Reviews/Anime/Shuffle!

So far so good, 9 episodes into the series and Shuffle! has so far been excellent. It follows along the same line as many another anime in that you have two high schoolers who are living in a house without any parents (according to anime no household has parents) and naturally it is a boy and a girl who are childhood friends. Then throw in some other girls who all love the main character and you get a harem anime. Alas, what do you expect from an anime that is based off of a hentai game? At any rate, the animation in Shuffle! is very nice, without an overabundance of computer animation that doesn't belong, and the voice talent (seiyuu) are all very good. The story is also good, with the opening of the show introducing all of the characters, and then each episode spotlighting one of them.

Granted, any anime with a Ruri-type ( see : Nadesico) in it will always get high marks from me.


The following is a guest review by Jay:

This series is one of those that can grab you midway through. The first eleven episodes are pure fun fan service of a high school anime. Bet you picked the girl best suited for our hero Rin, didn't you? Then the second half begins and the secrets start to come out.

The second part of this story has more changes than a good Hitchcock thriller. Are the sweet girls really what you think they are? Who turns out to be actually living the life of her clone and didn't really care for Rin in the beginning? How about the one that has a tendency for homicide and suicide? Maybe your favorite is the one that took on the soul of her unborn twin, a twin that has exactly the opposite attitude to life and love? Is your soul mate the created life form? Could you possibly have chosen the one who is half demon? And to just add a real thrill to the mix, see how Rin saves the life of one girl in a very, very unusual manner, and don't think ecchi thoughts on that one.

Amazingly this story keeps you guessing about each episode as well as the ending. Or is it really the end of the story? If you want a good series that keeps you guessing about what comes next, I highly recommend this one. Enjoy!