Shuffle!

In my review for the first volume of Shuffle!, I was largely unimpressed by the first four episodes of this moe harem series, I didn't hold out to much hope for improvement. Shockingly enough, Shuffle! does get better, I soon found myself pretty much addicted to it. Shuffle!'s plot is pretty much the standard for many a dating sim/hentai game(which it's actually based off), normal nice guy has his normal life turned upside down by a horde of beautiful women madly(and illogically) falling head over heels for him. Shuffle! adds a reverse-gender overfiendish bent to the mix, were the main competitors for the guys affections are the princess of heaven and the princess of the demon realm, seeking to make him their groom(unlike overfiend, no tentacles are involved). Has I stated in my first review, Sfuffle! is filled with cliches, but like the better harem series it has them glossed up and pretty much perfected. The odd thing about Shuffle! is that is it starts off mediocre and progressively gets better, leading up to a the series end segment, which, if your a harem or moe follower, is simply gangbusters; the series at this point makes a unexpected, ballsy move throwing in a jaw dropping, delightfully dark twist. While Shuffle! certainly inst for everyone(I doubt it has any sort of crossover potential to anime viewers who aren't accustomed to, or simply don't care for the genres Shuffle!represents), I was greatly entertained.
Grade: B/B+

Reviewed: 1-24(complete) Format:DVD, English Dub