Hitsugi no Chaika

[Ryllharu]

Alternate Title: Chaika the Coffin Princess

Description: Tooru Acura, a retired soldier lazing his way through life, encounters Chaika Trabant, a sorceress carrying a coffin. After escaping certain death together, he follows her in hopes of finding a purpose for the first time in a long while. The two travel with Tooru's sister, Akari, in search of a mysterious item that Chaika claims she has to find.


AniDB | ANN

HorribleSubs - 01
Anime-Koi - 01


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I loved the first episode.

MC heroine speaks broken sentences like she can barely speak the language which is, hopefully more to due with her being a foreigner or rather than something than brain damage or like she's artificial. Her weapon is a huge anti-material magic rifle...and it is exactly as multipurpose as it sounds. There is a scene where she tries to bake with it, and miraculously manages to not outright destroy the kitchen (while still ruining it).

Two siblings are saboteurs/sappers from the army, so their skill set is slightly more unique and they remind me of Randel from Pumpkin Scissors with a little more sanity.

It's a good pairing, because the two siblings are competent at close range combat and the physical skills that Chaika needs, while she is strong enough to actually destroy powerful opponents given enough time to cast her spells. Tooru is also really bored and needs something to do, and Akari needs Tooru to stop being useless before she kills him out of spite.

This gave me a strong Scrapped Princess vibe for some reason, and it turned out to be written by the same guy! He also wrote Outbreak Company recently, another series I loved the hell out of, coming off a lot stronger than it appeared at first glace. Given that history, there is a good chance I'll enjoy this.

Aside from Tooru, the main cast are both newbies, which brings a fresh feel for me since I can generally get distracted by seiyuu for a while if I recognize their voices.

The animation feels a little on the rough side at times, but BONES is apparently doing three series this season. The quality does improve a little toward the end of the episode, so their staff is probably strained to the limit.

[shinta|hikari]

Sold. I'll watch this tonight.

[MasterOfMoogles]

Just watched episode 1. Really liked this show.
I think my favorite part is them carrying the coffin on their stealth mission.

[shinta|hikari]

Satisfied customer. Verified Gotwoot purchase.

[Kraco]

I think my favorite part is them carrying the coffin on their stealth mission.

Yeah, that was ridiculous. I guess the coffin must have some other functionality in addition to the lid carrying the rifle.

Chaika's magic is so slow that she absolutely needs guardians to keep enemies at bay for a while.

I was getting annoyed by the innkeeper lecturing Tooru despite he having worked to earn the meal and it was the sister who wrecked the place. But then I saw his expression during the lecture and I couldn't be angry anymore. The relationship between Tooru and the sister is quite strange anyway. Apparently she respects, or even loves, him a lot but at the same time hates his personality.

[shinta|hikari]

The part where Tooru retracted his statement about his own stupidity and redirected it against his sister, and then his sister accepting it was hilarious.

[Kraco]

Episode 2 - HS






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The saboteur siblings are interesting in battle. Not overly powerful, but quite resourceful, versatile, and seem to know their own strengths and weaknesses thoroughly. Very professional by not stopping to lament their lacking brute force but instead doing perfectly what they can. While I oft praise shows with powerful main characters, it's still their willpower and attitude that matters more. These siblings have those handled well, so well in fact that I guessed beforehand what Tooru would answer when the officer started to preach about peace. Although it seems unlikely Chaika would be willingly after war. She might still be a drone constructed by the late emperor for the express purpose of resurrecting him in case something happened. However, the intro didn't really seem to suggest that but something else, though the Great Old One's words were understandably somewhat vague.

[Ryllharu]

I really enjoyed the way the two siblings fight. Their vicious, equal parts reckless and calculated resourcefulness style is refreshing.

From what we know, three organizations have an idea of what to use the remains for. Chaika says she simply wants to bury them. The "heroes" want to keep them separately and use them as magical fuel. The princeling says he has been given the task of retrieving them in order to safeguard them, while ultimately warning they can be used to develop a superweapon.

Now, who do you really think is being lied to? Tooru and Akari, or the Princeling?

I believe the "heroes" are greedy, entitled, power hungry dicks, but they have the correct intentions. They want to safeguard the parts.
Tooru and Akari are working for a villain who claims she has good intentions, knowing that doing so will bring the wrath of the world down on them (which they don't mind at all).
The princeling is working for the government that overthrew the Gaz Empire. They're the "good guys."

Chaika's good intentions are probably going to be abused (if she even is the real daughter, and the "hero" implied he killed her), but I'm certain that the princeling's "justice" is the wrong side, and he is being used to create the very superweapon he wants to prevent.

[Buffalobiian]

HS - Episode 03

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MC heroine speaks broken sentences like she can barely speak the language which is, hopefully more to due with her being a foreigner or rather than something than brain damage or like she's artificial.

I put it as her not having had proper education at first, but it looks more and more like it's going down the artificial route. Everything seems pretty fun so far, so I'll keep watching as well.

I'm liking that this Hero looks to be proper and not some scumbag.

[Kraco]

I'm liking that this Hero looks to be proper and not some scumbag.

It probably won't feel too good for them to defeat somebody who just saved Tooru's life in order to claim the relic. It would be emotionally easier if they were all scumbags. But I guess technically it could be easier if they could backstab.

[Buffalobiian]

HS - Episode 04

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But why loli?! I suppose she couldn't walk around all day looking like Dominica, but she's so much better looking!

If Chaika's been reanimated, then the purpose of bringing the king's body parts back together may well be for his revival.

[shinta|hikari]

But why loli?!

This is probably the most senseless inquiry I have ever read in my entire life.

[Kraco]

This fight was disappointingly easy. I suppose it might have made sense with the dragoon bored out of her mind living alone without her master, possibly losing her will to live and only looking for a good death. Not to mention she had no particularly reason to defend the remains in the first place. I agree with Bill on her shape, though. Dominica's looks were so much better. But yeah, walking around looking like one of the heroes might have brought far too much attention upon them. Considering her straightforward personality I don't really understand the need for the cliched I'll accompany you so that I may kill you later reason for sticking around. She should have just admitted she had nothing better to do and the group's clear and dangerous mission is highly attractive for a fighting machine like her. Tooru himself said as much earlier.

[shinta|hikari]

You really cannot avoid such tropes in anime. I am starting to think that the quality of an anime show is inversely proportional to the amount of tropes it has. This show felt like it plummeted in quality with just this episode due to the instant loli trope.

[neflight86]

Fake-out incest? Check. Loli get? Check. All that's missing is for the cat to talk while being a cat to complete the cycle of intellectual surrender.

I hope this show does not complete that; its been fun and approachable so far.

[Ryllharu]

It was only disappointing because the "twist" was telegraphed so badly. Almost instantly from the creepy everywhere statues, unused kitchen, and appearance of the cat observing them.

You could largely expect the result of the episode from the first four minutes.

Does it count as an incest pairing if they're not actually blood related and Akari would be equally happy if he died so long there was enough left intact so she could have him taxidermied?

At least the combat was decent. Akari and Tooru combined can probably kill damn near everything. He and his traps, she and her poisons and bombs. Chaika is really only there to perform the killing blow or break magical barriers.

[shinta|hikari]

I really like the Akari and Tooru scenes. The deadpan brocon comments and his exasperated parries are funny and cute.

[Buffalobiian]

Akari ftw! I gave the series 3-4 episodes, but I don't think they're going to explain what their chant does since they haven't by now. It seems to get them "battle-ready", but what I really want to know is whether it gives them any performance boost besides their mental-steeling.

[Archangel]

Episode 5

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Ok so obviously the army of Chaikas is some fail safe the Emperor had in place in the occurrence of his untimely demise. What's funny and i hope gets mentioned is how the red one has a bigger bust than the white one, poor girl can't catch a break.

The animation quality is awful though, very inconsistent.

[Kraco]

Ok so obviously the army of Chaikas is some fail safe the Emperor had in place in the occurrence of his untimely demise.

Yeah. Though I still would like to know what was the Great Old One present when Chaika was "schooled" in the intro. Was that perhaps some deity/demon that had empowered the Emperor himself as well?

Having multiple Chaikas made the story a bit more interesting and unique. Although we already knew there had been more before, but not that they were present at the same time. Quite efficient, of course, to collect the remains that way.

Where did the dragon go? She ran away after scratching Tooru, but I thought that was only temporary. But it looks like she's not with them at all anymore. There's no way she would have skipped the fight if she was present. It would be quite lousy if she simply reappears once this conflict is over, with some stupid excuse. It would be an ultimate artificial plot device.