(CR) The Demon Prince of Momochi House

[Stark700]

The Demon Prince of Momochi House anime announced, coming to Crunchyroll

Viz synopsis

On her sixteenth birthday, orphan Himari Momochi inherits her ancestral estate that she's never seen. Momochi House exists on the barrier between the human and spiritual realms, and Himari is meant to act as guardian between the two worlds. But on the day she moves in, she finds three handsome squatters already living in the house, and one seems to have already taken over her role!

Source:

https://www.crunchyroll.com/news/ann...roll-to-stream

[Frontier]

Wow, a Shojo I really enjoyed finally getting an anime adaption? And the animation and character designs are on-point? Lucky me !

Curious to see how far they adapt to .

[Stark700]

2024

[Frontier]

Looking like a great adaption of the manga !

Himari looks a little less cute though .

[Cloudedmind]

I had to a freaking double take.

[Frontier]

Spoiler:

It's rough going losing your parents at a young age, but Himari Momochi isn't the type to dwell on the negative, not when she apparently has one last inheritance from her family, and it's a spacious mansion at that !

Of course in typical anime fashion she shows up at her new home and stumbles into a hot buck-naked guy and two other dudes (voiced by a who's who of Pretty Boy seiyuu like Takeo Otsuka, Shinnosuke Tachibana, and Yuki Ono) and they mutually see each other as burglars breaking into their home. What a first meeting !

The OP is pretty rocking and dynamic, featuring Himari, Aoi, and the rest of the Ayakashi together and in their daily life, along with Himari's classmates, Nue battling an evil Ayakashi, and Himari and Aoi's romance !

So Himari has a will that gives her ownership of the house, but the three tenants Aoi, Yukari, and Ise, aren't quite so convinced and don't think she has any business being there...but Himari isn't about to get kicked out of her new home and the last thing she has left connecting her to her family, even if she has to tough it out there. At least Aoi seems nice .

Definitely some supernatural shenanigans going on in this house! Hard to get a good nights sleep, but that's not about to stop Himari! Even if she's still acclimating to her situation and isn't quite as on the ball as Yukari .

Uh oh! Supernatural glob alert! Though it seems like Himari has some power over the house and is able to make the Ayakashi frightening her leave. She just happened to take ownership over a house home to all manner of Ayakashi and spirits, up to and including Yukari and Ise...and there's definitely more to Aoi than they're telling .

Himari's never had a real family so watching the trio get along and be close makes her yearn to be part of that connection, which makes it hurt all the more when Aoi still doesn't want her there. And it's even worse timing to find out that there are evil Ayakashi that want your blood !

As far as first kisses go, having the guy you saw naked the prior day kiss the evil miasma out of you isn't half-bad .

So Aoi is actually the Nue, the Omamori-sama and true head of Momochi house, and compared to Aoi Nue is far more serious, vicious, and commanding, ordering his Shikigami around and showing no mercy to any enemy Ayakashi. And of course he's a white kitsune type .

Is Aoi connected to Himari and her parents? It seems like he was immediately acting close to her and talking like it was his duty to protect her beyond his role as Nue .

All this would be a lot for any girl to take in, but Himari isn't about to let that stop her! She's sticking around and making a place for herself in her family home...and she's ready to collect rent from the three who have been freeloading in her house. Maybe she can give them a discount for the kiss and the whole rescuing her thing ?

The ED is pretty nice with a sprawling animation of the entire cast looking very pretty and colorful .

[serenade_beta]

Spoiler for initial impressions:

Wow, it sure felt like a blast to the past for some reason
Though I guess the main male being an ayakashi with the unknowing female protagonist has been done plenty of times, it is a 2013~ manga, so makes sense there

So far, not really much to say. Pretty generic shoujo stuff, though I guess the character design for the female protagonist is kinda meh compared to, say, that fairy sugar anime.
Don't know anything about the story, but I'm gonna guess they will spend 5~ episode on flirting with each other with a final arc revolving around the main male's traumatic past. The manga is 16 volumes, so there is no way it will animate the entire story.
And if they don't animate the entire story, I don't know why they are animating this old manga. I don't think it works to advertise such an old manga. *shrug*

[stray]

Ended up giving this a try; kind of a generic reverse harem but I'll give it another episode or two.

[zztop]

Originally Posted by serenade_beta

Spoiler for initial impressions:

The manga is 16 volumes, so there is no way it will animate the entire story.
And if they don't animate the entire story, I don't know why they are animating this old manga. I don't think it works to advertise such an old manga. *shrug*

There's an ongoing sequel manga for Momochi that just started, although I don't know how long that'll last for.
https://comic-walker.com/contents/de...4430010000_68/

What's interesting is how this is Shouto Aya's first work to get animated, even though she's been a mangaka since the mid 90s.

[serenade_beta]

Originally Posted by zztop

What's interesting is how this is Shouto Aya's first work to get animated, even though she's been a mangaka since the mid 90s.

Then you have those authors that have everything they write animated

[Frontier]

A lot has happened to Himari since she started living at Momochi House...Ayakashi, being attacked, her new supernatural Bishonen protectors...and waking up next to a dude for the first time ever! And slugging said dude! Aoi needs to recognize a lady's privacy !

Well, Yukari and Ise still don't really want her around, though Himari is still trying to throw her weight around as the true owner of the house. And conveniently it's a self-sufficient house that repairs/cleans itself and runs on Ayakashi for lighting and food! And at the very least Himari has the ability to chuck people out of the house, which is convenient for shutting Ise up .

Himari still has plenty of questions about her parents and Aoi, but she's got to stop running into him naked! Though she does want the naked truth of his circumstances, where a child wandered into the house and became a suitable vessel for the Omamori-sama to which he got stuck with the job even though on paper it should've been Himari. Though all the same it seems like Aoi is keeping his true connection to Himari and how relevant she is to this to himself .

(I wonder how hot Nue Himari would look...)

No Himari, don't follow the entrancing voice and pick fruit off of the random Cherry Blossom Tree! Good thing Aoi was there to save her as Nue alongside Yukari and Ise! The boys work quick .

Getting saved again and seeing how much Aoi prioritizes her safety seems to have really made an impact on Himari, and made her want to really see around town with Aoi...it's just unfortunate that, as the Omamori-sama, he can't leave the house like Himari again. Even more, his entire existence was erased from the world after he got trapped there, and he's resigned to never leave Momochi House or experience the human world again. Which just creates even more distance between Himari and Aoi .

Fancy running into one of your teachers before you even start school! And through this encounter Himari finds the resolve to commit to Momochi House and helping Aoi, not out of pity, but because she feels it's her duty as a Momochi to free him and kick him out so he can be human again! And Aoi seems very touched at Himari's determination and dedication to help him. That embrace was quite sweet as well .

Though it looks like amidst of that joyful moment, the demonic redhead guy is plotting something involving the Nue !

[Frontier]

Did we just wander into another world where the boys are Himari's hot older sisters ?

Himari looks great in her uniform! And no better time for her to finally attend school! Takamura, the guy who helped her out last episode, is even her teacher! Things already seem to be getting off on a good start on her first day at school .

Dang, kids move fast! Himari is only there for a day and she already has classmates who want to see her house. Though I guess Momochi House is kind of (in)famous so I guess that's to be expected. And Himari is so desperate for normal friends she can't refuse them .

Himari living with a bunch of men she's not related too would seem kind of weird, so...crossdressing! And they all look great in drag! Must be the perks of being a pretty boy. Though definitely Aoi enjoys being able to hug Himari without anyone batting an eye :Innocent:.

There is a fake friend among us! And it's time for Himari to do a little investigating of the dead spirit posing as a student before it takes more victims !

It's always the cute and soft ones, isn't it? Though Torii wasn't the problem so much as Kasha, the dangerous individual who pushed her into this plan. I'm glad Himari realized this even if it didn't prevent Kasha from using Torii to cause more problems. Dude seems really obsessed with Nue .

Nue is fine just erasing Torii right then and there, but Himari understands she's just a girl that died from illness and longed to make real friends, and Himari is happy to be that for her. So at the very least if Torii had to pass on, at least she did so knowing she finally found friends .

Way to avoid actually explaining what Kasha is, Aoi. I love how he thinks hugging Himari is enough to distract her, and to be fair, it does have a big effect on her .

Well, all's well that ends well! Torii's spirit is at peace, Himari's new friends are convinced the house is normal, and Masamune seems like a cool girl who is willing to look over some weirdness and her new friends' crossdressing housemates !

[zztop]

According to the main anime website, the anime will be 12 episodes long and released over 6 Bluray/DVDs.
https://momochisan-anime.com/bddvd/?page=vol1

I assume 12 eps won't be enough to cover a manga that ran for 64 chapters over 16 volumes.

[Frontier]

Originally Posted by zztop

According to the main anime website, the anime will be 12 episodes long and released over 6 Bluray/DVDs.
https://momochisan-anime.com/bddvd/?page=vol1

I assume 12 eps won't be enough to cover a manga that ran for 64 chapters over 16 volumes.

Could end up being a split-cour .

[Frontier]

It's bad enough Kasha made such a mess the last time, but he left the parting gift of breaking the barrier in Momochi House leaving Aoi and the others to have to keep sealing it up. Kasha is nothing but trouble !

But it's good of Himari to get a better understanding of Ayakashi hiearchy and the level of people she's dealing with, even if that makes Kasha out to be even more intimidating and Yukari and Ise sound more prestigious .

I like how Himari goes straight to Aoi for answers about Kasha and won't be deterred by his flirting to distract her...well, not completely deterred, at any rate, because nobody flusters her like Aoi .

Of course Kasha's plan wasn't just to unseal the barrier and release a bull demon, but also to capture Nue with the seals he had placed. Seals only Aoi could see because she's human, to drive home to Aoi that he's becoming more Ayakashi than human, which is just how Kasha wants him .

Ise finally lives up to his pedigree as a Shojo as he unleashes his true form and true fire power, even if at the expense of himself without Nue to hold him back .

It all dates back to Nue's backstory...having been cursed and cast aside by his own clan, he never understood family or true camraderie, even as he found himself the protector to a scruffy dog companion he ended up heading to the human world with. And he was willing to sacrifice himself to save his dog buddy, and said dog buddy sacrificed his life to save him in turn, which lead him to Aoi. I guess dogs really are an Ayakashi's best friend .

Kasha wants Aoi to realize his identity as a pure Ayakashi as Nue, but Himari still sees him as Aoi, and she's not going to be some bystander and let her friends get hurt, even if that means using Yukari's magic to wade through Kasha's flame to save Nue and give Ise the chance to unleash his true flame and incinerate the bull and the dark magic. Nice work, Himari !

Okay, so yeah, Ise blew a giant hole in in Himari's house...but it just leads to a friendship moment between the two as they decide to fix it up together. Himari and Ise seem to have really grown on each other .

Aoi is really self-conscious about how much humanity he still has left, but his feelings for Himari tether him to his identity as a human, and said feelings are so strong he even kisses her. And not only does Aoi have Himari, but he also has Yukari and Ise who are loyal to him and will be there with him through thick and thin, just like Ise's dog pal was for him .

[Frontier]

Fancy Himari running into one of her classmates on the walk to school! Fancier even that said classmate is being haunted by a spirit, and seems self-aware that he's cursed .

Himari is concerned about a classmate, but there's also a personal connection between her and Hidaka, since her parents were involved in his family and their legacy as a tsukimono family that employed Ayakashi. Not that Hidaka has any memory of her parents, but there's still ample reason for Himari to help Hidaka...not just because he needs it, but because he's actually Aoi's childhood friend !

Poor Hidaka. He was best friends with Aoi when they were kids and just wanted to express how much he cared, but one innocent wish to an Ayakashi ended up leaving him cursed and guilty that he erased his best friend, thinking he's the reason Aoi vanished. And he's been wracked with that guilt for years, on-top of the curse surrounding him .

But Himari is persistent! And with that persistence she helps Hidaka placate the fox spirits that were left over from the days when the Hidaka family actually could see Ayakashi! They may not have a home with the Hidaka's any more, but they're more than welcome at Momochi House .

But watch out for a wild Misaki Kuno! This kid is the one Hidaka made a deal with and doesn't want to let him go, being desperate to be seen by someone, even if it meant killing Himari in the process. But thanks to leading him to Momochi House and the timely arrival of the Nue, they're able to calm him down and let Hidaka make peace with him and the visage of Aoi the boy took for his own .

So all's well that ends well...except that the last remnant of Aoi's memory that Hidaka regained was temporary, and Aoi/Nue took away what was left, leaving Hidaka as yet another person who doesn't remember Aoi. Hidaka is much happier than he's been in a long time, but Himari can't help but recognize the tragedy that yet another person who cared about Aoi, and Aoi cared about in turn, has completely forgotten him once again .

Next week: Yukari's backstory ?

[Frontier]

It's time for Yukari's backstory to come to the forefront !

A corrupted spring? A missing water God? What a way to start a morning! Especially when it hits close to home for Yukari, because the Ryujin-sama in charge of the spring is none other than the being that turned him into a Mizuchi...the same God he was sacrificed too !

Of course what effects the spring also effects Yukari because of his connection to Ryujin...and based Himari already suggesting she sacrifice herself to be able to get in touch with the Ryujin-sama. Girl does not mess around .

Aoi takes this personally not only because of the dire situation but also because of how close he is to Yukari. Not only was Yukari his first shikigami but Yukari was his first real companion and friend since he got trapped in Momochi House and they've been together the longest. But Himari is also precious to Aoi and he doesn't want to lose her either .

I know she's supposed to be a sacrifice but Himari looks good in that outfit !

I wonder how much of Aoi is in Nue. Nue's protectiveness of Himari and Yukari felt like emotions from Aoi, and the way he expressed himself, while a little gruffer, felt like they were conveying Nue's feelings .

I guess the only way to stop a water dragon god is with another water dragon as Yukari transforms back into Mizuchi form to save Himari .

So Yukari was an assassin who was raised to kill the Emperor but couldn't go through with it...was he in love with the Emperor? It seemed like it from the brief flashback. But the Emperor died all the same, even if Yukari killed all his assassins, but it left Yukari with nothing but a life left to give to the Ryujin-sama .

But Himari finally lets Yukari realize just how similar Yukari and Ryujin are, two lonely beings who found kinship in each other and tried to do what they felt was right...even if it meant cutting off their relationship. Himari is not only able to free Ryujin-sama from the curse possessing him but also helps fix his relationship with Yukari! Now they'll both be a little less lonely .

Getting "punished" by Nue doesn't sound so bad, Himari...though the tease of an intimate moment between Himari and Aoi is even better! If that's really the case, the way they staged the next episode preview makes me think something more is going on .

[Frontier]

I see all the positive vibes between Himari and Aoi have had their effect! Himari is so down bad for Aoi she seems bummed out when he's not sleeping next to her in the morning .

Of course her gal pals at school notice she has the look of a girl in love, and she can't focus on her studies, though that also gets into trouble at school. But at least her friends are willing to help her clean up .

Their teacher seems surprisingly into the occult even though he tries to play it off, but that's a lot of occult objects...and in particular a mirror that lets you peer into someone's heart. Who wouldn't want that, especially if they have someone they want to feel connected to? Though I like how Himari doesn't think it's right to use something like that .

Though things are immediately wrong as soon as she gets back home...and sees her parents. Well, warped version of her parents that are immediately unsettling, and she starts to realize something is wrong before Kasha pays a visit, though watching her parents turn into zombies chasing her is definitely not how she wanted to learn more of her parents .

I thought it was too convenient that Ise and Yukari would show up to save Himari, and they're part of this too. They care about Himari, but they wouldn't ignore Aoi or treat Kasha's involvement so casually .

(The incinerated walking corpse's of Himari's parents was EXTREMELY unsettling )

Of course this warped Momochi House would use Aoi as the Final Boss to tempt Himari, preying on her feelings for him and how much she wishes he would want to be with her...though it failed in thinking Himari wants to be stuck with him in Momochi House for the rest of her life, when she wants to be with Aoi OUTSIDE Momochi house after freeing him !

Honestly though a threesome with Aoi and Nue doesn't sound half-bad .

So this was all the mirror preying on Himari's desires and insecurities..wanting to see her parents again, being worried she doesn't have a place in Momochi House (although at this point she's actually done a solid job of helping out so I don't think she needs to feel like a burden), and wanting a place in Aoi's heart. But it's her unshakeable belief in Aoi and her feelings for him that let her break the illusion and free herself !

She even managed to earn Kasha's recognition! Kind of! Even if he also sees her as a threat to his intentions towards Nue .

So Himari never even left the school...although the way her teacher talked about wanting to see her dreams sounded kind of suspicious ?

I guess if one good thing came out of it is Himari realizing her true feelings and wasting no time confessing her love to Aoi! That's right, Himari confessed to Aoi and really put herself out there! Girl has guts! Though what a cliffhanger to leave off on Aoi's response. I'm pulling for you Himari !

[Frontier]

Himari confessed her love to Aoi! And his reply is...rejecting her! Man, poor Himari. All the obvious romantic chemistry between the two of them, all the build up, and her putting her heart out there...and she gets rejected .

The rest of Momochi House doesn't make it much better. They mean well treating her to a full course meal and a whole song and dance about getting over her rejection, but it just makes it worse. In fact it's almost like they're happy she got rejected! And Aoi is acting like nothing happened. I feel bad for Himari .

But maybe Aoi isn't completely unaffected, especially if he's so off his game that random Ayakashi are starting to pop out of the woodworks and they need Himari's power to get them out .

Good thing Granny Cat showed up with her Nekomata Clan Magic to clean up all the stray Ayakashi and dote on her beloved child, Aoi! And as if to add insult to injury to the love drama between Himari and Aoi, she's there to find him a bride too. And she doesn't think much of Himari .

Himari loves Aoi but there's still a lot she doesn't know about him, such as where his family is. No one seems to remember them either. Is it as simple as they moved quick once he vanished or something more? It's not like Himari knows what happened to her parents either .

Jeez, Granny Cat is turning Himari into Momochi's House's maid. But at least Yukari implies that Aoi didn't reject her because he didn't return her feelings, but that just makes Granny Cat double down on putting Himari to work and wasting her time. But Himari won't be deterred even by being tricked into searching for a "lost" ornament, especially if it gets her some intimate alone time with Aoi !

So Aoi doesn't even remember his own family now? It seems like things are getting worse for him .

But what better way to improve the mood than surprise Ayakashi Hot Pot! Sure Aoi doesn't get to eat what Himari made exclusively for him, but they do get another close encounter on the floor...and Himari sees Nue in Aoi, making her cling to him. Is she worried she's going to lose Aoi as he truly becomes the Nue ?

At least it seems like Granny Cat finally approves of her, even giving Himari the ornament, and while she acts like she's fine with Aoi foregoing his humanity and becoming full Ayakashi...she sees in Himari someone who might be able to make Aoi remember what it means to really be human .

Oh snap! The teacher knows who Aoi is !

Next time: Himari and her classmates deal with Kagome .

[Frontier]

Yukari finally talks to Aoi about how off he's been acting ever since he rejected Himari (since that's the obvious cause) though it seems like Aoi has a lot of things he's hiding when it comes to his feelings for Himari .

You'd think Himari would know better by now than to go with her class to some supernatural spot...even if it's not one of your classmates pranking you, that same classmate is getting possessed and infiltrating Momochi House .

Yukari's been with Aoi the longest and is the one Aoi can be the most open with, so it makes sense for them to discuss what it means to lose your humanity and become an ayakashi...something Yukari thought would be the natural and most efficient solution to Aoi's problems, but now thinks there might be more to it. Especially when Aoi has a reason to stay human, for Himari .

Jeez Aoi, you reject a girl and then hug her so much, she'll start to get the wrong idea! Especially when you tell her she's the most important thing to you! But OF COURSE there had to be some supernatural shenanigans to interrupt right when it looked like Himari and Aoi were about to finally kiss .

Nachi has looked pretty suspicius from the start, but it turns out he's not just Kagome...but a priest!? And he seeks to make Aoi his shikigami? Which is mighty inconvenient when he seems to have powerful skills at his disposal and Aoi can't transform into Nue. Not to mention he's the reason Aoi even ended up at Momochi House in the first place !

So Aoi was having problems with his family and ran away to make them pay attention to him? And Nachi told him to go to Momochi House? And then basically left him there until now...what a scumabg !