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Blessing of the Campanella
Anime Review
The newest addition to Funimation's line up is Blessing of the Campanella, a fun romp in the last of the summer sun. The point of summer is to turn off your brain and have fun with complete total disregard, isn't it? Just sit around, do nothing, think nothing, and enjoy the sun and the sights of half naked girls running around. That's right, boys, this one is made for you, especially for you.
Blessing of the Campanella is actually a perfect anime for days when you want to play an RPG but you are too tired to and you need to see some eye candy. Not surprisingly, Blessing actually started out as an adult video game in 2009 and then evolved to be a little more PG as it went along. It's still not 100% PG now that it evolved into this anime; for parents out there, there is no nudity but if your child is old enough to know what sex is... yeah, there are a lot of dots that can be connected, BIG dots.
Leicester Maycraft is the hero of our story; the best engineer is all of Ert'Aria, an island city touted as "the treasure of the world". He's the guy that you would want to be, popular with all the ladies and very capable with his hands. A little too innocent for his own good since all the girls end up wanting a piece of him but it's ok, makes things more fun to watch. If you have a hero, you have to have a heroine, right? Leicester is lucky in that he is surrounded by heroines: Carina, Chelsea, Agnes, and Minette. Carina Verritti is his childhood friend and neighborhood mage; she grew up as a sickly but privileged daughter of the grand duke of Art'Aria. If Leicester didn't create the montecchia, a magical boat paddle, she would still be stuck at home instead of flying around like a witch on a broomstick completing quests. Chelsea is one of the Holy Knights that travelled to Ert'Aria to protect the treasures that are going to be on display during the harvest festival/meteor shower viewing.
It turns out the Chelsea is a friend of Leicester's mom and she brings her to meet everyone. As a side note, Leicester's mom is a buxom beauty, think of her as a chibi version of Cecilie von Spitzweg from Kyo Kara Maoh. Agnes Boulange is a puppeteer and a sugar addict. She commands these little cute toys called automatons to somersault and jump and fly to earn money in her street circus but when it comes down to battling, her toys are agile little buggers. She's a little clueless at times and as innocent as Leicester so when they get into their talks about engineering automatons, they're both oblivious to the jealousy and tensions that build up.
Last but not least in the group is Minette, an automaton that was woken up with a blast of El energy that rained down during the meteor shower. She calls Leicester "Papa" because like a baby bird, she attached to him the second she opened her eyes; much to Carina's dismay, she has also taken the liberty to crawl into bed with him at night like a small child. To make things a little more interesting, Carina and Leicester both live in Carina's clan's mansion by the sea, Oasis and now they are joined by the other three girls and always have a maid on hand, Nina, taking care of them. One guy: five girls; love that ratio yet?
Just for kicks, the Tortilla sisters and their pet golem are thrown into the plot. They are constantly spying on Leicester and his little harem and following them around town. Their names aren't particularly brilliant, Salsa and Ritos, but they are funny and Salsa always ends up in compromising positions or naked thanks to her sister. Think of these three as a female scantily dressed Team Rocket from Pokemon with a less annoying Meowth.
If your brain is still turned off for summer and you want something nice to see while you are lounging around, Blessing of the Campanella is as good as they can come. What other anime can you think of that begins an episode with three girls fighting over all over a bed about who gets to kiss a guy good morning first and ends with a swimsuit beauty contest? Seriously.
Reviewed by Carolyn Whu, November 2010
Below: Scenes from Blessing of the Campanella.
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