DVD review #4 Shugo Chara Doki Episodes 1-22

Shugo Chara! Doki
 

I had heaps of fun resting up a few weeks ago with this fun anime filled with lots of plot twists. At times the plot veers away from the enemy company Easter and the hunt for the special Embryo egg which will grant its user a wish. All of that fades away with the fun and hilarity of Amu, her charas and friends.

In these episodes, the main focus was on Amu's growing romance with Tadase. Personally I prefer the chara changes, the fights and how Amu changes people's hearts (and turns them away from evil), but the the relationship between the two was sweetly hidden for a while, then hits the rocks just as it was going public. Tadase is hurt by a few events, but he puts protecting Amu above his jealousy and eventually lets her explain what happened.

What happened was....very mixed up. Ikuto is in trouble, & somehow always ends up in Amu's room & bed, which should be creepy but they do have a connection and the way Ikuto is hurt has me feeling sorry for him. In the past he usually saved Amu from harm - some of the time

 Ikuto and Amu

I did wonder why he didn't visit his sister Utau, as she is outside of Easter, but I guess he didn't want to cause her more trouble.

 Ikuto and Utau 

Yoru, Ikuto's chara, cares a lot for Ikuto, seeking help from the strongest person - Amu - even though they are sort of enemies.

Yoru

Amu feels terrible when the truth about Ikuto is discovered by her mother, and then by someone else. 

 Amu's mother when she's suspicious 

 

Her guilt is well portrayed, especially when things with Tadase aren't so hot. She struggles to deal with the outcome, yet forgets the strength of her friendship with the other guardians and charas. She learns that she is never alone. 

 Most of the charas

All the charas are having little adventures alongside and outside the person they are bonded to. The house which Ami, Amu's younger sister gave the charas gets used as a base for meetings. It's hilarious when Miki, Ran and Sue fall out over who Amu likes the best (she uses Ran the most). Dia comes out of her egg for a few moments to tell them to get along. 

They don't, and their discord prevents Amu from transforming with them. Things look dire as even with the help of the other guardians it is a super tough fight without being able to transform. Miki and Ran began working together to distract the enemy prior to an attack of tickling which made the enemy release the captured Sue. I know Dia rarely makes an appearance, which I think is a shame, but I think she's adorable and intuitive. She manages to communicate with Nagihiko, 

 Dia in her egg communicating with Nagihiko 

who is sad not to have a chara. I have a theory that his two eggs might hatch when he tells Amu the truth about Nadeshiko who is comfortable with who he is.

Nagihiko's eggs (the pink one is Temari, who was around when Nagihiko was in training to be a Japanese dancer and was portrayed as the girl Nadeshiko)

I love all the opening and end songs which change several times - sometimes I would like a bit longer between changes just so I can learn the words! It focuses on both guardians and charas. I'm hoping Ami will get her own chara, and that Utau will feature more as Elu (the good one on the right) and Ilu (the evil minded one on the left) are hilarious.

This show is on a par with Winx! The charas are like the Pixies/Mini fee, don't you think? 

Winx with their pixies/mini fee

The powers of Amu and the others grows and becomes incredible, but that's needed with the power of the enemy growing, This is one anime I will watch every week even once I've finished the entire series, just like Winx. I do have to read episode summaries after I watch an episode because I'm stlll avoiding the subtitles, but I understand more than I realise from the body language as well as the japanese.

What series do you keep watching over and over?