A couple of years ago Bandai started releasing My-HiME to the masses here in the States and it drew in a decent crowd. Originally the series aired in Japan between 2004 and 2005, so when it was released here in America it was very fresh. Now that some time has passed, and the inspired spin-off My-Otome is currently available, Bandai decided it was time to bring the whole original show together as part of its Anime Legends collection line.

In case you missed it the first time around, My-HiME contains 26 episodes of high-octane action, plenty of boobs, and a plot that keeps you guessing the whole time. The whole idea behind the show is that there is this school where a lot of weird stuff is always happening. The Fuka Academy is run by students for students, but there is something else going on behind the scenes.

Monsters known as Orphans being to appear and they harass the populous in many different ways. As any good monster should, their butts get kicked by a group of powered beings with awesome weaponry and a penchant for going over the top. The HiME (Highly-Advanced Materializing Equipment) are a group of female students with the power to craft weaponry from thin air and summon creatures (called Child) into battle. The HiME are identified only by a tiny symbol on their body and their ability to see a red star next to the moon. Explanations surrounding the origin of this are scattered throughout the show, but there's no big reveal until you get close to the end of course.

The show focuses on a young girl named Mai and her brother Takumi. In the first episode they are riding a ferry and are on their way to Fuka Academy for the first time. The ferry encounters a young girl floating in the water clutching a sword and brings her on board to resuscitate her. Mai seems to be the only one around that actually knows CPR so she gets to work immediately. The girl comes to and Mai notices that she has the same "birth mark" on her body as she does (the aforementioned tiny symbol). Mai also happens to notice the mysterious red star in the sky, but doesn't really think anything of it at that moment.

Later that night a speeding boat rushes into the picture and a strange person boards the ferry searching for the young girl who Mai saved. After finding her, the two engage in battle with weapons materializing out of thin air. The battle is intense and it gets even more ridiculous as the aggressor summons a metallic tiger-like thing into the fight. Eventually the ship gets literally sliced in half and Mai is caught in the center of it all. Unwittingly, she finds herself casting fire from her bare hands and the next thing she remembers is waking up on the Fuka Academy's front lawn.

From here the show kicks into full gear and introduces Mai into the world of the HiME. Naturally she has questions about what exactly it means to be one of the elite girls, but she's thankfully not alone. The girl she rescued on the boat, Mikoto Minagi, becomes her friend, and more or less seems to have a crush on her. Joining them is the standoffish Natsuki, who was the original attacker on the boat. It turns out that the girls have a lot more in common than they first though and reluctantly they join forces and become friends. Other HiME girls are introduced throughout the show from the endearing Midori to the murderous Nao. All in all it's a fairly robust cast assembled here.

The plot in My HiME meanders around for a bit at the beginning. Things starts out very slowly as the characters are introduced and elements that are driving the back story begin to bubble to the surface. There are some very episodic adventures scattered throughout the show that allow the girls the opportunities to explore their powers, and through that we learn that their real abilities come from the life force of their loved ones. Their Summon creatures essentially live off the life of the one closest to their hearts, so when a HiME goes into battle they take not only their lives in their hands, but their other's as well.

Once the cast is assembled a couple of plots come through that have lasting repercussions. A young girl named Alyssa Searrs presents a severe threat to Mai, the HiME girls, and the school itself. Her storyline lasts for a few episodes and it's probably one of the best plots found in the show. Otherwise you'll be watching episodes with random villains stepping up to be defeated by Mai and company as the mystery elements surrounding the HiME continues. Right up to the end, My-HiME is an entertaining, but somewhat unbalanced effort that kind of fumbles the ball in some ways. Too much of the show focuses on relationships rather than the actual story itself. There was a great amount of opportunity here to really capitalize on the background of the show, especially towards the end, but most of the events feel like an afterthought.

Despite some of the reservations I had for My-HiME, in the end it was a solid action series that offered plenty of eye candy and just enough story to scrape by. The characters are a lot of fun and there's plenty to like about the show. If you missed it the first time around then the Anime Legends collection is a good opportunity to pick the series up for cheap. Consider it recommended.

With a recent production date My HiME offers some very nice visuals within its 1.33:1 presentation. The image is crystal clear with no grain or noticeable artifacts. There was a slight amount of aliasing, but it wasn't anything too distracting. Typically the grain arrives in a transfer that features a lot of dark scenes and such, but this anime in particular is about as colorful as it gets. The artwork and animation is top notch with very fluid movement and some very attractive design. From start to finish this is a very good looking show that originates from a solid production.

Two stereo tracks are featured prominently on this release with English and Japanese getting the language treatment as you'd expect. The quality is fair with mild diversity in the audio direction but neither track has a lot of depth. Voice acting for each track is generally well done and acceptable so at least that's not an issue. I didn't hit any technical snags while I was watching either and found the volume pitch to be spot on. English subtitles are included on the disc as well.

This collection offers a repackage of the original individual volumes of the series. That means you can expect some trailers, textless animation, a fully Japanese promotional clip for the show (with no English subtitles), and a director's cut version for the final episode. As far as the director's cut is concerned there are very minimal differences that are hard to pinpoint unless you're doing a side-by-side comparison. The DVD packaging claims to include "Character Featurettes", but there are none to be found on any of the seven discs here.

My HiME is an entertaining anime with a lot of twists, interesting characters, and a nice level of intrigue. Unfortunately, it's also a show that doesn't capitalize on its pieces very well. There are moments during the 26 episodes where you'll be on the edge of your seat, salivating for the next moment, but then the show will slip back into a steady, somewhat droll routine. Overall I'm left with a positive impression about the show, but it's not exactly a breakout success or an absolutely "must see". Instead this is a solid recommendation if you're in the market for an eye candy laden action series with some science fiction elements and girls with big boobs.

Check out more of my reviews here. Head on over to my anime blog as well for random musings and reviews of anime, manga, and stuff from Japan!