Shugo Chara! anime review

Shugo Chara!

by therik

I have absolutely no business liking Shugo Chara!. The series is aimed primarily at an audience with approximately half my age and precisely double my X-chromosomes, and at no point does it betray its target market by veering wildly off the well-trodden mahou shoujo path. As such, the fact that the show found a place deep with in my heart - somewhere between ice-cold beer and mid-week football - is the result of either luck or utter, blinding awesomeness. And I don't believe in luck.

It would serve this review well to point out that the series' allure is not down to it resonating with the mature sections of my cranium or gratifying the unabashedly masculine reaches of my brain. Instead, Shugo Chara! makes a simple but irresistible appeal to my inner child, who is only too happy to leap out at the first mention of the show, and greedily guzzle down its contents like they were vanilla milkshake. There's nothing clever or considered about the plot, the characters or the humour and yet this anime makes me gasp, smile and chuckle just as much as any other you could care to mention.

It may seem an odd thing to highlight, particularly for what is essentially a textbook mahou shoujo romp, but Shugo Chara!'s ability to present action scenes is worthy of praise. Although there are no enormous robots or fancy martial arts moves to be found in the traditional "transform and battle" sequences, the series borrows from the library of shounen tropes in order to augment its combat. As well as a powerful sense of timing, Shugo Chara! has a habit of establishing unspoken rules on how battles will proceed and what capabilities the characters have before breaking said rules with such panache and glee that the only natural reaction is a dropped jaw, clenched fist, and silent mouthing of the word "awesome".

But the fighting is not even Shugo Chara!'s strongest point. Perhaps what makes the show so endearing is the irresistible and irremovable feelgood atmosphere which pervades its every nook and cranny. Of course the anime is every bit as cute and lively as you would expect but it also has an unerring ability to deliver some fantastic moments of emotion. The series is, after all, about attaining one's dreams, and - while avoiding the saccharine sweetness which could have easily consumed it - Shugo Chara! offers many heartwarming moments, which more often than not form a hugely satisfying conclusion to the episode.

                       

Equally ubiquitous is the humour, which tends to make the show an absolute blast to watch. Although many of the jokes are repetitive, there is enough genuine wit on display to ensure at least one honest chuckle per episode. Surprisingly for a show that isn't primarily a comedy, Shugo Chara! has a habit of springing jokes at the most unexpected times, including during serious story moments and intense fights. Unwelcome though this comic intrusion may seem, more often than not it serves as a reminder that this show's primary aim is simple, commendable, and can be summed up just three words: to have fun. There is drama and there is action, but the anime's often rambunctious energy is spent wisely, and it never loses sight of this goal.

Rating: 8/10