First Impressions / Zero no Tsukaima

OP Sequence

OP: 「First kiss」 by ICHIKO
Watch the OP!: Mirror 1 Mirror 1

Summary:
In a world called Halkeginia, there exists a Tristein Magic Academy. In this academy is a new class of second-years. On this day, they are being instructed on alchemy, and the teacher calls on a pink-haired girl named Louise. Everyone else in the class doesn’t want Louise to use her magic because it’s dangerous. Louise goes ahead and casts the spell, causing the stones she’s supposed to transform to light up. An explosion covers the room, knocking out the instructor. The students explain that Louise has a success rate of zero, earning her the name Louise the Zero. The next day, the class is to participate in a summoning ceremony where each student is tasked with summoning a familiar spirit. Louise is the last one to summon something, and her spell causes another explosion. When the dust clears, there is a sleeping boy lying in front of her. Based on the boy’s appearance, the students realize that he’s a commoner. Louise wants to try again, but her teacher tells her that she can’t.
Unable to understand the language of Louise and her classmates, the boy tries to get away, but Louise catches him by the collar. Because she has no choice but to contract with him, Louise kisses him on the lips. The boy goes through great pain and faints as a special rune appears on his right hand. Sometime later, he wakes up in Louise’s room. He wants her to return him home, but she ignores him and starts changing clothes. She throws them at him, telling him to do the laundry. Of course, he still doesn’t understand her language and starts trying to ask questions about who she is. She wants him to shut up, so she casts a silence spell on him. But this is Louise the Zero, so the spell results in another explosion. It actually has another side effect: the two of them are now able to understand each other. The boy introduces himself as Hiraga Saito, and asks why he’s here. Louise explains that she summoned him, and Saito notices the rune on his hand. As Louise laments that she didn’t get a dragon or griffin, Saito runs away. He runs all the way outside, passing by Guiche and Kirche, two of Louise classmates. Louise and the others chase after him, and it’s Guiche who uses magic to pick him off the ground and fling him around in the air. It’s during this that Saito realizes that there are two moons in the sky, meaning he’s not on Earth anymore.

ED Sequence

ED: 「ホントのキモチ」 (Honto no Kimochi) by 釘宮理恵 (Kugimiya Rie)
Watch the ED! Mirror 1 Mirror 2
So I really don’t like either the opening or the ending songs, mainly because neither of the singing voices really appeal to me. The opening sequence basically introduces the characters, but it left a smile on my face because I could tell how they interact with each other from just the opening. The ending animation was done in a cute paper-cutout style.

Watching this show is like watching Shakugan no Shana. It’s same production company (J.C. Staff), and it’s the same cast: Kugimiya Rie as Louise and Hino Satoshi as Hiraga Saito. In other words, Shana and Yuuji. I hadn’t realized this coming in, but it really struck me hard once the episode started. In fact, Kugimiya Rie even gets to say “Urusai!” several times throughout the episode. Yoshida Kazumi fans will love that Kawasumi Ayako is also in this, though not shown the first episode (she voices Henrietta).
Being a J.C. Staff production, there’s a lot of cuteness and tsundere, arguably more than Tsuyokiss which is supposed to be the tsundere animation lol. I’ve mentioned before that the character designer is Fujii Masahiro, the same guy who did Mahoraba.
I’m going to keep watching this for a number of reasons. For one, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face while watching this. Whether that was an effect of the Shana similarities or if it was because I really enjoyed the show, I’m not sure. I know I should look at this as a Shana replacement, but I’m hoping for at least a similar quality series. They hint at in the OP animation that Yuuji Saito has the potential to be quite powerful, and I’m interested in seeing how that develops. The overall magic theme turned out a bit better than I thought it’d be, mainly because Louise screws up so much (that joke could get old though). There’s also the hints in both the OP and ED of the abusive nature of Louise and Saito’s relationship, which we only see a small bit of in this first episode. Anyway, I’ll try this show out for at least two or three more episodes.

42 Comments

  2. Yay! Shana’s voice acter, that’s cool. Now only if they would release the Shana movie and hopefully second season. But the show would not be until Spring 07 at earliest if they do make a new season, at least that’s my guess.

    Zelath
    Reply

  4. Finally, finally, finally. A show that combines Fate stay night (summon a servant, put a tattoo and fall for the said servant), Shakugan no Shana (wait, do I see Yuuji weilding the Blutsauger in the OP? o_O) and Mahou Sensei Negima (mage-girl-in-training mingles with normal and albeit perverted human).

    Totally in, out and for Zero no Tsukaima. XD

    meganeshounen
    Reply

  14. It’s kind of funny how it took 24 episodes just for Shana and Yuji to hold hands, but here we have Louise giving Saito a gohobi in the first episode. Were off to a great start already 😀

    Alpha123
    Reply

  17. WHoa!! BANZAI!! BANZAI!!

    Now, the shana fans have sumthing to watch as a replacement while waiting for the Shakugan no Shana Movie

    [Horie Yui also does the voice for one of the characters, Eri for those who dunno]

    N-T-S
    Reply

  18. I’m afraid this can turn Green Green anytime(same author).
    The episode itself seems to have taken a lot fromed more similar to Inukami(with their master-slave relationship) and Girls Bravo (Guiche really reminds me of a certain playboy).

    SinsI
    Reply

  20. Wow, this feels wierd to listen to the same voice actors in different forms ina somewhat similar situation with a similar relationship. /And/ it’s JC Staff again? @_@

    The seiyuus must be getting a kick out of this. 😀

    Shinji103
    Reply

  28. What can go wrong?
    Loli + Shana voice + magical girl (same minor fan services) + servant + harry plotter + Urusai

    Wow must be a winning formula, atleast it catch me on the boat after just 1 ep.

    Yuki
    Reply

  31. To me, this is like a “better” version of harry potter where:

    1. Dumbledore is a pervert
    2. Hermione and Ron are combined into a single clumsy female character, and the best part
    3. Harry Potter is a slave

    This first episode was hilarious enough. Definitely gonna follow the series.

    JoshieJosh
    Reply

  32. Hey, Hermione, When were you had dyed your hair colour?

    Ok, just a lame gag. I haven’t seen any preview or clip of this anime, my friend from thai’s BBS told me about new anime in July and this anime was one that she told me to try. Thank you for summary and screen caps. I love this style of anime and will try some in youtube.

    P.S. Shana’s voice + Urusai to Yuuchi’s reminding. I was so astonished…

    Jin , Masked Wizard
    Reply

  39. Seems pretty interesting at first until Zero’s familiar aka Saito appears.

    Why it was interesting
    (1)
    In usual western pdtns RPGs and so on, we would NEVER EVER get to see a lecherous gandalf lookalike doing ridiculous thing with spells and familiar, slutty sorcerors blah blah blah, as such things are totally out of place in the typical fantasy settings (Imagine Gandalf lifting Arwen skirt in LOTR) And yet we can laugh it off when we see such stuff in Japanese animation

    Why it wasnt interesting
    (2)
    A familiar thats is human, somemore a Nihonjin! That somehow reduces this anime into something rather cliche where a boy or a gal goes into another world/dimension blah blah blah. Getting tired of such storyline.

    Thus I hope future episodes will have more of (1) and less of (2) to worth my while watching this series.

    Asteroth
    Reply

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