, she is to become his bride. Aoi refuses this and instead declares that she will pay off the debt by working at the Tenjin-ya a bed and breakfast for the ayakashi and has the ogre as its master.
The Good
Given the premise of the series, either a clashing couple or a highly demure protagonist was expected. It was a pleasant surprise to see that the series was taking a different direction with the characters’ relationship and general personalities. This mainly points toward Aoi and Oodana’s dynamic having an interesting shift from the usual. It’s also nice that Aoi is given a rather sensible development in her story as well.
Just the way that the series handles its tones so far is a nice change of pace. It does have some of the usual lighter tones supernatural series, but it works so far. Added with the hint of mystery and the solid action scenes that happened in the third episode, the anime has a rather solid set-up to it.
The Bad
Of course, also given the premise of the series, it was expected that the idea of Aoi being judged because of her grandfather’s actions would be done. This is a rather prominent idea in different supernatural series. Whether it be the protagonist or a side character, they get judged based on the actions of their relative. It does help the character in terms of connections but it would be nice for more characters to meet Aoi and not identify her by her grandfather or the “ogre’s bride”.
Conclusion
There is a lot of predictable points to be found with the premise but it is nice that the series takes a different shift. It presents interesting character dynamics and a rather well-done protagonist. She doesn’t completely stand out but the fact that she has a backbone to her and works through things makes her development a pleasant enough watch. Overall the series has an interesting direction, but it can be hit or miss for some.
Rating: 7.5/10