Tenshi na konamaiki

Pay no attention to that man behind the previous post . . . The main character in this anime is not Megumi Hayashibara, as was stated in the previous post. The main character is in fact, Megumi Amatsuka. But he was right about one thing . . . This series is hilarious! And I can understand his confusion (though he could have just looked up at the cast list) -- Megumi Amatsuka is the main character and is played by voice actress Megumi Hayashibara. And like Megumi Hayashibara's most famous character, Ranma, in this anime she plays a martial arts boy who turns into a girl. But it's there that the similarity ends. Because this is no water curse -- where a hot bath or a tea kettle will change her back into a him. He is stuck as a she, until the magic periot that changed him into a her changes him back that is. If the sadistic sprite will change him back at all.

He asked this evil imp to be a Man Among Men. Either the little demon has bad hearing, or an awfully funny way of filling wishes. Maybe he's just plain mean! Either way, Megumi is stuck as a girl until the spell can be reversed. This leads to some very funny High School Hijinks. And what about dating? Yikes! Megumi is not only a Woman Among Women, she's the hottest chick in school! And her suitors, though they want to help her, aren't exactly anxious for her to change back. If you love Ranma 1/2 you love this one too. It carries on the Ranma / Megumi Hayashibara tradition of the "Gender Reversal Genre" admirably.

The story of this anime is centered around the character Megumi Hayashibara. As such, the plot unfolds around her and isn't increadibly complex. She is, however, quite complex and many peculiar and interesting situations arrise in part because of her particular circumstance. The animation is actually very similiar to the graphics style in the manga (the Japanese graphic novel); as is the dialog. For a 2002 release one would expect a bit more detailed graphics (ex: Wolf's Rain), but it was probably done this way to parallel the manga. The voice acting is exceptional for this anime and is probably one of its best strengths.

This anime is probably most comparable to Ranma 1/2. Although, unlike Ranma, this anime has a much more concrete plotline and is driving towards a more solid conclusion. Also, and this was a surprise, Tenshi na Konamaiki is more funny than Ranma 1/2. TnK's humor is more intense and extreme, while Ranma 1/2 has a more soft and subtle humor. Although, both leave you feeling warm and each are heart-felt anime.