Sekirei: The Complete Collection

Sekirei is an action, romantic comedy which was produced by Seven Arcs studios and the anime places a huge emphasis on fanservice – much like Ikkitousen (Battle Vixens) and the recent release Master Of Martial Hearts – something so mindless it might put viewers off. But when I started to watch it, I found parts of the series that I really liked.

We are introduced to Minato Sahashi, a 19-year-old who has been relatively smart in middle and high school but, with his bad luck, has just failed the college entrance exam for the second time. Feeling down while talking to his mother on the phone, he heads back to his apartment – but on the way a girl suddenly falls from the sky onto him. With a brief apology, she introduces herself as Musubi and explains that she is currently being chased by twin Sekireis. After the chase sequence, Musubi’s body starts to react to Minato and they both kiss which allows her to awaken her own fist type Sekirei power. Further explanations tells us that Minato is now her ‘Ashikabi’ which allows Musubi special power whenever they kiss.

Throughout the series we are introduced to more Sekirei (there are around 108 of them) and the reasons why they are in the city. Most of these powerful girls have their own explanations on how they got their power from their Ashikabis and these powers range from creating fire to perfect swordplay. Also, early on we find out that an Ashikabi like Minato isn’t limited to just one Sekirei and that other characters have an interest in him, such as “Green Girl” Kusano and “computer geek” Matsu.

To some people the fanservice will be a make-or-break when it comes to buying the box-set. The series is not afraid to show ripped clothes in fights, or to throw some exposed buzzums at you – and not only that, it also throws in some all-female bath scenes, which are mostly uncensored. However, I’m aware that Sekirei wasn’t meant to be taken seriously; it’s largely thanks to Minato’s kind-hearted, helpful personality and Musubi’s airheaded but determined attitude, plus the other supporting cast members, that these episodes are so enjoyable to watch. The series can be funny as well, even though some of the gags feel reused too often.

Animation is decent but doesn’t show anything spectacular, although fight scenes are fluid; the character models are for the most part bizarre in their clothing, especially around the final episodes. The ending is a bit disappointing, but with all the enjoyment and fun I got from the series, I would like to see more.

The Opening and Closing are fairly average pop songs showing off our main characters of the show,with a major plus for the closing still shots for making me laugh.

Extras come with an OVA of Kusano’s first shopping trip which is definitely worth ten minutes of your time – it incorporates everything I liked about the series – and the usual Textless Openings and Closings are available as well.

In Summary

I was very surprised with Sekirei – The Complete Collection; some good light-hearted entertainment  and bearable fan-service make this breastacular anime and a recommendation for anyone interested in the series.