Sekirei: Pure Engagement [Complete Series] – Review

Oh, how I wished one of the female staff writers would have covered this review. Being a male this review could have a tendency to be biased as there are boobs, breast, boobies, and boobs scattered thorugh the series. It shocked me a little at first with how much fan service was in it but it was more surprising to see an anime that came with fan service and actually still had an enjoyable story to it. But there is another part to the story: that of the BONDS of LOVE that can cause people to reach so deeply, and call so urgently upon their strength in order to protect those bonds, that something BRAND NEW can emerge. Color me surprised! Minato and his harem of buxom Sekirei are continuing battle against the other Sekirei and the sinister MBI whose leader is forcing the Sekirei to fight. When not fighting the girls like to relax in the bath although this time their modesty is protected by convenient steam. I won’t dock points for that.

One day after talking to his yet again disappointed mother he comes into contact with a girl named Musubi who was under attack. The girl runs but takes him with her and soon finds that Minato, while unknown to him, is an Ashikabi, one of the mysterious set of masters that have the genetic trait that can become partners with some of the 108 cute girls, buxom women, and bishounen called “Sekirei”. The reason for the partnership allows the Sekirei to use all their power to win in the competition held by the mysterious MBI corporation. Sekirei: Pure Engagement, The Complete Series is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of FUNimation Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. The animation is crisp and fluid, and although mostly all the characters look alike there is a certain charm to the art. This has all the hallmarks of this type of anime: the sexy fighting girls, the embarrassed, reluctant male hero, titanic battles, and a darling way of presenting young love.

In Season 2 of Sekirei, Minato is drawn further into the wild and often dangerous world of the Sekirei and what is known as the “Sekirei Plan,” a violent game created by the powerful MBI corporation and its leader, Hiroto Minaka. The curse has been broken we finally have a fan service anime with a BRAIN! Underneath all of the nudity, panties and bouncing there are likable characters with real personalities not to mention a fair story line. Yes that’s right, this series actually has a purpose beyond fan service! But, if you watched the first season you already know this! Still, it pushes things a bit! There is the over-arching story of a city being ruthlessly controlled by a corporate Police State; not a government, but a megacorporation that soared to power after its founder discovered a hidden technology on a remote island. See how complex it can be? Sekirei: Pure Engagement is actually kind of surprisingly reserved and restrained, considering the silliness of the overall enterprise.

Though there are plenty of series from that genre that are compelling and very successful, this show’s fatal flaw, at least from the brief encounters I’ve had with it, seems to be that the characters don’t have unique or well-developed personalities. But, still the genre in which the content is contained is a game-changer for me. That’s why the fans want to see this show. Otherwise, yeah, it’s average plot, average main guy, who’s got some guts, and your average harem with powers. There’s lots of breasts, so many of the characters are so endowed you’d think there was some sort of disease going going around. The other type of fanservice is the ikkitousen style of exploding clothes during fight scenes. All in all, its a goofy rendition of what a serious anime series should be. As long as you know what kind of genre you are exposing yourself too, you should find lots to enjoy here.