Tonde Boorin

Anime for young girls holds no mystique for me. Now, granted, I'm an upper-twenty-something male whose tastes tend towards science fiction, so that isn't too suprising. What is suprising, however, is when I watch a shojo anime that is intended for a young audience (middle school age or less) and find it utterly hysterical. Tonde Boorin is just such a show, with enough laughs to keep you on the floor. Although the first episode is weak, just bear with it...it gets really, really funny almost as soon as the second episode starts.

Karin, a young and somewhat clueless middle school girl, is given special powers by a mysterious being from another world to bring love and justice to the earth. Heard that one before? Perhaps, but instead of being given the power to turn into a beautiful princess or fighter, Karin must instead turn into Boorin...an all-powerful pig. While Karin likes the idea, she is embarrased by her appearance as Boorin, and she must not let anyone know of her true identity. If she does enough good deeds and earns enough special pearls from her mentor, she can eventually change into any type of super heroine she wants.

The first episode seems to be pre-written for almost all shojo series, and frankly, they are all almost universally boring. So get through the first episode quickly...it's from the second episode on that the show shines. It's dumb, in a way, but incredibly funny and cute at the same time. The animation itself leaves something to be desired--it's merely functional and basic television artwork--but for the type of show Tonde Boorin is, nothing more is really necessary. In the first four episodes, characters start to develop and relationships become important, which are sure to follow through the 51 episodes of the show. Although Tonde Boorin is currently only available via fansubs, and only a few episodes are available, it's worth a looksee. At first, I thought I was in for a nightmare--but by the end, I was sorry I didn't have episode 5 to stick in the player, and that is a great recommendation.

Tonde Boorin -- nothing objectionable, meant for middle schoolers -- A-