Since its creation, the modern magical girl genre has typically been represented by teams of semi-scantily clad girls that typically fight against the forces of evil with ultra-marketable weapons and accessories. However, that's not all that the genre has to offer. Every so often, a series like UltraManiac surfaces and throws the magical girl concept away from the established norms. With its more grounded storyline, and down-to-earth approach, UltraManiac struggles to break away from the stigmas set forth by Sailor Moon and Rayearth.

The story revolves around Ayu, the most popular girl in her school. She's got everything: looks, brains, and athletic skill. She's also got a crush on her childhood friend, Kaji, who also happens to be the most adored guy on campus. Enter Nina Sakura: Ayu's spacey friend. Nina, unlike most people, has the ability to use magic with the aid of her special computer. As one can expect, every episode revolves around Nina trying to use said magic to make Ayu's pursuit of Tetsushi easier. These attempts at magic naturally fail, and lead to amusing results. While the magical girl elements are prevalent, they never seem to get in the way of the story itself. Instead, they seem to add a fun twist to an otherwise traditional comedic school romance story.

On the visual side of things, UltraManiac performs with style and grace. Wataru Yoshimizu's character designs are simply gorgeous. The major cast's designs have a cleaner, more refined look in comparison to Yoshimizu's earlier (and more renowned) work, Marmalade Boy. The series' animation is typical television quality that rests solely in two dimensions. CG animation is rarely used, and typically is reserved for Nina's transformation and magic sequences. The series has suffered little in its translation to DVD, as the release displays no noticeable signs of visual defects.

Ayu and Nina are anything but your normal high-school students.	Apparently, Yuta is the new spokesperson for Japan's Yellow Pages.

It seems that composer Tohru Yukawa was intent on highlighting the positive aspects of UltraManiac when he scored the show. Most of the background tunes are of the bouncy, perky variety, and tend to utilize heavy synth over orchestration. The series' vocal songs, "Kagami no Naka" and "Hitotsu Unmei Kyoudoutai" are both upbeat rock songs performed by can/goo. The Japanese performance casts several veteran actors, including Yui Horie (Bubblegum Crisis: Tokyo 2040, Infinite Ryvius) and Reiko Takagi (Love Hina, R.O.D the TV). The English roles are filled by several popular voice actors, including Jennifer Sekiguchi (FLCL, I! My! Me! Strawberry Eggs) and Carrie Savage (Texhnolyze, Haibane Renmei). Both the Japanese and English casts deliver stellar performances and really seem to enjoy playing their roles. On a technical level, both tracks are clear, with no discernable signs of dropout or distortion.

For UltraManiac, Geneon opted for a fairly bare release. The cover uses a full-body shot of Nina and Ayu, as they pose in front of a rose-colored background. The back of the case features a brief summary, accompanied by a list of features and four shots from the series. As a limited bonus, the first releases of the disc were bundled with a Shojo Beat sampler, which includes the first chapter of the UltraManiac manga. The menus are clean,with the selections are set above or beside a still image from the show. The sole extra on the disc is a textless opening.

While UltraManiac is nowhere near the second coming of Marmalade Boy, the first four episodes prove to be an enjoyable treat. This reviewer hopes that the combination of Yoshizumi's storytelling and general whimsy will continue to mix, and create a show that can appeal to all audiences.

Distributor: Geneon Entertainment
Creator: Wataru Yoshizumi/Toei Animation
Released: 2005

Video Quality: A-
Audio Quality: A
Presentation: A-
Content: B+
Overall: A-