Kyouran Kazoku Nikki - Episode 1

No new anime season would be complete without at least one series of madcap tomfoolery, and for the Spring season it appears that Kyouran Kazoku Nikki is it. Where else are you going to find a family consisting of a cat-girl who thinks she's a god, a lion, a biological weapon and a jellyfish?

The basic story goes like this - Thousands of years ago a vicious and evil God of destruction called Enka was destroyed by mankind, but not before he'd managed to implant himself in children that would be born in the far flung future. Well, that future is now, which means that Ōka Midarezaki's life is about to be turned upside down. As part of the (take a deep breath now) Great Japanese Empire Paranormal Phenomena Bureau of Measures, Ouka is set up with a vitally important mission - To become part of a family alongside all of the children of Enka, with the aforementioned cat-girl Kyouka as his wife (as well as one of said children), so that these children can be monitored and dealt with should any of them become a threat to the world.

Yes, it's a daft plot, but Kyouran Kazoku Nikki is a daft anime - what did you expect? The premise and characters of this show are introduced at a million miles an hour, with the story-setting speeding along in a suitably bizarre fashion - Think Excel Saga, only even weirder. Thankfully, that fast, irreverant pace actually makes the opening episode of the series oddly enjoyable, despite a lack of laugh out loud jokes, and I'm intrigued as to where they'll take the show during its run. It'll need to do more than just be crazy and off-the-wall to remain a watchable series, but I can't possible turn down the opportunity to find out more about what it's like to be the 'father' of a jellyfish and a talking lion.