Renkin San-kyuu Magical? Pokaan

I'm not really a fan of ecchi comedies, and at first glance that what Renkin San-kyuu Magical? Pokaan (or MagiPoka as it's more commonly known), looks like. However, the old aphorism about never judging a book by it's cover applies to many anime and manga titles, and this is one of them. Anyone who labels this show as an ecchi comedy has probably missed most of the humour in it. Yes, there are ecchi moments, but unlike many other shows (e.g. Eiken, Amaenaide Yo!, Girls Bravo et al), MagiPoka has very strong anarchic and surrealistic comedy elements.

In other words, this series has more in common ... with Seto no Hanayome, Yoshinaga-san`chi no Gargoyle, Inukami, Jungle wa Itsumo Hale Nochi Guu and other strange and equally "wrong" shows than it does with the typical ecchi comedies.

The story is, surprisingly, very straightforward. Four princesses from the underworld (a witch, a vampire, a werewolf, and a female frankenstein type android), are living on earth and learning about humanity.

Cue the comedy.

The show is generally episodic in nature, but each episode is usually split into two individual stories so the viewer gets 24 episodesinstead of 12. This format suits MagiPoka because of the nature of the comedy involved, and although there will be detractors who want ongoing plot development, this show doesn't really suffer from any failings in that department as the main point of the series is to make the audience laugh.

The art and animation are pretty decent overall. There are some irregular moments in the animation, and the characters sometimes look like they were finished in a rush. In all honesty though these minor flaws are not really an issue to one's enjoyment of the show as MagiPoka has many hilarious moments that easily rival sketches and skits found in some of the big guns of comedy anime (that and you may be laughing too much to care).

The sound is pretty decent overall, and the show has a nice range of background tracks and effects which are usually put to good use (although some are noticeably off-kilter). One of the things that sets this show apart though (at least for me), are the OP and ED.

The ED shows one of the girls in (or on), a vehicle of some sort, but the entire thing (girl and vehicle), is actually a wind up toy, and all of it is animated in 3d. The ED songs are also tailored to each girl shown in the credit sequence (usually a different princess per episode), and the music is purposely made to sound like it's being sung in a karaoke booth.

The OP on the other hand, has been specifically designed to be misleading. The opening track is a half decent J-rock song that has dark and serious overtones. This is reflected in the animation of the opening sequence as it shows the girls with injuries or being seductive, implies nakedness, and even goes so far as to include a bit of shoujo-ai. After watching the first few episodes, then re-watching the OP, I couldn't help but laugh at the joke (feel free to ask if you don't understand it).

One area where MagiPoka excels is with the characters. All four girls have simple personalities, and are amazingly funny because of this. As they're from the netherworld, the misconception is that they're evil when nothing could be further from the truth. Each of the girls has quirks that are hilarious as well - the android sinks in water as she's too heavy, the vampire wears a large cardboard box on her head when she goes out in the sun, the witch simply doesn't understand anything and her magic only works well when she's ill, and the werewolf has a tendency to turn into a small dog when she's excited. There's more than just those quirks as well, but you'll have to watch the show to see them.

Now I'll freely admit that I'm a fan of strange, weird, and just plain silly comedies, and I honestly enjoyed MagiPoka immensely, especially the first half of episode 6 - coming back from the dead has never been funnier. The show won't appeal to everyone, but fans of Inukami, Yoshinaga-san`chi no Gargoyle, Seto no Hanayome, Jungle wa Itsumo Hale Nochi Guu and other shows of that ilk should may find something to entertain them here. The main thing that may put people off watching is the lack of plot and character development, but this is one of those shows that doesn't really need any of that stuff, and is probably better without it.

Renkin San-kyuu Magical? Pokaan is odd, anarchic, and very wrong at times. It's also extremely funny, and I'd recommend it to anyone with half an ounce of humour in their body. This show was never meant to be taken seriously, so don't be fooled into thinking this is something it's not.

Seriously, don't judge a book by it's cover.

Imagine a flat share with a female vampire, a female werewolf, a loli witch, a female cyborg and an invisible girl who all long for good looking boys and you have Renkin San-kyuu Magical? Pokaan (I'll use "Magical Pokaan" for the rest of the review).

Story: As usual for slice-of-life comedy series there isn't that much of a continuing story. To be precise every episode consists of two short completed stories which have nothing to do with the other episodes, which makes this series good for non-continuing watching. Magical Pokaan is good for inserting a random episode in your anime watching just when you need ... a break of the anime you are currently watching.

Art: The character designs are good and the animation itself is nice and clearly. there is nothing to complain about it.

Sound: The opening song Senketsu no Chikai by Yousei Teikoku is quite catchy even though it is somehow misleading to what Magical Pokaan actually is (as well as the opening video itself is misleading). The ending songs are variations of the same song fitting the individual characters. These ending songs are much more fitting the style of the story since they are your usual standard jpop anime song.
The seiyuu cast is good including Hirano Aya as the vampire Pachira, they did a good job at voicing the characters.

Character: As mentioned earlier the characters are all kind of supernatural girls living together in a flat share. The characters of this series are making it as enjoyable as it is since they are all very likable and funny in their unique ways.

Enjoyment: I really enjoyed watching this show. Magical Pokaan is a good anime to watch when you just want something entertaining where you don't have to think that much about it. It's good for an anime evening with friends or just for randomly watching an episode. You don't miss anything when you let Magical Pokaan rest for some weeks and continue watching it afterwards.

Overall: Magical Pokaan is fun to watch. As allready mentioned in the enjoyment part it is nice for randomly watching it. If you want to watch a comedy series which is very easy to watch and has no deep plot, Magical Pokaan is the right anime for you.

Majipoka isn’t exactly what you might think it is. Unless, of course, you think it is a mostly disconnected set of episodes filled with absurdist humor, and largely free of ecchi content. Majipoka is more cute and/or moe than ecchi. There are some mildly ecchi moments, but they serve the humor rather than distract from it.

The show makes great fun of the modern world and of pop culture. I like that kind of humor, especially when it avoids specific references to other media. Majipoka does just that. Enjoying it requires no familiarity with any other shows or media.

Even if you aren’t immediately thrilled with Majipoka, ... you may want to keep watching. It is made of pairs of half-length episodes. They are only marginally related, and each brings something new to the show. The downside of this is that people who insist on having some grand overarching story will not like Majipoka, but for those of us who can enjoy what is right in front of us, the show is excellent fun.

Given its pacing, I would recommend Majipoka to anyone who likes slice of life anime. I would also recommend it to anyone who likes its brand of humor. Try a bit and see.

Renkin San-kyuu Magical? Pokaan is a magical girl comedy from 2006. It was brought to us by Remic. Never heard of them? Well, they don't have many credits to their name so that's not a surprise. Let's hope it gives as favourable first impression.

Story:

We follow four princesses from the Netherworld. The witch, Uma, the vampire, Pachira, the werewolf, Liru & the android, Aiko. One of these things is not like the others, not like the others, not like the others. The four of them are living in the human world and all kinds of shenanigans ensue. That's the basic crux of the comedy in ... the series, the bizarre outsiders getting into strange situations.

The biggest weakness in the comedy is simply that the series sometimes puts its desire for more fan service over its humour. Its “jokes” that revolve around under garments or nudity tend to be the weakest. Sometimes they get a funny one out there, but they're mostly just too predictable and not in the Space Balls, I can quote this by heart because it was just so memorable, way. No, it's in the “this joke was obvious and really heavily telegraphed” way.

With that aside, this series does have a lot of funny moments. It melds the zany absurdism of a series like Galaxy Angel with the supernatural outsiders trying to engage with humanity aspect of Bottle Fairy and the two do mesh well. The whole “drinking game” episode is really funny. So is the sentai team parody episode. Actually, those two both remind me of episodes from the aforementioned Galaxy Angel but with completely different execution. The tanuki bit is one that involves some more ecchi elements, but still manages to be a surprise and pretty funny to boot. There are plenty of other funny bits as well.

Characters:

The series has one of those casts that only works in a comedy. The characters are zany, a bit shallow and, fortunately, have a good amount of comedic potential to their interactions. Remic could do a good four series more of this and not exhaust the possibilities. Even the minor characters who show up once or twice tend to have enough moments to be memorable. The invisible girl being the prime example. Which effectively makes them a strong cast for a comedic work. Although Aiko's desire to become human is a bit odd. It's like they were inspired by the best series of Star Trek but couldn't be bothered to put in the more substantial characterisation that makes that motivation make sense.
Art:

All of you who are familiar with my reviews know exactly what my complaint is in regards to the art. Yes, it's our old nemesis, excessive fan-service again. At least in a totally not serious series like this the only way it detracts is just based on the general crassness rather than being detrimental to the tone or impractical. I also have to give them credit for trying to blend the fan-service with the humour to make it relevant, even if that is the weak point of the comedy. I kind of like the character designs (they might've overdone the invisible girl's make up though) and the artistic direction is generally really good.

Sound:

For our main cast we have Nabatame Hitomi (also Aida Mana), Hirano Aya (also Haruhi), Saitou Momoko (also Solty) & Akesaka Satomi (also Korokoro) as our main characters. The four of them give really good performances and work well together. Then we have the music. This is one of those series where the theme tune doesn't remotely fit. Maybe Remic thought it would be a nice jape to put in a really serious looking theme tune, but it kind of doesn't work when you use the same tune with every episode. It would be another thing completely if they kept changing it to other tunes that ran completely opposite to the tone but they never do. The ending theme tune changes regularly, but the opening is just the same overly serious thing every time and it just comes across as inept.

Ho-yay:

There's a little bit here and there, but the series is always quick to remind you that all of these girls are looking for handsome boyfriends. Because, you know, it's a comedy about a group of girls and if you didn't remind people they were straight they'd be shipping them all together. Although, let's be fair, it could have very well just been that they had some good jokes about their romantic misadventures. This series does have quite a few of those. What are they supposed to do, have the same kinds of jokes about them pursuing other girls? That sounds like something I'd write. (New comedy, Tuesdays after the case files of Detective Hildegard. Except not really.)

Final Thoughts:

Magipoka, is a pretty solid comedy. Not the greatest one of all time, certainly, but it is quite good. If you enjoy zany absurdity, or the whole outsider trying to fit in types of comedy, give it a go. You'll probably get some laughs out of it. My rating stands at a solid 7/10. Next week, So Ra No Wo To.

Supernaturally funny! What a surprise with this anime!!!

When I saw pictures from this anime, I thought nothing much about it, it was just another anime to check out, but from the start it became a memorable one. It 's just one story about the life of four stereotype characters from tales: vampire, werewolf, android and witch, all of them innocent girls but with a ecchi touch, just a little, making things incredibly funny and unusual, trying to living in peace with humans in our mortal world; isn't the biggest plot ever but is so easy to love very quickly these girls from the bottom of ... your heart as every episode pass by. If you're searching some anime to laugh a lot and not be picky about the style of drawing, give it a shot, you'll not regret it, is a simply anime but at the same time original, good luck!!!

Imagine if four magical princesses — a vampire, a werewolf, an android, and a witch — all boarded the same house, with little knowledge about the human world. For example, in Episode 2: まやかしの呪文はTVショッピング ("The Make-Believe Spell is TV Shopping"), the girls fall for some infomercial scams and order a ton of worthless items! The series itself is less of a monster show and more of a comedy, slice-of-life with a group of gal pals experiencing practical things, in the real world! As well as some strange supernatural events, like a group of devious ※Japanese raccoon dogs tricking the gullible girls into bathing in an ... imaginary hot spring!

※Also known as tanuki (タヌキ).

⚠️ This review is spoiler-free ⚠️

—Story/Characters

If you're a huge otaku, transitioning into a point in their adulthood that's really hard to handle, I suggest watching this anime. That is, if you don't mind a bit of ecchi in your cartoons. When I watched this series, there were a lot of things going on in my life, and I think that's why it's so special to me. I was at a point where I was feeling a caducity in my existence, and this series reminded me of the child-like joy that series like Doraemon (1979) helped me experience, once again!

Usually with moe shows, I don't expect the female characters to act like real girls. This is a controversial opinion, but growing up as a girl, I never related to the K-On! cast... despite being directed by Naoko Yamada, a woman, it always felt like they were what men imagine high school girls to be like, instead of the actual reality. I love Naoko's Yamada's Tamako Market, but despite a few nuances with adolescent confusion, the girls didn't feel like actual girls. The dialogue is very romanticized. But, in Renkin San-kyū Magical? Pokān, the dialogue flows naturally, like how actual girls would communicate.

Yes, there's otaku references. Yes, there are some pandering in the ecchi scenes. But, overall, the characters felt very genuine in their relations with each other and the comedy felt really natural. There are also some really nice scenes of wonderment, like the girls get to ride a space train, that directly parodies Leiji Matsumoto's Galaxy Express 999. You can probably tell from my favorites list, that I have a soft spot for flying trains, since the aforementioned Galaxy Express 999 and Night on the Galactic Railway, are in my top 150 list!

It's difficult to reveal too much — without ruining the experience for everyone else, but I felt a fervor for this series, that I don't for many animated shows. The friendships, the untethered humor, and the cast of characters had such great chemistry together! The mix of real-world practicality, supernatural wonder, and vivacious characters really made this series for me. I really did not expect to love it as much as I did, but here I am, singing its praises!

Luna's Favorite Works by Each Respective Creator = ✅

Ken'ichi Yatagai (director), notable works:
* Be-Boy Kidnapp'n Idol
* Dōjin Work
* Macross II: Lovers Again ✅
* Tenchi Muyō! Ryōōki — 2nd Season, 3rd Season, Omatsuri Zenjitsu no Yoru! ("The Night Before The Carnival"), and Galaxy Police Mihoshi Space Adventure ✅
* Zettai Bōei Leviathan

Commentary: Mr. Yatagai's work on the Tenchi Muyō! Ryōōki series and Macross II: Lovers Again are both respectable ventures. Based on what I've seen of his work, including a couple episodes of Zettai Bōei Leviathan — I am comfortable with saying that Renkin 3-kyū Magical? Pokān is, in my opinion, his magnum opus. No, the sakuga is not insane, off-the-wall, madness! But, similarly to the atmosphere in the Tenchi Muyō series, he's able to create an atmosphere that is both cozy and is a great setting for gag-humor! Perhaps, some of that charm was lost with his transition to digital animation, in Zettai Bōei Leviathan. Who can really say for sure? But, all of the components of this series: the visual style, the cast of brilliant seiyū talents, and the script writing staff (which oddly enough, weren't credited?) made this series coagulate into a vessel that is rarely experienced in the medium! Legendary director!

Momoko Saitō as Uma (or Yūma), notable roles:
* Choco, Chocotto Sister
* Tsuyuri, Dōjin Work
* Perrier La Mer, Hoshi no Umi no Amuri
* Maria Nanadan VII, Isekai no Seikishi Monogatari ("Tenchi Muyo! War on Geminar")
* Hatabō, Osomatsu-san ✅
* Melancholy, Phi Brain: Kami no Puzzle
* Momoko Tōyoko, Saki ✅
* Solty Sevant, Solty Rei
* Sakura Shishidō, Sora wo Kakeru Shōjo
* Nazuna Takanashi, Working!! ✅

Commentary: I haven't heard many of Ms. Saitō's performances, but her comedic stroke of genius as Yūma, made her my best girl — and I'm a really big fan of Aya Hirano, so I thought Pachira would be my favorite character, for sure! Her characterization is an amalgam of honestly adorable moments, silly mishaps, and sprinkles of adult, otaku-oriented "in-jokes"! Her earnestness and peppy nature, completely won me over! My favorite role from Ms. Saitō, is her performance as Momoko Tōyoko in Saki, even though I thought she was hilarious as Hatabō in Osomatsu-san, too! Amazing seiyū!

※Fun Fact — Yūma's rabbit creature is voiced by Nomico, the original singer of the song "Bad Apple" from the famous 東方Project MV!

Hitomi Nabatame as Liru, notable roles:
* Nanao Ise, Bleach
* Noi, Blue Dragon: Tenkai no Shichi Ryū
* Kanade Sakurai, Candy Boy ✅
* Kiri Kikyō, Canvas 2: Niji-iro no Sketch
* Sena Aoi, ChäoS;HEAd ✅
* Mana Aida, Dokidoki! PreCure ✅
* Bazett Fraga McRemitz, Fate/kaleid liner Prisma☆Illya
* Kanade Yūki, Fortune Arterial: Akai Yakusoku
* Kei Kishimoto, Gantz ✅
* Erika Itsumi, Girls und Panzer ✅
* Kanade Jinguji, Gokujō Seitokai
* Yukiji Katsura, Hayate no Gotoku! ("Hayate the Combat Butler")
* Raynare, High School DxD ✅
* Sphene, Hōseki no Kuni ✅
* Nobue Itō, Ichigo Mashimaro ("Strawberry Marshmallow") ✅
* Unchō Kan'u, Ikkitōsen ✅
* Eriko Takahashi, Joshikōsei: Girl's High
* Momoko Orizuka, Kenkō Zenrakei Suieibu Umishō
* Sonken Chūbō, Kōtetsu Sangokushi
* Rokumon, Kyōkai no Rinne ("RIN-NE")
* Yuna Miyama, Maburaho
* Eriko Torii, Maria-sama ga Miteru ✅
* Rina Tachibana, Mushi-Uta ✅
* Miki Onimaru, Muteki Kanban Musume
* Cryska Barchenowa, Muv-Luv Alternative: Total Eclipse ✅
* Niboshi, Nyamen
* Reiko Shirai, Ōyasan wa Shishunki!
* Saori Makishima, Ore no Imōto ga Konnani Kawaii Wake ga Nai ✅
* Shizuru, Princess Connect! Re:Dive ✅
* Kagura, Prism Ark
* Hime Petit, Prism Magical: Prism Generations!
* Shizuka, Queen's Blade ✅
* Matsuri, Rocket Girls
* Mikoto Suō, School Rumble
* Uzume, Sekirei
* Margery Daw, Shakugan no Shana ✅
* Arcueid Brunestud, Shingetsutan Tsukihime ✅
* Akira Tōdō, Special A
* Shizuma Hanazono, Strawberry Panic ✅
* Fanatio Synthesis Two, Sword Art Online ✅
* Yuma Tonami, To Heart 2 ✅
* Eirin Yagokoro, 東方 Niji Sōsaku Dōjin Anime: Musō Kakyō ✅
* Vivienne Ōtori, UG☆Ultimate Girls
* Minami Yūri, VitaminX Addiction
* Akane Ryūzōji, Walkure Romance
* Kazusa Tōma, White Album 2 ✅
* Ryoko Yakushiji, Yakushiji Ryōko no Kaiki Jikenbo
* Feena Fam Earthlight, Yoake Mae yori Ruriiro na: Crescent Love
* Misa Anehara, Yoku Wakaru Gendai Mahō

Commentary: Ms. Nabatame is a very accomplished seiyū, I spoke about her recently in my White Album 2 review! Her characterization of Liru is one word: lovable! Even though I preferred Yūma and Pachira, Liru is, without a doubt, the internet's favorite! She even had a CG-animated, dōjin game made about her — the creator must have been an insanely dedicated fan! But then again, she is like a goddess in dōjin circles, she has played some of the most iconic eroge roles, like Arcueid Brunestud in Shingetsutan Tsukihime, and has even voiced Eirin Yagokoro, in the 東方Project dōjin anime! She also comes off as the straight-man in many of the princess' wacky, daily hijinks! Wonderful actress!

Aya Hirano as Pachira, notable roles:
* Miu Asakura, "Bungaku Shōjo"
* Minata Nagase, Akaneiro ni Somaru Saka
* Misa Amane, Death Note
* Mamori Anezaki, Eyeshield 21 ✅
* Lucy Heartfilia, Fairy Tail ✅
* Mei Etō, Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight! ✅
* Kahlua and Tequila Marjoram, Galaxy Angel Rune
* Paiman, Gatchaman Crowds
* Nobume Imai, Gintama
* Ayumi Nonomura, Hyakko
* Mai, Itsudatte My Santa!
* Garnet, Jewelpet
* Lumière, Kiddy Grade ✅
* Ume Kurumizawa, Kimi ni Todoke ✅
* Migi, Kiseijū: Sei no Kakuritsu ✅
* Hannah Anafeloz, Kuroshitsuji II ✅
* Megami, Moe★Gaku5
* Layla Serizawa, Nana ✅
* Chizuko Mikamo, Nijū Mensō no Musume
* Kana Ienaga, Nurarihyon no Mago
* Momo, Otogi Story Tenshi no Shippo ("Angel Tales")
* Nanael, Queen's Blade ✅
* Pachira, Renkin San-kyū Magical? Pokaan ✅
* Sasha, Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas ✅
* Ekaterina Kurae, Seikon no Qwaser
* Haruhi Suzumiya, Suzumiya Haruhi no Yūtsu ✅
* Yuki Morikawa, White Album ✅
* Kaoru Akashi, Zettai Karen Children ("Psychic Squad")

Commentary: Ms. Hirano has a lovely voice, and despite her getting ousted from the industry for her "indecent" behavior — she is still, to this day, one of the best voices in the industry, and she has a wonderful singing voice, to boot! I would compare her role as Pachira to Ume Kurumizawa (Kimi ni Todoke) because she's a diva, Layla Serizawa (Nana) another diva, and Nanael (Queen's Blade) because she's a lovably, cute butt-monkey! Since Pachira is a vampire, she is naturally vain, to a silly degree — like all of the other characters, their preternatural attributes are heavily satirized — and Ms. Hirano is great at making the glove fit. Pachira is insufferable, but not to the degree that makes her unlikable; much like the whole cast in Urusei Yatsura! Great performance, I hope that we can see Aya Hirano in more comedy roles, she's pretty darn funny!

Satomi Akesaka as Aiko, notable roles:
* Kasumi Kurose, Ane Log
* Rinko Shirokane, BanG Dream! ✅
* Aomi, Chikasugi Idol Akae-chan
* Taeko Nomura, Coppelion
* Mutsuki Nakano, Danchigai
* Hinako Shiizaki, Date A Live ✅
* Nano-Nano Pudding, Galaxy Angel Rune
* Korokoro, gdgd Fairies
* Assam, Girls und Panzer ✅
* Kokoro Himote, Himote House
* Makoto Ōno, Hōkago Teibō Nisshi
* Chrome Dokuro, Katekyo Hitman Reborn!
* Yuki Asano, Kyō no 5 no 2
* Futaba Marui, Mitsudomoe
* Asuna Kisaki, Occultic;Nine ✅
* Chae Kyōng, Pretty Rhythm
* Teruha Andō, Shōjo-tachi wa Kōya wo Mezasu ("Girls Beyond the Wasteland")
* Kurusu Fuyukawa, Softenni
* Henriette Mystere, Tantei Opera Milky Holmes
* Hina Satō, Tesagure! Bukatsumono
* Tokiwa Kamikizaki, Urawa no Usagi-chan

Commentary: Despite being a new talent, upon the initial release of Renkin San-kyū Magical? Pokān, Ms. Akesaka was able to get in some genuinely hilarious moments. Most of which, had to do with her android body malfunctioning in really exaggerated ways! I really, really love Satomi Akesaka as Rinko Shirokane in "BanG Dream," too! Great seiyū!

Renkin San-kyū Magical? Pokān is a special series, it isn't everyday that I get so invested in a cast of characters or get a recurring juvenescence of warm-fuzzy feelings! This show is such a fun ride, and the very last scene — I won't spoil what happens, but it made me tear up with catharsis and optimism. This series isn't just an ecchi comedy, it's much more than that — it goes far beyond what you would expect out of either of those genres! With a heart full of appreciation, I give Renkin San-kyū Magical? Pokān a 9/10!

Rating: ★★★★★

it's a shame it is not as popular as it deserves to be. Through my long journey with anime and manga, I've stumbled across many so-called "ecchi" series, and yet all I saw was a bland fanservice only growing up kid would laugh at. My disappointment was broken though when I decided to watch this. It was probably one of very few series that I laughed out loud thanks to. I finally felt like I was watching an ecchi that has actual jokes in them. Combined with a simplicity of the plot and more moe-like look of the characters (yet not looking like absolute children ... which would gross me out in an ecchi to no end) gives its viewers something so light-hearted that is enough to light up your day and restore some energy when you really need it. It's not the peak of art and form, but I think it's still worth watching considering how little it takes for it to make someone smile with its own nonsense.

Magipoka was one of the very first anime I watched, and having recently rewatched it 15 years later, I think I actually like it even more than I did back then! Or at least I found new things to appreciate.

Good: It really has a unique vibe, and the surrealist elements make it stand out. The characters are super charming of course, and I also love how this show isn't afraid to have attractive male side-characters that the girls actively fawn over. Despite ostensibly being an ecchi comedy, they are depicted with genuine agency and they're allowed to be silly or stupid or unattractive sometimes!

Bad: There's ... a couple weird moments that don't really work for me, and the way the rule of three is used almost formulaically doesn't always quite hit (Or rather, a lot of the time it's extended to a "rule of 4" which can feel a bit dragged out). I would also have liked if it was a bit less episodic so there could be some lasting development and an overarching story.

Music: The soundtrack is actually excellent. Beautifully written and arranged, with live instruments everywhere. The way the opening theme is used as a leitmotif is really skillful and fun too. Coupled with the competent musical direction it's a lovely musical experience overall. Here's an extra sentence to emphasize how much I like this soundtrack!

Best girl: In 2008 I thought Pachira was best girl, but now that I'm older I have to change my mind to Aiko! She's selfless, skilled, calm and smart and she has 4GB of memory!