Zero no Tsukaima

Season 1 ‘Zero no Tsukaima’ aniDB
English “Zero’s Familiar”
Season 2 ‘Zero no Tsukaima Futatsuki no Kishi’
English “Zero`s Familiar - Knight of the Twin Moons”
Season 3 ‘Zero no Tsukaima Princess no Rondo’
English “Zero`s Familiar - Rondo’s Princess”
Resources*: aniDB, animenewsnetwork, animeNFO
*The site also contains information about later seasons, search yourselves …
Genre: Romance, Magic, Fantasy, Ecchi, Humor
Episodes: Season 1 to 3 are 13, 12 and 13
Blogs: Random Curiosity(se3), Tenka Seiha (se3)

Plot summary

Zero no Tsukaima starts when our failing magician Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière ‘failed’ to summon a familiar. Louise houses in the Tristein Magical Academy to become a fully fledge ‘noble’. People at this planet are noble if they are able to perform spells. People without the privelege are the rabble.

Becoming a mage is quite a task but Louise makes it an horrible experience. All spells she chants fails in a dramatic way. Her reputation is well known and she’s called Louise Zero, ’cause she can do zero spells. Now, epsiode 1 season 1, the day to proof her gift is set. The day of summons were a noble must summon a familiar to guide the mage in his entire life.

Finding her friends having dragons, fire lizards, golems and all cool sets of familiars, Louise should do things right. She closes her eyes in full concentration and spreads her wand to the sky. One moment to triumph, determined she chants the summon spell. In the next moment a big bang, followed by a thorn ball of smoke appears. Frighten all students concern about their well being, later on they questions. Did the spell backfired?

No, it didn’t. The summoning have dropped a Japanese boy from the sky, Saito Hiraga. Confused he finds himself being a ‘pet’ of a cute girl in front whose scolding him about everything. Later on he finds himself stuck at another planet. Being stuck his only concern is being the best familiar there is. Louise , being ashamed to call forth a commoner as familiar, she unfolding all her frustration to Saito.

Living together and finding Saito being a good familiar is changes her perspectives. However, she still have a face to save. Worse, a war breaks out. Surprised Saito finds Louise as a girlfriend of the princess. To fight for the princess, to fight for her girlfriend, Louise will NOT fail. She will do anything she can, given up her life if she have to, since no one would regret … would it?

My reasons to watch

Zero no Tsukaima is a fun series. It contains a lot of magic and places themselves in a difficult situation of being deceived by seeming allies. I think I like the concept of being a noble and being a ‘regular’ civilian great.

Whenever Louise gets to know Saito more and more she gets closer and closer. Finding the ‘common’ people not as helpless as they looks like. She wants to get closer, but on the other side she have a name to save. As a loser, a zero, it would be the ultimate joke to love a commoner.

Saito on the other hand has no objections being zero’s familiar. However he can’t except the fact of nobles and commoners. At top he finds the barbarian mind of thinking horrible. The raids, wars and sacrifice-honor horrible. Whenever Saito notes why Louise acts so differently to him in cases he’s alone or in public field, he tries to open Louise’s mind. He should be able to let her see what’s life about.

The way how those entire two different people, Louise and Saito, lifes together is so interested to watch. You both understand their movements, their thoughts and acts in despite their are contradicted. The same goes for the princess and several other characters. The characters makes this anime a supreme and romantic series.

Quality

The quality is really outstanding, though there are less details then I used to set for good quality. Eg. you won’t find little details in clothing nor grass. However I find the softness of the skins and blending of lights perfectly done. Animations are really smooth and if you take a look at frame to frame it’s really a big deal.
Eg. the picture we find her besides is Saito chained up like a dog. You inmediately see he doesn’t really care about, since as outsider he has no where to go. It’s evening and you see he’s thinking about is his mistress, Louise. A bit surprised and mostly confused he’s holding the underpants of his mistress.

Ecchi

Yes, you will see some naked skins. Mind the ‘forbidden’ parts of the body are never revealed (ecchi). Though Zero will change clothes in front of Saito, whose again gets in quite circumstances where he finds himself naked together with … Oops, almost spoiled.

Opening Theme (se3)

Youtube

OP Single: DDL (megaupload) xnao, (Megaupload) yes-anime, (Sendspace, Megaupload) my-animedaisuki

Ending Theme (se3)

I did not found ‘yet’ an video.
ED Single: (Megaupload, Sendspace) my-animedaisuki

Watch online

Watch the channels list at Veoh, for example I have Zero no Tsukaima (by Jetkie).

Watch offline

If I would advies a fansub group, it would be definetely Kuroneko, who have fansubbed seasons 1 and 2. They released both in xvid as in h264 codec. Both being outstanding quality. Leaving the h264 with 1280×800 it’s truely a remarkable fansub service.

Download torrent/irc: @Kuroneko (se1, se2) @Eclipse (se3) (recommond, since these fansub services are ultimate)
Download DDL: Season 1, Season 2, Season 3 (ongoing)

Buy

At the moment the entiry season 1, box set is in sales for just $18.95 at discountanimedvd. The same goes for Season 2, and Season 3, well it’s still being aired. For $18.95 13/12 episodes, well that’s a really reasonable price.

updated at 8 August, 2008;
ED Single DDL’s added