Shuffle! Collection Review

An anime that is full of surprises that has drama and a slice of life mixed into one!

How can a “cheeky” visual novel become a great anime that is full of drama and a slice of life genre mixed together followed by five sweet girls who are in love with one boy? Well, you’ll have to read on and see for yourself!

Meet Rin Tsuchimi a boy who is enjoying a rather normal life living with his childhood friend Kaede Fuyou due to family deaths on both sides. One day at school, two new classmates transfer into his class: Lisianthus (AKA Sia), heiress to the Realm of the Gods, and Nerine, heiress to the Realm of the Demons. Rin is told that he has been picked to marry either one, though it will be his choice as to whom. The story then leads to several plots for some fun slice of life to the later episodes that can be dramatic and gripping overall…

Firstly, Shuffle! is a Japanese visual novel done by Navel that is suitable for older people but was made into a near teen-friendly release that has two spinoffs in the gaming. It was then made into a manga then into an anime with 24 episodes then a spinoff called Shuffle! Memories featuring 12 episodes with recaps only except the last one as a surprise.

The character design is very impressive and is done with high quality. Each character has their own personality, likes and dislikes throughout the series. The art is drawn very well from the locations, the designs of the characters for gods and demons and the background design shows a realistic perspective of the fantasy world that looks like an ordinary world to the naked eye.

The soundtrack is composed well from the character’s themes to the emotional scenes and crucial scenes that builds up the suspense and storyline throughout the episodes. It also shows a lighter and fun side through the first episodes such as the beginning scenes, the school times and of course the summer times. The opening has a strong impact by showing the different scenes of various characters that reveals some of their past and present sides that has an impact on the overall storyline in the series. It is remarkable when you see all of your favourite main characters and supporting characters all rolled into one. The ending concludes the episode with a soft, sweet and melancholy feel of the characters standing by the bus stop throughout the seasons as time goes by… Remarkable artwork is shown with high quality and the music suits the series for a drama/slice of life genre.

The dub actors/actresses play a great role in the series such as Monica Rial (Negima!, Air, The Sacred Blacksmith) as the cheerful and playful Asa Shigure (Or Asa-Sempai), Brittney Karbowski as  the sweet yet seductive Lisianthus the daughter of the King of the Gods(Kanon 2006 series) and Cherami Leigh (The Sacred Blacksmith) as the quiet and mysterious girl from the demon world, Primula. Each actor has done an excellent act as the character in this series to enjoy hearing!

For the sub seiyuus, you may find several surprises with some familiar voices when you watch the sub twice. Yuko Goto (The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya series as Mikuru Asahina) plays well as the kind and sweet Kaede Fuyou, Sayaka Aoki (The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya series as Kyon’s sister) as Lisianthus and of course Tomakazu Sugita as Rin Tsuchimi (The Melancholy Of Haruhi Suzumiya series as Kyon’s sister). If you see the first episode of Haruhi season 1, you’ll see a reference of the Shuffle! characters… Similarly, I recommend watching it twice both in dub and sub to enjoy both the great actors, and seiyuus!

I was a bit disappointed with the extras in both collections but seeing some of the character artwork on the DVD menu screen and the textless openings and endings tends to even out the negatives overall. I wish they did more with the extras such as commentary, artwork designs and a few trivia page with the differences but what can you do…

Overall, the series starts slow through the introduction of the characters and the story at first but builds suspense and excitement overall as well as the character development and personas overall as well as show the key themes in the anime such as friendship, families, and of course love. There are mixed feelings. I heard some mediocre reviews on the anime overall but from my view it works well overall. It may not suit most anime collectors or viewers but if you’re into the drama, comedy, and slice of life anime then I would highly recommend getting this anime for your collection! Do not walk, but arwing fly to your nearest JB Hi-Fi store, or any anime store to obtain this remarkable treasure that is full of surprises, laughs and some romance with a few twists and turns!

Rating: 9.5/10

CAAGSpodcast Editor's Choice Award. Certified by Luffy III and SoulNinja

Tested on the LG LCD 106cm TV with Yamaha Surround Sound System 5.1 Channel  

Shuffle! is licensed by Funimation Entertainment and distributed by Madman Entertainment