The World of Narue - Collection (DVD, 2004)

Narue is a Japanese school girl (about 9th grade if in U.S.) who safeguards her father from terrorist assassins. He is an alien sent by a galactic government to study earth's cultures. Narue's mother was an earth woman who befriended Narue's father but who is long deceased by the beginning of the series. A very lonely girl with no friends, Narue saves a boy from a vicious alien discuised as a cute little puppy. Thereafter, they become boyfriend and girlfriend and craziness ensues.

The creators of the series capture the funny mayhem of the manga series on which this series is based (covering about the first three books). Narue makes new friends, including turning an enemy into a friend, fends of weird aliens, and tries to conform to the standards of ordinary thirteen-year-old school girls, even though she is tremendously strong and can teleport almost antwhere on earth she pleases. Late for school? No problem! Just teleport to class. Her boyfriend is a sweet, good-natured boy and an ideal companion for their wondrous adventures.

Other characters incluse Narue's older-but-younger sister, a retired starship in the form of a tall blonde woman, and an interstellar warship who does not like war and has become a woman working at a snack shop with the human man she loves. The assassins do not figure much in the action until the last episode, reflecting their unimportance in most of the books. The makers of the TV series wisely focus on character development and the fun to be had from aliens trying to cope with everyday Japanese life.

There is some fan service, in the sense that the skirts of cute girls have a tendency to fly up to reveal their panties--I make it sound like more of a big deal than it is. Narue occasionally sets her young boyfriend's pulse racing because he adores her, which may account for the "13 UP" rating on the box.

I purchased the "Collector's Series" four DVDs edition, which has tons of extras, all of which I enjoyed. They include a director's commentary for the first few episodes, interviews of the Japanese voice actors, storyboards, and more cool stuff.

The voice acting is very good in both Japanese and English, and the English subtitles for the Japanese language tracks seem accurate, although they sometimes flash on too quickly to be read (pause, go back, replay, pause, read the subtitles). The artwork is usually of a high standard, although sometimes the drawings seem less than crisp. The animation is great.

I very much enjoyed "The World of Narue" and will soon view it again. It is very fun, never slow, and very engaging--my attention never wavered. I'm not reselling this one. It's a permanent keeper.

I have not watched this yet. However, I will update my review after I have. Untill then you can go to this website to see what they think of it. http://www.amazon.com/World-Narue-Collection/product-reviews/B0001EFULY

As usual the hero of this story is a young girl.This is the way of following the manga which it is usually based.I don't generally like such though.The characters are well rounded and the story is pretty good.The story follows a young alien girl named Narue and her boyfriend as they battle aliens and such.The characters is certain ways outshine the main characters from time to time.The film is acceptable for young teens and up.It is fairly light weight compared to other anime,but it is a good way to spend the day with the kids.