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Digital
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Written by maehara
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Tuesday, 27 January 2009 00:00 |
 With the initial introductions out of the way, it's time for the girls to get their character episodes - for the first half of the season at least, Shuffle! sticks firmly to formula. First up it's Sia, who's suffering from being a little... academically challenged...
It's not a good time for Rin & the girls - it's the middle of the rainy season, and final exams are approaching, so it's miserable both in and out of school. Fail the exams and any hope of an enjoyable summer goes out the window - since Sia just transferred in, it seems she's far enough behind to not stand much of a chance of passing, so it's time for special lessons. Studying together seems the sensible solution, so Rin heads over to Sia's house for a study session, but being so close to her means studying isn't easy. Meanwhile, Sia's remembering the good times she had when she first met Rin as a child, and is wondering just how much he remembers...
The good thing about character episodes is that they let you get a little more of an insight into how the featured girl ticks, and lets you decide whether they're the one you're going to be rooting for. I've had a soft spot for Sia from the beginning of the series, so having an episode devoted to her certainly doesn't bother me, either. The bad things about character episodes is that the rest of the girls get sidelined for a large chunk of the series (in Shuffle!'s case there are a lot of them to get through), and the series feels like it's stuck in a rut in the meantime. Far too early in the season to be feeling stuck, if you ask me...
Also on the downside this episode is the return of the KKK, SSS and RRR, who are back to making Rin's life hell - that joke's wearing just a little thin already. But enough of that, let's get back to the topic du jour - Sia. It's amazing how one little act of kindness can lead to a girl becoming so completely obsessed by a boy that she's still in love with him seven years later, despite never having seen him since - an unhealthy obsession, one might say (hint, hint). But Sia's one of the most normal-seeming characters in the series, and seeing her mess around with Rin like any teenager would - yes, I do remember being one - is actually surprisingly enjoyable to watch. Yes, the episode doesn't really go anywhere - but as a way of getting you to like Sia, and think about maybe cheering for her in the inevitable race for Rin's affections, it works well. Not perfect, but fun.
There are also a few little contributions from fringe characters, with the first appearance of Asa's godly friend Kareha (who quite literally lights up when anything remotely romantic happens around her) and some fun moments provided by Mayumi.
Just Nerine, Primula, Asa and Kaede to go then, as far as character episodes are concerned. May not sound like much, but wait until you try and sit through them all. Shuffle! doesn't really do itself any favours in the early stages - it's far from being bad, but it's hardly great, either - but bear in mind that the best is yet to come and the necessary evil that this part of the series is will become far more bearable.
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