The Familiar of Zero - Reviews

Ok lets start out small.. I LOVED THIS ANIME!!

Now to the serious part about the review of this anime:

This quickly became one of my favorite animes of all time, in fact within the first couple of episodes I was hooked. The characters are all very charming, the world they come from is just full of adventure and fun, the animation is bright colorful and crisp. The character development is fairly paced. There is a wonderful blend of comic relief while at the same time having plenty of time for the serious parts of the storyline.

I could see how it could get a little annoying at times but I saw those times as hilarious. Main character does have a tendency to beat the other main character a lot with a riding crop. The sex symbol of the anime tends to go after the main character at every chance. Yes this is a harem anime. Now some might say only having 2 chicks is not a harem anime.. Well check out the other 2 seasons of this series and you will understand!

Season one is the only season that has a dual audio out there, this is actually one season that there is nothing wrong with the english dub. They actually did it quite well. This story has a lot of simularities with Slayers in the comedy aspect, but I think the characters were better developed in this series!! Definatly at least worth checking out the first couple eps to see what you think for yourself!!

Казалось бы, что может быть заштампованнее? Гаремник про попаданца в фэнтезийное техномагическое псевдосредневековье. Попаданец, естественно, имба покруче Нео из Матрицы, а возлюбленная его садистка-цундере или типа того. Но штамп и штамповка не одно и то же. В общем авторы очень старались. Конечно не обошлось и без филлеров. И без суровой японской логики, которая призвана как бы придать мотивации второстепенным персонажам, но выглядит как слон в посудной лавке. Но...

Резюме: круто. Непонятно как они этого добились, ибо штамп на штампе, но смотреть приятно.

Now I recommend this anime because it's one of the first animes I ever watched. It has up to four seasons and the story is completed. my preference is that it's good although it may be silly and a little dumb at times you can't help but laugh and love it. I don't know action/adventure romance is the best combination of a good anime for me but it does really depend on what you like in anime. But I will say even tho the main character Saito is a lil dumb and perverted at times (at least theirs almost always one character like that in animes) but he's a badass with a sword who goes out of his way to protect his mage Louise and his school and with the help of his friends. The anime is pretty sexual but has a great storyline. If you don't like animes that are too sexual than don't watch pass season two because it just get real sexual after that. But overall it's a good anime and this is just my preference 

Zero no Tsukaima.  A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.  Two cookies to anyone who knows who actually said that!

Anyhow, that's kind of not at all what I think about this anime though in some way it sort of relates to my overall thoughts on this show.

Positives: Once you get past the fluff there's actually a story, and while it's not overly deep it's actually pretty fun.  Several times while watching I found myself wishing that this had been done not as a show for young folk, but perhaps as something a bit more mature.  Inmy mind the concept is really interesting and worth tinkering around with.

As per many a show like it you're going to find that the show is more or less about the relationship between the two main characters and in this case I think it works.  Again I'd have been a whole lot happier with something targetted at a slightly older audience, but since I'm not expecting much I'm so far enjoying what's being presented.

My wife commented that it's almost as if we're watching two different shows, the Harry Potter ripoff made for children that we started with, and now the show we actually kind of enjoyed.  It's a weird one I tell you, and I can't quite decide how to place it.

Negatives: Oh man, I barely got through the first episode. I've only actually dropped two shows within the first five minutes.  The first was One Piece, and the second was some show I can't ever remember the name of which is quite popular but I felt like I had to be a 5 year old girl to watch.

Fortunately I got past the beginning and things have improved.  I'm a bit scared that following this first season that I'm going to find myself bumping up against a fighting show where we see the same golem beaten over and over.  If that ends up being the case I'll probably be a wee bit disappointed, but in the end I doubt I lose any sleep over it.

I suppose that is what most clearly defines my thoughts on Zero no Tsukaima.  It's an easy watch that you could either take or leave and I doubt in the end it would have mattered either way.

Story - 6

The story is set in a fantasy world reminscient of Harry Potter, but this story is a little different. It takes place in a wizardr school in a different planet. It starts off by introducing Louise Francoise de la Valleire, a wizard who can cast no spells successfully, earning her the nickname "Zero" from her classmates. One day, the class are asked to summon their familiars, who is to be their lifelong partners and servants and it is a chance for Louise to prove that she is a capable wizard. What she summons is a normal japanese boy, Saito Hiraga and thus the story begins. 

Although, it is an interesting premise, I found that it isn't as nearly captivating as I expected it to be. The main character, Saito's aim is to return back to his world but eventually this changes throughout the story.

Animation - 5

The animation is mediocre at best and this hardly ever changes, even in the action and detailed scenes. It is plain and old and tries nothing new. Personally, I wasn't too bothered by this but I wasn't impressed with it either.

Sound - 6

Again, there is nothing wrong with the OST, it generally fits the atmosphere and works well but isn't too memorable. The opening isn't good as many of the other anime out there. I was very disappointed by the english dub, it was, frankly, terrible and I would recommend you steer clear of it.

Characters - 2

This is where my biggest problem lies. Saito is your typical harem/shounen character, brave, protective and never wanting to give up so nothing special there. Louise, however, is a horrible person. She is always constantly making demands and is highly egocentric, thinking that she can get whatever she wants, just because she is of the Valliere family, even though she can perfom zero magic. Her relationship with saito is strange. Now, I have no problem with tsunderes, but this girl makes her familiar (who is a human being), sleep on the floor, eat mouldy bread and "punishes" him by whipping him. That's not love, it's just downright abusive. Louise's flat chest and saito washing her panties is a constant gag throughout the series and it gets painfully stale after a while.

Overall - 4

It's not an anime I would recommend, unless, you love Harry Potter style fantasies but frankly, if you do, there are so many better anime you can watch.

If you do want to watch a decent magical fantasy, I recommend the magi series and fairy tail.