魔探偵ロキ RAGNAROK

MATANTEI LOKI RAGNAROK

ANIME

STATUS
COMPLETE
EPISODES
26
RELEASE
September 27, 2003
LENGTH
24 min

DESCRIPTION

Loki, the Norse god of mischief, has been exiled to the human world for what was apparently a bad joke. Along with being exiled, he's forced to take the form of a child. He's told the only way he can get back to the world of the gods is if he can collect auras of evil that take over human hearts, and so to do this he runs a detective agency. Loki is soon joined by a human girl named Mayura who is a maniac for mysteries, and she soon helps out in her own way. However, soon other Norse gods begin to appear, and most have the intent to assassinate Loki for reasons unclear.

(Source: Anime News Network)

CAST

Loki
Takahiro Sakurai
Mayura Daidouji
Yui Horie
Ryuusuke Yamino
Shinichirou Miki
Fenrir
Hirofumi Nojima
Ecchan
Misato Fukuen
Heimdall
Romi Park
Narugami
Shoutarou Morikubo
Freyr
Takehito Koyasu
Urd
Mariko Suzuki
Freya
Junko Asami
Masumi Niiyama
Skuld
Mai Nakahara
Verdandi
Mamiko Noto
Hel
Omi Minami
Kotarou Kakinouchi
Kouichi Toochika
Reiya Ohshima
Rika Komatsu
Yayoi Kirasaka
Sanae Kobayashi
Misao Daidouji
Keiichi Sonobe

EPISODES

Dubbed

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Not available on crunchyroll

RELATED TO MATANTEI LOKI RAGNAROK

MANGA ComedyMatantei Loki

REVIEWS

Kalladry
40/100
Starts fun and is mostly amusing, but the ending disappoints
I remember when this came out, and it seemed so interesting. So when I got a job that gave me an office and work that meant I sometimes didn’t need my computer monitor, I took the opportunity to get back into anime. Because a lot of my watching is done at work, my main criteria at the time of watching was (1) having an English dub so I don’t have to look at the screen the entire time, and (2) being complete so I can binge if it turns out awesome, which means older series tend to fit. I love anything resembling mysteries, so the 13-year-old Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok seemed like a good idea.

I love anything resembling a mystery, so this mystery-fantasy fusion seemed perfect. It started well, amusing and Loki even has a magical girl-style summoning sequence for his staff. For most of the series it stayed enjoyable, and I could really get into the mythology--what little there is, but at least it's entertaining. And then the final episode is spent not wrapping things up, and implying there will be another season, which of course there wasn't.

Verdict

Is there an English dub? Exists, but child-Loki’s voice is weirdly mature, and sidekick Mayura’s voice is obnoxiously high and slightly screetchy, as it often the case when trying to dub a character who had a very high-pitched Japanese voice. A lot of the characters sound unnatural. It's very much a product of its time (early aughts), and will likely leave dub-lovers disappointed.

How are the visuals? Pretty enough. Child-Loki is adorable and I giggled through his magical-girl-like staff-summoning sequence every time. Character designs are distinct so it’s hard to confuse one for another.

Is it worth watching? Not particularly, unless you're good at tolerating inconclusive/open-ended endings (in the sense that they clearly expected/wanted another season). It’s not a very good mystery show, and it can’t decide how involved it wants to be with Norse mythology: other gods show up (in various guises, such as Thor’s appearance as a high school who works a part-time job for no discernible reason) but very little mythology actually makes it into the story. It’s only one season (26 episodes), but the final episode is spent not wrapping things up and throws a mysterious new character into the very end, hinting that Ominous Things Could Happen if a second season had been made. Not having read it, I would assume that this is connecting to the manga plot and the anime studio anticipated/hoped for another season that didn’t materialize, leaving us with this disappointment of an ending.

Where to watch? I watched on Hulu, but the series has since left and I can’t find it available for streaming legally anywhere. The DVDs are available on Amazon.
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