Minato, who can see benevolent spirits but not wicked ones, becomes caretaker of an abandoned house that belonged to a distant relative. As he cleans up, he unwittingly drives out the negative spiritual energy infesting the place. Soon he also meets Yamagami, a mountain god in the form of a large talking canine creature. The latter reveals that it’s specifically Minato’s handwriting that dispels evil spirits. As the story continues, Minato encounters more spirits, and a professional exorcist takes note of his gift…
That was different. I’m not even sure how to describe it. A layman-exorcist Shinto home-maintenance slice-of-life anime? Let’s go with that for now. It’s very chill, with a nice bit of humor too (I loved the part where Yamagami encounters sparkling water). The verdant countryside setting is quite pretty and contributes a lot to the relaxed atmosphere. I’m also rather curious where the story will go with Minato’s odd combination of abilities; since he can only see and talk to benevolent spirits, he doesn’t even realize the effect he’s having on the evil ones (except when his handwritten notes keep inexplicably going blank). I really enjoyed this premiere and recommend checking it out if you’re in the mood for a calming slice-of-life series.
Kusunoki’s Garden of the Gods is streaming on Crunchyroll.
