The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. - The Beginning of the Psi--What is the appeal of this masterpiece anime that depicts the daily lives of psychics?

The Disastrous Life of Saiki K: The Beginning of the Psi-Review and Recommendation

Overview

The Disastrous Life of Saiki K: The Disastrous Life of Saiki K is the latest anime series based on the popular manga The Disastrous Life of Saiki K by Shuichi Aso. The six-part series, which began streaming on Netflix on December 30, 2019, follows the chaos caused by Kusuo Saiki and the characters around him. Animation is produced by EGG FIRM and JCSTAFF, and the director is Hiroaki Sakurai.

■ Story

The daily life of Kusuo Saiki, a high school student with psychic powers, is anything but ordinary. He is surrounded by "friends" with various personalities, and it is common for Kusuo to get caught up in the trouble they cause. This "Psi Start" depicts Kusuo's new adventure. The story is full of laughs and emotions, including the appearance of new transfer students and episodes with Kusuo's family.

■ Characters

Many unique characters appear in "The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. Psi Start-up". The main character, Kusuo Saiki, is a psychic with distinctive pink hair and green-lensed glasses. His psychic powers are diverse, including telepathy, psychokinesis, clairvoyance, precognition, teleportation, and remote viewing, but due to an experience from his childhood, he avoids using his powers in front of others. He loves sweets, especially coffee jelly, but he also hates bugs.

Nendo Riki is a character with a delinquent-like appearance and an innocent personality, and is the only one who cannot read Kusuo's thoughts. He calls Kusuo his "partner" and often invites him out to eat ramen, but Kusuo finds him annoying. However, he has a kind personality that is loyal and considerate of his friends.

Kaito Shun is a self-described chuunibyou character who calls himself the "Jet Black Wings" and fights against the secret society "Dark Reunion." He has a shy personality and a pure heart, but he also has a gullible side.

Hairo Kineshi is the class representative and a refreshing, passionate boy. He is well-liked by his classmates for his earnest and honest attitude, but sometimes his excessive belief in guts can be suffocating. He is a member of the tennis club and considers Nondou his rival.

Toritsuka Reita is a psychic who wants to become Kusuo's apprentice. Although he doesn't look bad, he tends to be repelled by those around him because he acts true to his own desires. He loves girls, and his first love was a ghost named Miyo.

Kokomi Teruhashi is a perfect beautiful girl who behaves amiably with everyone. She has such charm that any man who meets her can't help but say "Whoa!?"

Yumehara Chiyo is a dreamy and romantic girl. She changes her mind easily and has had romantic relationships with many male students in the past. She is a relatively normal girl, but has a dark past of running a website for her own novels.

Mera Chisato is a poor girl who works multiple part-time jobs to support her family after her father disappears. She has a weakness for food, and her staple diet consists of bean sprouts and breadcrusts. She is a clumsy girl with big breasts, and is known for wearing glasses with only one lens in each.

Kuboya Suaren is a transfer student with glasses and a serious attitude, but his true identity is that of a former delinquent who was once the leader of a team called "Hotsukeha." His parents are also former delinquents, and he is trying to graduate from being a delinquent by transferring to a new school.

Teruhashi Shin (Rokujin Tsutomu) is Kokomi's older brother and is a young top idol actor. He is an extreme sister complex and will not tolerate any man who gets close to his sister. His dream is to become his sister's husband.

Uryoku Chono is a unique young illusionist who decided to become an illusionist after living as a homeless person. He regards Kusuo as his mentor.

Kuniharu Saiki is Kusuo's father, a careless and sloppy character. He is a good businessman who likes to lick his boss's shoes, and works as a manga editor.

Kurumi Saiki is Kusuo's mother, and has a calm and gentle personality. Although she was largely influenced by Kusuo's upbringing so that he would not abuse his powers, she is often the victim of scams due to her excessive airheadedness.

Kumagoro Saiki is Kusuo's grandfather and a tsundere grandpa. Despite his old age, he has an extremely tsundere personality, and is only tsun towards his daughter's husband, Kuniharu. He does not know about Kusuo's psychic powers.

Kumi Saiki is Kusuo's grandmother and a cool grandma. She looks young, and is also young on the inside, as she is sensitive to gal slang and wants to use it as soon as she learns it. She does not know about Kusuo's psychic powers.

Saiki Kusuke is the older brother of Kusuo and a genius inventor with an IQ of 218. Feeling inferior to his younger brother's psychic abilities, he ran away from home to study abroad in London. Talking about his younger brother is strictly forbidden, but behind that lies hidden feelings for him.

Saitora Metoshi is the heir to the Saitora conglomerate, and is very proud and egocentric. He believes that everything he wants can be arranged by his secretary, and that anything can be solved with money. He likes to bathe in stacks of bills, but the corners of the bills rub against his skin, leaving him with constant cuts.

Akechi Touma is a transfer student who has a huge amount of lines and is a character that will make any voice actor cry. You may know that Saiki is a psychic.

Aibu Mikoto is a transfer student with big breasts. She speaks fluent gal lingo and has the mysterious ability to read people's fortunes, predict their fortunes, and read the aura that people give off.

Imai Nashida is a first-year student at PK Academy and a beautiful girl with twin tails. She is aware of her own cuteness and considers Kokomi Teruhashi her rival.

Koriki No. 2 is a hamster who speaks in the Kansai dialect, and when he was lost he met Saiki Kusuo.

Sato Hiroshi is a male student who is average in all areas, including academic ability, athletic ability, height and weight, and whose way of thinking and family structure are also "normal." Therefore, he is interested in Kusuo, who aspires to be "normal." His overly "normal" character may even change the people around him and the events that occur into "normal" ones.

■ Staff

The director is Hiroaki Sakurai, the character designer is Masayuki Otochi, the animation is by EGG FIRM and JCSTAFF, the production is by Shogakukan Shueisha Productions, and the production is by PK Gakuen 2. These staff members have worked together to bring out the charm of the original work to its fullest.

■ Episode

"The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. The Beginning of Psi" consists of 6 episodes, each with a different story. Below are the subtitles for each episode.

• Episode 1: Three men, a little girl, a policeman and a dog, a Ψn-in in the game world, a crisis!? Shuuensha's work, showing off her child! A mommy friend meeting, showing off her amazing clay crafts
• Episode 2: The trouble with the super (useless) ability, Build a strong Ψ deck! Ψ has been thrown away...! A fierce card battle, Ψtora Metori's winning formula, The trouble with the hero
• Episode 3: A new teacher with a different personality appears, the difficulties of physical examinations, going to a friend's house who doesn't have parents, aiming for the Jump board, everyone should definitely come and visit!
• Episode 4: Horror! A new transfer student with a Ψyaku appears (Part 1), Horror! A new transfer student with a Ψyaku appears (Part 2), Horror! A new transfer student with a Ψyaku appears (Part 3), Read the Ψin! Aibutsu Mikoto's foresight, the battle between the Ψyaku and the Ψteki!!
• Episode 5: Bullying rescue! Iguchi-sensei suddenly opens up! A real-life escape game, friends who spend their days off playing with horses, and a battle for intercourse rights between Toritsuka and Sato!! (Part 1), a battle for intercourse rights between Toritsuka and Sato!! (Part 2)
• Episode 6: Kusuo Saiki's Psi Start (1), Kusuo Saiki's Psi Start (2), Kusuo Saiki's Psi Start (3), Kusuo Saiki's Psi Start (4), Kusuo Saiki's Psi Start (5)

■Evaluation

The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. While faithfully recreating the appeal of the original work, the addition of new characters and storylines provides fans with a fresh experience. Each episode is packed with laughs and emotions, so viewers will never tire of it. In particular, the comedy scenes that utilize Saiki K.'s psychic powers are brilliant, drawing viewers into a whirlwind of laughter. Additionally, the episodes depicting the bonds between family and friends are heartwarming and moving.

The voice actors for the characters are also excellent, bringing out the best in each character's individuality, such as Hiroshi Kamiya as Kusuo Saiki and Daisuke Ono as Riki Nendo. The animation quality is also high, highlighting the technical capabilities of EGG FIRM and JCSTAFF.

■Recommendation

"The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.: The Beginning of the Psi Start" is a work that can be recommended not only to fans of the original work, but also to anime beginners. The balance between comedy and emotion is exquisite, and it is sure to entertain viewers. In particular, it is a work that should be watched by those who like works with the theme of supernatural powers and those who like unique characters. In addition, the episodes that depict the bonds between family and friends are heartwarming and moving, so it is also recommended to watch it with the family.

It is available on Netflix, so you can watch it easily. Please take this opportunity to enjoy "The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. The Beginning of the Psi-Start Arc."