Right now you can watch Orphen on streaming — and it is funnier than its reputation suggests. The 2-season run is exactly the right length for what it is doing. With 15 viewer ratings on TMDB, this is not a title flying under the radar. Showtaro Morikubo is the obvious draw, but the whole ensemble earns its laughs. Available now — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

Whatever else is competing for your attention this week, Orphen is worth clearing space for. The jokes in Orphen land because the characters underneath them are worth caring about. Orphen finds himself living in a quiet town and taking on a student - Majic Lin, his landlord's son. Life is quiet and fairly lazy until the day Cleao Everlasting comes home from boarding school, and stumbles into Orphen's quietly laid plans for the sword that sits on her family's mantle: the Sword Of Baltanders. It turns out that the sword is actually one of three magical artifacts that Orphen will need if he is to save Azalie, and, in fact, was the very sword Azalie used in her experiment that ended with her unfortunate transformation. Showtaro Morikubo and Mayumi Izuka lead a cast with the timing to make it work. It ran for 2 seasons (1998–2000), and the writing holds up across every one of them. Orphen earns its laughs from character rather than situation, which is why it does not wear thin the way pure farce tends to. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

For viewers who want something light without wanting something stupid, Orphen respects your intelligence. Fans of Zenki will recognise the sensibility here immediately. Short enough to finish in a weekend, substantial enough to feel satisfying. Showtaro Morikubo anchors an ensemble with real chemistry. Genuinely funny, consistently, across the whole run.

Orphen wrapped up in 2000 — and 2 seasons are available to watch from start to finish. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro's free voice app makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just say the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.