This is review number one hundred and twelve. This anime is part of the Spring 2011 lineup. It’s a loli anime. Yeah, a definite red flag for some. It’s a nice challenge for someone like me though trying to become an unbiased reviewer. Hey, loli isn’t a bad thing.

Anyways, the anime I’ll be reviewing is Astarotte no Omocha. It’s a twelve episode anime about a succubus making a harem. No, it’s not. It’s a ten year old girl liking an old dude. Yeah….sounds nice. Let’s read on.

Story

This anime is about a ten year old succubus named Astarotte. The succubus race is a rare breed and their genes are dominant when mixed with other creatures. They have such a royal status that the queen of the creature world is actually a succubus and Astarotte’s mother. As a rite of passage for a succubus, she must “suck” the life seed of a male creature. It’s also a way for the succubus breed to survive. They must create a harem of men to provide them with life seed. This is a problem for Astarotte who hates men. After being annoyed by her caretaker, Judit, into preparing to obtain some life seed, Astarotte agreed to “suck” someone but it has to be human. It’s a creature not found in her world. Luckily, there is a world gate and all Judit have to do is to open it then search for a suitable man for Astarotte’s harem. Astarotte tried to stop her but it was too late. Soon, she has found the very first member of her harem.

Taking the Pants Off

Ok, I saw this on the Spring lineup and freaked when I read the description. There is nothing like a freaky loli anime to complete an anime lineup. I’ve had my fair share of loli anime while pursuing my goal. RoKyuBu is actually an anime I don’t think I ever want to see again. Ever. Now rest assured that there is no massive fan service in this anime about naked underdeveloped girls. I’m not saying there isn’t any fan service. Oh sweet Pikachu, there is fan service here. I’ll get to that later. This anime is actually right in the middle of PapaKiki, a moving anime about loli, and RoKyuBu, an ecchi loli anime about elementary girls. Yeah, sounds like a must watch, doesn’t it?

I was afraid of this anime when I saw the first episode. The whole talk about “sucking” the life seed off a man just gets my imagination all riled up. The anime has never once mentioned how the sucking is done and exactly what needs to be sucked but they gave a pretty interesting description of it. I know not everyone is fond of the loli genre so if you’re one of those guys then go away. If you’re curious then let me tell you the premise of the anime in detail. Astarotte is a ten year old girl and the guy she is paired with is a twenty three year old dude. This dude has a girl the same age as Astarotte. Yes, he had a child at the age of thirteen. Now, he is now asked to service a girl the same age as his daughter. Fun premise, isn’t? Haha. I tell you now that if I wasn’t trying to be an unbiased reviewer, I would’ve dropped this anime in an instant. I’d glance at it then leave. BUT!!!! I learn for a long time now that you should only judge an anime after you’ve seen the first three episodes because most anime takes that much time to develop. This is the case in this anime.

As much as I am dreading the day the twenty year old dad will force himself upon this ten year old girl, the first half of the anime is actually focused on Astarotte’s family dynamic. More importantly, it’s more about her relationship with her mom. This anime isn’t the dirty anime you’d expect the anime would be judging from its lovely premise. The way it portrays Astarotte’s sadness for her mom not being there for her and her mom longing to be with her daughter is actually very sweet. Since the point of view of the anime is in the eyes of Astarotte, the story is actually a little bit childish and heartwarming too. It reminds me of the heartwarming story I once saw in PapaKiki and I really enjoy that part of the anime. The anime is more about family togetherness than some loli perversion. We soon see why Astarotte hates men and how she slowly try to come out of her little shell after spending some time with Naoya, the human guy he would suck. When it’s not focused on the family dynamic of a royal family, the anime is about Astarotte’s normal life. It includes having friends and breaking out of her shell. It’s all harmless childish fun that is actually a treat to see.

The anime is still a bit perverted though but in very small doses. The anime has a lot of panty shots and provocative outfits for Astarotte to wear (like this cute yet sexy backless shirt she wears at the later part of the anime). Basically, the fan service is there but not really that noticeable. Only a really attentive person or a loli fanatic who looks out for the fan service will notice them because they are done in very small doses that are hardly noticeable. It’s not like an ecchi anime where a main character would have a perverted moment with a girl. The ones in this anime happen in split seconds. If they’re longer, no one in the anime reacts to it and the show flows along organically as if no one saw the panty of a ten year old girl. Just to be thorough, here’s some of the fan service of the anime.

They’re barely noticeable when you see it in the anime so you can focus more on the story. It’s a good thing because this anime can appeal to both loli and non loli fans. There are other forms of fan service in this anime but like the loli, they’re not focused much and barely noticeable.

I’d write this anime off as a safe anime with no real loli stuff until the anime reached the second half. The family themed story of the first half is done away with and it now focuses heavily on Naoya and Astarotte’s relationship. This got me worried because I was afraid the anime would actually have a “sucking” scene because of how much the show keeps on building the relationship. Astarotte is slowly showing signs of being madly in love with Naoya and he is starting to care for her a lot more. The appearance of a love triangle formula also adds to the intrigue. The anime keeps on pushing the two characters together as if preparing for one big finale.

The ecchi of the second seems to very dominant as well. In the first half, you can barely feel it but the anime actually has some ecchi folded into the story. There is a beach episode, a no panty episode and a lot of bath scenes. All of this ecchi seems to be added into the two characters slowly liking each other. I don’t want to spoil anything but I assure you, it’s an interesting conclusion. I’d say it’s both sweet and messed up at the same time. With that being said though, I certainly hope never to see a ten year old “suck” a twenty three year old guy (unless it’s hentai. Imouto Jirou, anybody?).

The characters in the anime are all pretty generic. They all serve something to the story but there really isn’t anything special about them. Asatarotte seems to be the only character that is unique. I think I haven’t seen a ten year old tsundere before. Have you? She is also the only character that had a notable character development. She went from this stuck up girl who hates men into a cute girl with friends crushing heavily on this guy. The large cast seems to be wasted in this anime. There is so much they can do with the remaining characters but they don’t even give them some sub plot or interesting personalities to set them apart from each other. Sadly, they’re all generic and some are even flat. Even Naoya is the same old tired main character whose super nice personality bags him a girl.

Despite the generic cast, one or two will appeal to people. I personally like the other ten year old girl in the anime. She seems to be a loli fanatic’s dream because she is the hyper active type and she doesn’t wear underwear. Her overly cheerful demeanor is very contagious and I love how unfazed she is over the fact that her dad is part of a ten year old’s harem. I also like the Queen who is a full pledged succubus. Now to those unfamiliar, the Succubus is a slutty creature who preys on men and has sex with them. This is a duty of the queen and there was even one episode where the queen had a scheduled sexy time with a guy. It’s very awesome but nothing is really shown. All the perverted activities of the queen is left to your imagination. I love how she is a massive slut and a loving mother who is often seen in the same episode.

This is a nice anime. I am in on way a loli fan but I do appreciate the anime’s ability to be safe yet dirty at the same time. It’s like having coffee with a slut and talking about your day. You know the things she does on the mattress but, at the same time, you’re talking about normal stuff with her. It’s a bad analogy but I think it’s apt. It takes a lot of open-mindedness to enjoy a loli anime but I think it’s just like any other anime. Just try to get over the fact that the show’s main asset is an underage girl and her sexy body. It’s f*cked up but why do you think RoKyuBu is getting another season? For more basketball?!

Sight and Sound

The character design is the typical big headed bug eyed girls with flat chest but with a sexy body. There is a lot of range in terms of character design though because there are also some big breasted characters here and some normal types with normal assets. Not everyone is underage so the loli is just a piece on the plate. One thing I really admire about the anime is the outfit Astarotte often wears. They’re definitely slutty but cute at the same time.

The animation in the anime is pretty normal. There isn’t any obvious standout in terms of animation and the most animation involves some running around. The facial expressions are nice though because there is wide range to them. Astarotte is a complex tsundere who starts out with a snotty expression then blushes then gets angry then turns normal then smiles. Oh, there is a concert scene at the later parts of the anime and I think that’s where most of the animation truly shines. The smooth transition and the choreography are pretty great.

The anime’s OP is “Tenshi no CLOVER” by Aimi. It’s a nice song with a steady pace. After a few listening, the song does grow on you. Aimi’s voice is also exceptional. The OP sequence summarizes the whole anime in a nice montage. There are no spoilers but it’s enough to keep you interested. The impressive animation also adds to the awesomeness. All the characters are introduced and the romance between the two characters is nicely highlighted.

The anime’s ED is “Manatsu no Photograph” by azusa. This is a particularly cute song because of azusa’s voice. The beat of the song is also very catchy. The ED sequence feature shadow figures of the characters in a colorful set full of ferris wheels and animals. It still has the romance featured but also the cuteness of the anime.

Overall Score

6/10 “A solid show with a nice mix of elements.”

Once you’ve gotten over the fact of a ten year old trying to suck a twenty year old, you’d find the show is charming. It’s sadly the kind of show not a lot of people will appreciate. The nice balance of cute and ecchi with an actual decent story makes this anime a very rare one. I love rare anime so I recommend this one.