DearS: Volume 1 - First Contact (ep.1-4)

While I admit there is nothing groundbreaking within this series it nonetheless has an infectious quality to it which drew me in from the first moment and left me loving this anime. There is much to love about this anime even within what others have said is lack of originality, so much so that I think it becomes a very comfortable anime to watch, and one that will leave you wanting more by the time you finish this first disc.

Others have compared DearS, and rightly so, to a Chobits meets Girls Bravo type of plot mix. It is very much filled with ideas found within both of those anime, however it is also within these very similarities that the characters of DearS start to shine and take on lives of their own, making them unique within a commonplace set of ideas.

It cannot be understated that it is the writing itself which allows this characters to be brought so to life and create such a wonderful feeling that you will love this anime from start to finish on this first disc and be left wanting more, the mark of a great performance.

So while I cannot deny there is nothing groundbreaking and much of the plot might seem familiar, I can say that in spite of this DearS has an irresistible charm all of it's own that makes this anime a worthy entry in anyone's collection.

An alien exchange student themed show in which a high school student Ikuhara Takeya met a girl from an alien species called DearS who crashed their spaceship in Tokyo Bay a year ago. This theme is the perfect setup for romance, comedy and fan service. You can tell it has tons of fan service just from the reversible cover of the DVD. Nevertheness, this show is quite entertaining.

The volume 1 of DearS is plagued with an authoring mistake - the English language track is mono. Geneon has set up an exchange program with the Right Stuff International Inc. You just have to send the defective disc in and they will replace it with a corrected one.

DearS is a show that through me for a loop. I read the first chapter in a manga sampler, and the review for it made it sound like "Alien Nation". A spaceship of alien slaves crash lands on Earth and the country they landed in "Japan" adopts them in to their society. The country sets up an exchange program, where Families take care of these beautiful alien visitors as they go to school to learn more about our Planet. The aliens are given the name DearS, which means "beloved friend", and one high-school student Named Takeya ends up taking care of a girl named Rin. This story sounds innocent enough right. Wrong!

In the first episode we find out Takeya's teacher is a Nymph and more or less forces her students to read the Erotica she wrights out loud in class. She also acts inappropriately in class as they're reading. Rin, who arrived 1 year after the other DearS, has no understanding of anything. Our languages, our cultures, when and when not to wear clothing (Your not suppose to wear your school uniform in the Shower.) is naked in most of the show.

Whether you like shows like this or not, its got a certain charm in a "Girls Bravo" sort of way. I'd recommend this show to any "Girls Bravo" fans and not to Parents who want to buy their kids a Cartoon.