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Now in Japan
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Friday, 05 January 2007 00:00 |
 Romance: check. Comedy: check. Klutzy magician: check. Put-upon guy: check. Zero no Tsukaima uses a lot of ideas that have had plenty of airings elsewhere, so the key to success will be in how well those ideas are used. Do the adventures of Zero Louise and her unwilling familiar have that magical ingredient..?
1 - Zero Louise
Meet Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière, a student in her second year at the Tristein Academy, a school for would-be mages. She's earned herself the nickname "Zero Louise" - zero being the proportion of her spells that work as intended. In fact, explosions seem to be about the only thing she can conjure up. One of her first tasks in the new school year is to summon a familiar for herself - an important spell, as a mage's familiar will be with them for life, and with only one shot at success it's not a spell that you want to go awry. Just for once, Lousie's spell doesn't end in a bang - but neither does it work entirely according to plan: instead of summoning a useful animal like everyone else, Louise's wish for a "devoted, beautiful and powerful" familiar produces... Hiraga Saito, an apparently ordinary boy...
2 - Plebeian Familiar Spirit
Poor Hiraga had just been walking down the street, before Louise's spell hauled him away from his normal life and into the world of magic. Without any way of getting back home (it's not like Louise' magic would be up to the job), he's stuck with his lot - chains, straw bed and servant tasks included. Getting used to life on campus takes a while, as well - he's not inclined to give aristocrats the respect they think they're due, so when he annoys Guiche he ends up being challenged to a duel. Meanwhile, Hiraga's runes have come to the attention of the teachers, who realise that he may not be just an ordinary plebeian after all - as Guiche is just finding out...
The world of Zero no Tsukaima essentially has two classes - the aristocrats, who are all magic users and view the world as their personal property; and the plebeians, commoners who are treated as muck by the aristocracy. It's assumed when Hiraga appears that he's just another plebeian with no special talents, other than as a servant (hence the straw bed and chains - helps to keep those commoners in their place), but by the end of episode 2, it's clear that Hiraga does live up the the "powerful" part of Louise's wish - and with this being billed at least partly as a romantic comedy, it's a safe assumption that the "devoted" bit will come before too long. I couldn't possibly comment on whether Hiraga could be considered "beautiful", though. :)
Louise does initially treat Hiraga as a bit of a slave, which some people may find a bit objectional, but it's all done in a comedic style and really couldn't be considered offensive. By the end of ep 2, she's beginning to lighten up and see him more as a person, as well - there's some development to be had in how the two of them relate to each other and behave, which I suspect will be a significant part of the show. Having the two of them living in the same room also lends itself to some nice fanservice moments, as well.
When people start talking about the "legendary familiar spirit" and the "lost fragment of the Pentagon" after seeing Hiraga's runes, you just know he's destined for big things later in the series - it would have been no fun if he'd just been summoned as a normal human. That's for further down the line, though - for now it's just introductions and some fun.
For all that there's nothing really original about it, Zero no Tsukaima does have a lot of appeal to it - and with it slated to get a second season in Japan during 2007, I'm obviously not the only person who thinks so. Louise plays to the current trend for tsundere females and fills the role well, while Hiraga is different from the typical rom-com male in that he marks himself out fairly quickly as someone who's not a complete pushover. The supporting cast that have been introduced are a decent bunch, too - I have plebeian maid Siesta marked out as possibly being some good comic relief, while the romantic dalliances of Kirche and Guiche with their respective harems could almost make for a show in its own right. Put it all together, and you get a show that's definitely worth a look.
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