Ranked #634

Shuffle!

Shuffle! is a classic Supernatural, Harem, Romance, Comedy, Drama that feels fairly average to begin with but it’s full of surprises as you go on. My overall score may be somewhat biased but this show is just truly amazing. ^_^

The story is just your basic harem anime as it follows a male protagonist (Rin Tsuchimi) an average high school boy who lives with his childhood friend Kaede (girl). Of course to make this a harem there are more girls included into the mix (5 in total) and not to forget the all important supernatural element to the show, by adding gods and demons to the plot. As the series begins it is your typical Rom/Com with plenty of cute and hilarious moments and heaps of casual fanservice. It is until halfway into the series that the drama kicks in, bringing forth a great deal of heartfelt moments, which will get most viewers all teary eyed and plenty of character developments.

The characters themselves are compelling and fun to watch as they all have something unique about them, including the guys. It’s true that the set-up for the girls is pretty clichéd (childhood friend, eccentric, tsundere, shy girl, loli) but they all bring something special to the story. What’s more amazing is that the male protagonist also brings a great deal to the story, including deep-rooted jealously that all us guys feel whilst watching the series.

The animation quality for Shuffle! was somewhat unique, with its own style and having subtle differences with similar anime. This allows the animation aspect of the show to excel amongst others; with amazing environments, well animated character expressions/emotions and most importantly the superb character designs. One thing I noticed is how most of the characters wear around 5-10 different outfits throughout the series, which is rarely seen in your average harem. It would be perfect but there were instances when the quality of the animation degraded.

On another note the music for the series was great and went well with the mood of the situations (comedy & drama), nevertheless it became somewhat repetitive. At least there were some really good insert songs.

Overall Shuffle! is the epitome of what a harem romance anime should be; one guy + cute girls = a variety of romantic outcomes. The best thing about the show would have to be the characters because they are all developed incredibly well and their actions aren’t always questionable, seeing how it suits their personality. And because the male protagonist isn’t a worthless guy, there are numerous romances and a number of possibilities. The series managed to end well without relying on too many clichés. So in the end this is a classic series that most romance anime fans would enjoy.

^_^ read more

Demons, Gods & Humans. Five beautiful Girls & One Guy. The story of 6 lives, filled with jealousy & hope as well as with hope & joy.

At first I was hesitating to watch this series but it provided a lot of fun for me. The story didn't become boring either due to the fact that you get to know more and more of everyone's personality, character and history.

:: Story ::
When I read about this series and noticed that Gods and Demons play a roll in such a rather typical human environment like school life, I was doubting if I would enjoy watching it. But I did. And that's because the story line is not just a straight line from the beginning to the end. There were moments I was surprised about, moments I laughed my butt off, and moments I couldn't really believe what I saw and heard. If you aren't too biased about the scheme you will enjoy the story, I'm sure. It's simply not an action packed anime. Rather a calm and funny one. Yet, you might find yourself surprised sometimes - just like I did.
~8 out of 10~

:: Animation ::
It's simply beautiful. The Characters, the environment, little details like water and leaves look great as well. Very nice art.
~9 out of 10~

:: Sound ::
Haha~. Certain Character's ways of speaking still put a smile on my face. There's not much to say about sound - I didn't have the impression that there was anything that sounded not like it's supposed to.
~8 out of 10~

:: Character ::
Each Character is different. They are all beautiful and have their ups and downs.
~9 out of 10~

:: Enjoyment ::
I would have dropped it if I didn't enjoy it. But instead, I enjoyed every single episode and was always looking forward to watching the next one. This anime will get a special place in my collection - but maybe that's just because I'm into these kind of shows.
~9 out of 10~

:: Overall ::
As I said, this anime is special to me. I'm really glad I decided to watch it and will surely check out the 'sequel' -"Shuffle! Memories"- as well.
~9 out of 10~

*I know it's a rather short review, but it's also my first one so bear with me. I'll do my best to write better ones in the future.* read more