I just finished watching the first episode of Majutsushi Kunon wa Mieteiru, and I was genuinely surprised by how interesting the premise is and how well they managed to introduce the main characters. The story is adapted from a light novel of the same name written by Umikaze Minamino and illustrated by Laruha, which currently spans 8 volumes.
The story follows Kunon Gurion, the blind son of a noble who is unable to find a reason to feel happy due to his disability. In this country, there seems to be a curse of sorts that causes people related to the Hero who defeated the Demon Lord to have "something missing." In Kunon’s case, that something is his sight.
Kunon has a talent for water magic. Learning this magic through his tutor, Jenie Kors, allows him to start exploring the world while dreaming of improving his magic enough to build a pair of eyes for himself. By the end of this episode, he was already able to distinguish colors and shapes (even without technically seeing), so it is already a huge step up.
Iko Round (Kunon's maid) definitely stole the show in this first episode with her cheerful and playful personality, always hovering around Kunon. I can totally see why he ended up with that eccentric personality, given that she is basically next to him 24/7. I am sure she will follow him to the academy as his attendant, even though she will probably have less screen time in favor of interactions with the other students.
Mirika Huglia was also a cute character. She is the fiancée chosen by the King for Kunon (because of his disability linking him to the Hero). While she follows orders, she was initially taken aback by the thought of having to live her entire life around the depressed Kunon. However, she immediately falls for him once she sees his more cheerful self. She is admittedly quite a choroi (easy) heroine.
The path the series is likely to take is pretty standard, and I can predict the basics. Kunon will enroll in an academy, there will be some antagonistic student creating a rivalry (one was already shown in the preview of the next episode), and then he will meet a bunch of new friends to interact with. However, considering the age difference with Mirika, I am not sure she will have much of a role in the story moving forward.
I am also interested in how the Hero aspect will affect the storyline. Will Kunon’s connection to the Hero cause him to become involved with the remnants of the demon forces as well? Or is it just the basic premise that won't be touched again for a long while as the focus shifts to the academy and magic instead?
The animation is probably the only bad part of the series. While the quality is consistent, the animation itself is quite lacking, and the studio uses quite a few still frames or panning shots to simulate movement. I guess it is a lower-budget title compared to others, but at least it seems like the character design is stable.
I am going to keep watching it, and hopefully, the story will continue to keep me interested. I am not 100% sure yet if I will cover it weekly on this blog, as I need to see what other series are available this season first.
