Chaika- The Coffin Princess. It took me a while to decide to watch this show. Reading the description on Crunchyroll along with the faux European style names put me off a little, but since the current season of shows were not all that appealing to me I thought I’d take a look (it is now airing it’s second season). I decided (after watching the first season and some of the second) to let my 11 year old watch it too. That is a point of contention, but more on that later.
Chaika- The Coffin Princess follows the story Chaika, a girl with white hair who claims to (and appears to be) a wizard. Set in a land where a 300 year war had ended after the death of Arthur Gaz, Emperor of the Gaz empire and reputed to be the most powerful wizard in history. Chaika, who wanders around carrying a large coffin on her back like an over-sized backpack (I have to think she has great back and leg muscles to be able to do this) claims to be the dead Emperor’s daughter and is gathering his remains to give her father a proper funeral.
If were only as easy as that right? Where are the remains? Scattered around the countries bordering the Gaz empire of course. The story has the Emperor being killed by eight heroes and that his body was carved up into several pieces (which are prized as a source of great magical fuel).
Chaika, being kind of innocent and not all that competent, employs two ex-military (called Saboteurs) Toru Acura and his sister Akari (who is not really his sister). Toru has not adjusted to peace time well, so body guarding and helping a girl hunt down body parts gives him a purpose again.
And that is how the fun begins.
I like the show. The world that is created is interesting and unique. The story has enough changes to keep it from getting stale. The animation is good (not outstanding or my favorite, but solid). So I thought: “I could let my 11 year old watch this.”
Overall I make good decisions about what my son can watch and while this show can get a little morbid and bloody at times I don’t think it overall is one that needs to be worried about. My wife did not agree.
Now while the show has a creepy concept (a girl collecting her dead father’s body parts) it is far enough removed from reality for most people to see (including an 11 year old) it as a fantasy story. The wife decided to pay attention during episode 12,”Those Left Behind”. This (along with episodes 10 & 11) features a creepy,sadistic kid. There is some blood and disturbing parts. My wife (who doesn’t like anime) was incredulous. “Blood! Killing! Dismemberment! What are you letting him watch?!” I respectfully disagreed with her. I know what 11 year old boys are like. I was one. I have heard what my son talks about with his friends at school about. They can (and do get worse).
Once again this illustrates my point of the blog and reviews: We all have different standards of what we will find appropriate for our kids to watch.
Parenting bit. Chaika- The Coffin Princess contains fight scenes, blood, body parts (mostly preserved in a bottle), a psycho kid, and a morbid concept. There are also some ecchi bits. Akari has a bit of a crush on her brother (who is not actually her brother), Toru, and occasionally says a few questionable lines. Watch it, it’s good fun! Decide for yourself if you want to let your kid watch it.
I am not a professional reviewer or writer. I am just a fan and a parent.
That wasn’t nice Chaika…I do have a job. That’s why I don’t post more frequently.
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