Once again, we have another title that bears the same name as an eroge. This time around, it's Shuffle!, a title I found scoping through Funimation, who licensed it. As it is based off such, it doesn't surprise me at all that this would be a romantic comedy and harem, with a bit of drama and fantasy added. (I gotta find out why I find titles of this genre more often than others...)
Let's see, Shuffle! deals with Rin Tsumichi, the teenage main male character of the series. For 8 years prior to the anime's beginning, he has resided alongside Kaede Fuyou, who lost her mother the same time Rin lost both of his parents in an accident. Because of his affiliation with Kaede, it's not surprising that Rin finds himself in comedic, but problematic issues at times. 10 years prior to the story's events, two gateways opened in the human world: one belonging to the Realm of the Gods and the other being from the Realm of the Demons. Because of this, migration was possible for both gods and devils, who can be told apart by their respective ears: the ears of the gods' are slightly pointed, while the devils/demon's ears are more so pointed than the other. Unlike other media, such as the previously covered Wicked City, this fact is known without much conflict behind it. The other characters who appear and interact with Rin are of those calibers, including two of the female heroines: Sia and Nerine who are respectively daughters of the King of the Gods and Demons. The plot picks up when Rin is announced as candidate to be wed to either of the two girls. Normally, guys would feel lucky, as he gets to mingle with both girls and the possibility to have powers of the gods or demons. In Rin's case, it makes things more so complicated.
As with others like it, this anime doesn't follow a route shown in the eroge title, at least not to the exact path. Licensed by Funimation, it's production was done via Media Blasters. The anime itself has it's dose of comedy, but half of the series gets dramatic, and at the same time serious. There is no set pattern to where there are moody episodes or upbeat ones, but it's generally upbeat at the start. It's fair to warn that though the anime itself ISN'T hentai, it does have nudity, and in some, you may see a little blood as well, so those with weak stomachs or can't handle either of those shouldn't watch it. Just a little warning. Criticized for it's so-called mediocre and unoriginal take on a harem, this series was blasted almost as much as it was praised. The voice actor for Rin is Jerry Jewell, who also lent his voice for Fruits Basket's Kyo Sohma. While the main anime is 24 episodes, there's a series after this known as Shuffle! Memories. The anime in question is basically a recap of the original anime, made to show certain elements from Shuffle! in character specific episodes for the most part, as there is original content here and there before the last episode. Shuffle! Memories, given this statement, isn't as long as the original, only lasting 12 episodes.
The series of Shuffle! was a bit on the soft side, despite how serious it got later in the anime, but to me this series wasn't exactly a bust. I grade the series overall a 6.5 of 10. On a personal note, as much as I don't want to live the life of that guy, a part of me does envy Rin for his kind character, which was one of the things that made me keep watching.
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