Jordan Wharton reviews the first episode of A Centaur’s Life…
Centaur no Nayami (also known as A Centaur’s Life and Centaur’s Worries) is a brand new anime featuring the character Himeno, a Centaur. This slice of life anime focuses on Himeno, and her two best friends Nozomi and Kyouko, as they live their every day school lives in a world filled with supernatural creatures.
The first episode certainly sets the tone for a series, and Centaur no Nayami is of course no different. Within the first few seconds of the show, it’s easy to tell that comedy will be core to the characters and the story, along with a sprinkle of fan service that is becoming somewhat common in anime shows in the 21st century. Throughout the first half of the episode it’s extremely hard to connect with any of the characters. Most of the personality traits the main characters and side characters show are extremely common and it is hard to see why any of the characters are any more relatable than other characters from different series. The story also seems to be extremely bland for the first half of the episode, and were it not for the obvious fact that all the characters were a type of supernatural creature, the episode wouldn’t captivate the audience to carry on anywhere further than half way.
At the half way mark, we are shown the opening for this show, which is extremely catchy and fun. The characters seem to fit into the more medieval scene more so than the school every day life environment. Putting the opening in the middle was a good choice to keep the people watching involved in the episode as by this point I think the interest may have slipped.
The second half of Centaur no Nayami starts off with a small darker hint at the story, in which it seems that the government, or at least the school, is forcing a certain teaching method and belief to make the students believe things that aren’t necessarily true. This is only present in the episode for a minute or so and I feel could have played a much bigger role in keeping the audience engaged with the series and episode. Sadly however it was a missed opportunity and we were simply not given enough time to start feeling emotions regarding the situation the characters were being put in. After that minute of actual mystery and story, the rest of the episode proceeds to go back into the same pattern as the first half, being that nothing really happens. There are all the usual marks of it being a slice of life anime, but without the character development or unique story to make it stand out.
In summary the first episode can’t be called promising nor can it be called unique. What with the incredible range of anime series featuring supernatural based characters over the past year, just being a slice of life with such characters simply isn’t enough for success. The first episode of Centaur no Nayami doesn’t do all too much to captivate the audience and keep them watching until episode two. However I am a firm believer of the three episode rule and I shall keep my fingers crossed that the following two episodes prove me wrong in both the story and characters development for the series.
What were your opinions on the show? Did you enjoy the first episode and its characters? Let me know below. I’d love to hear your thoughts…
Jordan Wharton
Originally published July 21, 2017. Updated April 15, 2018.
