Shugo Chara! Party!

After overcoming the threat of the Easter Corporation, Amu Hinamori and the Seiyo Academy Guardians return to their council duties, eliminating any stray X Eggs they find along the way. With four of the five members graduating this year, the state of next year's Guardians Council is up in the air. In an effort to ensure the council's survival, the group recruits two "Guardian Apprentices" in the hopes that they will develop their own Heart's Egg someday.

One of the Apprentices they take on is Rikka Hiiragi, a spunky and upbeat girl who is capable of communicating with X Eggs. As the Guardians have not been able to speak with these Eggs previously, Rikka's uncanny ability intrigues them. However, Rikka fears that she will never be accepted as a full-fledged Guardian if they ever find out what exactly she does with her ability.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Hinamori, Amu Main

Itou, Kanae Japanese

Fujisaki, Nagihiko Main

Chiba, Saeko Japanese

Miki Main

Katou, Nanae Japanese

Mashiro, Rima Main

Yahagi, Sayuri Japanese

Hotori, Tadase Main

Takagi, Reiko Japanese

Suu Main

Toyosaki, Aki Japanese

Ran Main

Asumi, Kana Japanese

Yuiki, Yaya Main

Nakamura, Tomoko Japanese

Diamond Main

Itou, Kanae Japanese

Hinamori, Ami Main

Mamiya, Kurumi Japanese

Itou, Tatsufumi Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Yasuda, Kenji Director, Storyboard

Aketagawa, Susumu Sound Director

Yase, Yuki Episode Director

Reviews

Mar 26, 2015

kagamine-rin

Recommended

The thing is that Shugo Chara Party is split in parts, a lot of cosplay, games, etc... Actually I think the idea is kinda original but the show has a lot of filling and it can be tedious, and yes, it is not what you are expecting of your favorite anime.

Well, I don't think is overall wrong, I liked Shugo Chara Puchi , it sometimes was funny , the Rubik's Cube character game was cool, a character song is played so they could guess the character... and I liked the interview with the Amu's voice actor

Even so I would have liked it was more ... plot based, well, I liked the anime series, it was acceptable and enjoyable, Hikaru and Rika are adorable
I admit I've skipped a lot of filling to only watch the anime series part :p, but sometimes I watch them when I'm bored...

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Nov 25, 2012

CureGecko

Mixed Feelings

I am disappointed for the following reasons.
1. Nadesko didn't tell Amu a thing about who he is...
2. Most of the show is filled with little girls who do nothing but waste time to allow the animators to be lazy and have a shorter show.

I just wish they got off their butt and went without the time wasters.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Feb 14, 2024

Animelover875

Not Recommended

This review with Shugo Chara! Party! will be divided into two segments. The first half will cover the season standalone, and the second will act as an overall review for the entire series. Please note that spoilers may be present. Additionally, the Party! review will treat Puchi Puchi, the anime segments and the live action as a single series.

Shugo Chara! Party was in a difficult position from the start; needing to follow the manga and its pacing was one of its first problems, but the second was the apparent lack of faith to the manga, instead taking the series in a wildly different direction, which ... was met with valid levels of skepticism from some viewers, myself included. The main reason for this is that while the series was never exactly the most mature in its original seasons, it felt like it at least had a handle on the message and themes it was trying to send. It's hard to convey how seriously Party! takes this, because it is such a drastic contrast from even the season prior (a mere 25 episodes prior), due not only to the live-action aspects of the series, but an apparent disinterest in continuing the manga; the last arc of the manga is unadapted and as far as I can tell, is left untouched as though it never existed. This is a true shame, because I found the last arc of the manga very decently written.

At times, it can be difficult to feel like Shugo Chara! Party! isn't openly mocking itself or its audience, or making a parody of what it itself created. While there are references and easter eggs to previous seasons (no pun intended), the structure of the series feels as though it is written as though Party! would be a viewer's series introduction. For instance, nearly every major character is re-introduced every single episodes, which comes across as (and is) excessively redundant at best, and pandering at worst. Segments on the show range from decent to poor, with the live-action segments being arguably some of the worst uses of the medium this show could muster. However, this isn't even what I feel digs the series grave, nor is it even the introduction of Rikka and her new development, which would be interesting enough as a standard 26 episode season in of itself at minimum. No, in my opinion, what really kills the season is the wasted potential; there were many ways this could have worked and been done properly and re-invigorated the franchise without resorting to pandering or re-inventing the wheel. After all, Sailor Moon's live-action series is one of its arguable best versions, as it went in an interesting direction and showcased possibilities using its more realistic setting. However, Party! does not go this route.

Instead, it feels as though Party! simply cashes in on the cheap allure of using live-action actresses (or, the "Eggs"), to the point that it feels they're only IN the series to sell merchandise and keep little girls engaged. Aspects of the live actresses such as copying the likes of repetitive and overtly simply dance instructions, figurines of Charas from the show, and interviews with the cast members for exclusive items do not help with the insinuation that the series feels like it was only continued to sell merchandise. In my opinion, this makes the series a sellout in and of itself, and the lack of used potential that could have been here makes this series one of the worst possible attempts. Even a decent "anime" plot with Rikka and Hikaru can only go so far, especially considering both STILL rely on the overt use of stock footage, not to mention cramming an episode's worth of content into 11 minutes. In short, Party! is the series' ultimate lowest point in my opinion, and an absolute "must avoid" unless there is a pressing need to see what amounts to a relatively minor plot development. As a season, Party! scores a 1/10.

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As for the series as a whole, in case it wasn't obvious, Shugo Chara is wholeheartedly a mixed bag. While I've discussed the specific problems with past seasons in their individual reviews, one of the main initial attractions to Shugo Chara in the first place was the concept of dealing with the lost emotions of children who have lost who they want to be, which can also be interpreted as simply their personal identity. Shugo Chara's concept is not at all the problem; the idea is great and has a lot of potential to be built off, especially with characters such as Utau creating strong character arcs. One of the issues with Shugo Chara is that practically every other element with how it was written and executed seems to actively work against its favor. Shugo Chara has mind-numbingly poor pacing, which is terrible in conjunction with forgotten or nearly abandoned plot points being put aside for large scores of episodes at a time.

In my opinion, Shugo Chara may have failed to fully explore the brand of potential that was made possible with Characters, Eggs and X Eggs/Characters. While I am not an expert on issues such as depression and mental health issues, I believe that there are multiple layers and nuances that can be explored in a cohesive manner which could have been able to tackle these issues appropriately and with sensitivity. Unfortunately, in my opinion, Shugo Chara fails to realize the depths to which they can explore, or simply that they wish to keep things light-hearted as it is a children's show. These, as well as a seemingly increasing amount of peculiar inconsistencies with the lore of X Eggs and Charas themselves, create an odd puzzle of the situation that causes it to feel incomplete, or that things are being half-assed as the writers go. A good example of this is in Party!, where a situation gave the initial implication that an X Egg "bursting" would imply the person would want to end their life, only for this assumption to be incorrect.

Despite my initial enjoyment with Shugo Chara, it ultimately comes across as underwhelming, which is extremely difficult to say, as I wanted this series to be a positive experience that I could recommend. Unfortunately, it turned out to be anything but; near the end, finishing the series felt like a chore rather than a fun task, and the light-hearted excitement of watching soon turned to boredom and frustration. This was particularly sad, as if executed better, this could have been a true masterpiece. The score for the entire series is a 1/10, unfortunately; it may be in one's best interest to skip the series altogether, as a half-hearted investment will leave heavy expectations to fill that may not be met.

Reviewer’s Rating: 1

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