DVD Review - Tweeny Witches delivers twice the anime fun

"Tweeny Witches" is one of the most original anime ever--delivering two episodes in each 30-minute show. Although this means that each show runs very quickly, the series' blend of fast broom-flying action and magic is more than enough to dazzle viewers.

As stated before, each 30-minute show features two 10-minute episodes. This is a fast series, covering more ground per episode than any anime before. The dialogue is brief, the action is fast and the series is a little hard to keep up with. However, the series is so visually stunning that is more than any shoujo (girl) anime fan could ask for.

The protagonist in "Tweeny", Arusu, is a young teenager who loved magic ever since she was a kid. Her high school friends steal her book one day. Arusu chases them up to the rooftop to get her book. She grabs it, but she also falls off the multi-story building. Thankfully, the magic of the book sends her to a world ruled by witches.

Arusu has always believed that witches use their magic for good, but these witches are just evil. They imprisoned her after she took a fairy from the land. To Arusu's dismay, the witches are capturing fairies for their powers. And the two young witches taking care of her don't like her too much, especially Sheila, the discipline officer. She wants to keep Arusu in a cage forever. Geez, talk about strict.

Fortunately, Arusu manages to convince the other witch, Eva, to set her free. Arusu learns to fly on a broomstick, and quickly sets free all the fairies. However, the Grand Master of the witches isn't pleased, and she punishes Eva and Sheila with eternal youth. Any girl would love eternal youth, unless they are 8-year-olds, like Eva and Sheila.

Eva and Sheila obey the Grand Master's orders to capture all 100 fairies again, but Arusu knows that something isn't right. After all, this empire of witches doesn't act anything like the ones in the sitcom "Bewitched". Arusu decides to make it her mission to set the fairies free from the witch empire.

Although this series moves very quickly, and some of the camera shots don't focus on the important action, the series has some of the best dialogue I've ever heard. The kids are incredibly detailed, and the speedy animation is dazzling. And at the same time, the series had enough drama to keep me glued to the edge of my seat.

Honestly, after the usual junk anime I've seen in the past, I never expected this anime to be so excellent. The theme of freedom from oppression is a common in anime, but "Tweeny Witches" tells each segment of the tale in a compact 10-minute segment to watch during a coffee break. Never before has an anime been so epic and brief at the same time. This is a one of the most original anime series that I have ever seen.

I'm really looking forward to watching more episodes of "Tweeny Witches". This is a release you won't want to miss.

Images courtesy of adorablerockets.com and hirvine.com.