Shuffle! Volume One

Shuffle! Volume One is an adaptation of an eroge (erotic game) from NAVEL software company. But the anime isn’t what you’d think – most of the naughtiness has been taken out and it’s been remade in a more accessible story. Shuffle! tells the story of Rin and Kaede who have a somewhat typical high school boy/girl friendship. One day, two families move into the houses next door. But they aren’t just normal families – one is the King of Gods and the other the King of Demons! Oh, and each one has a daughter who is destined to marry Rin!

The main reason I enjoyed Shuffle! Volume One was due to the comedy. If you like harem anime, there’s a good chance you’ll like Shuffle!

I was a bit hesitant during the first volume – mainly because I wasn’t familiar with the series at first. Thankfully, the comedy kicked in pretty quickly. Don’t let the episode titles fool you – this show doesn’t take itself seriously, which is a good thing. Shuffle! Volume One contains the following episodes:

• Episode One: The Man Who Could Become a God or a Demon!
• Episode Two: I Wanted to See You!
• Episode Three: Do You Remember?
• Episode Four: Egg Omelet of Happiness!

Characters

Although Rin is the center of the story, it’s Sia (girl god) and Nerine (girl demon) who steal the show. Both girls are quite different from each other and try to win Rin’s heart in various ways. The main cast of characters include:

• Rin – Rin is the main ‘mortal guy’ in Shuffle who is up against the affection of 3 girls.
• Kaede – Kaede is main ‘mortal girl’ in Shuffle! Her and Rin are close friends, and she has a very strong desire to please him.
• Nerine – Nerine’s father is the King of Devils, so she’s a demon princess. Her goal in life: To marry Rin!
• Maou, King of Devils – Maou is Nerine’s father, who really, really wants Rin to marry his daughter.
• Primula – little girl demon
• Sia – Sia’s father is the King of Gods, so she’s a god princess…or…um…god-daughter? Her goal in life: To marry Rin!
• Shin-Ou, King of Gods – Shin-Ou is Sia’s father, who really, really wants Rin to marry his daughter too.

You’d think that all of the competition for Rin that the moé factor would be off the chart. Fortunately, it’s pretty much limited to Primula, who is the youngest character. Both Sia and Nerine get show their true powers from time to time, which is pretty cool. But overall, I’d say Maou and Shin-Ou (the fathers) steal the show. They’re truly committed to making their daughters happy, lol!

Production

The first thing I noticed about the visual style/production of Shuffle! was the attention to detail. There’s an abundance of subtle effects like blushing, eye and hair highlights and lots of shadow details on the characters. I also enjoyed the use of bright, saturated colors in the backgrounds. I was truly surprised by the quality of animation, since it’s essential a harem comedy.

Shuffle was directed by Naoto Hosoda, who has worked in almost all of the areas of anime production on shows like Bamboo Blade (as character designer), Jin-Roh (as an animator) and a variety of other shows and movies. I think that diversity has given him the ability to balance such a diverse cast of characters in the story.

Conclusion

Overall, I enjoyed Shuffle! Harem comedies aren’t my favorite genre of anime, but the show has a pretty silly sense of humor. For those of you who already are fans of the genre, you’ll be pleased. For any of the ‘newbies’ out there – I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised. Check it out!

Series Rating

Shuffle! Volume One gets 3 outta 4 Hammies!

Retail Info

• Publisher: Funimation
• Release Date:February 26, 2008
• Retail Price: $29.98
• Number of discs:1
• Episodes:1-4
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Rating: TV-MA
• Language: English, Japanese
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Format: Animated, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC, Subtitled