The anime adaptation of Ya Boy Kongming was among the titles that opened this year’s spring anime season and the first episode of the P.A.Works’ newest work is certainly looking promising for both the fans of music anime, but also those who enjoy feel-good slice of life titles.
The premise is fairly simple – famed Chinese military strategist Zhuge Liang (courtesy name Kongming) dies but is somehow transported to modern-day Japan. He blends right in as there is a Halloween party going on and he manages to get dragged into a bar. Once there, he hears the most beautiful voice, which turns out to belong to Eiko Tsukimi. Did I mention that all along he thinks he ended up in hell and refers to Eiko as hell-mistress? She, of course, thinks that he is either bluffing or crazy but ends up taking him home. Upon hearing his story she is still not convinced that he is who he says he is. However, something pushes her to get him a job in the bar she works at…
As it turns out, Eiko is struggling to get her singing career off the ground, and Kongming’s support comes at a crucial moment. The military strategist has a sharp mind and is a quick learner, so he offers to help her. The fact that her singing touched him so deeply is heartwarming as the story draws parallels with what he has lost – friends and his former life.
Other than the feel-good aspects, which consist of themes of love and support, the anime also has the potential to be actually funny without overdoing it. Kongming’s attempts to learn new skills and a slew of unique supporting characters in the first episode alone were enough to highlight this as a promising aspect of the story. This is not to say there is no depth to the story – some quite dark topics were brought up.
And of course, we can’t forget about the music. Eiko’s singing (done by 96Neko) is beautiful and the songs chosen for the first episode ranged from fast, upbeat hits to emotional ballads. Judging from the trailers we’ll be seeing even more genres in the upcoming episodes. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to hear the opening theme in the premiere, but episode 2 is only a few days away.
If you like anime with good music Ya Boy Kongming is definitely a title you must check out this spring. The same goes for fans of slower slice-of-life stories, as the two make a great combo in this case.
Ya Boy Kongming is streaming on HiDIVE.
©Yuto Yotsuba, Ryo Ogawa, Kodansha/”Ya Boy Kongming” Production Committee
