Summer break always feels like it’s too fast, which is even more of a problem here as the show turns decidedly serious with some of the larger mythos behind Shuffle.
What They Say:
With so many girls saying yes, how can one guy say no?
It’s summer break, the sun is shining and Rin’s life couldn’t be more complicated! All of the girls are getting a little worked up from the heat and they’re jumping out of their swimsuits to get his attention.
Nerine wants a hands-on lesson in swimming even as Asa goes top-off in the waves, and Sia trumps them both when she and Rin get a little private time – Stranded! The beach is supposed to be relaxing, but the beauties surrounding Rin are keeping the poor boy’s blood pressure up. He cant possibly keep all of them happy. There’s boy-crazy, then there’s Rin-crazy. Then there’s just plain crazy!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Shuffle makes its way to the halfway mark with this round of episodes and it really hasn’t lost any of its luster for all that it’s done so far. While the show hasn’t exactly blazed a new path for harem-style romantic comedies, it’s been taking a somewhat more mature approach with it by treating the characters well and letting them not come across as crazed loons. While it was all fun and hilarity back when we first saw Tenchi Muyo way too many years ago ago, it’s worn incredibly thin since then. And until we get an actual polyamorous harem show, this is likely the best it’s going to get for quite awhile.
Across the four episodes on this volume, three of them are pretty much focused on lighthearted material that helps to push the characters along lightly while just having a good bit of fun. Summer break has hit and the characters are either dealing with supplemental classes or the copious amount of homework they have to get done before the next semester starts up. This set kicks off with a good bit of fun by putting the bulk of the leads at the beach where they’re just showing off their swimsuits and the sheer amount of bounce their bosoms contain. It’s positively uplifting! The standard kind of frivolity ensues there with Rin showing one of the girls how to swim while Sia ends up getting a bit jealous over it as she watches on. That leads her to be a bit pushy in getting some quality time alone with him and that means they end up washing out to sea where they then realize just how close together they can actually get, especially when faced with the evils of the jungle they eventually become lost in.
What this really ends up doing is providing a way for the show to dip into its first round of seriousness with these episodes. The closeness that the two share apparently sends off some sort of signal flare to Sia’s father who kicks off the wedding plans for the two without their knowledge. It takes time for it to filter down to others, but eventually, their friends find out before Rin and Sia even realize what’s going on. It has some of the usual comedy associated with such things, but it also plays to a more serious angle as the two think seriously about it and the consequences of it. Sia actually shows a great deal of maturity over all of it and the way they deal with it in regards to their friends – realizing how it will affect them in fact – paints the show in a very positive light. Moments like these are pure fodder for fun with a show like this since everyone has their own favorites and can get very involved when things turn in this manner, even if you know nothing will change just yet.
The fun is what really keeps drawing me back to the show though, as much as I enjoy the serious side. The fun, done in a manner that doesn’t involve wacky magic, outlandish expressions or improbable situations, is almost endearing because it feels so honest for the most part. One time when it goes a bit beyond the realm of believable is when dealing with Mayumi, but I find that I can let it pass since it’s all about providing pure fanservice. The beginning of summer break provides an opportunity for a split story to be told from different angles, but it’s Mayumi’s that has me laughing as she’s very out there with exposing her panties, first to Rin and making sure he knows it and then to a little boy who is filled with laughter when he sees she’s wearing striped panties. What really makes it a fun small story is when she gets roped into working in Kareha’s café in a proper maid-style outfit and she forgets to put on the panties. Never mind going into the back and putting them on lickity split, oh no. She struggles out in public for awhile without any underwear and with a bunch of lecherous guys who want her to bend over. Creepy yet… intriguing.
Shuffle does a good job of balancing the light with the serious but it does get quite serious towards the end of this volume as the mystery of Primula is exposed quite plainly, though just to Rin. When she starts to suffer a fever of sorts, she’s laid out pretty quickly and Rin and Kaede can’t seem to do anything for her which isn’t a surprise. That Sia and Nerine seem to know what’s going on but won’t say anything just makes it all the more frustrating, but Rin really shows some good backbone here as he goes to the two Kings and demands to know what’s going on. With his potential future position, they’re actually quite accommodating on what’s going on though they do obfuscate on some of the details. Primula has been my least favorite character of the show and none of this new back story for her does anything to endear me to her. It does make Rin more attached to her, but in a brotherly way which works, but it’s the kind of subplot that just feels like the show is treading water until it gets to more interesting material once again. After the wonderful serious story involving Asa in the previous volume, this installment’s serious story just felt weak due to not aring for Primula all that much.
In Summary:
While this volume of Shuffle didn’t end on a particularly high note or all that interesting of one, regardless of how it may play into future episodes, overall it really kept me very entertained and smiling throughout. The cast of characters is fairly well balanced in who gets what time, some are kept off-screen for awhile so others get the spotlight, and there isn’t a huge sense of outrageous rivalry going on among them. At the moment, everyone is just trying to enjoy the time they have together and make the most of it which is quite a positive and mature thing to do. Shuffle is the kind of show where you really want to see all of them make a go at it – together. Not that I’m advocating orgies or anything, but serious group love thing. They all just seem so damn mature that they might pull it off and thereby unite the three worlds! That aside, fans of the first two volumes will find more to like here as the characters go through the summer break mode and deal with some new situations. Good stuff and definitely a series that defies my basic expectations while still giving me a ton of boobies and panties. And nipples.
Grade: B+
Streamed By: Funimation
