One of those rare anime shows that is based on a series of novels rather than a manga serial (as is sometimes incorrectly stated, although a manga was created based on the books) Shonen Onmyouji is a fun and engaging story of a young man who is trying to live up to his grandfather's expectations while also fighting demons.  With a great cast of characters and enough action to keep things interesting, this series has gotten off to a great start.

Abe no Seimei is a famous onmyouji, a sort of mystic guardian and demon hunter.  He consults with royalty and important officials, and everyone in Japan knows how powerful he is.  (His character is based on a real person from Japanese history.)  Being the grandson of such a powerful and important person is no easy task, just ask Abe no Masahiro.  He's lived in his grandfather's shadow for all his life, and everyone expects the 14 year old to become a powerful onmyouji like his father and grandfather before him.  He's been trained since birth in the magic of the onmyouji but he can't use any of it.  The problem is that Masahiro doesn't have second sight and can't see the invisible demons and ghosts that are all around us, and without that ability none of the onmyouji spells will work.

Not being able to become an onmyouji, Masahiro attempts to learn several skills with which to support himself; calligraphy, playing the flute, and other musical instruments.  He fails at all of them.  Then one day he encounters a shikigami, a supernatural being that is sort of like a magician's familiar.  While he's happy that he can see some supernatural being, this one can be particularly annoying.  No matter how many times he tries to get it to leave, the fox/rabbit-like creature always ends up coming back.  Giving it the name Mukkon, Masahiro lets it tag along and tries to ignore its taunts as best as he can.

When on an errand for his grandfather, Masahiro is attacked by a demon, which he can't see of course.  Mukkon throws himself into the beast's jaws so that Masahiro can get away.  The plucky lad can't let his companion die so instead of running he leaps to his friend's aid.  In doing so he finds that he can see the demon, and that his second sight has emerged.

Seeing the demon and defeating it are two different things however.  Still in trouble, Mukkon reveals that his true name is Guren.  When Masahiro uses it, the animal transforms into a human, one who has some seriously impressive powers.

Now that Masahiro can see demons, he starts on the path to becoming a true onmyouji.  There's something going on however.  It seems that a major demon is working in the area, and one that has targeted Masahiro.
 
This series has gotten off to a good start.  The plot is interesting and there's a fair amount of action too.  Masahiro is an engaging lead character, and his relationship with his grandfather adds some comedy that works well.  The best parts of this show however are the interesting secondary characters.  Mukkon/Guren is a great addition to the show.  He can be irritating and annoying to Masahiro (but not the viewers), but also comes in handy in a fight and honestly cares for his companion.  He's also the character that explains what is going on, just in case you weren't paying attention.

Abe no Seimei himself, who has a minor role in the show, is also a fun character.  He manipulates his grandson in a shameless fashion, but also seems to know more than he's letting on.  This show has a lot of potential and is worth checking out.

This volume contains the first five episodes on a single DVD.  It comes in a clear keepcase with a reversible cover.  There is an insert with release months for the rest of the series.

Audio:

Like most anime releases here in region 1, this disc has the original Japanese audio track as well as an English dub, both in stereo.  I alternated between the two tracks while screening this disc, and both tracks were very good.  I ended up preferring the Japanese track a bit, but there wasn't anything wrong with the dub track.  The English actors did a good job of bringing their character to life, and obviously fake accents weren't present.

Video:

The 1.78:1 widescreen anamorphic image was very good.  The colors were bright and the lines were tight.  The dark scenes had a nice amount of detail too.  Cross coloration wasn't a problem and aliasing was extremely minor, main in the background when the camera pans across fine lines.  This is a very nice looking show, definitely better than average.

Extras:

The only extra was a textless opening.

Final Thoughts:

This show is one of the better series that has popped up recently.  It has a good story, some interesting characters, a solid mystery and enough action and comedy to make sure that it doesn't grow dull.  An all around fun show, Shonen Onmyouji gets a strong recommendation.