Super GALS! Kotobuki Ran

Upon first hearing about "Super Gals, " I remember thinking to myself: What could this be about, super hero females that save the world from destruction? Hahaha, but no it is actually far from it!

Story: 8/10
Despite the story and characters taking place in Japan, they actually give off a much more "American" style of flavor. The story is all based around life as a teenage gal in Shibuya in the late 90’s, so you know its all going to be about the platform shoes and loud accessories. Now there is no over all plot to this series, it ranges between slice of life, action and ... comedy. Basically we watch 17 year old Ran Kotobuki (main character) living life as head of all Shibuya’s turf. Its kinda interesting actually, because while she does run the show in town, she isn’t in any particular gang. Or neither is anyone else (with the exception of two) for that matter, as it is more implied or referred to. Having an actual title that acknowledges gang activity, probably wasn’t in their best interest to do. Anyway, as the story progresses she ends up having two school members; who later become her most trusted friends, join her in the mean streets of Shibuya. Despite this title not taking itself series in the very least, (its all about the over the top comedy) there is actually great chemistry between the characters, as love triangles and rivalries abound. And can range from the girls defending their turf from outsiders, to helping one another with family affairs, to just having fun by the pool side. One good thing can really be said about the story, the enjoyment comes from no one character alone, as they all have their own antics that keep the story entertaining. Still, as I said before there is no over all plot, and it soly derives from a plot by plot basis. The ending to this is okay, but since there really is no over all story going anywhere, the only difference between the first and last episode is the new characters they actually meet. Super Gals contains little in the way of offensive material, other than bad language which mostly comes from Ran herself.

Art: 8/10
I swear this is one of the most colorful titles I have ever seen in an anime. While the characters and environment just scream sharp, colorful, and well detailed distinctness. Some viewers may find it a bit too much on the eyes, as its all one big bright rainbow of colors and flashy loud outfits, which can be seen as a negative. Over all its great in the art department and defiantly gives detail to every piece of background it can, I just feel they may have gone over board a bit with the color scheme.

Characters: 9/10
Truly, Super Gals greatest heart comes from its characters, all of which are lovable in their own way! Considering this is definitely an over the top comedy anime, you may be surprised that the characters themselves know how to act series and calm when they want to, in fact many scenes have the girls going through some inner turmoil in their lives, whether it be their love life, family problems, situations at school and so on. They really do a fine job of taking you through many touching moments along with the comedy. Which you honestly don’t see that often in titles like these. You’ll also be pleased that all the characters are given their own unique personalities, from crazy, to moody, to strait faced.....its all here in one package. That along with great back stories that play every few episodes, you really get to connect with them and feel what they feel! While I don’t feel it ever reached its utmost potential, the characters are no doubt lovable and fun to watch!

Soundtrack: 7/10
Certainly different than most music tracks you’ll hear in an anime, as its all about a mix of Disco and techno styled par par, which play throughout the episode in the background! And once again it ranges from a loud hyperactive opening j-pop theme, to a suttle closing where the girl are in the rain seeming to contemplate life. While its definitely a mixed bag as to whether the whole par par disco theme is actually a good thing, most will agree that it fits with the anime style. Some of the actually voices in the Japaneses version, seemed to not match their personalities as well as they did in the dub. Which is pretty rare. Its an overall good soundtrack, but does have some negative things that hinder it as well.

Bottom Line: 9/10
While Super Gals won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, its excellent for those of us that are looking for a good laugh, and love the over the top comedy mixed with tender moments. Which truly is this title’s strongest feature. Seriously, I both laughed and cried (don’t tell anyone) while going through this anime. However, for those who prefer an actual plot with there viewings, or maybe prefer a more toned down comedy title, it would be best to avoid Super Gals, as it contains none of those two whatsoever! But if you dig this style of humor and sincerity in your series, then it is truly a satisfying experience!

Super Gals Review
Writen by: Erisu

Story:
Ran Kotobuki is the self-proclaimed world's greatest gal, and she lives to shop, eat, and have as much fun as possible. But she's not all faux nails and Hawaiian jewelry; in the midst of all of her goofing off, she protects Shibuya from all manner of undesirable people, and she often devotes herself to helping both friends and strangers out of trouble, big and small. Of course, she'd rather be eating free food and scoring good deals on clothes, but getting someone out of a big pinch can be just as fun for her. Because of this, she's widely respected by ... the denizens of Shibuya, and although she may look (and even act) a bit shallow, she's got a big heart and a sense of justice that could put her Police Chief father to shame. But she's not interested in that line of work, much to her family's dismay. All she wants is to hang out with her best friends Miyu and Aya, and continue being the world's greatest gal.

The story from Super Gals is if you ask me, very original. How many times do you see a kick-ass shibuya-gal like Ran Kotobuki? This proves that girls aren't ''weak'' and can do more than you think. While watching this, I laughed very hard and loved Ran's personality. It does contains bad language and there are some random episodes but to be honest, I enjoyed every single bit of this.

Animation
About the animation, it isn't ''outstanding'' and not everything looks perfect, but I think that you should just be satisfied with it. After all, this is an 2001-anime. When you judge it as an 2001-anime, this is pretty good. Super Gals also has an manga, and when you compare the anime with that, the anime looks better, doesn't it? Than, the characterdesigns. The main character is obviously: Ran. Her design is nice, and her hair is ''original''. We also see her with long hair later in the series, which looks better if you ask me. Anyway, Ran wouldn't be Ran if she isn't as she looks like. We also have Miyu and Aya, Ran's best friends. Their designs are also very well made, and I must say that they may look better than the main character, Ran. But you'll probably love Ran because of her personality, just as I did. Conclusion: The animation gets an 8 from me, the people who made this tried their best and did a really good job.

Music and Sound
Super Gals has one opening-theme and one ending-theme. It stays the same from the beginning to the end. The opening-theme, Aitsu is sung by Jungle Smile and is a song which you'll get easily addicted to. It was a very good song to choose for this anime. The ending-theme, Dakishimetai, also sung by Jungle Smile was again, a very good song. I must say that I got addicted to the ending-theme to, but... I didn't saw the relation between the ending-theme and the anime. Well, I wasn't really disturbed by this fact, the song is nice so... not something to make a fuss about. Anyway, the soundeffects for this anime are good and I agree for with the backgroundmusic they chose for some scenes. I think most of you won't have something to complain about.

Characters
Finally, the best point from Super Gals. I really loved them! Especially Ran was outstanding. She had everything and she showed me that girls aren't weak and can do something. I think that all of you will notice something in her: She hates school, never does her homework, makes up silly excuses why she didn't do her homework and her whole life is about fun! Shibuya's number one Gal. Every single familymember of Ran is/was an policeofficer. But Ran herself has no attention to become one, much to her parents dismay. She has an little sister (Sayo) and an older brother (Yamato). Yamato is Miyu's boyfriend. Yuya likes her but Ran is too dense to notice his feelings. After a while she gets into a relationship with Tatsuki which she calls ''monkeyboy''. Their relationship is more like an big comedy and you will laugh from the beginning to the end. Ray also seems to like Ran, even though Aya is in love with him. Well, now we go to Miyu, a very sweet girl with a very hard past. She was an gangleader and got into a fight with Ran. The winner will get Shibuya, Ran won. They both got into the hospital and when Miyu wakes up, she sees Yamato by her side (she met him earlier when she got arrested, Yamato is an policeofficer) and fell in love with him. Miyu let her criminal-life behind her and started again, thanks to Yamato. And than, last, Aya. At the beginning, she is a nerd who dates older men for money until she meets Ran who is willing to be friends with her. Ran saves Aya from her life that's only about getting good grades and learns her how to have fun! Aya joins Ran's Gal-group and starts to hang out with Ran and Miyu. Later she falls in love with Ray. Ray is known as ''number one'' and is loved by alot of girls. He meets Ran when she tries to steal his purse which she wanted, haha. He's a bit sarcastic but what he says is true. Who he really likes is revealed somewhere at the end of the series. Than, his friend, Yuya, called ''second place'' by Ran. He ended up second after Ray and also has alot of female-fans. His actions of trying to get Ran's attention are very funny! Wow, this is getting very long, I'll talk about one more character, Mami. She's Ikebukuro's number one Gal and sees Ran as her enemy. She picks up fights with Ran alot.. In reality, she lives in a huge maison and is the only daughter of the Honda-family. So, END! This lasted like forever, but I loved every single character of Super Gals.

Enjoyment
Isn't it obvious already? I enjoyed this very, very much! I wasn't bored even one episode. What you guys may not like is watching the English-dub. I did watch the English-dub and must say it was really good! Trust me, I hate English-dubs, I really do, but this was really good. If you can find the Japanese version with subs than that's fine too.. What I must warn you about is the bad language, I guess. If you're very formal and don't like words like ''dumbass'' than I don't think you should watch this. I wasn't disturbed by this at all, without it Super Gals wouldn't be just as good! Anyway, that's my opinion. You'll also see voilence in this, like people getting kicked KO, but when Ran kicks them, it rocks! ;3 This is one of my favourite animes ever, so... a 10!

Overall
Think I mentioned everything that was important by ''Enjoyment'' but the overall note stays a 10! Ran remains one of my favourite characters ever and she'll always have a special place in my anime-heart! XD I hope that you'll start watching this and enjoy it as much as I do.

Thank you for reading my review!

OMG I had to resist the urge from beating my head in with a freaking hammer after watching this series not only was it the same old thing I've seen a million times before but with the added craptastic bonus of getting to experience the whole shallow teen with a big heart...uh let's get this over with.
Story- As I've said I've seen this a million times before it isn't the first time I've seen and for the love of kittens I wish it would finally be the last but it just won't be.
Art- I hated the art
Sound- I did not like the sound and especially ... did not like the voice acting (even though the actors did a dang good job of imitating what they had to be).
Character- I really hated the characters in this story honestly I think this was the aspect I hated the most about the series even if time was spent so you could understand why a character was a certain way.
Enjoyment- Suffice to say I would've had more fun breaking my fingers with a hammer and soaking my feet in corrosive acid than watching this series. I've never regretted my policy of not dropping anime unless I can't find the episodes more than when I was watching this show.
Overall- I disliked this anime immensely the only way I would ever watch it again was if somebody paid me a lot of money to do so while I was in some sort of hypnotic state where I actually enjoy this kind of generic crap. I only suggest you watch this if you have a lot of time to burn and don't mind banging your head on a table enough to where you are stupid enough to enjoy this kind of crap.

Okay, weird title I know. Don't look at me. Okay so I've watched about three episodes of this from On-Demand, and I've warmed up to it. It's witty, it's funny, at the same time it has a hint of drama to it. It's almost like a Shoujo "Case Closed." What this show is about you may ask, more or less random things. It follows the day in the life of Ran Koribuki, an all Japanese Teenage Girl. She likes to shop, hang out, and other things. Both her parents and her brother are police officers, however she doesn't have any interest in becoming a "blue ... suit" Ran also has a huge amount of self-respect, which is not something you see in most teenage revolved shows. Ran has two friends Miyu and Aya.

Aya we are introduced to in the first episode, who turns out to be a subsidized dater. (Prostitute more or less) Ran helps her out such a situation, and sure enough they become friends. Aya is cool because she's brainy, but she also just wants to have fun, and is falling in love with Otahto.

Miyu is an ex-gang baby, who is hopelessly in love with Ran's brother. (Who helped her get her life strait And they are boyfriend and girlfriend) Miyu is kind of strange, b/c she always addresses her self in the third person. But she's sweet and likable.

But all besides that, they also hang around with two celebs. (One voiced by Greg Ayers) So this show is pretty good. Worth watching but I'm not so sure I would buy it. I've really just seen this all from "ON-Demand" and I think it's rather good. It really is almost like a shoujo "Case Closed" b/c Ran solves a lot of mysteries. And I like the fact it isn't riddled with vanity. Check it out.

This show has some rather nice art and Animation to it, so you can enjoy that.

Again regarding characters, Ran is one I actually like. Because she is not this bratty teen, who is so self-absorbed it's revolting. She cares about people, such as Aya, and her home town. Now if that isn't a good character, I don't know what is. I can't stand characters who are wrapped in their own vanity.

This is a little more monderney type of Shoujo, so not much in the ways of a huge original score, but decent music.

So I'd recommend it to you, watch it, it's really not bad at all. It's got comedy, with a very nice blend of drama. And not superficial drama either. Real drama, real problems.

I remember first watching this on Animax jp in the evening right after Inuyasha showed, & I was like what is this? THIS PLACE IS EXACTLY LIKE SHIBUYA! :D

So I kept watching it, then they never finished on TV so I went online and looked up Super GALS & here it is!
This is based a girl named Ran Kotobuki she "owns" shibuya and is the #1 GAL. She dresses very girly BUT she is actually very strong and defends anybody in trouble. & the story gets good after a while so I recommend this show.

If you think its some girly girly show, guess what? ... it is LOL but its not all abuot fashion & nails (: PLEASE WATCH THE JAPANESE VERSION INSTEAD. The dubs sounds RIDICULOUS o.o

I like the manga, but somehow I'm not quite satisfied with the anime. I don't know, maybe its the sub's quality that translate everything like Ganguro become Tan Face etc etc...

Sometimes maybe the term should be left the way it is.

The only thing that make me keep watching was Tatsukichi's 'Ookii' (his monkey expression is priceless) and the Junior Detective....

So sorry to say, the manga are better.....

Super gals is a wonderful slice of life anime that shows you the grow of the 3 main characters over the anime its covers a wide array of real life subjects abusive teachers to prostitution and how each character deal with the situation. I love Super Gals because its presentation is delivered superb and the pacing is top notch. You can check out my full video review at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPK2Q-rWB1g

Super Gals i one of my favorite anime. Ran is a good role model for any teen girl in my opinion. she might be a greedy brat, but she knows what's right and wrong. I have a great respect for her.

Anyway, you should check it out. I pretty sure anyone would enjoy it, unless you're not into comedy. (sorry still new to reviewing anime ^.^: )

For all you girls out there: Have you ever dreamt of strutting around in your town, driving away the wrong-doers and spreading some better karma around? Have you had to juggle your family expectations, your friends, your love life, your academics and everything else in between? Do you believe in female solidarity? Do you enjoy kicking some butt when there's some drama brewing? Do you love shopping, dancing and eating (a lot!)? Then you might just qualify to be the next super gal. The anime Super Gals tells the story of three best friends (or, you could say "gals"): Ran, Miyu and Aya, who pretty ... much run the town of Shibuya. Through their ups and downs, they live a very fun and eventful life, which was very entertaining to watch. Although I felt sometimes the characters seemed a bit shallow, and yes, some of the dialogue is a bit cheesy, but the overall story of Super Gals kept me engaged, and I really enjoyed the random drama in each episode. Note that this is a pretty standard shoujo comedy/romance (so if you're looking for something new and different, don't expect to find it here), but I'll still explain why I liked it.

Story: 8/10

At the start this really did look like a typical shoujo storyline: three girls who decide to be close friends, and who see each other through the trials and tribulations of a typical teenager life (whilst shopping, partying and making more friends along the side of course!). And in a way, that's exactly what you get for the rest of the series - 52 episodes of Ran with her aggressive happy-go-lucky attitude, Miyu with her lovey-dovey almost-wife-like romance with Yamato (Ran's police-officer brother) and Aya's gentle, yet hardworking, way of managing things. But, there is a subtle build-up throughout the episodes. Some fall in love, some fall out of love, and I guess some learn their life lessons through their relationships with each other. By reaching the end of the anime, I really felt like I'd experienced another year in the crazy, glamorous and hectic (but fun) life of a highschool "gal".

Art: 7/10

I scored the art a little lower than I scored the other categories, mainly because I personally have a higher standard in terms of fluidity and style for shoujo anime. But having said that, I was still satisfied with the way the characters were drawn - they had cute expressions and the outfits really fit the retro vibe of the anime.

Sound: 8/10

Again, along with the art, the music was quite retro (I mean, the type of music you dance to in an aerobics class if you were in the 80s/90s). I actually really liked it! Maybe because I personally like that kind of para-para music and dance, but it certainly added a bit more flavour to the anime.

Character: 8/10

I have to say, as with most anime, the characters here are what kept me watching the rest of the anime. Ran's tough, but still extremely feminine, personality really drew me in - she shrugs off all expectations other people have of her, paves her own path and fights for the people she loves. She acts as an inspiration to most of the other characters in the anime, and should act as an inspiration for people watching the anime. The only problem is, she is still in highschool gal mode, so some of the things she said seemed pretty ditzy and shallow - especially how she only lived in the present and always seemed to want boys to treat her all the time. But hey, can't expect a highschool gal to be perfect, I still thought she was worthy of being the protagonist.

I also liked the fact that the three girls had very different personalities. Ran's was by far the most established; Miyu and Aya started off almost as side-kicks, and then grew to be more comfortable with who they were by the end of the series.

The boy troubles were so much fun to watch - especially with Yamato, Rei, Yuya and Tatsuki. The way Yamato secretly loves Miyu, the way that Yuya laments over Ran (who barely sees him as anything other than a friend), and the crazy lovey-dovey antics of Tatsuki add the romantic element to the anime. Sometimes, you get a glimpse through the boys' eyes, which is refreshing. My favourite boy out of them though has to be Rei. I don't want to spoil anything, but whilst he seems cold and distant, he pushed Aya to become more than she was.

But the action doesn't stop there: Ran also has mutliple rivals, Naka-sensei, her family of devout police-officers, and several other friends who add adventure to the storyline. Yes, towards the end there were still new characters being introduced, which was kind of annoying to keep up with, but I feel like it was still worth having a whole host of characters rather than focusing on just three main ones.

Enjoyment: 9/10

So I'm finally up to my favourite part: telling you how much fun this was to watch! This is just one of those girly pick-me-ups that is so easy to watch. There are funny moments, and sad moments, but altogether, Super Gals was extremely entertaining to watch, even if some of the episodes were a little random. I will admit, this is a pretty stereotypical high school comedy. But this is the genre that I like, so this anime rated well for me.

Overall: 8/10
So overall, if you're looking for a comedy with lots of girl power (in a not too cheesy way), Super Gals might be worth a shot.

I first wanted to watch this anime whenever I was getting into gyaru, a subculture and fashion style, but had never gotten to it, but now I have watched it, I have many feelings about it. Positive and negative.

Here are some pros and cons:

Pros:
-Badass yet also role model main character
-Relatable characters
-Meaningful life lessons
-Relatable storylines
-Explores serious issues in an appropriate matter
... -Lots of action!

Cons:
-Relationship with very questionable age gap
-Petty drama
-Very Repetitive
-Frequent colorism (characters making fun of other characters because of their skin tone)

Now time for the review!

First, if you like gyaru fashion, want to learn more about it, or just like fashion in general, I recommend this anime. This is one of the few animes with gyaru characters that aren't sexualized Most of the episodes usually go the same way, there is in issue in the main character's (Ran) friend group and the issue is usually resolved within the episode. Many of these issues are serious, like stalking, pressure from family, abusive relationships, and more. However, most of these issues are usually handled incredibly well and even teach a life lesson. Within these episodes outside the serious topics, there is usually a lot of comic relief and side plots going on, some of these plots may or may not have to do with the main plot.

Although I am appreciative of the good representation and educational storylines, there is still a lot of bad in it. One thing I immediately noticed in the age gap between one of the main characters, Miyu's relationship with another main character, Yamato. Miyu is only 16 while Yamato is 25, which in my opinion is very questionable. I just could never ship the two despite the show pushing them as a perfect pair because of the age gap. Another thing I didn't like is how the darker skinned gals, the "ganguro trio" are often just there to be the butt of the joke or the victims of Ran's beatings, serving little to the actual plot. One joke was even made about the gals being invisible in the dark because of their tan skin. The way their lips were drawn was weird as well. If you can look past or tolerate what I listed above however, watch away.

Overall this anime was very interesting and is recommended if you like following the life of rebellious yet smart teenagers.

It is an interesting storyline and although the art style is old, it still looked very appealing. It was very enjoyable and each character had a lot more depth to them than you would think from first impressions. I was also interested in their styles and fashion throughout the show. I really liked the relationship between the main character and the people she surrounded herself with. Although I am biased and dropped the show due to the fact that she didn't end up with the love interest I was rooting for, I would still recommend the show for those who have nothing else to watch.