Kyouran Kazoku Nikki - Episode 17

After a slightly confusing and rather run-of-the-mill sixteenth episode of Kyouran Kazoku Nikki, this latest (of what seems like many, but is actually only the second) human changing to animal arc concludes, while also continuing to focus on Teika in what seemed to me like a rather half-hearted way compared to the treatment some of the other 'family' members got.


While a lot of the aspects of the story which appeared confusing last time around got adequate explanations here, this episode still felt somewhat 'messy' in itself beyond just trying to be crazy - I'm starting to think that they've introduced far too many incidental characters into the series that don't really need to be there, and it's only served to dilute the reasonably solid characters within the Midarazeki family unit (although Shinigami is worthy of her own series if you ask me, and no I'm not just saying that because we saw her naked in this episode).

From the very start I've really, really wanted to like this series, but despite some strong episodes here and there it continues to disappoint overall - Its emotional and value-oriented focus has allowed it to stand out from other similar series, and has worked well at times, but that focus has also taken it away from a lot of the humour that the likes of Excel Saga nailed down so well. It's a shame really, as given the obvious potential that the general idea of Kyouran Kazoku Nikki fires up, it doesn't even come close to living up to that.