Zero no Tsukaima

Overview: Do you like Moe? Do you like S&M? Do you like obnoxious female leads? Boy do I have a series for you! Plot: 3/10 Familiar of Zero is an anime about an ordinary boy named Saito that is forced to be a magical slave to an obnoxious twat that summoned him from Japan to the far away land of extremely generic fantasy Europe. Here he must learn to adapt to his odd new life and learn about the various types of magic users. I am not going to go really in depth with the plot honestly. It soon becomes a very generic harem show and the plot is NOT going to blow you away. Here is a summary of the plot: Louise the witch treats Saito like crap, the abuse is played up for cheap laughs, Saito uses his magic sword wielding ability to do something heroic, he still gets treated like crap. rinse and repeat. Characters: 3/10 The main male character Saito is exceedingly bland and Louise is the least likeable female lead I have seen in a long time! There are also plenty of supporting characters, but there really wasn't anyone I liked in this series. Usually I can find a couple characters I like in even the most mediocre anime, but here I got nothing. Art: 5/10 The art is pretty good since this anime had a decent budget. It was based on a successful light novel that I can only assume was somehow better than the anime. Enjoyment: 3/10 if you aren't a masochist, 7/10 if you are. Remember in early 2014 when Japanese men were drooling over the uniformed hottie Natalia Poklanskaya and some Japanese youtube poster stated: "I want her to yell at me and step on me"? That is this entire fucking series in a nutshell. It is a fantasy for Japanese teen masochists who want to be dominated by hot European women. I'm not a masochist, and I don't see white girls as an exotic fetish, so I really didn't find anything to like in this series besides a few decent slapstick moments. The comedy sort of works in a few places, but mostly it is just obnoxious. Overall: 4/10 I have met people (including one of my best friends) that thought this series was a comedic masterpiece. I REALLY don't agree with that assessment, but the series at least does some things right. The art is decent, the music is decent, the voice acting is fine. However, I felt that overall this was a very mediocre series that I wouldn't recommend to anyone...unless once again you are in fact a male masochist.

I decided to watch Zero no Tsukaima because I wanted a leave-your-brain-out-of-the-equation sort of show, one I could sit back and watch without worrying about a negative outcome or depressing and/or disturbing complications. (Yes, for all my talk about artistic integrity and such, I do watch things for pure and simple fun sometimes.) Zero has most of that, but only to a point, and in the end I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of depth this show manages to pull out of nowhere. I went in expecting another Nanoha, or the first season of Shakugan no Shana all over again, and what I got was something more akin to the comedic romance and character development of Love Hina supported and sustained by the political intrigue of Last Exile or Simoun. Plot: An incompetent mage summons as her familiar a young man from contemporary Japan, and hilarity ensues. It isn't quite as simple as that, however. Despite an early focus on slapstick comedy, ecchi, and outright silliness, Zero quickly introduces a thin political thread, providing bits and pieces of flavor to make the world seem more alive. This thread smoothly escalates into a significant driving force of the show's events, perhaps more powerful, even, than the central romance. And speaking of that central romance, it moves along at a nice pace -- neither too slowly nor too quickly for a 13-episode series. Exactly how it develops is for you to discover, but rest assured that it does not remain stagnant for long periods of time, at least in this season, as in Shakugan no Shana and its sequel. Characters: The cute, borderline-sadist lead; the busty, libidinous rival; the surprisingly forthright maid; the bookish, quiet Nagato Yuki clone -- these may seem like stock characters pulled from the harem romance pool, and they certainly begin as such. As in Love Hina, however, we discover that these characters have histories and unforeseen connections, sometimes in far darker ways than I expected of this show. What's more, many of these characters actually change over time, as characters in a story should. Sure, the cast seems a bit crazy at first, but give them a chance. It's worth it. And the male lead. Oh, the male lead. Saito's personality is what makes him simultaneously hilarious and divergent from the usual harem romance/datesim beta-male loser. We get the impression that he checks out every girl who crosses his path not because he's hopelessly desperate, but because he's a healthy teenage boy. Not that he's relegated to the role of lecher; he has his human and hero moments, too. Setting: Our story begins in your average Harry Potter-inspired magic school, complete with magic wands and quirky professors, but soon expands outward to encompass an alternate-history, magically-endowed Europe plagued by the class politics of magocracy -- that is, magi over non-magi. Though the central country of the show is fictional (apparently located roughly in the Aquitaine region of France), several real-world European powers have fantastical equivalents, often bearing the Latin names of the modern countries they mirror: Gallia is France, for example, and Germania is Germany. This becomes clear when we see a map of the fictional land. This world maintains interesting links to our Earth, but I'll leave it at that for fear of dropping spoilers. It's ultimately a surprisingly cohesive fantasy setting, and one to which I wouldn't mind returning. Art: Zero's art is reminiscent of Shakugan no Shana, also produced by J. C. Staff, and to a lesser extent Pani Poni Dash. It's a style that grew on me when I watched Shana. If you're a fan of more realistic art in your animation, however, be warned that you won't find it here. Sound: Despite being largely digital, Zero's music never quite descends into full-on cheesiness, as Shana's music did at times, nor does it overwhelm you with anachronistic elements unsuited to the vaguely Renaissance-inspired fantasy setting. The opening theme is quite catchy, for a reason I can't place, and as a fan of Kugimiya Rie and Hino Satoshi, I have trouble finding serious fault in the voice-acting. Verdict: I didn't think Zero no Tsukaima would end up being the kind of show I'd be quick to recommend, but, to my pleasant surprise, it did. If you're looking for a tale of politics and romantic comedy, and don't mind that the ride isn't entirely serious from beginning to end, give this one a shot.

This is my second review of an anime series. Please spare me. xD; I don't do many reviews on shows but I would like to review on this one. Since this series touched me a lot and its my childhood. :P One of the series that expanded my variety of anime after Inuyasha and Shana. Story: You have Louise, your mage that possess terrible magic and a boy that came from another world. He has to deal with the customs in Louise's world and has to face many obstacles; and with war, I'm not gonna spoil. Or I will try not too. This series is a comedy, so it does have some harem/ecchi involvement. Though, I think this series would be better off without the ecchi and the harem. That way, the characters have room to develop. So I would give the story an 8/10. Art: The art is very beautiful to look at. I love the character designs of the show; which made me want to continue to watch it. The fighting scenes was well done; with the graphics. I wish more anime would have art like this; and the art also reminded me of Shakugan no Shana. With Saito resembling Yuuji. :P" So yes, 10/10 for the art. 8D Sound: Some of the music in the anime was really pretty, I liked how it worked well with the show. But I could NOT stand the ending themes. The opening themes were more--enjoyable. But I liked the second seasons opening the best overall; so the sound I would give 7/10. Characters: The characters could use a little bit more development in the show. Like everyone else has said; I think Louise should START to trust Saito more instead of beating the poor guy senseless; and Saito should try to control himself more around the women. But then again, he's a 17 year old boy and pretty much the only guy other then Guiche. But what disappointed me, some of the characters you don't get to know about. And they're just there. Like Siesta, Kirche, Guiche, Montomorency. I probably spelled her name wrong, so shoot me. Lot of characters like those are so undeveloped, it makes me a bit sad that you never know anything about them. The only real characters that are actually developed are Tabitha, Julio, and Agnes. I'm not saying that Saito is undeveloped since he does get stronger within the series and doesn't remain, "weak," throughout. I just wish they would give more bio on Saito; like his past. Etc. But what puzzles me, I remember him in the first season saying he does not have a family. So that makes me wonder about him more. But overall, the characters COULD use some improvement. To make a better series. So I give a characters a 6/10. Enjoyment: The series kept me watching until the very end. So despite the negative things about the show; it still made me want to keep on watching more and was sad about the end of the series. The season I liked the best was the second and the fourth season. Since characters started to develop more then; but you still wish to know about them. :P So Enjoyment overall in Zero no Tsukaima. 8/10.

I can’t say I liked Zero no Tsukaima as much as hormonal, pre-teen male otaku out there. Plot-wise, I’d say it’s a revamped version of Maburaho. Other than being produced by JC Staff, the two series have other things in common. First off there’s the setting – both series are set in a magic school. There’s also the harem anime aspect – Louise, Siesta (my favorite!) and Kirche are all fighting over the token loser male character, Saito. Finally, there’s the ecchi. It’s a good thing that the ecchi in Zero no Tsukaima isn’t as heavy as Maburaho’s. It was a stable ride for me during the whole series. There were no high points and low points. Let me reinforce my first point by saying that if I were a guy I would probably like Zero no Tsukaima more. Louise’s tsundere antics would probably captivate me, and Kirche’s presence would probably get my temperature rising, but that will probably never happen. As for Saito, he didn’t really catch my attention. I did love watching his fight scenes but when he’s not fighting, he’s quite bland. Tabitha is too reminiscent of Yuki Nagato for me, but she’s not as cool. As expected of JC Staff, the animation was good enough to satisfy me. Everything was very cutesy though – from Louise’s pink hair (as well as the bevy of pastel color schemes throughout the series) to the Pokemon-ish familiars (except Saito, of course). The CG was lukewarm, and it’s a good thing they used CG minimally. Apparently most of the voice actors of Zero no Tsukaima also worked in Shakugan no Shana. The most notable name would be Rie Kugimiya, Louise’s seiyuu, who is known as a tsundere seiyuu. She was Shana in Shakugan no Shana. There’s also Satoshi Hino, Saito’s seiyuu, who was Sakai Yuuji in Shakugan no Shana. Other name worthy of mentioning is the very well known Yui Horie, Siesta’s seiyuu and Takahiro Sakurai, Guiche’s seiyuu. I like the music too. The opening and ending themes were both j-pop-ish, which can be a good thing. Both songs were very cutesy and catchy, and I liked both. As for the BGM, I’d say they were decent tracks. The BGM was fitting to the mood and feel of the series, but I don’t think it’s THAT good. While I wasn’t that pleased with it, it wasn’t so bad after all. It started and ended on the same note and consistency is a good thing for me. I might watch the second season just to see if I’ll like it more.

Warning: Minor spoilers (that don't really ruin much at all), as you'll see the majority within the first two episodes. This is a review for all four seasons, posted here to warn you of how much pain you might be coming across. I've watched some pretty bad anime but Zero no Tsukaima and its sequels are very high up. I was spurred to finish it by the suggestion of a friend saying it got better and because I can't stop what I've started. Note - This is my first review and my opinion, think of it as you will. Story 4/10 Over four seasons half the 50 or so episodes could probably be considered fillers. The storyline itself jumps from one sudden and convenient issue to another with not much really linking it together. Zero's subplot of the apparent romance between the Mage and her familiar attempting to progress yet the situations they pop up in are beyond repetitive and dull. Art 6/10 Nothing amazing and nothing awful, nothing about the art really bothered me nor drew my fascination. Sound 6/10 See the above Characters 3/10 Here's the best bit. Within most anime that have two MC's, you'd hope to like at least 1 of them. Nope. As shown in the synopsis, Louise is a mate whose powers are lackluster. Her apparent talent that is picked up involves the overused "explosion" spell that is seen at a minimum of 3 times an episode. Her other talent is kicking the other Mc in the balls, as well as being an unsympathetic, trust/confidence lacking, angry, wannabe tsundere who never fails to be annoying. Saito, realistically, is just as bad, as someone who got transported from Earth to a different planet/universe, and immediately treated like shit (or a plebian) he, throughout most of the series, can be seen as someone without a backbone, who is probably a masochist considering he's so loyal and loving to a bitch that assaults him. Worse still, the 'assault' gag is so overused he just becomes a complete pushover whose only motive is to 'protect' someone who struggled to even comprehend his situation of being in a different world, and can't actually reciprocate his love 95% of the time. Funnily enough the best characters (with spines!!) were the supporting cast, Siesta, Jessica and Kirche, who actually had a personality and were enjoyable to watch. Later supporting characters are too, won't reveal names, but they somehow make you wish Saito picked a girl that, I don't know, actually and obviously likes/loves him. (P.s, this should have a harem tag instead of romance). All in all, don't get too attached to two boneheaded mc's, you'll be disappointed. Enjoyment 3.5 I did like some of it, mainly when the supporting characters were largely involved with pissing off Louise as a team, otherwise I struggled through this when I usually finish a season (12 eps) a night rather than taking me two, dreadful, weeks. Overall 4/10 Please be careful watching this (though hopefully I've put you off), don't expect anything to get better, Saito will always get caught being with someone else and the most overused gag ever will waste your time.

This one's gonna hurt, folks. My lowest review yet, but you should expect that from a series that capitalizes entirely on cliches without an ounce of originality or effort in any single field. Ladies and gentleman, I give you Zero no Tsukaima. Getting the technical bits out of the way, Zero no Tsukaima was average in audio and visual. No memorable BGM, forgettable OP, and an irritating ED, but the performances were rather pleasing in some cases. Rie Kugimiya plays the standard tsundere role well, but shines better in scenes where she's interacting with someone that isn't Saito, where her other sides become more apparent, such as when she is with Henrietta. Unfortunately this doesn't happen often so it's mainly tsundere all the way. If you're into that, you're in luck. The rest of us aren't. Yui Horie and Ayako Kawasumi also turn in some decent though generic performances as Siesta and Henrietta respectively. Visual is just inconsistent. The character designs are very simplistic and basic with not much detail or imagination. While its very average most of the time, it becomes incredibly fluid at the oddest moments, such as a scene early on where Louise chases Saito around in front of Henrietta, or again where Saito fights Ward. Because the animation is so generic the majority of the series, these random bits of fluidity are suprisingly pleasing, but give a lasting impression that the series has been half-assing it. Indeed the series did half-ass it, and what better proof do you need than the characters? Rie Kugimiya typecast aside, mostly because it did work here, these characters border from stereotypical archetypes like Kirche to downright ripoffs like Tabitha, who is completely stealing from Yuki Nagato from her hobbies to the exact way she talks. It's like they told the seiyuu "okay, now for this character, sound EXACTLY like Yuki Nagato from Haruhi." Yet the biggest offender by far is Saito, one of the most irritating Mary Sues of a harem hero I've ever come across. Not only does he manage to attract nearly every girl to him even though he does nothing for half the series, but the plot decided to give him the ability to defeat anyone he faces, and the one time he does lose, he goes off and sulks about it as if he thinks it's his god-given right to defeat everyone. I mean, look... you have a fantasy world with magic and swords and dragons, so some special powers are to be expected, but the series actually gives Saito full deus ex machina capabilities by the end. It's disgusting how much this show gives him just so he can keep winning. The world of magic itself is no better. For a story relying a good deal on magic, the foundation of magic in this series is terribly simple. I will admit the cross-cultural "magical artifacts" were slightly amusing but even that grew tiresome. The setting's relation aside, this series just doesn't know what it wants to do. It starts as a romantic comedy, then quickly shifts to a magical adventure without so much as a single notice. I also give no positive marks to a series that sets up a possible arc, then ends it after one episode with no resolution or purpose other than to show Louise in a bustier. Note that Louise in a bustier had nothing to do with the setup. The best reason I can give for why this series was green-lit back in 2006 would be the boom of anime adapted from light novels and the birth of tsundere fandom, and it shows. There's so bad it's good and there's so bad I want to see just how bad it can get. Zero no Tsukaima is just bad. It's littered with cliches that have been run into the ground for years before this show, and the only new gag it can conjure up (horsewhip) just isn't funny no matter how much the series pushes them. Though Rie Kugimiya gives a solid performance and some of the world elements are intriguing, its desire to cater to every possible audience with a complete lack of direction or effort make it nothing short of a failure. If you're not a sexually-frustrated teenage boy who hasn't yet developed a distinction between good and bad anime, avoid this one. Overall, I give Zero no Tsukaima a 3 out of 10.

Story: .. not many plots in here and some are realy obvious but zero no tsukaima isn't exactly the kind of anime where serious and complicated plots would fit in. Art: Its the usual anime.. looks good, can't say much bad about it. Sound: The sound fits realy well and I loved the opening song :) Character: ah.. this is anime is kinda wierd, first and for all.. don't forget that the main characters have the mentality of 12 year olds(not including the idea of punishment.. you will understand once you've seen louise angry) so.. even if certain things get explained and feelings start to develop.. there never is much of a change in the situation(which is good or else half of the humor in this anime would be gone) There will the occasional side story but the main characters are the main characters meaning that they will appear in everything and anything. Enjoyment: warning: you could die while laughing realy, this anime's strong point is its humour and there are very few episodes in which this won't be seen.(make sure you get fansubs that explainsome of the jokes aswell) Overall: I lost my voice after watching the entire serie in one go because of all the laughter(this probaply won't happen to everyone unless you laugh as much as I do) This is one of the funniest anime's out there and its worth a try(theres also a little romance in it)

Zero no Tsukaima should be an enjoyable action anime based in a majestically magical world, sadly it executes the premise horrendously, clinging to repetitive comedy and a subpar plot. The characters were written poorly; this is evidenced by their shallow nature and monotonous interaction, of which Saito and Louise are the worst offenders. So, Zero no Tsukaima (after this abbreviated as ZnT) has a premise of a modern Japanese boy who ends up in a fantasy world after being summoned by her master, who happens to be a young, petite girl, with a fiery attitude. And with these two not getting along too well, this should set things up for a nice rom-com, right..? In practise it gives a different result, the slapstick humour is overused and literally milked down to the very last drip. As a show which relies on its comedy, it should be a lot more variable. But because it lacked in this department, it often came over as annoying, this form of comedy has been used well, just not in this show. If you repeat the same guy getting hit by the same girl for doing the same troublemaking, you are not get any more fans from it. The other part ZnT tries to attract its fans with is action and fighting against the forces of evil, now it did this a bit better. Though the plot itself was far too simple to be properly praised, the way it executed its action and the fact that it could get serious for once, meaning some actual romance ensuing, which came along with some cheesy lines by the protagonist was one of the few things I have enjoyed about the series. The plot itself, which was put on a side track, is mainly about the two protagonists overcoming the tests they are given at their academy, and how they deal with their "growing" feelings with each other. The art-style is simple and quite easy to grasp, it suits the rom-com style it has. The animation is good, but nothing special. Not a lot to comment about this particular department. The sound, which can be split into 3 different categories, Opening and ending themes, voice actors and general SFX. The first category, I think the opening fit the anime quite well, of course, it is all up to you whether you liked it or not, but if you enjoyed the anime a lot, the chance is a higher that you liked the themes and soundtrack it had as well. On the subject of voice actors I would like to stop a bit, since this anime contains what many have dubbed to be "The Tsundere Queen" in it. Now personally, I am not the biggest fan or her voice or roles, it is a little bit too high-pitched and comes over as annoying. Saito's image as a Louise's dog and maybe a slightly foolish teenager is well played by his respective voice actor. Other than that there is not too much to to be said. The SFX is something which is done, there is noting extraordinarily odd. So it is hardly something people can discuss about. Now I will move on to the characters, which is my biggest disappointment of this whole series, there is not much in this pile of badly written characters I can give praise. So we have our main male protagonist Saito, who like I said earlier, came from the modern world, we know and live in. The first flaw I would like to give is, there is no desire to go back to his home. Does this person have the worst life in the world or something, normally, at that age. One would like to go back to his home. This is, in my opinion, a piece of bad writing on the aspect of backstory and character depth. By not making them have a past, they are very shallow, and this depth-ness is what distinguishes the generic character from the fleshed out one. The second character who is ripe for some founded criticism is the main female protagonist, who is awfully loud & obnoxious. I would go as far to say that her character has been written in a way, that it effectively negates any progression this character could go through. When some kind of advance happens in the terms of romance between Saito and Louise (the main female protagonist), it is immediately undone by some kind of slapstick moment. The rest of the cast is not worth a lot either, they have a low amount of motivation and hardly any depth as to why they should fight the protagonists, aside from the whole evil organization stuff. The conclusion, is it worth watching? No. There is a lot of stuff which did this setup and plot better than this series, the positive point is that the second season is done a bit better, I might say that is worth watching.

I\'ve always had a weakness for magic schools - like Harry Potter\'s Hogwarts. That\'s my main motivation for watching this anime. And who wouldn\'t want to be suddenly thrust into a magical world from a boring life, right? The story\'s not as lighthearted as I thought. Immediately there are the ecchi elements and the political conspiracies that surrounds the characters. But other than that, you get what you expect: the marginalized boy and girl who suddenly become the hero and heroine, seemingly more than what they were initially shown to be. Nevertheless, Zero no Tsukaima is a fine anime. Nothing too extraordinary, but not that bad either. Maybe the problem is that it was too short and we never really got the whole picture. Hopefully the second season will be better.

Wow, I really was not expecting this to be a good anime, but it turned out much much better than I thought it would. What looked like just an average "I can't confess" love story turned out to have something special in it, maybe because they got to the point within 13 episodes like most animes don't. STORY: 9/10 The story is very unique, as far as I can tell. Louise can't use any magic, but on the day where all 2nd year students summon a familiar to help them, Louise summons a teenage boy from Japan, which is obviously another world from the magical world. From there it just kind of flows, and the fillers are very entertaining too (If they can even be called fillers). ART: 9/10 I really like the eye styles in Zero, cause im big on those. Everything else is great as well, I didn't see too many cliches in terms of art (see character for the cliches) SOUND: 7/10 To be honest, it wasn't anything special. I thought the theme songs were OK, and the music in the anime was good as well. Overall, it was just good. Nothing memorable or anything. CHARACTER: 8/10 I am actually surprised that I am giving this an 8/10. In fact, this anime probably has all the cliche characters of every anime combined. The tsundere girl, the quiet girl, the playboy, the... uhhh.... slut. Yeah, and there's even more where that came from. But there's always a character for everyone to relate to, even though they aren't that deep. Maybe it's not worth an 8 here, but I guess this cliche cast really got to me. ENJOYMENT: 9/10 Obviously since Zero is a romance comedy shounen-ish anime, the enjoyment value is going to shoot the technical values in the face. The way the story is executed is very fun to watch, and the "I want to confess but I can't" moments are perfectly spread and executed. It's hard to get that kind of a story right, especially with all the animes out there that have flopped and given this stereotypical plotline a bad name. The comedy is great as well, I found myself laughing out loud at some moments and laughing when I knew what was coming (trust me, you will also.) OVERALL: 9/10 What more can I say? If you're into the romance comedy genre, I highly suggest you pick this up. One of my main concerns in the beginning was how childish it looked, but then I figured out the characters are supposed to be 16 (they look way younger... ?_?). Anyway, I would say if you don't like this anime within the first 3 episodes, this isn't for you. But please, just give it a try.

Shout-out to Dilan-sama for which this magnificent review is for! MAL users prepare your collective anus for what is possible the longest and most rantiest review you will ever read. The first half of the review, the episode deconstructions, should only be read by those who have actually watched the show since it won't make sense otherwise. ****************** DISCLAIMERS! ****************** - Do NOT take this review 100% seriously. While I will say that I personally hated it, it is completely fine if you do like it! I am only poking a bit of fun into, IMO, a very badly written story. - Do NOT read if you do not wanted to be spoiled since this is extremely spoiler heavy. - Do NOT read if you do not like profanity since the review is covered with it. - This isn't really a disclaimer but more of heads up. Since this review is huge there will be grammar mistake and stuff so please forgive me! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Episode one --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- • Main character is retarded. His reaction for being abducted is very calm and abnormal. • He gets thrown the main chicks clothes and presumes its seduction, then acts like a retard (seriously what was he doing?). • He just sort of stands about having been abducted, his thoughts contradict his actions. • Why is everyone already an asshole in this show, so a human is forcibly made into familiar without consent and everyone is OK with that no questions asked. • The main chick is fucking insane. She is just platinum mad for no reason. • Of course she has to kiss him to seal the ritual. Well lots of things wrong with this. Firstly why was this not explained/shown beforehand? And why a kiss? To make their relationship deep and shit? • Why was the teacher not informed of the crazy chick beforehand? Why should the teacher just expect to believe her students for no good reason other than it won’t end well? • So only after he understands her words he decides to run away instead of asking for help/guidance, logical. O and he comes past one obstacle and the first thing he does is crawl. You have to be stupid to think that would work. It also undermines his whole situation. Does he take being held captive by a “cult” as a joke? • So the asshole with the rose starts levitating the main guy. What a dick. I mean that is one scared human (I think?) and he just playing him like he is some trash. Do the people not understand he is fucking human? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Episode two --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- • So the main character is chained up. Firstly I have to question the ethics and humanity of Louise since she clearly gives no fucks about our main guy. She seems mentally unstable, after all she go into fits of massive rage and treats her own species like shit. Like would you even treat a familiar like this, even it wasn’t human? • Now she starts striping in front of him again. Ok so why does she think of him as a familiar and not human since he looks human and kind of acts like one? Does she have no shame? Also how does she expect him to wash her clothes if he is chained up? • O and our main guy once again shows us that he does not take the situation seriously (he has been taken away against his will) by just acting like an idiot when is throw some panties. • Also the main guy is a submissive little bitch. • Louise won't even dress herself. I mean that really is the epitome of lazy • Main guy seems to have adapted pretty well to the surrounding. I mean if it were me I would try everything to get the fuck away if I were being held AGAINST MY WILL but that’s just me you know. Also does this guy not care about his family? He has not even thought about them. What a guy. • Blonde rose guy again shows us his assholely when we find out he is dating two women at once. God is everyone in this show like this? I mean I have still to find one character that is likable. • Shounen power for the win. Got to have those cheesy speeches before you fight you know. • I also like how convenient it is for his powers to start working. So how much plot armour do you have? I’m betting a lot. • See more evidence that Louise is indeed mentally insane. She now has no problem taking care of him even though only at the start of the episode she was convinced he was just a familiar. Like what exactly changed? Because he had a fight with a “noble” and THAT made him look more human? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Episode three --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- • Tsundere bitch. • Well I mean I was already pretty sure but our main character is of course a pervert. How original. How edgy. • And I shit you not I think I have experienced the most cringe worthy “song” ever. Like you can tell the writer but a lot of thought into that. Also even our main guy is a dick. • WOW. Main guy so smart. His thought process “OK so she has let me off the hook so I think I will continue to make fun of her even though she is crazy and risk not getting food”. Our hero, what a guy. • I had a feeling red hair chick was easy but really you want to bang that guy? I mean you have spoken to guy like once and you already want his dick? Makes sense. • This show is yoke right? She is in love with him? Kiddingz me? • This show never amazes me… that is all. • So not only is blond rose guy a cheating bastard but this bitch as well? Whelp. • This Louise character is truly a bitch. So after taking him away from red hair slut she proceeds to tell him she is going to treat him like a dog rather than human. HOLY SHIT. She has yet to treat him like a proper human thus far having chained him, eat food off the floor, etc. If she thinks that this is how a human should be treated she is utterly out of her mind. • Now she starts whipping him. This bitch needs to die. She is just awful to the people around her. I mean the reason doesn't even make sense, he is late due to something completely out of his control and she is “jealous” so she whips him. The writer is doing a great job hear making us hate all these assholes. • Seriously you’re going to put your hands there on her chest rather than her stomach? Like are you retarded? • So both of these chicks kick him the face when he says even something a little bit out of line. What a good way to show their love. • Also I’m pretty sure they are both complete idiots. The sword starts talking smack and they assume it’s him even though it sounds NOTHING like him. How smart. • These characters have no redeeming qualities. Main dude is a pervert, he is an asshole, and he complains a lot, retarded and one indecisive bastard. • Louise is a tsundere… I have nothing more to add even though I could. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Episode four --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- • The bouncing boob sound. This show is truly classy. • So the maid is of course one of those people with low self-esteem until our main guy comes along. Like really I’m sure you would continue absolutely fine without him. After all there is nothing to suggest that you couldn't. After all the world building has been extremely poor so far. I know next to nothing about how anything works. • So our main guy know red head like him but still chooses to go into her room. If you are not going to give her the goofballs then why go in at all. Like to like to see her tease you but then be like “na fuck you bitch gunna now do the same thing to your rival”. What a guy. • O shit drama. Maid now has work for someone else and main guy, knowing her for only a few days will of course do something. • Typical bad guy who is…

This might be the single handedly worst anime I have ever watched in my life. Nothing more needs to be said except don't watch it. I've watched ex-arm, mars of destruction, and tesla note and this one takes the cake. I have a pretty high tolerance for garbage anime but this one makes me want to throw up. Main female character is probably the worst human being you'll ever find in anime and I watched redo of healer. The art is mid, the characters were ALL obnoxious and stupid. Generic, predictable, trash story writing. Frog main character gets carried by a bunch of OP girls that somehow join his harem. I don't think anyone would enjoy this series.

Story 3/10 The story starts in a magic school where the failure of a female lead summons our protagonist to be her familiar. A magic school is a wonderful ideal in theory however this is not used in any sort of effective manner. It uses magic in the story but only for minor bits of action and torturing Saito so it takes the fantasy out of it. It quickly devolves into a bland, tasteless harem comedy that really isn't even that funny. The characters have no really explored back-story and feel like they were picked out of a harem character pool of cliches. Art 6/10 I have no real complaints about the art. It doesn't blow you away but it's pretty decent. Sound 5/10 The sound wasn't bad and the OP was pretty good. The ending song however leaves much to be desired so the score takes a beating in my eyes. Character 1/10 I would have given a lower score if it was possible. This score does not take into account voice actors. First the protagonist, Saito, He has no depth to him at all. When he was being tortured he took it like it was no big deal and he had no real inclination to run away after the first time. He is then found to love the one character who treats him like crap. Next we have the main female character, Louise, who is also said failure. She is a character with absolutely no good points whatsoever. She is without a doubt the worst main female character I have ever seen. She is advertised as a tsundere but we quickly find she is just a really horrible human being. She made the anime go from harem comedy to glorified torture porn, BDSM, etc. within two episodes. She tortures, starves, and verbally abuses him in a way that goes from funny to cringe-worthy in halfway into the second episode and it never really goes back to funny. She has tons of pride but no fighting ability whatsoever. She makes herself fight all the time and then ends up having to be saved by the very guy she tortures on a daily basis. The rest of the characters really only serve as a way to give Louise new reasons to torture said MC. Overall 2/10 The art and sound are decent but do nothing to make up for the story itself. The plot is boring and where sometimes cliched does not mean bad this story makes it worse. The characters though are what truly makes this story truly horrid.

I enjoy a good romcom every once and a while, and if it can be combined with another genre to create more or better situations, then all the better right? A situation, setting, and characters can make a romcom really good, even if it's taking an old concept and adding in a new element. So we get Zero no Tsukaima. the story of a noble mage from a magical realm and her familiar, a human from our world. Sounds like a good mash-up like Inuyasha, Shakugan no Shana, or any of the many magical girlfriend animes out there. The problem is, this series, though it combines familiar elements to make something new, it does not seem to work well. While I loved Baka to Test for combining slice of life high school drama with monster training, this simply did not do it for me. To be honest, Zero came off as cut and pasted together, with nothing really original to offer. Plot: Louise is a mage in training in her second year who must summon a familiar as part of her curriculim/rite of passage. In what seems to be a freak accident, Louise summons a normal boy from our world in moddern Japan. Hilarity ensues? Most of the plot revolves around Louise and the boy, Saito's relationship. Saito struggles with wanting to go home, Louise struggles to prove herself a strong and capable mage, and the two go on various missions together. Oh, yeah, and boobs. It seems at every twist and turn there is some woman with a large chest who is inexplicably attracted to Saito. Misunderstandings ensue and Louise whips Saito with a riding crop in an attempt at slapstick comedy. Besides, we've seen this in almost every other romcom harem comedy. Boy meets girl, boy sees other girl in suggesgive situation, original girl beats ever loving crap out of boy. This might be funny once or twice, but the joke repeats, and repeats and repeats on a loop throughout the whole series. Lather, rinse, repeat. And when a relationship does start to develop between Saito and Louise, Saito still seems to be interested in other girls. Rather than using this for actual conflict or drama, it results in, yep, more whipping. No development of their relationship, no understanding, just whipping. Louise doesn't even bother switching up punishments, or using other gags as punishment. As for the magical school element, many have compared this to Harry Potter. I would sooner compare it to The Worst Witch. In a magical school, Mildred Hubble is the worst witch, unable to perform even the most basic spells and earned the nickname 'Worst Witch' from her peers, and later discovers she, in her own way, is in fact quite powerul. Sound familiar? The story takes a turn about halfway through and tries to add in a little political intrigue. Tries. In the end, it doesn't really accomplish the backstabbing, coat and dagger politics of Last Exile or Le Chevalier D'Eon. They seem to be trying, adding in familiar, historical and mythological elements to the story. Unfortunately, they are often full of holes, poorly executed, or seem to come completely out of nowhere. Let's take Tabitha for example. The quiet bookworm friend of Louise's school rival Kirke is revealed to be a Princess from Gallia. She might have inherited the throne too, if her father had not been murdered by a faction that wanted to put her father's brother on the throne instead. Her uncle also wanted Tabitha out of the line of succession (which would not happen with Early modern primogeniture laws in which MALE heirs suceed) and one of his supporters tries to kill her via a glass of poison. Her mother gets wind of it and...alright, seriously, if someone tries to poison your kid do you A) Take the poison away from her and use it as evidence to bring the bastard to justice B) Take the poison away from her and dispose of it so everyone will be safe C) Take the poison away from her and drink it youself inducing a lifetime of mental scars for your child and leaving her to fend for herself when you become and insane vegetable. Tabitha's mother and parent of the year chose C. Political intrigue? Yes. Well executed? No, not really. What really grates me about this series though is the History parallels. Each country has an Early Modern European counterpart. Gallia is France, Germania is Germany and Albion is England. Might be original if I hadn't seen it in Trinity Blood first. But in the Albion subplot, involving a revolution, involved elements that personally offended me as someone with Irish heritage. A romcom with excessive panties and gags about boobs, brought up Oliver Cromwell. Not Cromwell himself, but his equivalent in a parallel universe. That still doesn't make it acceptable to me though. Some might say I'm butthurt over something that happened hundreds of years ago, but this to me is serious. Oliver Cromwell slaughtered 25-40% of Ireland's population, and became the closest thing to a military dictator England hand, led an ultra Puritain regime that banned Christmas, staughtered Catholics by the thousands, and these people had the absolute gall to turn him into a villain in an anime romcom focusing on panties and boobies. Next time, let's imply something about Hitler, shall we? The Sound was something I kind of liked. It was nothing special, but the European flavor brought out the exotic location well. The J-pop opening was cute, and fitting with the cutesy style of the characters and the romantic comedy premis, and the ending seemed to sum up the character's feelings as well. If you have a choice between sub and dub, pick sub. The English voice track left a LOT to be desired. The art was reminissent of moe and seemed to have a slight influence from nineties fantasy anime like Escaflowne. The animation was nothing mindblowing, but it stayed at a consistently good level throughout the whole series, never really dipping in quality. Character designs are pretty standard. There's the flat loly, her big breasted mature rival, the book worm, the playboy, the fat kid, the old wizard, the normal boy...we;ve seen them before, and honestly they did not try to do anything really new or unique in the character designs. As for the characters themselves, they might as well been pulled out of a stock folder. The young girl who has useless magic and turns out to be a sort of 'chosen one'. The busty and sexually mature rival to the smaller girl who's main motivation is sex/love. The bookworm with a tragic/interesting past who rarely speaks or socializes. The playboy. The perverted old man. The normal everyman for otaku boys to project themselves on. Villains whose main motivations are being evil for the sake of being evil (seriously, they take over a kingdom, and slaughter the royal family, and we have no idea WHY. Also the Cromwell reference. I won't forgive this series for that.) None of the characters seem the least bit original, and their dialogue is completely cliched. As for Enjoyment, I know a lot of people like this series and I can see why. There's something here that almost everyone can enjoy. Girls can get into the romance, guys can like the fanservice and explosions. At the same time though, it's all usually underdeveloped, cliched, or unexplored. I suppose this might be covered in later seasons, but in this one, nothing really gets resolved. The good guys save the day, but the show's main focus, Louise and Saito's relationship does not seem to have changed since day one. Saito screws up, Louise beats him, end series. For those who like the cliches, good for you and you will probably like this. For me, I didn't, I explained why, and please respect that. Warnings: Panties galore, boobs, boob gags, mild language, character death, fighting, explosions, abusive relationship, reference to debatably genocidal miserable wretch of a human being who slaughtered my ancestors.

Length: 13 episodes Original Airdates: 7/06 - 9/06 Demographic: Seinen Genres: Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy, Harem, Romance, Ecchi Plot Synopsis Louise is a magician at the Tristein Academy, dubbed with the nickname "Zero Louise" due to her inability to effectively use her magic properly, resulting in zero successes. An upcoming test at her academy requires her to summon a familiar, a servant and partner to support her as a magician. Despite desiring a familiar that would be superior to her constantly mocking classmates, Louise ends up summoning Hiraga Saito, your average Japanese boy. Even with Louise and Saito both unwilling to accept each other, they have no choice. Louise cannot attempt another summoning and Saito cannot return to Japan, and so their life together begins. Based on the novel by Noboru Yamaguchi. (From MyAnimeList) Personal Opinion I heard about this anime a little while back... though I wasn't completely sure if i wanted to see it or not. Finally, I was like "what the hell" and I decided to watch this. Indeed the premise, opening, and photos seemed to promise a fun, comedic anime. And for all intesive purposes, it was. However... it wasn't as funny as i would've hoped. Some of the jokes tend not to work. Indeed, I kept thinking that this show would've been better if it had a bit more action to tie in with the jokes. However, towards the end of the season, the action, character development, and comedy picked up and i really started to enjoy the show. As for things i liked, the biggest ones would be the voice actors. They're the same people from Shakugan no Shana.... so whenever Louise would yell at Saito, it was like a good deja vu. Also the animation is quite well suited for the anime. Also as a note... there is a sequel series that has already aired. Zero no Tsukaima; Futatsuki no Kishi. And a 3rd season is confirmed for the Spring 08 season Overall... enjoyable series... though fell a little short of expectations 8/10 Similar to... - Shakugan no Shana Both the lead characters are girls, and they both have a hard time expressing their feeling for the main boy of the series. Also the same voice actors. - Fullmetal Alchemist Both these animes had the parallel world idea, with one world being our own, and the other one having the ability of magic.

Tsundere galore! Zero no Tsukaima (or The Familiar of Zero) tells the story of two lovers – or so we are told. This delightful anime takes place in a fictional world where magic is all around and aristocrats (in other words: the rich people; as opposed to plebeians, the average peeps) are being taught magic in school. We are introduced to a magic academy where Louise Francoise is having difficulty keeping her spells under control and therefore is being scorned by her fellow classmates who call her Zero Louise. Things take a rather interesting turn when the day comes for the students to summon their familiars (some sort of special ritual where everyone gets to summon a magical creature that will protect them and be at their side forever) and Louise unwillingly summons a human plebeian named Saito, who seems to have arrived from another world. Although Louise is rather reluctant to accepting Saito as her familiar, she is left with no choice and must come to terms with the fact that she is no bound to Saito. Her “tsundere” side kicks in when she starts punishing Saito for little insignificant things like talking to other girls or disobeying her ridiculous commands, and he is forced to sleep on the ground and wash her clothes, among other things. Zero no Tsukaima isn’t a particularly unique anime series, but it delivers everything your little Asian heart wishes for (I said that in a very non-racist way, believe me!) and much more. The characters are quite stereotypical and you’ve encountered them before if you’re even in the slightest familiar with Japanese anime. Louise is the typical tsundere who treats the guy like crap, but deep inside he loves him and they share a special connection. Saito is that guy who gets treated like crap but he somehow has feelings for her “master.” Then you’ve got a couple more supporting characters like Kirche who is more or less in conflict with Louise and keeps getting Saito into trouble for flirting with him all the time. There’s also Charlotte, the quiet girl who never speaks but is incredibly powerful and helps the others out at times. Siesta is the “good girl” who works as a maid in the academy and is more or less the third piece in the Louise-Saito-Siesta love triangle. The characters may be cliché, but they are done to perfection. They are indeed predictable, but are used in a very modest manner and never exceed in cheap jokes or typical situations. The story seems rather simple at first, but as the plot keeps progressing more and more gets revealed and the little twists here and there make up for some excellent entertainment value. There’s enough humour to go around, but it never feels too much and is used exactly when needed. I was surprised to see how entertaining this anime actually was. From the very first episode, I was hooked and it never let me go. The pace in which Zero no Tsukaima progresses is also done very well and it never feels like the anime was rushing towards a certain point (even though the last couple of episode covered a great deal of story compared to the first ones). I could ramble on and on, but that’s about as much as you need to know. It’s not a series that is going to break any new ground, but it is truly one hell of a fun trip and deserves every anime fan’s attention. I didn’t ask for much, but Zero no Tsukaima delivered everything I needed from an anime series. Looking forward to next season!

The Familiar of Zero is an anime based around Louise the "Zero", who was given the name by her classmates at the Tristain Magic Academy because of her inability to correctly use her magic. In fact, every time she tries any kind of spell, a big, smokey explosion is caused instead. So when it comes time for Louise to summon her familiar at the annual ceremony, yup, you guessed it. Big, smokey explosion. But she still managed to summon her familiar. However, it's not a cat, owl, dragon, or bugbear, but instead it's a human! Hiraga Saito, from our very own Japan even. Things don't exactly go straight from there. I beleive that The Familiar of Zero is deserving of a 9 out of 10.

Zero no tsukaima is set in a fantasy world where the nobles stay separately from the commoners and can practice magic. The story forcuses on a magic school academy for the nobles and on the day that they are to summon their partners, the female lead summons a boy from another world which is our world i guess, however, she believes he is a commoner from her world and treats him like a slave,little do they know that he will become the ledgendary partner or familiar that can own with a sword. The story is unique as it differs from your usual fantasy anime, though it does inculcate the typical main chracter is drawn into another dimension theme it does not focus so much on that so it does not seem cliche. Also ifyour thinking of harry potter or something along that line then you are sadly mistaken, the magic is totally different. Also There is a good deal of romance in the story which is a plus for me. Also it gets more interesting when there are massive battles which make it more epic. The art is quie appealing and suitable for a romantic comedy but there is no exceptional features. The songs(opening and closing) i find are quite pleasant to the ears but there was no insert songs to bring out the mood especially since there is a good deal of romance and drama in the sho, so insert songs would have made it better. The character is what make the show so interesting, each character has some kind of depth and makes the story very comical at times, especially since the male lead is kind of perverted so it gets funny cause the female lead will start blasting bolts at him whenever he is wth another girl. Also the characters do show maturity when the time requires it so its not totally spastical, which is what makes the story a good romantic comedy. I thoroughly enjoyed the story because from the comical moments to the dramtic romance to the epic action clips, so it was quite to my liking though it is kind of short, it would be better if it was longer. But there is a second series so its okay. In fact i think it was a good decision to have two series so that each series will focus on a single arc and have an underlying plot throughout each series which draws in the characters. Overall, the story is very versatile containing several genres to some depth,if you like romance then go for it, f you like fantasy then go for it, if you like action then there is something in t for you, so give it try it is definitely worth it, and if you like this series you will definitely love the second one.

Pros +Very Easy to watch +Real easy to enjoy +The Art style fits the show perfectly +Keeps you wanting more +Great Character Development +Ending is Solid Cons -Little predicable at times -Nothing overly new in terms of story -Maybe a little filler heavy My opinion This is my first review so please don't attack me... Ps i love to spell shit wrong so look out for that. So Zero no Tsukaima is just a really fun anime, that was just simply easy to watch and fully enjoy. The anime does a great job of making you care about the characters and makes you want to watch more. When i watched Zero no Tsukamina i have to just marathon it, i was hooked almost instantly. If you like Tsundere types then Louise is your girl and as far as the male lead Saito is a really like able character with some very funny traits. The comedy is all in good taste and is placed well though out the anime keeping for the most part a light hearted feel. Though that doesnt mean that there isnt a fair share of drama, the art style i feel was very well used to depicted so of the more heart wrenching moments of the which there are many. To sum up i really enjoyed this show, you can really feel yourself getting sucked into the story although the outcome might be easy to see, i would fully recommend watching this show Hope my review was helpful Murphy

To make it as blunt as possible, you probably shouldn't watch this show unless a) you're under 16 or b) you're unreasonably obsessed with Louise. The premise of this inane little harem romance is that a boy called Saito from modern Japan is sucked into a fantasy world named Halkeginia by an incompetent tsundere witch girl named Louise and becomes her familiar. He is subsequently beset by numerous confessions of love from such starkly original characters as a large-breasted vixen, a demure maid, and a Rei/Yuki clone, but of course, this story is about Louise, and it's her who he ends up with. There's some sort of plot involving a Staff of Destruction, and then later on Louise almost gets married to a moustache, and then the Rei clone goes crazy in the third season, etc., but this show's main focus is putting the male protagonist into WACKY situations like that time he accidentally touched that girl's breast and then Louise used magic to blow him up! Or maybe she whipped him and called him a filthy dog! Oh, those crazy kids! Unfortunately, I am in the grossly unenviable position of having watched this as a teenager and have therefore become inextricably attached to Louise, who I will not hear one bad word about. In her defence, Saito is hardly an ideal partner either. Case in point: the fourth and final season, in which Louise and Saito move into a house together, and he insists upon inviting the maid character along with them, not only to live with, but to share their bed. Said maid had at this point been thoroughly flanderised into a sex-obsessed bimbo with nothing on her mind but Saito, and had made it clear to both Louise and Saito that all she wanted was to jump his bones. If you expect a romance that actually progresses, look elsewhere. This is a show for teenage boys, and few outside that demo are likely to appreciate it. On the other hand, the romantic development for the first and second seasons is solid enough despite the inevitable harem stupidity. Beyond that, the show is occasionally funny, but more often than not bland and overly reliant on the antics of the stock characters. By the end of the whole series, the humour is wholly absent—or rather, the writers had no more jokes left. Subtract all of my points if you don't have lewd thoughts about Louise.