One of the series that was left high and dry when Geneon folded was Shonen Onmyoiji.  Only two volumes of this fantasy/coming of age anime had been released and it was showing some promise.  Luckily, the good folks at FUNimation stepped in and picked the series up and are continuing to release it.  Their first release under the series is volume 3, which wraps up the first story line and gets the second one well underway.

Series background:

Abe no Seimei is a famous onmyouji, a sort of mystic guardian/priest/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.  Unfortunately he just doesn't seem to have the talent for it.

One day Masahiro encounters a shikigami, a supernatural being that is sort of like a magician's familiar, a creature that only onmyouji can see.  They are supposed to be helpful, but this one is 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.  During the battle, some of Masahiro's latent abilities awaken, which makes him overjoyed, but he's still not powerful enough to defeat the creature attacking him.  When all seems lost, Mukkon reveals that his true name is Guren.  When Masahiro says his name, the animal transforms into a human-looking being, 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 volume:

Though it has been a while since I screened volume 2, things came back quickly as I was watching this volume.  As the show starts out, Masahiro's life has gotten complex.  The girl he loves, Akiko, has been promised in marriage to the Mikado and as a wife and will soon be departing for the castle.  Once there she will no longer be able to come and go as she pleases, and will rarely get to see Masahiro, and then only through a bamboo screen (as no male except the lord may look at his wife.)

To overcome his worries, the young onmyouji throws himself into his work, patrolling all night and fighting demons almost non-stop.  The demon that has been causing all of the trouble however, Kyuuki, approaches Mashahiro with an offer:  If he agrees to become one of Kyuuki's followers the demon will not only spare his life, but grant him anything he desires, including Akikio.  Will Mashahiro be able to withstand the offer and loose the one he loves?

The last half of this volume starts the second story arc.  A mysterious woman raises the spirit of a man who died after loosing a political struggle and sets it loose upon the capital.  It's up to Mashahiro to stop it, and figure out what the young woman's plan is.

This series continues on strong.  It has a lot of continuity, so the show doesn't come across as a monster-of-the-week show, and the plot has enough twists and turns to keep it interesting.  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 episodes 11-14 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:

No extras this time around.  Only some Geneon previews.

Final Thoughts:

This show is continuing to unfold nicely.  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 is recommended.