Story
Minato Sahashi's life is forever changed when he meets a group of beautiful warrior women called Sekirei and he gets involved in a struggle to decide the most powerful Sekirei in the city. Action-harem anime aren't exactly new these days, but Sekirei does put a new spin on this concept by forcing the protagonist to make his own harem and win what is basically a battle royale, the specifics of which are never really elaborated on. All we now is that a special prize awaits the winner of the contest.
Let me be honest about this: Sekirei thrives on the outlandish and silly. Every one in a while, you hear about the Sekirei talking about the importance of love and how their love for ther partner, or Ashikabi, gives them the strength to fight. It can be silly and hard to take seriously, but that is what makes this show so entertaining. (7/10)
Characters
Like so many harem protagonists, Minato has no complex personality and is merely an everyman that exists to facilitate the viewers' immersion into the story and it's the supporting cast who truly push the emotional component of the story forward. His Sekirei harem consists on the cheerful Musubi, the young Kusano, the standoffish Tsukiumi and the nerdy Matsu. The evolution of the Sekirei's relationships with their Ashikabi is actually important to the story because their strength is tied to their love. The stronger their love is towards the Ashikabi, the more powerful Sekirei become in battle.
If I had to pick a favorite character, I'd choose Tsukiumi. The other girls are fine, but Tsukiumi feels like the only character with a true sense of evolution throughout the show. She's basically a female Han Solo, and she goes from refusing to find a partner to becoming one of Minato's best Sekirei. She's basically the only character in the narrative with something to prove and something to work for.
While the character development on Sekirei isn't as good as, say, Date A Live, it still does more right than wrong. It probably won't rewrite the book on how characters are developed in harem anime, but the on their own right, the characters are fun and memorable. (7/10)
Art
Sekirei really loves fanservice. No, really, this anime is all about breasts and panties. Not only are the characters outfitted with clothes that leave little to the imagination, but if there's an excuse for the girls to be naked or at least in their underwear, this show will find it.
Unfortunately, the action aspect becomes mildly neglected, especially in the final two episodes. There are scenes where the animation quality decreases significantly and the characters look badly drawn and their movements look awkward, which is sad, because in the earlier part of the series, the action was holding up pretty well. (6/10)
Sound
The soundtrack in Sekirei wouldn't be out of place in a 90's soap opera, what with all the characters talking about love and relationships. The opening song isn't that special, but the ending song is amazing. Both the Japanese and English version of Sekirei definitely benefitted from their casts of talented voice actors. Some of my favorite voice actress participated in the Japanese version, like Saori Hayami, Marina Inoue, Kana Hanazawa and Aya Endou, while the English version featured strong performances from Alexis Tipton, Colleen Clinkenbeard, Monica Rial and Lydia Mackay. No matter which version you choose, you'll definitely have fun. (8/10)
Overall
Sekirei is a good show. No, it's not perfect and it definitely goes overboard with its all "power of love" stuff, but it's silly, unprententious and a lot of fun, which is what really matters at the end of the day. (7/10)
