AKA: D.N.A² ～何処かで失くしたあいつのアイツ～(DNA² - Dokoka de Nakushita Aitsu no Aitsu), DNA²: Something About You I Lost Somewhere

Genre: Sci-fi romance comedy

Length: Television series, 15 episodes, 25 minutes each

Distributor: Currently licensed by Discotek Media.

Content Rating: PG-13 (adult situations, fan service, bodily function jokes)

Related Series: N/A

Also Recommended: Video Girl Ai

Notes: Based on the manga by Katsura Masakazu (Video Girl Ai). The last three episodes were released straight-to-video and not aired during the first run on television.

Rating:

DNA²

Synopsis

Momonari Junta is your average high schooler, with your average student desires. Except he has one little problem: whenever he sees too much of a woman, he vomits. No, seriously, he *vomits*. It doesn't help that he's trying to find a girlfriend, especially one that can cure him of his disease. Then one sunny afternoon, he happens to meet a strange girl who seems to have the answer, but instead, inflicts another curse that seems to be a blessing...the power of the Mega-Playboy. (We kid you not.)

Review

This is comedy anime at its best. First of all, the fact that he has to gaze at female flesh to trigger his curse makes fan service actually necessary! And the funniest part about it is that is happens at the worst possible times for hapless Junta. Not to mention the really neat emotional sequences which trigger his Mega-Playboy effect (which never seems to last long enough for him to fully end up with a girlfriend). Telling too much more would spoil it for you, but trust me, it's a rush.

The art and animation quality is very attractive, and Katsura Masakazu's character designs, also seen in Video Girl Ai, are stunning and lively, as well as being very distinctive. The storyline is well-paced and told, except for the very end, which throws in two spur-of-the-moment characters you don't get to see much of and that you don't get to see developed nearly as much as the others. As far as the characters we do get to meet, they are realistic, sympathetic, and likable. You can't help but feel sorry for Junta, a fundamentally nice guy trapped between two extremely opposing curses, neither of which is truly his fault. Karin, as well, is a fun character, even when she's chanting the mantra of her life-long dream each episode ("I want to find a nice husband, to live in our sweet, sweet home, with my cute pet, and my lovely backyard...it's a dream worth living for.") And Ami is that female best friend who you really want Junta to notice as something more than just a friend. As to which girl Junta gets, we can't tell you, of course, but this anime will keep you guessing.

The music is perfect for the tone of the scenes in the anime, and the opening theme song is bound to get stuck in your head sometime while you watch this series. Unfortunately, the series is just too short, and feels rushed toward the last four or five episodes, as if they had to wrap it up quickly. That's a shame, for I would've loved to see this as a full season at least. There's more than enough plot to go around for twice the length it actually had. But what we do have is a very fun and worthwhile anime that I hope you all get to see. Maybe we ought to chant an anime mantra like Karin does... ("That sweet, sweet anime DNA^2...")

Definitely something worth watching. — Eric Gaede

Recommended Audience: Some mild violence (Ryuji kicks Junta and Karin, hardly a big deal) and a good portion of fan service (mainly because of the nature of Junta's "curse") limit this to the teenage crowd and above, who'd be able to understand the jokes anyway. Yes, there's plenty of flatulence/vomit humor, but hardly comparable to South Park.