Shuffle! vol. 1 — anime review
Is it possible for completely clichéd material to provide any modicum of entertainment these days? I’m not talking about a simple peppering of genre clichés across an uninspired me-too narrative. Instead, I am referring to the laying out of entire plots based on setups so tired and well worn they make the aforementioned efforts seem fresh and new. If you asked me such a question last weekend, I would reply firmly in the negative. But now having seen Shuffle, I might just have to reconsider such a statement.
Shuffle’s setup has been seen countless times before in the Anime world, and to varying degrees of success. Handsome, yet unassuming, borderline-oblivious guy becomes object of affection for a half-dozen girls. Girls pine after guy. Guy continues on confused. Guy finally must pick a girl to be his one and only. Granted, Shuffle’s girls run the mix of human, angel, demon, and everything in-between, and the choice of girl could result in the guy’s being crowned successor to the throne of either heaven or the underworld. But when all is said and done, Shuffle provides the exact same “magical girlfriend”/”harem romance” 
setup you’ve seen in Ah! My Goddess or even the recent Rosario to Vampire… Only Shuffle’s Rin isn’t a pathetic worry-wort like Keiichi Morisato, or an idiot perv like Tsukune Aono. In fact, the only real twist here is that Rin is confident, smart, borderline cool, and all things considered, a pretty decent guy.
So what is it about Shuffle? What is it about its completely vanilla setup that I found entertaining? Well, to be honest, I’m not quite sure. Despite its setup and TV-MA rating, the show is fairly tame. Fanservice is kept to a bare minimum, off color jokes are near non-existent, and the comedy is rarely more than chuckle-worthy. But it’s sweet without being sappy, and as preposterous as the setups are, they still maintain a somewhat real quality about them. Rin’s spying on heaven-girl Nerine’s singing reminded me of my own efforts toward eavesdropping on my wife’s sweet songs. Likewise, His and friend/housemate Kaede’s conversations in the first episode, regarding everything from breakfast preparation to consideration of their neighbors, reminded me of some of our own conversations. Sure, I never did battle with legions of her violently jealous groupies, or had to fear being on the receiving end of her supernatural blasts, but on the whole, Shuffle’s reality is far from the “Which girl would you choose” pervo antics the package or the show’s eroge roots would appear to indicate. In fact, it might just be written by someone who’s experienced domestic, if not marital bliss.
The four episodes found on this first volume of Shuffle handle the basic setting of scene for the series. Episodes one and two introduce Rin and the girls, while three and four explore foggy bits of Rin’s past with Nerine and Lisianthus (princesses of Heaven and Hell, respectively), their 
school studies, and Nerine’s quest to make a home-cooked lunch for Rin. Crushes are revealed, Rin remains guardedly clueless…You’ve seen this stuff before. But again, it’s kind of fun.
Character designs look straight out of an Atlus videogame, which makes sense being that the show is an adaptation of a Japneses dating simulator (read about Shufle’s computer game history here ). The characters are respectably distinct and detailed, easily identifiable while adhering to a moderately realistic sensibility. Colors are bright and friendly (lots of pastel greens and grays, light-blues, faint oranges), and the animation, while not particularly kinetic, is noticeably skilled, and does its job of telling the story sufficiently well. Music too, is of the un-offensive yet unremarkable kind. I can’t sing a single bar of either the opening or closing themes, but I never felt the need to fast forward through them.
In the end, I really can’t explain what I liked about Shuffle. I wouldn’t classify it as a guilty pleasure, because I feel no shame for having enjoyed it. I guess if you were looking for a concrete analogy, you could say Shuffle is the anime equivalent of mystery AirHeads. I couldn’t possibly tell you what flavor lay concealed within its wrapper, but I can tell you with certainty I enjoyed what was inside.
The DVD
Again, Funimation’s DVD succeeds in the visual arena. The DVD looks great, and I have no complaints.
Like their usual offerings, Shuffle comes with your choice of Japanese or English dubs. Funimation’s English Dub team is proving surprisingly competent, as I found both
tracks to be on equal footing. The Japanese track is a little more dramatic, while the English track inserts a few more ad-libbed jokes (ie: asides about double D’s and quick quips about Kaede’s fan club… I won’t list their initials here, because I don’t want those kind of search hits). The choice really boils down to personal preference in this case.
In terms of extras, this disc is quite light. The review copy came with conversation hearts, but I don’t believe that’s standard for the store packaging. The DVD contains the usual Funimation trailer gallery, and the textless opening and closing animations. That’s it.
All in all, this was a fun disc. It’s not going to convert anyone to being a fan of the animated romance genre, but it’s not going to send them running in fear either. Pick it up and see what you make of it.
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