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Title:
  Shugo Chara!

UK Distributor: None (available to view on Crunchyroll)

BBFC Certificate:  N/A

Suggested Retail Price (SRP):  N/A

Episodes reviewed: 1 - 4 (ongoing series)

Audio Options:  Japanese 2.0

Subtitles:  English

Reviewer:  Amichan

 

Shugo Chara is currently one of the series being streamed for free on the Crunchyroll website.  The story which has been created by the manga-ka duo Peach Pit, who are also responsible for creating other successful titles such as DearS and Rozen Maiden.  The first four episodes introduce the main character, Amu Hinamori and the initial foundations of the story to the viewer.  The main character of the show has earned herself the odd English title of "cool and spicy" (n.b most anime titles on Crunchyroll are only available in Japanese with subtitles), however this is not the real Amu as inside she is a shy girl who has trouble expressing her true self.  It is after she has had a hard day at school that she wishes that she could have the courage to show her true self to her friends and family.  The next day she wakes up to find three eggs which hatch into three Guardian characters - Ran, Miki and Su.

  Each of these Guardians represents a part of Amu's real personality and it is with their help that she will learn more about herself.  Amu also has the ability to character transform with each of her guardians, which causes her to take on a completely different personality.  This can sometimes work to her disadvantage though, as her Guardians can "Chara change" without permission.  For example, in episode one, Ran takes over Amu so that she will confess her love to Tadase.
 

It is when these eggs appear that she is recruited into the Guardians as the Joker.  Each member has their own Guardian character, but it is only Amu who has three.  It is her role as the Joker to stop X eggs and X charas, which are the corrupt forms of peoples hopes and dreams.  Very early on in the anime you realise there is someone sinister pulling the strings in the creation of these X eggs.  It is only later though that you find out that these are created in order to find the Embryo, which can be used to make your wishes come true.

For a magical shojo anime, it offers a lot to the viewer.  For a start the main character is different from the standard for this genre as she isn’t perfect or happy go lucky, she is instead someone who is willing to talk back and will sometimes become grumpy.  As this is the case it deals with issues such as trying to fit in at school and alienation.

 

There is, as with most shojo series a love triangle between the main character Amu, and Tadase and Ikuto.  This provides another level of interest to the viewer, as in these first couple of episodes you begin to find out more about these characters and make decisions about who you wish Amu to be with.

The series has many extra touches which will make you like the series even more.  For example, the references to card decks such as

Ran’s transformation being amulet heart, Miki’s transformation being amulet spade and Su’s transformation being amulet clover.  There is of course the additional reference to Amu being the Joker, however this does not refer to her as being funny as she is the most powerful Guardian and is the only person who can purify the X eggs and charas.  Another cute element added is the fact that Amu’s hair accessories change shape when one of her guardian characters takes over her personality.  This often lead to comic results as you often see Amu’s inner self reeling at the fact that she would never do that herself.

Finally, it is impossible not to review a magical shojo anime without referring to the transformation sequences used.  In the first four episodes of the series only Ran’s amulet heart transformation is shown.  It is one extremely pink animation sequence, with the end result being Amu in chav sports / cheerleader outfit.  However, with sneak previews of the Amulet Clover and Spade outfits in the opening sequence there is plenty to look forward to in the up and coming episodes.

Overall, these first four episodes are a promising start to the series.  The pace at the start is what I would consider to be just right; as it is not so quick that you end up being lost within the plot, but not so slow that you lose interest in the series.  Amu is an interesting character who will make you want to continue watching in order to see how her character will further develop.  At present there are 81 episodes available on Crunchyroll to watch, with every week a new episode being added as it is screened over in Japan.

Extras:

As this is streamed on a website there is no extras available unless you count the BUPA advert shown before the episode begins. 

Ratings

Feature:   Extras:
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