Astarotte is your typical fan-service-filled comedic romance with a very strong lean towards the former of the two. Since Astarotte-land is filled with non-humans, you get all your favorite cosplay-type characters such as a cowgirl, wolfgirl, succubus (think Lala in ToLoveRu), S&M, etc; if you're into those things... Watch this if you're into lots of panty-based fan service and other underhanded forms of humor such as getting milk to drink from a cowgirl. To be honest, despite the high-profile VAs, this was a let-down of a series.
Animation:
The animation is fair but not great as the production quality isn't that great at times. The series is fantasy so expect a very saturated and varied color palette. Backgrounds are a bit lacking in detail but are imaginative though also somewhat strange at time (I don't understand the dwellings...). Character models are, well, appropriate given my description above. The character designs were good though some of the clothing obviously caters to certain niches. The primary form of fan service here is definitely panty shots, they pretty much sneaked one in whenever they possibly could. This was definitely over used. Naoya is also seen cross-dressing (as punishment/or not) a few times in the series. There aren't really any real battles nor anything terribly serious for the majority of the series.
Sound:
The OP is a fairly slow rock piece that failed to capture my attention. The ED is an even slower piece though the melody is slightly more catchy. You'll find some insert songs including one for Kugimiya fans. The BGM is totally forgettable, partly because it's mixed in at such a low volume. It does create a light mood but can also induce slumber.
The VA cast is full of veterans such as Rie Kugimiya, Yui Horie, Rina Satou to name a few. You get your by now almost patented "umu" and tsundere behavir from Kugimiya. The VA cast doesn't dissapoint, though I still think Satou's female voices are better, though it does make a bit of sense in this series as Naoya's supposed to be girl-like in appearance (so why not voice too I guess?).
Story:
Naoya is offered a ridiculous wage to work as a member of Astarotte's harem in another world. Thus you have your typical case of being "forced" into a relationship with initial tension and eventual acceptance. The series sticks pretty much to the book with this one and you can easily predict the plotline, though they do throw a few loose curve balls at you, including Asuha; she's Naoya's sister, right?
Don't expect a very contiguous storyline as half-episodic side adventures abound. There's just enough semblance of a plot to keep me watching but they really go out of their way to provide scenarios for fan service. The series does eventually converge back on the main plot line and builds to a climax/conclusion but the entire ending sequence didn't feel very natural, almost contrived. As with some other shows of late, there are some pretty interesting concepts that the story introduces but then never fully develops/makes use of. Also, don't expect many plot holes to be answered as the show seeks to fill those holes with just more panty shots. In summary, the story isn't very good. It's a bit original in the setting aspect but doesn't really make use of it.
There is some humor in this though it's for the most part very light (fan-service type) though occasionally very implicit.
Character:
Astarotte is your typical somewhat spoiled loli with a ultra-tsundere personality. Her relationship with Naoya does develop but, with the plotline, feels superficial. Naoya is a very mysterious character. You get glimpses of his past that just begs more questions that you'll never get answered. This really can't be considered a romance because there's this third wheel named Asuha, who eventually gets more screentime with Astarotte than Naoya; thus a third of the series is really girls hanging out while constantly being under an abnormally strong wind.
There are also numerous supporting characters that are introduced but don't really play a very significant role in the series, other than serving as cameo appearances by VAs.
Value:
So many potentially interesting possible developments based on the setup were wasted... In the end you're just going to have to settle for Rie Kugimiya tsundere-ness and that's about it. Given the times, I think the short girl tsundere type has outlived its popularity.
