Every anime season, there’s at least one good show for which I’m late to the party. Being late isn’t necessarily a bad thing, however. After all, when a new season first begins, I have to sort through a ridiculous number of shows that catch my attention and make a decision on what to watch and what not to watch. There’s only so much time in the day, however, so I often end up passing on shows that interest me, resolving to watch them at some point in the future. But when the same cycle repeats itself every three months, what can I do? Well, let me show this long list of stuff I’ve been meaning to watch…

If I completely ignore a show from the very start, however, only to give it a try after I’ve decided what to watch otherwise, I’m more likely to give it my full and undivided attention. Because, by that point, there are no longer twenty different shows competing for space in my viewing schedule. It’s plenty easy to squeeze something in after the fact. And, quite often, shows squeezed in after the fact turn out to be something special.

This season’s special show is Shugo Chara.

I like mahou shoujo shows. I don’t know if I like them enough to call myself a mahou shoujo fan, but I do enjoy watching them. Unfortunately, there haven’t been many mahou shoujo shows worth watching the past few years. In the span of only six episodes, however, Shugo Chara has restored my faith in the genre. For that matter, it’s reminded me of how much I enjoy shoujo in general, magical girl flavored or not. I really need to get back to my roots and start watching more of this stuff.

Shugo Chara is wonderful, however, and I’m thankful for all the fans who have been talking up the show for weeks now. I don’t know if I would have revisited my initial, “Hey, this looks cute,” feeling, otherwise. And now, I’m wondering if I need to make space for the show in the upcoming Year in Review. Yes, I’m seriously enjoying it that much.

Why, though? Well, the writing is pretty damn good, for one. Mahou shoujo shows are rarely models of brilliant story-telling, but Shugo Chara has done an outstanding job thus far taking the standard “Believe in yourself!” and “Ganbare!” mahou shoujo themes and presenting them in a fashion that’s neither cloying nor overly saccharine. There’s almost something “adult” about the show; and I don’t mean in the ecchi sense (although, Amu is pretty easy on the eyes), but rather in the sharpness of the humor, the quality of the characters, and the great sense of style. It’s a lot like Cardcaptor Sakura in that regard, just a little more grown-up.

The animation is pretty stellar, too. I’ve always liked Satelight’s work, at least from an art direction standpoint. However, they’ve had some quality control issues with some of their recent shows, Kamichama Karin (another mahou shoujo show) being the most egregious example. Thankfully, Sugo Chara has yet to suffer from these issues. In fact, the animation quality has been consistently good from the very beginning. And that’s important, because the character designs deserve first class treatment. They’re very attractive.

And I’d be remiss not to mention the ridiculously catchy OP and ED. Now I understand why everyone watching the show keeps making “Hop Step Jump” jokes. The OP animation is particularly stylish; the shot swooping in on Amu lying in the grass impresses me every time I see it, much like the shot of the young girl running through the field of flowers in the Clannad OP. I must like that sort of thing.

So, even though I was late to the party, I’m really glad I gave Shugo Chara a try. And if rumors of a 52 episode run are to be believed, the party’s going to last for awhile.