DearS
Pending lawsuit by CLAMP
Review by: M.H. "Screw the Doujins" Torringjan
Length: 13 episodes (one unaired)
Genre: Romantic ecchi comedy
Watched: entire series, subbed
Ever since I saw Chobits, I've thought that Chii was the poster child for cuteness. She was cute to the point that you really didn't need any sort of overtly sexual material to make her attractive to others, because her personality (despite her being an android) and her situation made her desirable and a sympathetic character. Apparently, some people weren't happy with just that much, and the result of that concoction of cute and hormones that you see is DearS.
Plot summary: DearS are a race of uber-cute, mysterious aliens that have begun to integrate themselves into the Terran culture since their ship crashed on Earth a year ago. The mystery surrounding their characters and appearances has given them a measure of celebrity, resulting in TV interviews, fan clubs, and endless requests for autographs. Enter Ikuhara Takeya, who dislikes ailens, DearS being no exception (hence the main reason that I also think he is gay). His life takes an unexpected turn when he find a naked girl by the side of the road (only in anime...) who turns out to be a DearS. This DearS grabs ahold of him and declares herself his slave (which only goes to beg the question; why is all the hot alien love slave chick getting wasted on this alien-hating dork-wad and I go completely alien chickless? It's a valid question that only needs an answer).
Artwork: The quality of the artwork of this series is expended mostly on expression of cute/hot chick hybrids, which stretch at the normal sensibilities and make sure you know exactly where your mind's supposed to be. And while some of the characters are pleasurable to look at, some of their designs are too far-fetched (i.e.-large-breasted) for my taste. Otherwise, the range of colors used are nice, with vivid colors being used to express the generally upbeat mood of the series. The drawings are nice and sharp, and blend well with the background usually. They put a fair amount of effort into the artwork, which paid dividends in most cases. Not really spectacular, but it did the job.
Music: The in-episode music really falls short, turning into generic synth background tracks, easily forgotten. The main attractions of the OST are, as usual, the opening and ending songs, taking the forced kawaii and forcing it even further. Now, I must say, in all objectivity, the tracks aren't that stylish. However, I'm a big fan of Under 17, who does the opening track. And any song that contains the lines, "My throbbing corridor has started curving" (the line for anyone who's never heard the word "subtle" used in conjunction with the word, "innuendo") and "I'm your slave" is fine by me! The bouncy pace is pretty standard of Under 17, and it fits the mood of the series pretty well. The same can be said of the closing theme, performed by another unbelievably kawaii band by the name of PoppinS. I have no idea how I've developed a taste for kawaii, but I blame some of the members of my anime club. My contract killer will be around shortly (they know who they are).
Characters: The cast of characters of this series is enough to remind me why I really should stop watching romance anime series; they frequently follow archetypes, and in this case, little evolution occurs. Begin with Takeya, who quickly shot up my shit-list with his part in this series. He is a gruff, insensitive guy who serves as the outlet for most of the porn in his school (he works at a porn store). He hates aliens (for reasons which we won't explore here), but ends up with an alien living in his house and clambering to be his slave. This alien is Ren, a DearS who appears mysteriously and seems different from other DearS. She is completely a blank slate upon meeting Takeya (sound familiar?), and must learn how to live from him. Neneko is Takeya's childhood friend, the daughter of his landlord, and his classmate who acts as his caretaker at times and tries to help him out while hiding the fact that she harbors a deep crush on him (which is helped by the fact that Takeya is struck with what I like to call a case of the dumbass). She behaves tomboyishly and often dresses in about the least feminine manner possible. Miyu is another DearS who transfers to Takeya's school only to find that her place has been taken by Ren. She takes pride in being a DearS and tries to teach Ren the correct way to behave as a DearS towards her master. Another character who pops up periodically is Takeya's teacher, Mitsuka, who regularly teaches class in her underwear and makes the students translate out of erotic novels. She's frequently accused of sexual harassment, but for some odd reason is never fired. (I still don't know why the boys are complaining...)
Plot: I like to joke around a lot about having a love slave of my very own, but in all honesty, what I mean is that I'd like a love servant. Same idea, fewer connotations. Some of the reaction to this series has brought out a very valid point. As much as the ideas presented in this series are done in a very sanitized way, the central premise of this series is that Ren is Takeya's slave, and she'll do anything (note, *anything*) for Takeya. Even though this particular case is pretty safe, and we're pretty sure that Takeya's not going to go down the dark path (because he's too busy being an insensitive dick towards most females in the series to realize that aliens aren't that bad), the idea of a completely subservient slave can be somewhat... disquieting to much of mainstream society (they try to explain this away in the series, but to little success, in my opinion). It seems that the creators of the series could just as easily have chosen the descriptor of "servant," and it would have worked for the plot jsut as well (although, granted, it wouldn't have fit as well in that catchy tune at the beginning of each episode). I don't have a problem with it, but other people might. Another quibble I have with this series is its eerie resemblance to Chobits. The plot sometimes copies it to the scene, adding in copious amounts of "ha, ha, there's a booby!" moments. Not that I'm opposed to boobies (I'm rather fond of them, really), but Chobits didn't need gratuitous fanservice in the first place. And while it can at times be genuinely funny, it mostly amounts to cheap laughs from overused fanservice gags. The show was pretty much written for people who didn't like "all that sentimental crap" in Chobits. There were also plot points at the end (yeah, actual plot points hidden amongst the breasts) that they hadn't wrapped up sufficiently, which was another downside.
CHICKS!!! This is the part the show focuses on the most, with a couple of really, really nice chicks to add to your Christmas list! Ren is the main attraction, with the cute face (typical BESM configuration), a figure that would put anybody in the Miss Galaxy contest to shame, and a devotion to her master that goes far beyond plain love. It will be pretty tough to get her to stop caring about Takeya and pay attention to somebody else, but it seems like it's possible (murder would be one option, except that she might kill herself). If you can figure out a way, though, I'm sure he'd be up for the plan. Whatever you decide on, it's worth it, because Ren is just so damned cute! Miu is another DearS with exactly the same measurements (they say her breasts are smaller, I don't believe them) as Ren, and a somewhat more thorough personality. She's better versed in the ways of the world, which would automatically make her a better choice for slave than Ren if Ren wasn't so damned cute! Takeya's teacher is a treat for all the fans of Shimizu who held a grudge against Shinbo, since there's no one guy this woman has found yet she'd stay attached to. Plus, it apparently is easier to turn her on than a faucet, which would cut down on foreplay for anybody who lives on quickies. Beware, though, as her rack could accidentally suffocate you when you're not watching. She supplies the hotness while Ren supplies the damn cuteness! Neneko isn't much of a looker, but I give her credit for not being deterred by things like alien loveslaves and a thick personality. I have a soft spot in my heart for the childhood friends who get snubbed in these sorts of series, which will always be as large as the soft spot in my bed. And no matter how much I pity her, she can't stand up to Ren's damn cuteness!
Overall: I am torn. Although I really didn't want to like this series because it had sucked many of the things that were good about Chobits out of the Chobits plot and replaced it with raging hormones, the cuteness and the upbeat attitude kept me from disliking the series. The idea of a Chobits clone with a less complex plot and less emotional impact doesn't seem like it should work, but watching the series creates some sort of extra go to 10 line right around the thought "Ren's so cute!" In the end, all I can do is say that I didn't not like it and that you might not not like it, too.
In a nutshell:
+ Good artwork
+ Some decent humor
+ There really is plot!
- They don't explore it much
- Less complex characters
- *exactly* copies Chobits
Final score: 7/10
NOTE: the images used in this review were obtained from Anime-Planet's Anime recommendation database and were used without their permission. Please show your support for their site by giving them some hits!
Return to Index