Mahoujin Guru Guru review

I posted this originally at MyAnimeList, but thought I'd stick it here as well:

Mahoujin Guru Guru is probably the craziest, wackiest anime I've ever seen. Slapstick is constant - nothing is ever serious for more than a minute, if that long.

In Plain Old Village (that's actually the name), Nike has been undergoing "training" since he was very small, as his parents are adamant that he become a dashing hero someday. Conveniently, just as the boy has grown old enough to take care of himself (age 13), that's when all the trouble starts. When his dad finds out that the king is looking to recruit a hero to deal with the return of Giri (an evil demon sealed away 300 years ago), one thing leads to another and Nike meets magic user Kukuri. Though cute, soft-spoken, and pretty much idolizing her new friend, she has a bit of an attitude and struggles to learn the Guru Guru circles. This leads to a lot of bizarre "oopsies." You'll just have to watch to understand.

Along the way of their journey, they'll meet many interesting characters. And by interesting, I mean insane. There's an old man dressed in a hula skirt who pops up at the most inconvenient times to do a disturbing dance. A sprite who wears a loin cloth. An incompetent hero wanna-be who couldn't fight a butterfly with a flame thrower. And that's just to start! Nike and Kukuri themselves frequently act the complete opposite of what their position implies.

The artwork is adorable and fun, drawn completely "chibi" style except for a few instances. This can, however, make it hard to guess how old a character is at times. While most anime shrink the characters down for exaggerated emotions, this show actually grows them up to "normal" size.

Overall, this is a very, very silly show in a universe that you could wake up in and think you'd eaten some bad cheese. If you're a fan of a good fantasy story and/or have ever played an RPG, you will definitely appreciate the jokes. If you like romance, there's a bit of that. If you like random and nonsensical, there's enough to choke a horse. Basically there's something for everyone. Highly recommended!