Shuffle!

Year: 2005


Dubbed


Cat.: Ecchi, Harem, Romance, Fantasy, Comedy, Panty Shots


Episodes: 24


Summary:


Kaede is a devoted high school student who lives with her adopted brother Rin. She holds a quiet confidence that one day, when Rin finally starts showing interest in sex, he will make the obvious choice and turn to his loving sister. But what Kaede wasn’t counting on was the lords of heaven and hell coming to Earth, wanting Rin to mate with their nubile daughters! Rin, like any teenager would, takes full advantage of his newly acquired harem; but how long can he keep up his carefree, boxed-lunches-on-the-rooftop lifestyle, as the horde of girls on his tail grows?


*******************************************


It's not a typical harem anime, but had a crazy amount of fanservice.


Setting the scene in the first episode, Shuffle! certainly follows the tried and tested recipe of the typical harem; introducing Rin as the inevitable lucky boy that the girls worship, his one woman devotee soon accrues company. Things become a little stranger as Nerine and Sia are brought in as the princesses of the demon and god realms – and they are both intent on marrying the clueless boy. Sadly, this otherworldly aspect is used as a rather convoluted plotline that didn’t sit comfortably in the overall high school romance. However the show pulls itself back together by focusing on each female and gathering momentum via small arcs that succinctly explain the motives and reasoning for their undying feelings towards Rin. But what is this? The human side of these people giving emotional attachment to characters in an ecchi show? Unheard of!


My initial gripe with the show was that the girls appeared strangely cool about all sharing the same guy. My complaint is swiftly addressed in the second half as jealousy takes hold of one female, and the shock fallout as she goes postal certainly makes the viewer sit up to pay attention. What makes Shuffle! so different to other shows in the same genre is the fearless use of realistic and dark feelings; if we’re honest here, females are fearsome creatures that can unleash their hellcat side when faced with competition.


Ecchi anime rarely comes with a convincing storyline, and Shuffle! sits on the fence in the matter. On one hand, the romance, personalities and reactions are believable and watchable; on the other, the demonic Yggdrasil project is a little bit silly and permeates into too much of the story.


This anime is also where I got the qoute from my profile.


"Listen my Priority in life are girls. Followed by females, ladies, women, and babes.The girls are what I absolutely live and die for."


I give this a 3.5 out of 5.


Comment