What do I like about it. The comedy is never a throw-away one liner. If something is said or done in one episode, it can pop up again in later episodes, be it humorous or heart warming. We see which vase is Nitta's special vase nearly every episode after he receives it, if nothing else, as an important part of the background art.
A Yuppie Yakuza (best way I can describe Nitta) has a super-powered ESPer girl fall on his head while celebrating an auction win of a very expensive vase. The girl, of course, is the main character and linchpin of the series and story, Hina. While the first few episodes their relationship is a bit of a roller coaster ride, they finally settle into a father/daughter style relationship.
The story is more than just a bunch of laughs: it mixes pathos well with the humor, and there will be times that you have to grab your Kleenex because the scene is heartwarming or heart-wrenching. At one point, two side characters will pretty much tell you to do so.
Much of the humor and pathos are always laid in earlier episodes. Regardless, everythiing points in one direction: the ESPer girls you meet all show a lot of personal growth. HIna starts out as being totally self-centered, demanding clothes because, when she emerges from her transport shell, she's naked. (must be a design flaw. as it happens with all of the ESPers in the show, and even one non-ESPer) Being a self-centered kid, that expects grown ups to provide for her is interesting, because we learn in the first episode, that the grown-ups that "raised" her in the lab were greedy and she was created to only follow orders. This is how she forges her bond with Nitta, the Yakuza.
While occasionally, she uses her powers to threaten him, it turns out that they are helpful. The anime ended too soon, though, but then manga, now in volume 16, follows Hina and friends into high school. The personal growth level is amazing, although she does keep a bit of her selfishness, too.
One supporting character, Anzu, is an ESPer sent to eliminate Hina. Like Hina, she's also part of the experiment, but not as powerful. A successful failure is the best way she could be described. She "battles" Hina (episode 2: the best animation I've ever seen is this battle) She's stranded here because Nitta accidentally ran her transport ball through the washer. She now takes on the life of a homeless person. She starts by stealing her meals and eventually ends up in a hobo camp with homeless men who teach her how to survive without committing crimes. Her growth through this arc is amazing, and one where you'll need a hankie.
The last ESPer girl is summoned to bring another transport ball to send Hina back "home". Instead of arriving in Tokyo, though, she spends ½ a year on a desert island. We only see glimpses of her life after she leaves the island using her powers, ending up in China. She is the first of the ESPers to produce any super human powers, but is the weakest of the three. Even the lab pretty much wrote her off as being worthless. With that in mind, you're given a glimpse of what she becomes at the beginning of the series and again, at the end.
The show is excellent to watch with family members and loved ones. Violence? When you have a Yakuza as a main character, it's expected, but you'll laugh your ass off at such encounters. (as mentioned, although not Yakuza related, the battle between Hina and Anzu. Even hardened Yakuza, Nitta, Can't keep from laughing)
Feel Studios did a fantastic job on this series, and I hope that, should they do a second season, they do just as good. These are just some of the reasons why this anime is at the top spot on my list
