 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | FUNIMATION ENTERTAINMENT | | | ▪ | ASPECT RATIO: | | 4:3 FULL SCREEN | | | ▪ | AUDIO: | | ENGLISH AND JAPANESE DD 2.0 | | | ▪ | RUNNING TIME: | | 100 MIN | | | ▪ | RATING: | | TV MA | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 09/09/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 10/01//2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | HOLLY ELLINGWOOD |
The final volume of the series holds more than one surprise and actually ups the angst for quite the finale. The way things currently stand where volume 5 left off, Kaede is hiding in her room in the dark, guilt stricken and heart broken. Rin has decided to move out in order to try to spare Kaede long term pain but in doing so, has caused her a great deal of present anguish. It seems Rin has made a choice and Asa couldn’t be happier. However she is hiding a secret, one that will quite literally kill her! The drama takes center stage and raises the bar set in the series for it as it moves into the climatic conclusion. Asa’s illness is discovered by Rin and her mother tells Rin the truth and the whole truth is astonishing. There is only one cure for Asa and she keeps rejecting it. If there is one flaw in the finale it is that her reason for letting her life possibly end comes across as rather weak compared to the alternative. Nevertheless, she’s sticking to it and Rin is losing his mind with worry and fear that just when his heart has finally chosen the one for him, she will be cruelly taken away. It pushes him to a most extreme act in order to force Asa to do the right thing. But will it be enough? Shuffle sets itself apart from the regular harem genre in two distinct ways. First, Shuffle actually has the guy at the center of all the girls actually make a choice. This is usually unheard of in any harem series where the guy endlessly is clueless and never makes a concrete decision. Secondly, the series displays consequences to both his lollygagging about making a decision and then the painful results to those around him when he does choose. When everyone loves the same person and only one person can be chosen, hearts get broken and the show lets viewers see that. It also shows how avoiding making a choice can string people along and cause untold anguish as well. Usually harem anime stick to comedy but even the drama usually doesn’t show this much suffering that forces the characters to face up to their decisions and behave accordingly. It shows characters taking responsibility and dealing with the fallout. But it isn’t all doom for the lovely ladies of the show. In fact despite how everything worked out, the girls have not given up on Rin quite yet. He may be with Asa but as it has been pointed out humorously throughout the show, the world of the gods is a polygamous one. Rin may have to deal with a harem still in his future. The final episode shows everyone moving on though not giving up and the healing has begun. It ends on a light and humorous note and the show proves itself to be a well rounded soap opera of sorts. A touch of Oh My Goddess and a bit of Girls Bravo while still retaining its own unique stamp. I’ve never seen so many red herrings, and convincing ones too, in a harem anime like Shuffle has done. It had me convinced more than once on who the girl he chose would be and it’s really not until the final episodes that his real choice proves out. Although very comedic to start and holding its share of eye candy and fan service, the anime ended up being quite the dramatic romantic maze and was an intriguing and distinct series for fans of the harem genre to enjoy.
EXTRAS:
Bonus features include reverse cover art, an exclusive fold-out poster, FUNimation trailers, and clean opening and closing animation.
IN SUMMARY:
Shuffle comes to a memorable conclusion with shocking moments in the final volume. |
