Hyakka Ryōran Samurai Girls follows the story of Muneakira Yagyu who returns to Yagyu Dojo to discover it occupied by Yukimura Sanada and her assistant Matabei Goto. The two who represent the Toyotomi faction are opposing the Student Council. When a conflict ensues between the two factions, Sen Tokugawa who is currently leading the Student Council while her brother Yoshihiko is in Paris, orders her subordinate Hanzo Hattori to stop the Toyotomi faction. In the middle of the battle a mysterious woman falls from the sky and kisses Muneakira and transforms into a master samurai and manages to fend off the Student Council. After the battle, the mysterious woman reveals herself to be Jubei Yagyu and begins to call Muneakira her ‘big brother’ due to the similarities in their names. As the series progresses, both factions unite to fight a greater evil that threatens the well being of Great Japan.

Now let’s get this straight, Samurai Girls makes it’s intentions very clear; this series contains gratuitous amounts of sexy ladies with enormous, bouncing chests. Romance is a key theme throughout the entire series and it’s approached in an overtly softcore manner. However, this does not mean the casual anime fan won’t have anything to enjoy if they’re not looking for boobage. Samurai Girls contains a strong, action-packed and enjoyable plot that will keep you stuck with it to the very end.

It also has one of the most unique aesthetics in regards to its animation. The artwork throughout the series is stylish and chunky, the lines are big and loose giving the series a flowing style that is reminiscent of Sengoku and Edo period art. The fast paced action is accentuated with ink that splashes on the screen that gives the animation a beautiful ‘living painting’ look that is gorgeous to watch. Thankfully, this compliments the fluid and detailed animation perfectly. Enough cannot be said about how good this series looks.

Rounding out the presentation is the superb soundtrack and English dub. The music is grandiose and epic throughout and heightens the many action scenes by giving them a wonderfully intense and urgent feel. There’s also many sombre and personal themes that help bring the theme of love to life. It’s also great to hear an English dub that doesn’t spoil it. Each character is fleshed out perfectly with a well chosen voice actor who plays the part passionately and believably. My only gripe would be the choice of Marie LeBlanc for Jubei who makes the character sound unnecessarily childish for a character that’s… ahem… rather developed.

What really lets the series down is its rather campy nature. There is very little substance to the gratuitous breast wobbling and fighting. It seems that at every available opportunity a nipple is exposed or we’re subjected to a panty shot or the girls are just generally feeling a bit frisky. It’s clear this is supposed to be the idea as it’s made incredibly obvious from the opening titles that bare breasts are on the menu. It’s just a shame that when the ladies develop a little backbone their clothes are getting a bit fed up of covering them up. There’s also a lot of talk about how important a kiss can be but a bit of decency is shrugged off completely!

Regardless, Hyakka Ryōran Samurai Girls is a big stupid anime for people who like jiggly boobies and swords. It just so happens that it’s probably one of the best examples of the ‘softcore’ anime. The plot is strong, the characters are likeable and well written, the action is fantastic and the animation is truly sublime. It’s a shame then when the whole thing is cheapened to a series about ogling women.

Label: Manga Entertainment
Release date: 30th January 2012
Release type: DVD, Blu-ray
Certificate: 15
Price: £34.99