Shuffle! offers a very straightforward premise (for anime, anyway): several girls are in love with high schooler protagonist Rin, but depending on his choice, Rin could become a God King or Demon King. Let's rewind: 10 years ago, Rin was kind to both a princess of Heaven and a princess of Hell. Now, their fathers have enrolled both in Rin's school and expect him to select one for marriage. The princess pair aren't alone in their desire for Rin's affections, since he lives with devoted—very devoted—friend Kaede, whose mother was killed in an automobile accident along with Rin's parents. Add a couple of other human and otherworldly girls to the mix and what we have here is your basic harem anime. Rin himself is an affable character, uninterested in love and bravely fighting off members of the girls' respective fan clubs, while the girls themselves are good-natured, displaying little jealousy and helping each other with homework and cooking. Presenting the first four (of 24) episodes on a dual-language disc, rated TV-MA (which doesn't seem warranted for this first disc, which is more about light romance than heavy innuendo), Shuffle! features good (but not great) animation in a series that is sweet bordering on bland. Optional. [Note: Shuffle!, Vol. 2, Vol. 3, and Vol. 4 are also newly available, with Vol. 5 slated for release on July 29.] Aud: P. (L. Martincik)
Shuffle!, Volume 1
(2005) 100 min. DVD: $29.98. Funimation (avail. from most distributors). ISBN: 1-4210-0277-9. Volume 23, Issue 4
Shuffle!, Volume 1
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