Product ReviewsDearS - Vol. 3: 3rd Contact (DVD, 2005)

Somewhere between Art and "Guilty Pleasure"...

I'm writing this from having seen the first three volumes (the packaging, in keeping with the extraterrestrial theme, calls them the first three "contacts"), comprising episodes 1 through 10...but I'm sure "fourth contact," with episodes 11, 12 and 13, can't be too different. "DearS" is an anime series in the "ecchi" tradition (voluptuous young women, near-nudity, constant sexual innuendo, but nothing graphically explicit). The plot involves DearS, female space aliens who might as well be earthlings but for their excessively long pastel-colored hair and their determination to enslave themselves to their chosen "masters." The principal characters are Ren (the pretty aqua-haired Dear), Takeya (the young man who offers her shelter but disdains her romantic overtures and her claim that she's his slave), and Naneko (a somewhat plain young woman who hss been Takeya's friend since childhood and who is the most interesting character to watch, since she is the unpredictable element of the fairly formulaic plotting). There's no point in describing the plot; the reader can easily deduce the basics from the character descriptions. It's to the series' credit that it manages to remain engaging in spite of its predictability...even to the point that at least once in every episode the viewer will desperately want to hit Takeya upside his head. "DearS" is visually appealing and has pleasantly upbeat music. The series is unrated; if the MPAA rated it they'd probably give it an R overall, although a few episodes could get by with PG-13. The target audience is the high-school and college crowd; it's not appropriate for younger viewers.Read full review...