It's the Edo era, looking unusually civilised. You'd be happy to visit, although you'd need to be prepared for a bit of culture clash (e.g. the locals' attitude to prostitution). It's also rich in Japanese mythological and cultural detail, e.g. "tsukumogami" (little personal objects that have gained sentience and turned into low-level gods), "netsuke" (little carved boxes that served the same function as sporrans).

Our protagonists are a pair of siblings who run a shop that rents out tsukumogami. That sounds cool, although I'm not sure what you'd use one for. (The shopkeepers aren't blood siblings and the sister gets annoyed when the brother doesn't praise her hair ornament, so we can see where that's going.)

This week, a samurai comes in asking them to find a runaway mouse. It's actually a mouse netsuke, but it still managed to sprout legs and run away. Our heroes poke around gently, with the sometimes reluctant help of their tsukumogami. (These include a model bat who's had bad experiences with his human owners and is now a grumpy little so-and-so who contradicts everything.)

Our heroes are solving a mystery, in other words. It's also based on a novel. (A proper novel, not a light novel series.)

It's nice.

It's about the work life of two cheaply animated cats. There's a cheerful ginger one and a grumpy Russian blue who can't be bothered to work properly.

That's it, really. They work for a packing firm. One of the packages contains a live koala.

I'd describe it as a cross between Recovery of an MMO Junkie and Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions. It's like the former in being about the love lives of older, working-age otaku and like the latter in having an otaku main character who doesn't think much of otaku and wants to be seen as normal. (Well, "otaku" instead of "chuunibyou".) Narumi shares the general public's low opinion of otaku, despite being one. She chooses normal boyfriends, tries to hide her otaku-ness and then is surprised when this works out badly.

Anyway, it's charming. Narumi's actually changed jobs to escape from her love life. She starts a new company, determined to pass for normal and immediately runs into an old school friend (Hirotaka) who asks if she's going to Summer Comiket again this year.

They grab some food after work and get on famously, while being rude to each other like so many old friends. "Game otaku are so gross." "Shut up, yaoi fangirl." Hirotaka smokes and might be on the autistic spectrum. (If you're talking to him at work, he might put in earphones and start playing a video game because it's turned lunchtime.) Meanwhile Narumi tells him to his face that he's not her type and that she won't be dating him, while complaining that she always makes the wrong choice with men.

"Why don't you look for someone who accepts the fact that you're an otaku?"

"Don't be disgusting! He'd be an otaku too! I don't want to date those. They're creepy."

Narumi faces other dilemmas at work. Is that another otaku? Is Narumi's otaku radar working properly? (Endearingly, the guess is correct and the two are actually fans of each other.)

It's an noitaminA show, which raises expectations that so far have been more than met. It's funny and likeable. I'm fond of everyone already. They're adults, but also believably childish. Their dedication to their hobbies helps them make (lightly bickering) friendships completely and immediately. Apparently there's going to be a live-action movie of the same manga and I'm looking forward to that too.

It has beautiful, super-realistic CGI that's a joy to look at. It's epic. It's like watching a blockbuster movie.

The animation, though, is less lavish. They haven't nailed tricky stuff like, um, walking. Also look out for dead zombie eyes.

There are crucified skeletons outside a city wall. There's lots of Looking Cool. There's a strict Evil Neckline Gauge. (The more evil your character design is, the more cleavage you'll expose. Dark elves who can turn into flocks of bats will merely look daring. Disney villainesses with hilariously evil-looking advisers should avoid sudden movement.)

I'm not expecting an interesting story, obviously. Mighty heroes will fight! And be mighty! While looking cool! It does look gorgeous, though.