First, let me say that this series has got to be one of the strangest yet most addicting series I have ever seen. I literally could not turn it off because when I tried, I was just left wondering, “WTF is going to happen next?!?” So I binged it one sitting.

Created by Kunihiko Ikuhara, who famously brought Sailor Moon R to television worldwide, the eleven-episode series originally aired on Fuji TV and was simulcast in the West by Crunchyroll and Funimation. An original work it did inspire the manga Sarazanmai: Reo and Mabu.

After the noble Kappa Kingdom falls to the Otter Empire, the Kappa prince Keppi loses much of his power and becomes helpless against the unseen Kapa-zombies. These zombies plague the world and are the creations of the Otters and manifestations of people’s deepest desires.

Enter Kazuki and Toi, two middle school students who, during a fight with each other, make the grave mistake of calling Keppi a frog. As punishment, he steals their shirikodama (a mythical organ even human in this world has) and turns them into Kappas. He then does the same thing to Enta Jinnai, Kazuki’s childhood friend, after he makes the same unfortunate mistake.

With their shirikodamas removed, the boys are able to then fight the Kapa-zombies on Keppi’s behalf after he promises to not only return them to human form but also grant them wishes. However – the only way to defeat the Kapa-zombies is for the boys to connect with each other completely – mind, body, and—most importantly—secrets. As the Kappa Kingdom relies on these boys, they must reveal themselves as they have never done before, all the while learning that connections are fragile and genuinely precious things.

It sounds interesting, right? Sure. Yeah. But what they don’t tell you in the synopsis – not even the one FROM THE MANUFACTURER is from where the shirikodama is removed from.

It’s the anus.

That’s right. This weird little frog/duck hybrid-looking thing sucks the shirikodama gland right out the butt hole – which coincidently is the place where the desires of the monsters the Kapa-guys are fighting are also kept – so the only way for them to retrieve it is for all three of them to dive right in and pull it out. Yep. Triple penetration. I told you it was weird.

Reo and Mabu are the series villains who pose as cops and are in a romantic relationship with one another. The two men use their position to pull the desires of criminals to feed the Otter Empire.

Each episode has two songs, which are the same with slightly different lyrics in each episode, but they are incredibly catchy. While I did enjoy it, I am not sure it’s one I am going to rush out and buy like I did with Given, The Stranger by the Shore, or Sasaki and Miyano – but as it’s free with a subscription to Funimation, it’s totally worth the watch.

More anime reviews soon so…

Stay Tuned!

Rating- 4 out of 5

This article is adapted from Life in Cartoon Motion which aims at providing articles, reviews, and even interviews!