Hyakka Ryôran: Samurai Gâruzu

Sound familiar? The trope has thoroughly established itself, but this show is still one of the best. Samurai Girls excels in areas where others in this genre dither.

The animation, is outstanding. It has an unrivaled water color, calligraphy appeal to it. Not a single scene suffers from budget constraints. Blots of ink litter the scene and landscapes have depth with buildings, characters, etc. Even the enemies are well thought out, human or other. Beauty is too low a word for this show.

It has a plot. Not a huge one, and the story line gets a little run over in favor of relationships and fan service, but it does have a plot about the warriors establishing bonds with a single General (or Shogun) to establish rule for a parallel Japan, set in a modern day Edo Period. Naturally, the Generals are males (Japan, go figure). The voice actors (J and E) get to be a little annoying due to the harem nature.

But what you really want to know about is fan service. Bare breasts are all over this show, so there's plenty of nudity (but no trim, never trim). It is directed strictly to men. In battle a shirt will spontaneously explode to reveal (in graphic detail) the women's natural forms. The women obsess over the main protagonist, several vying for his affections, so suggestive encounters happen in every episode. Take it for what it is.

So if you love gorgeous anime with superb production, plenty of eye candy, shipping, set in Feudal Japan, Samurai Girls is the best in the genre. The six shorts on the second disc are straight up ecchi fan service.