Harry Pott...eh? Sorry about that. Yes, it's quite obvious from the moment one lays eyes on Zero no Tsukaima that the setting for the show was blatantly pulled from the best-selling Harry Potter series. I kid thee not. All we need to complete the package is Quidditch (that game on brooms). But, in it's defense, the setting and magic is about all the show pulled from Potter. It's a comedy/harem/romance anime in every way.Harry Potter was decent, and so were the movies. So, is this? Well, when the anime started all bright and colourful, I was instantly interested, at least to find out what the story is about. Call me boring, narrow minded, whatever, but I generally dislike all anime that starts in black/grey/washed out colours. With a few exceptions, of course. Stuff like Last Exile manage something many 'darker' anime struggle at doing, avoid being boring even with monochrome animation. =) Anyway, my first thought was, "Okay, Louise doesn't look irritating, so that's a start."Louise Francoise le Bran de la Valiel...I think.The opening sequence was Love Hina-esque, with all the characters and their names shown one by one. I wonder why they do that? Episode one introduces many of the cast, Louise the 'Zero', known as such due to her inability to cast any spell correctly, Kirche, the obligatory hot chick in these anime, Guiche, the stuck up noble, Montmorency and a few more. Well, for an anime with a whole school of aspiring wizards, credit has to be given to the creators for coming up with characters that, while typical, are diverse enough to avoid being boring.Sealed with a kiss.Pamela Anderson at Hogwarts.Hiraga Saito is Louise's 'tsukaima', or familiar. Not that he wanted to be. You see, in animes, no matter what dimension you're in, or what time period, Japan is always lying around somewhere. Just like how aliens, vampires, ghosts, and the day after tomorrow only happen in the United States of America. ^^ So, it's no surprise that Louise screwed up her summoning ritual and calls forth the great Saito. Who is the typical normal guy which every girl has the hots for. But, these early episodes make me feel he's not that big a loser, although he does get 'dog' treatment from Louise. After all, he had the guts to go after Siester in episode 4, when she was taken away by a noble.There have been small hints that Saito is 'different' from other familiars, due to the special runic inscription on his hand. But, aside from his ass-whupping of Guiche in episode 2, I haven't seen anything else of that yet. Hoping to see some action soon. It's a change to see Saito 'resisting' the sexy Kirche. How often do we see harem anime losers do that?! Wahey!Weakling proves not so weak."You taste like garlic."Well, I like this sort of anime. But even if I didn't, it's light-hearted and pleasant enough to view after a dose of stuff like Chevalier, Utawarerumono or anything more serious. The story is not bad either. I felt it did enough to make me want to watch the next episode, eventhough it's nothing I've not seen before. Not great, but good. So, take some time off your heavy downloading schedule, and slot in a space for Zero no Tsukaima, if you haven't already. ;)>>> AnimaniaTags: Animation, Anime, Japanese Animation, Manga, Zero no Tsukaima, Zero's Familiar, Louise, Tenjou
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