English Dub Review: The Demon Prince of Momochi House “Strangers of Momochi House”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

On her 16th birthday, Momochi Himari, the orphan, receives a will from her deceased parents and inherits Momochi House.

Our Take:

Unsurprisingly, I wind up with another series involving a protagonist confronting spirits from another realm, as if one supernatural anime isn’t enough for me to start the new year. Fortunately, this series happens to be a bit more lighthearted compared to Dark Gathering. The Demon Prince does feature another ordinary person encountering ghosts and demons like many others, but it occurs in a haunted mansion inherited by an orphan. The concept already gave me Haunted Mansion vibes, even though the recent film from Disney just came and went with a whimper months ago. But are they enough to make a first impression on me? Sort of.

The first episode introduces us to the show’s main character, Himari Momochi. Himari is a teenage orphan whose parents have passed away when she was young. It’s unclear how her parents passed, so let’s say that it’s due to unforeseen circumstances. She received a will granting her the old Momochi family estate as an inheritance. However, upon her arrival, Himari discovers that she’s not alone, as she finds three men residing in the estate: Aoi Nanamori, Yukari, and Ise. Additionally, Himari finds that the house is built on the border between the human world and the spirit realm, and Aoi is the house’s Omamori-sama, or “guardian”.

“Strangers of Momochi House” is another series starter that knows how to introduce a concept right off the bat regarding its supernatural tropes, fantasy action, and even a hint of romance, mainly between Himari and Aoi. While the element involving spirits as roommates may sound familiar for hardcore anime fans, the episode does enough with its plot to grab my attention for what’s to come. The voice cast was decent so far, including Bryn Apprill as the determined Himari, and the animation by Drive has some suitable moments of vibrancy and designs. Would they be enough to carry this latest supernatural-focused series or, in this case, pay rent? We’ll have to wait and see for ourselves.