I found this series to be a breath of fresh air. While the premise of the story is nothing that we haven’t seen before, it just feels like an original idea. The plot is very much typical of a Mahou Shoujo series. If you’ve seen a series such as Sailor Moon, then you’re going to find a lot of similarities. Our heroine, Amu Hinamori, finds herself thrust into a magical world she never realized was around her until she wakes up one morning with three eggs in her bed. These eggs soon hatch revealing her Shugo Chara, or Guardian Characters. We soon find out that everyone has these eggs in their hearts as a representation of their hopes and dreams for the future. Amu becomes friends with others who have guardian characters and begins to battle against the evil organization called Easter, to protect everyone’s heart egg and find the mysterious one known as the embryo.
The story moves along nicely early on, introducing us to the world and the characters while explaining origins and back story. There is a lot of pretty good magical action and surprises along the way. What was maybe the most surprising to me was the depth of the romance and relationships part of the story. Considering the ages of the characters, I was not initially all that optimistic about a story that myself, a twenty-something adult could relate that much to. But I was surprised to find Amu to be a very complex character with a lot of emotional depth. She grows tremendously as a character from the beginning to the end of this season.
However, Shugo Chara! is not without its faults. One of the most glaring is the number of recap episodes throughout the series. I never have understood the necessity to devote an entire episode towards a recap in this day and age. In the age of DVRs, internet streaming, and downloading, the necessity to have recaps for new viewers seems like a waste of time to me. The other major issue was that there was a lot of what I would term "filler" episodes. Stories that did nothing to advance the overall plot in anyway. For filler they were not bad stories and a lot of them did serve to let us get to know the series huge cast. But really the most annoying was the amount of it after the main plotline from the second half was concluded. It felt a bit anti-climatic and was disappointing to have to sit through 7-8 episodes before the season finally concluded with something involving the main storyline.
The cast for Shugo Chara is enormous. Normally I would say this is a major drawback but in this case it really wasn’t. The key to the whole series is Amu and her guardians. For me, Amu has already moved into my favorite anime characters of all time. She is someone I think every girl (and boys too I think) will find something to relate to themselves. I think her internal insecurities and her outside persona and the struggle to be accepted by society yet still be true to yourself is something that will resonate with viewers. Her conflicted heart over her romantic feelings for various boys and her own lack of confidence over her own "true self" I believe will also strike a nerve. In a lot of ways I think she is the most "real" anime character I’ve ever seen.
There are simply too many other characters to cover in detail with the scope of this review. Amu's guardians Ran, Miki, and Su are adorable and lovable aspects of her personality. The same could be said for all of the other guardian characters and their relationships with their owners. The most important and interesting of the supporting cast is Ikuto. I see him as a Tuxedo Mask type character from Sailor Moon. He comes to Amu's rescue when she needs it but isn’t necessarily on her side. His intentions remain obscure for the entire season so we will have to wait to find the answers to that. The rest of the cast, while enjoyable, is far more stereotypical and shallow. You’re bound to have a few favorites from them and even the villains, but this is a story about Amu.
The artwork and animation is outstanding. I absolutely loved the character designs and styling. I felt it was a very fresh look. The backgrounds and settings are a bit over the top at times but beautifully drawn. The guardian characters are completely adorable and are a certainty to steal your heart away. The various magical transformations, even in their full form are reasonably short and devoid of pedo fan service. This was possibly the most refreshing aspect of the whole show. The music is equally brilliant. The various opening and ending themes were catchy tunes that captured the spirit and essence of the show.
My enjoyment of this series was really off the charts. I really wanted to give this show a perfect score but the way the story drags on with little happening towards the end hurts its overall score. If you’re even have a passing interest in Mahou Shoujo stories, then Shugo Chara! has to be at the top of your watch list. For everyone else, your mileage may vary but I think your seriously missing out if you don’t give this show a try.
