Magic User's Club Vol. 1 |
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I'll admit, I first became
interested in Magic User's Club when I saw the rather
interesting packaging wrapped around the disc. It's a
weird deal, a see-through case with a pink tint, with the
artwork for the disc showing underneath. Having never
seen anything like this before, I immediately took an
interest in the title whenever I walked into my local
Suncoast. My affinity for shiny, colorful things led to
my eventual purchase, and now I can say that the show is
just as colorful as the plastic it came in. Wow, I was really reaching for a good intro there. Anyhow, Magic User's club is a six-episode OVA, with the first two episodes featured on this disc. Invaders from space appeared on our planet not too long ago, and the inhabitants of the planet found that their weapons were no match for the aliens. So instead of fighting back, the planet has learned to co-exist with the aliens. With their home base being a giant bell in the sky, it's no doubt that there's something sinister going on. However, the only ones with enough guts to fight the alien menace is... a high school magic club. If the concept sounds strange, then you haven't been watching much anime lately. Magic User's Club is a lighthearted series that has a very nice blend of sci-fi and fantasy. After watching so much depressing anime(Evangelion, I'm looking in your direction), it was a treat to watch a comedy that didn't involve too much thought. If I could compare it to some other titles, I would say it's a mix between Haunted Junction and Kiki's Delivery Service. Maybe it's all of the broom-flight that makes me think of the latter. The show opens with Sae Swanoguchi, the overly eager and just as clueless member of the club, ready to go to the pier for her first assignment. She's met there by Takakura, the leader and most perverted member of the group, and Aburatsubo, who is so feminine the show has to point out that he is indeed a man. Aburatsubo's crush on the leader causes many crazy antics throughout. Sae arrives at the scene, trying to fly and failing in the process. The group eventually gets on their feet, and fly off to investigate the bell. After nearly getting blasted out of the sky, the episode ends with Sae unable to use her magic, leaving her future in the club bleak, and having to be saved by her comrades. The second episode throws a little bit of school politics into the mix. Takakura has two problems, number one being the manga club next door interfering with his space(with their leader being the overly busty leader Miyama), and number two being the loss of almost half(that would be two) of their members. Sae's friend Nanaka is trying to get Sae to quit the club with her, and Sae's lack of magic is just her opportunity to do so. It's not long before the aliens start disrupting the school, and trapping Miyama for further examination. Sae must try to get her magic back and work together with the club to save Miyama and the school. I really enjoyed Magic User's Club, which leads me to find that I'm liking more and more titles despite never having heard of them before. The characters play off of each other very well, and while some of their actions and personalities are exaggerated, I've got to point out that this is a very exaggerated show. Sae has grown in the past couple of episodes, and we haven't seen very much of Akane in these first two shows. The show has lots of room to grow, and with four more episodes I'm interested in seeing how they'll wrap it up. From the preview, episode three doesn't look like it's very plot heavy, but it does look like a lot of fun. Note to self : go online and order the second volume. As I may have said before, the show is very colorful. I enjoyed the character designs, which allowed for the constant squash-and-stretch style of animation throughout. The show is lots of fun to look at. The video on this disc is crisp, but suffers from many rainbows. It's not too distracting, but for those of you with high end setups it may be. Other than that, the disc is not too shabby. The music can be described with one word : whimsical. I really enjoyed the opening and closing themes, along with the music throughout the show. It's better than most of the soundtracks I've been hearing lately. The music also sounded great on my system, it was very solid and carried nicely. The show is as enjoyable to listen to as it is to look at. I would talk more about the packaging, but I believe I've said enough about it in the intro to this review. It's one of the coolest designs I've seen lately, and will definitely attract many buyers. Hey, at least that's how it affected me. The menus are nice and follow the theme of Sae's crayon drawings. For extras, we get a creditless opening, along with a nice little art gallery. Not too bad, as the opening is really nice to watch uncluttered. I was a little disappointed that Magic User's Club Volume One had only two episodes on it, but I guess this is a testament to how fun the show is. If you're looking for a lighthearted romp that won't require too much thinking, Magic User's Club is the show for you. I'm eagerly awaiting the next volume. -Bob Mackey |
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