UFO Baby

Kozuki Miyu's parents fly off to the United States of America as Mrs. Kozuki has been recruited to work for NASA over there as an astronaut. Miyu is left in Japan, although not alone; the Kozukis leave their daughter under the care of a good family friend -- Mr. Saionji -- who coincidentally has a son of around the same age called Kanata. However, Mr. Saionji is called over to India to complete training as a priest, therefore leaving both kids alone in Japan without any parental guidance. On the first night the two are stuck together (they don't particularly like each other at thispoint in the story) a UFO crashes into the house, and inside is an alien baby from Planet Otto with his cat-like babysitter! Miyu and Kanata agree to take care of the baby -- Ruu -- and his babysitter -- Wanya -- until rescuers from Planet Otto arrive. Story & Characters: As strange and uninteresting as I thought this would turn out, I found it to be sometimes quite captivating and leaving me dying for another episode. Miyu and Kanata are both fairly normal characters, which makes them the perfect backdrop for the chaos which takes over their lives upon the arrival of the two aliens. Wanya provides for a wonderful character foil for both Miyu and Kanata as they scramble about trying to fit Ruu into their lives and properly take care of him. There is a large cast of supporting characters, including Miyu's two friends, Aya (who is obsessed with writing plays) and Nanami, Kanata's friend Santa (who at first appeared to be a typical class "weirdo" but proves himself different in that his interests exceed your every day bizarre hobbies (one of which is a strange affinity for faces in wood...) and adds quite a bit of hilarity to some episodes), and Christine (the pink-haired "princess" who goes on a rampage whenever she sees another girl close to her crush, Kanata, resulting in countless instances of hilarious slapstick comedy). The relationship that develops between Kanata and Miyu was refreshing to watch, as instead of developing with feelings of tension like relationships in other shoujo anime, their immature bickering and joint efforts to take care of Ruu lead to a smooth, gradual development that takes quite some time. They remind me a bit of Ranma and Akane from Ranma 1/2. :) Audio: The openings are bouncy and energetic, as appropriate for this type of anime, and the endings are sweet (but not both are slow) and pleasing to the ears. The background music is simple without becoming plain and repetitive, but complex enough to emphasise and heighten feelings in scenes. The characters' voice acting was more than acceptable, and I was relieved that Miyu had a softer-voiced seiyuu (voice actor) rather than the usual squeaky, girl voice that seems to be so popular. Ruu's voice was extremely adorable and fitting, and everyone else's voices fit their characters well. Character & Animation: The character designs are mostly loyal to those in the manga, and they actually change into different outfits when at home. I was particularly pleased that this extra detail was added as there are definitely a few anime shows out there where the characters wear the same exact outfit every episode. The animation was consistent, never choppy, and perfectly acceptable for the type of anime it is. The colours were bright enough to radiate a happy and cheerful feeling without burning anyone's eyes. Conclusion: Almost every episode I watched left me feeling refreshed and good inside, even though emotions in episodes varied from being happy to sad to playful or comedic. The series manages to keep you hooked while never laying on too much tension and never leaving you bored. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the anime, and definitely recommend it to those who are looking for a light-hearted comedy that can be both touching and romantic.