"SHUFFLE! memories" review: Revisiting emotions and discovering new things

SHUFFLE! memories - Detailed reviews and recommendations

■ Public Media

TV anime series

■ Original Media

18+ games

■ Broadcast period

January 8, 2007 - March 26, 2007 Chiba TV January 7, 2007 - March 25, 2007 (Episodes 1-12) Every Sunday 24:00-24:30
Teletama January 7, 2007 to March 25, 2007 (1st to 12th episodes) Every Sunday 25:30 to 26:00
tvk January 8, 2007 to March 26, 2007 (Episodes 1 to 12) Every Monday 25:15 to 25:45
KBS Kyoto January 8, 2007 to March 26, 2007 (Episodes 1 to 12) Every Monday 25:30 to 26:00
Sun TV January 9, 2007 to March 27, 2007 (Episodes 1 to 12) Every Tuesday 24:00 to 24:30
TOKYO MX January 10, 2007 to March 28, 2007 (Episodes 1 to 12) Every Wednesday 25:30 to 26:00
TV Aichi January 10, 2007 to March 28, 2007 (Episodes 1 to 12) Every Wednesday 26:28 to 26:58
AT-X / March 12, 2008 to May 28, 2008 (Episodes 1-12) Every Wednesday 9:00-9:30

■Broadcasting station

UHF, AT-X

■Frequencies

half an hour

■ Number of Episodes

Episode 12

■Original Story

Navel, (original illustrations by Nishimata Aoi and Suzuhira Hiro)

■ Director

Naoto Hosoda

■ Production

Animation Production: Aslead Production: SHUFFLE! Media Partners (Kadokawa Shoten, Kadokawa Entertainment, Clockworks, Memory Tech, Lantis)

■Works

©2007 Omegavision, Inc. / SHUFFLE! Media Partners

■ Story

"A man who can become a god, a devil, or an ordinary person"
What will be the fate of the boy who is called that by his friends?

Ten years have passed since the human world, the gods' world, and the demon world were connected... Rin Tsuchimi, a second-year high school student, was enjoying his school life with his childhood friend Kaede Fuyou and his bad friend Midoriha. But two beautiful girls, one from the gods and one from the demons, transfer to Rin's class. What's more, they are the princesses of the gods and the demons, respectively...!?

*Quoted from Bandai Channel

■Explanation

A compilation work featuring each of the main characters.

*Quoted from Bandai Channel

■Cast

・Rin Tsuchimi/Tomokazu Sugita・Lisianthus/Sayaka Aoki・Nerine/Haruka Nagami・Kaede Fuyou/Yuko Goto・Asa Shigure/Miki Ito・Primula/Hitomi・Mayumi=Time/Miki Inoue・Itsuki Midoriba/Hideki Ogiwara・Kareha/Yura Hinata・Ama Shigure/YURIA
・Red Rose Nadeshiko/Chikuma Chikumi ・God King/Kosugi Jurota ・Demon King/Morikawa Toshiyuki ・Shigure Ama/YURIA

■ Main staff

・Original work: Navel
・Original illustrations: Nishimata Aoi, Suzuhira Hiro ・Published in: Monthly "Comptiq"
Published by Kadokawa Comics Ace, Kadokawa Shoten Series Composition by Suzuki Masashi Character Design and Chief Animation Director by Hirayama Eiji Music by Acciorike (Navel)
・Music producer: Osamu Abukawa (Lantis)
・Music Production: Lantis ・Sound Director: Yota Tsuruoka ・Editing: Junichi Ito (J Film)
・Art director: Yadai Takayama (Production Eye)
・Director of photography: Seiichi Morishita (Studio Twinkle)
・Color setting: Naoki Fukutani (Studio Ron)
・Animation Producer: Kyoki Hiramatsu ・Sound Studio: Studio Gong ・Sound Production: Rakuonsha ・Animation Production: Aslead ・Director: Naoto Hosoda ・Producer: SHUFFLE! Media Partners (Kadokawa Shoten, Kadokawa Entertainment, Clockworks, Memory-Tech, Lantis)

■ Main Characters

Rin Tsuchimi is a kind-hearted boy who hates more than anything to see people sad in front of him. He lost his parents in an accident when he was young, and since then he has been living with his childhood friend, Kaede Fuyou, but he doesn't reveal his painful past.
・The only daughter of the God King Lisianthus. She is good at cooking and other household chores, and is also an excellent athlete. After meeting Rin in the past, she moved here because she admired him. She has a bright and cheerful personality.
・The only daughter of the Demon Lord Nerine. She has a beautiful singing voice that is called the Bell of an Angel, but she hates singing. After meeting Rin in the past, she moved here because she admired him. She has a modest and polite personality.
Fuyou: Rin's childhood friend. She used to hate Rin because of the accident that killed Rin's parents and Kaede's mother, but after learning the truth, she began to devote herself to Rin out of affection. She is a smart and beautiful honor student who is a bit clumsy.
・She was a senior in the cooking club that Shigure Asaka used to belong to. That's when she and Rin became close friends. She has a bright personality and loves festivals and parties, but she hates magic.
Primula is a girl who came from the demon world. She has no likes or dislikes, and no hobbies. She has always heard about Rin, and is curious about him, so she comes to the human world.

■Subtitle

・Episode 1/Introduction (2007/01/07)
・Episode 2/Fuyou Kaede Part 1 (2007/01/14)
・Episode 3/Shigure Asa Part 1 (2007/01/21)
・Episode 4/Nerine Part 1 (2007/01/28)
・Episode 5/Lisianthus Part 1 (2007/02/04)
・Episode 6/Primula Part 1 (2007/02/11)
・Episode 7/Fuyou Kaede Part 2 (2007/02/18)
・Episode 8/Shigure Asa Part 2 (2007/02/25)
・Episode 9/Nerine Part 2 (2007/03/04)
・Episode 10/Lisianthus Part 2 (2007/03/11)
・Episode 11/Primula Part 2 (2007/03/18)
・Episode 12/Extra (2007/03/25)

■ Related works

・SHUFFLE!

■ Theme songs and music

・OP1
・Fateful Encounters
Lyrics: Nishimata Aoi; Composition: Acciorike; Arrangement: Suzuki Masaki; Singer: YURIA

・OP2
・Memories
Lyrics: AlAi
Composition: Acciorike; Arrangement: Masaki Suzuki; Vocals: Fuyou Kaede (Yuko Goto)

・OP3
・High Tension Dreamer
Lyrics: AlAi
・Composition: Accorike ・Arrangement: Accorike ・Singer: Shigure Asa (Ito Miki)

・OP4
・pray
Lyrics: AlAi
Composition: Acciorike; Arrangement: Jun Kageya; Singer: Nerine (Haruka Nagami)

・OP5
・Girigiri Heart Connection ・Lyrics by AlAi
・Composition: Acciorike ・Arrangement: Acciorike ・Song: Lisianthus (Aoki Sayaka)

・OP6
・Pureness
Lyrics: AlAi
・Composition: Acciorike ・Arrangement: ms-jacky
・Song: Primula (Hitomi)

・ED1
・Innocence
Lyrics: AlAi
Composition: Acciorike; Arrangement: Jun Kageya; Singer: Miyuki Hashimoto

・ED2
・Only one, only love
Lyrics: AlAi
Composition: Accorike Arrangement: Accorike Singer: Fuyou Kaede (Yuko Goto)

・ED3
・Wish
Lyrics: AlAi
・Composition: Acciorike ・Arrangement: Jun Kageya ・Singer: Asa Shigure (Miki Ito)

・ED4
・Secret Forest・Lyrics by AlAi
Composition: Acciorike; Arrangement: Jun Kageya; Singer: Nerine (Haruka Nagami)

・ED5
・Freedom
Lyrics: AlAi
Composition: Acciorike; Arrangement: Jun Kageya; Singer: Lisianthus (Sayaka Aoki)

・ED6
・Magical☆Power Station ・Lyrics by AlAi
・Composition: Acciorike ・Arrangement: Acciorike ・Singer: Primula (Hitomi)

・ED7
・Natural tone
Lyrics: Nishimata Aoi; Composition: Acciorike; Arrangement: Suzuki Masaki; Singer: Hashimoto Miyuki

SHUFFLE! memories - Detailed reviews and recommendations

"SHUFFLE! memories" is a 12-episode TV anime series that aired in 2007, and is based on the R-18 game "SHUFFLE!" produced by Navel. This work is a compilation format featuring each of the main characters, making it a good opportunity to rediscover the appeal of the original work. Below, we will provide a detailed review and recommendation of this work.

Story and Characters

The story of "SHUFFLE! memories" is set in a world 10 years after the human world, the gods' world, and the demon world are connected. The protagonist, Tsuchimi Rin, is a second-year high school student who enjoys school life with his childhood friend Fuyou Kaede and his bad friend Midoriha. However, one day, two beautiful girls, one from the gods and one from the demons, transfer to Rin's class. They are the princesses of the gods and demons, respectively, and will greatly change Rin's fate.

Tsuchimi Rin is a kind-hearted boy who hates more than anything to see people sad in front of him. He lost his parents in an accident when he was young and is living with his childhood friend Fuyou Kaede, but he has the strength to not show his painful past. Lisianthus is the only daughter of the God King, and is good at cooking and housework, as well as having excellent athletic ability. She has a bright and lively personality and moved to Rin's house after meeting him in the past. On the other hand, Nerine is the only daughter of the Demon King, and has a beautiful singing voice but hates singing. She is also a modest and polite girl who moved to Rin's house after meeting him in the past.

Fuyou Kaede is Rin's childhood friend. She once hated Rin for causing the accident that killed Rin's parents and her own mother, but after learning the truth, she began to do her best for Rin. She is a slightly clumsy, intelligent and beautiful honor student. Shigure Asa is a senior in the cooking club that Kaede used to belong to, and has a long-standing relationship with Rin. She has a bright personality and loves festivals and parties, but hates magic. Primula is a girl who came from the demon world and is a character with no emotions or hobbies, but she came to the human world because she was interested in Rin.

Animation and performance

The animation for "SHUFFLE! memories" is handled by Athlead, with character design and general animation director Eiji Hirayama. While faithfully recreating the illustrations from the original work, the animation has succeeded in bringing out the unique charm of the anime. In particular, the detailed depictions of facial expressions and movements that highlight the individuality of each character are superb, providing a visual treat.

In terms of direction, director Naoto Hosoda has skillfully put together each episode. Taking advantage of the compilation format, he reconstructs the story from each character's point of view, allowing viewers to enjoy the original work from a new perspective. Also, by dividing each episode into a first and second part, he carefully depicts the characters' growth and changes in their relationships.

Music and voice acting

The music is handled by Acciorike, and while retaining the atmosphere of the original work, it also creates its own unique worldview for the anime. Different opening and ending themes are prepared for each character, and the lyrics and melodies reflect the personality and feelings of each character, making for a memorable piece. In particular, YURIA's "Fateful Encounters" and Goto Yuko's "memories," who plays Fuyou Kaede, have been highly praised by fans.

The voice actors are also impressive, including Tomokazu Sugita as Tsuchimi Rin, Sayaka Aoki as Lisianthus, Haruka Nagami as Nerine, and Yuko Goto as Fuyou Kaede, who faithfully recreate the image of the original work while enhancing the charm of the characters. In particular, Tomokazu Sugita's performance exquisitely expresses Rin's kindness and strength, deeply moving the audience.

Recommendations and ratings

"SHUFFLE! memories" is a must-see for fans of the original work. Taking advantage of the format of a compilation, the story is reconstructed from each character's point of view, allowing viewers to enjoy the original work from a new perspective. The animation, music, and voice acting are also of a high standard, providing visual and auditory enjoyment.

Even for viewers unfamiliar with the original work, this series is an attractive entry point. The personalities and relationships of each character are carefully drawn, making it easy to understand the story's background and worldview. Also, each episode is independent, making it easy to watch.

Overall, "SHUFFLE! memories" is a work that can be recommended not only to fans of the original work, but also to viewers who are experiencing it for the first time. It is a heartwarming work that combines beautiful animation, a moving story, charming characters, and great music and voice acting. Please give it a watch.