La Storia Della Arcana Famiglia

On the Italian island of Regalo, the Arcana Tarocco organization led by Mondo (the Papa) keeps the inhabitants safe from smugglers and runs the casino. The members of this close-knit Famiglia are aided by their supernatural gifts; each one closest to Papa is linked to one of the Arcana Tarot cards which gives them a special power. Felicita, Mondo’s only heir, helps the members of the Famiglia to patrol the island – until the night of his fifty-ninth birthday party. At the celebrations, Papa announces that he has decided to retire – but that everyone else in the Famiglia must duel for Felicita’s hand and the position of Papa. Unusually, she will be able to compete as well, and her Tarot Card ‘Gli Amanti’ (the Lovers) gives her the (unfair!) ability to read others’ hearts. Who will be the victor and win her as his bride?

The DVD blurb compares the Arcana Tarocco to the mafia, but this Famiglia are the good guys and, in spite of their smart black suits and considerable skills in all kinds of martial arts (Felicita is just as skilled as the men) no significant damage ever seems to be inflicted on their opponents (so different from another Italian-titled anime, Baccano!) The drama here is of a much gentler nature, centering on the interactions between Felicita and her fellow members of the Arcana Famiglia. And so we get to meet good-natured strong man (and megane) Pace who has a passion for food, especially lasagne (echoes of Hetalia?), smooth-talking, ladies’ man Debito who runs the Regalo casino and soft-hearted chef Luca, who’s been Felicita’s personal tutor since she was a child and dotes on her. Then there are Papa’s two older retainers: Dante, Liberta’s mentor, and the sinister Famiglia alchemist Jolly (although when not playing tricks on the others, he also plays the ‘cello rather well, so he can’t be all bad).

As the series is based on a reverse harem game, the inevitable underlying question is ‘which one will win the Duello and become the new head of the Famiglia?’ However the episodes concentrate on the human drama as Felicita gets to learn more about Liberta and Nova – and they about themselves, their problematic pasts, and their feelings toward her. What happens when the Duello eventually takes place may seem like something of an anticlimax…until you remember that this is an anime based on a visual novel and so unlikely to provide a definitive ending. And as it’s immediately followed by a mischievous piece of fluff in the form of an OVA in which alchemist Jolly stirs up trouble for his own amusement, you can’t stay cross for long. It is what it is…

With episode titles in Italian such as ‘La bataglia finale’ and a sympathetically melodious music score from Yasuhiro Misawa using mandolin and guitar, (La) Storia della Arcana Famiglia radiates a warm Mediterranean atmosphere. Director Chiaki Kon has directed shows as different as Junjou Romantica, Nodame Cantabile and Umineko and the story unfolds in an agreeable and watchable way.

It’s not often, however, that I find myself advising against using the US dub but there’s one piece of miscasting that is utterly baffling: Nova, Felicita’s male cousin (and onetime fiancé) who is played by Tsubasa Yonaga in the original dub, is voiced by Kara Greenberg in English and boy, does she sound like a girl! This is distracting and unjustified in the dramatic context as Nova, although in his late teens, needs to be portrayed as a serious and brooding young man with a dark secret – and a valid contender for the heroine’s hand in marriage, not as a pantomime breeches role. There are US voice actresses who do very well playing convincing teenage boys: Mona Marshall, Brina Palencia and Maile Flanagan (Naruto) come to mind, so why cast a VA who doesn’t convince? Also – surprisingly – the US Italian pronunciation is all over the place. So, my advice is to stick to the original Japanese version (which is bristling with superb VAs, including Jun Fukuyama as an energetic and likable Liberta and Koji Yusa as a genuinely sinister Jolly (why did they choose this, the only non-Italian name, for the alchemist?)  It’s worth noting that as the show is based on the visual novel from HuneX, the same voice actors are used in the anime by J.C. Staff as in the Playstation version.

The stirringly upbeat Opening Theme is “Magenta Another Sky”, sung by Hitomi Harada, and the more reflective Ending Theme “Pieces of Treasure” is nicely sung by the two main Japanese male leads Jun Fukuyama (Liberta) and Tsubasa Yonaga (Nova). Extras include trailers and Clean Opening and Ending Themes.

In Summary

This is an unexpectedly charming little series with likable main characters and a distinctive Mediterranean flavour. But if you’re expecting a dark, mafia-style drama, you’ll be disappointed.