Anime Addiction: UltraManiac

Since I am AnimeGirl and all, I decided to finally talk a bit about Anime. So here is to the launch of ANIME ADDICTION!!!

First off, one of my favorite series: Ultra Maniac.

I reviewed the manga last year, and now it's time for the anime.

Ayu Tateshi isn't interested in magic or fantasy or anything of the like. A very pragmatic and mature 14 year old, she worries mostly about school, tennis and her long time crush Tetushi Kaji, and she never really believed in magic and fantasy. But its hard to deny magic when your new best friend is a bumbling witch.

While I can't tell you how Ayu and Nina met (because that chapter is shown mid-way through the series), lets just say that Ayu was left with no option but to help Nina in her quest to gather the Holy Stones, which will help her improve her magic level and bring honor to Nina's family - particularly to her grandfather - back in the Magic Kingdom. In return, Nina wants nothing more than to help Ayu to finally confess her feelings to Tetushi, but Nina's magic frequently lands them both in trouble and they often have to act silly in front of Tetushi and his best friend Hiroki.

There is a more defined narrative arc in the anime than in the manga, we know from the start that when Nina gets all the stones, she'll have to go home - and possibly marry a prince - but just as with the manga there are tons of charm in this story, cute outfits and the portrayal of a strong friendship between two young girls who are very different but love each other very much. And there is romance, of course!

Ultra Maniac is one of my favorite anime series, I go back to it again and again because it just gives me such warm fuzzies and it's so, so funny (there is a truly hilarious episode when Nina turns Ayu and Hiroki's pets into people! Not to be missed, trust me!).

Alex's Personal Favorite

Ps - if You look closely, you'll realize that Ayu is actually the anime girl from my avatar *grins*