Nyarko-san: Another Crawling Chaos

2012

Original language: Japanese

animation
comedy
sci-fi & fantasy

The story

Mahiro Yasaka is just an ordinary high school student, until one day he is suddenly attacked by a dangerous monster. Just when everything seems to be lost, he is saved by a strange girl named Nyaruko, who claims to be the shape-shifting deity Nyarlathotep from horror author H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos.

What it’s like

Bright, saturated daylight and crisp cel-shaded suburban Japan, with a bouncy, rapid-fire comic rhythm: exaggerated faces, chibi asides, quick cuts between school hallways, a riverside town, and bursts of cosmic weirdness rendered in glossy, candy-coloured animation. The sound is a busy mix of jaunty pop-leaning music, slapstick sound effects, and voice performances pitched high and eager, so it plays loud and fast rather than quiet. The vibe is cheerful, goofy, and affectionate, with a light, silly sort of romance threaded through the chaos, and the eldritch horror of Lovecraft is mostly a punchline. Ideal for a lazy afternoon, a comfort rewatch, or something to have on while doing chores, when you want to laugh at a familiar genre rather than be scared by it. Intensity is low to moderate: monster attacks and explosions happen often, but they are cartoonish and bloodless, with no real gore, and the fan-service is playful rather than explicit. The emotional register stays upbeat and goofy, with occasional sweet, earnest moments. Made for viewers who enjoy anime comedy, monster-of-the-week parody, and sweetly absurd high school settings.

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