Anime Review: Shin Koihime Musou Otome Tairan

I actually liked Shin Koihime Musou: Otome Tairan more than the previous seasons. After laughing at the "wtf" moments in the first episode, I took the stick out of my ass and decided to enjoy it for what it is. (Since I was going to finish it, regardless.) It was the kind of show that worked best for me when I could watch it on a Friday evening after a long school week with a Coke and some hot, yummy take-out. (One of those fluffy, "let's not think for the next hour"-type shows.) Even after summer vacation started, it was something to watch.

As with the previous seasons, Otome Tairan was about Aisha and her friends traveling across ancient China- this time split into three groups to find the ingredients to make the antidote to the dreaded cat girl pill that Choujou, a power-hungry eunuch (how can she be a eunuch if she's a woman in this series??), force-fed General Kashin. Gien, a butchy girl with a giant double-sided metal club, leaves her teacher Gengan to join Ryuubi, Koumei, and Rinrin's group as they journey to Nanban. Sei and Bachou need to pick an herb at the top of a moutain and Aisha travels alone to Wu. (To me, "Wu" = "Jackpot!!!" in this show, for reasons that you can probably guess if you've seen it.)

The new characters are a mixed bag. I liked Gien and Gengan fine, but the leaders of Nanban were squeaky-voiced cat girls with stupid speech patterns, nya. They were pretty annoying, nya. Could you imagine an entire review written like this, nya? Ikki Tousen: Xtreme Xecutor's Nanban group would kick Koihime-Nanban's ass.

But the important question to the people watching Koihime Musou this far in is: Is there yuri?

Yes.

Yup.

WHOOHOO!! YESSSS!!!! *fist pump*

Sei and the Wei group didn't bring any yuri to this season, but Gien had a big, obvious crush on thickheaded Ryuubi and there were two surprisingly enjoyable episodes focusing on Ryoumou x Sonken and Sonsaku x Shuuyuu in the Wu group. (I especially liked the Sonsaku x Shuuyuu-focused ep. Such a cute married couple. :] Seeing them doting on each other at the very end of the series also warmed the cockles of my heart.)

Nothing else really worth noting...except that the nudity-censorship was funny. Especially the small, dense clouds of steam that conveniently followed the characters' choice areas in the bath. I guess that the uncensored DVDs will sell that much more.

Story: Silly fluff- with yuri.
Art: B-
Overall: C+