Anime: Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge

First of all, this show is mainly comedy, above everything else, and I will try to review every aspect of it with this as primary guideline.[br]Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge is almost complete love-or-hate show. You will either love the way it makes fun of bishounen genre and hardcore horror fans or hate it in general, but more about that in rest of review.[br][br]Animation[br]In my opinion, animation was solid, with some standard comedy elements. Bishounen character design was done pretty good, although I'm not a fan of this genre and found it pretty hard to get used to. Super Deformed (SD for short) form was used quite for a bit, and the only problem I found with use is that it wasn't as present in the first few eps as in the rest of serie. This irritated me at first, since Sunako, protagonist of the story, if she can be called that, had more screen time in her SD form than in standard animation. Also, characters in some hilarius situations tend to get animated in this form. This is used as comedic device rather than budget problem, and it is mostly used properly. In few episodes though there was overuse of it and some scenes would go much smoother if usual animation was used.[br]Backrounds were done nicely but were few in numbers, so nothing worth mentioning.[br]Effects used, considering the date of the anime, were subpar a bit, but nothing too annoying. Opening was average, though ending was pretty unusual and interesting.[br]That said, 6/10.[br][br]Sound[br]Opening and first ending were some general J-Rock tracks. They were nothing special, but catchy and easy-going, and fitted the opening and ending sequences. Second ending was some techy J-Pop.[br]Seiyuu did average job, with few ups and downs.[br]Effects were also standard stuff, and didn't stand out.[br]Backround music was done very good, ranging from piano solo, to some pop tunes to more agresive rock.[br]All in all, 8/10.[br][br]Story[br]Since this is a comedy show, it does its job pretty good. Story behind the comedy though isn't good. It is mostly episodic, a minus in my opinion, and tends to change paces throughout the show. Also, ending felt kinda lukewarm and again, in my opinion, could've been done much better. 6/10[br][br]Characters[br]Main characters are pretty diverse. Most have some bizzare and silly past before they met. Side characters are mostly used as random comedy elements, and they most often fail in that part. Characters go through very small amount of development and in the end, there doesn't seem to be any, even with Sunako. Also, there have been some romance hanging in the backround, but it never seems to hit the surface, which leaves the viewer dissapointed.[br]Average 7/10[br][br]Value & Enjoyment[br]All in all, anime doesn't offer much, but it has some serious messages just under the surface. I enjoyed watching it, even with some flaws it has. All in all, worth watching.[br]

Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge is a pretty decent anime if you're looking for laugh and worth watching if you can over look the flaws.

Animation: This is probably the part where this series suffers the most. The animation was very basic. Some of the same action sequences were used over and over. The characters weren't draw with detail except for during the "climax" of the episode. Sunako is almost always a chibi and the 4 boys she lives with become formless figures where they are shocked or scared. It's funny but annoying at the same time.

Sound: The sound wasn't too bad, nothing spectacular but the voices fitted their characters. The background music was hardly noticeable and the sound effects were basic. Personally, as long as the sound in an anime doesn't grate upon my ears, it'll get a decent rating.

Story: O.K. So, the concept was absurd. A bunch of really hot guys live in one big house and have to transform the land lady's niece in a proper lady so they get free rent. It isn't until later that we learn why there are 4 guys randomly living in a mansion and while the explanation suits well enough, the sense of ridiculousness doesn't leave the show, but then again, that's anime for you. The plot doesn't move a bit. Sure, some new people are introduced and the characters develop but the plot itself is stagnant. Ultimately, the ending episode wasn't an end at all. In fact it was just like any other episode and it lacked the satisfaction that and ending should have. If an anime has to tell you which episode is the last one, then there's some serious problems with the ending. I was told later by a friend that the manga continues past that point. In fact, if you want a plot that develops, read the manga. The episodes themselves are not continuous and kinda reminded me of PokeMon in their structure right down to the appearance of the goth-loli girls in every episode being reminiscence of Team Rocket. Ultimately, the story would have been rated higher if the plot actually moved and if the ending was an actual ending. It got as high as it did because of its the premise.

Character: The characters are what really made Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge worth while. The main characters were very diverse and putting them all together under one roof made this anime enjoyable. Everyone develops and adapts to generally become accepting of each other. There's something like able about each character but at the same time, there are instances where you really just want to smack them and yell "what is wrong with you?!"... or maybe I just got too into the show.. eh.. whatever. Besides that, the characters are memorable and are ones whose names you'll learn by the second episode. At first the characters, actually the anime itself, seem pretty shallow, but as the characters develop, they gain a greater appreciation for inner beauty and personality.

Value: I might re-watch some bits of this anime but probably not the whole the series. Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge gets value points just because there's a little bit of Sunako in everybody and she has a special place in my heart.

Enjoyment: I enjoyed this anime. It's a really great series to watch after coming off something depressing like Full Metal Alchemist or a brain intensive anime like Serial Experiments Lain. It's not to be taken seriously, which can be said of any other "harem" anime, but it's worth watching.

YNSH is a cute show, and the characters are likable, but there are serious flaws in the animation and sound schemes, which really detract from overall enjoyment and believability.

Animation

I think that this is one of the anime's serious flaws. The character designs are very inconsistent, and watching them is like being on speed. The designs switch from kiddy-anime style to extremely detailed constantly, and Sunako is almost never portrayed as a detailed human, making her seem very fake and 2-D. It detracts from the reality of the show, and it's hard to keep focused. After awhile, one gets used to the style, but I never stopped hating it.

Sound

Sound is another serious flaw. I'm not sure the voice actors really suited the characters (except maybe Yuki or Takenaga). It's a bit distracting when the character sounds different than what s/he looks like. Also, the music is repetitive and pedestrian. The "sparkling" interludes were kind of annoying to listen to as well.

Story

The story is more like a sitcom than an actual plot. The show focuses more on character development more than anything. However, it is full of gimmicks and superfluous characters. Some of it is entertaining or funny at first, but after watching 25 episodes with the same gimmicks in each, it got really old and stupid fast (I am referring to the Goth-Loli sisters and the "Path to Becoming a Lady" bits). Also, a lot of the situations were particularly silly and unimportant, and it was hard to be serious about the important ones because of it.

Character

This is where the show shines. I loved watching the various situations, and watching the characters figure each other out. It was nice to see how the situation subtly changes Sunako and Kyouhei to become more accepting of the people around them, and not be bludgeoned with a stupid random romance between them. Also, the other characters start to change because of Sunako and their friendship with her. It was obvious that they start to appreciate her as she was, and didn't really want to change her after all.

Value

The value of the anime rests with the characters. I really liked it (despite the low scores) because I liked the characters and their growing friendships with each other, and I think that is where the value of the anime resides.

Enjoyment

If one can get past the gimmicks, soundtrack and animation style, I think that this is an enjoyable show to watch. It certainly has its funny and poignant moments, but it's nothing truly memorable.

1st Episode was weird since all the men looked like women but, as the series progress you could understand why it was done that way. After getting over the whole manshe thing you will realize that it is crazy funny and the ending is somewhat satisfying unlike most animes on the market. Would recommend to anyone.

Animation: Was weird at first but easily forgotten after the third episode. Reminds me of Tenshi na Konamaiki animation.
Sound: Goes very well with the theme of the story
Characters: Goths, Horror freak, Playboy, boy that likes dolls, hard ass and fanatic women.
Value: Was worth it, will buy dvd once released
Enjoyment: Great all the way to the end