Ridiculously cute and sickeningly sweet; Bottle Fairy is an adorable little anime that may be loved by a younger generation of otaku but not by older viewers. The show aired in Japan during 2003 and has been released by Geneon featuring all thirteen short episodes spread out over two DVDs. I have to say that after watching the first volume this show is interesting mostly because there is really no coherent story or character development to follow. Instead we get to watch the exploits of four fairies as they try to learn about Japanese culture and humanity.

The fairies are never really given an origin or reason for being and for the most part we are left with the impression that they are there just because. Each of them has a distinctly different personality but they never really get fleshed out or given a chance to grow on this first volume. The fairies have different colors and seasons that correspond with their look and personalities so in that regard they find some individuality.

Kururu is the blue fairy and is basically the leader of the group with an overactive imagination and is associated with summer. Chiriri is the yellow fairy and may be friendly, but she's a bit of an unpredictable flake that represents spring. Hororo is the green fairy that is associated with autumn that likes to get distracted and seems to have a thing for Kururu given the imagery of many of her fantasies. She reminded me of Osaka from Azumanga Daioh somewhat since the personalities are similar. Lastly Sarara was probably my favorite mostly because she was the tomboy with a fascination for samurai and ninjas. Sarara is the red fairy that is related to winter.

There are some other characters in the show that pop up now and again, but the main one is a guy that is basically the caretaker for the fairies. There's no rhyme or reason for their existence or how he came to be their guardian; it's just kind of something you have to accept in order for the show to work. In addition to their keeper, the neighborhood girl chimes in to give guidance to the fairies and offer inaccurate insight into humanity. It's representative of how children perceive the behavior of adults, but again will be most appreciated by younger viewers.

There are six episodes included on the first disc and they are each broken down into different months of the year. The content here runs from April to September and really runs the gamut in terms of subject matter. Everything from cultural festivals to school entrance ceremonies and marriage are covered here in dreadfully stereotypical fashion. The episodes here are mildly amusing, but not entirely refreshing or entertaining. They are mostly comprised of random events capsulated by the fairies misinterpretations or our culture and not much else.

Bottle Fairy is a show that is strictly designed with the young otaku in mind so much of the series will be lost on older viewers. The content on this first volume isn't all that impressive and it's really not enough to warrant a recommendation. There is next to no character development, on going plot or involved story to pull you in. Yes it's cute and funny at times, but that's not really enough to carry a series. Then again, I had a much better time with this show than I did with Tokyo Pig.

Bottle Fairy: Spring and Summer is presented in the original 1.33:1 ratio full frame it aired with back in 2003. Brightly colored and fluidly animated the show looks great on DVD with little to no flaw stemming from the transfer. The only minor complaint that I picked up on was a slight bit of aliasing in some scenes. As if the content wasn't enough to deter older viewers, the art style isn't going to be winning any points either. The design of the show is solid but breaks down occasionally for some goofy animations and generic adorable expressions.

The disc is packed with two sound options including original Japanese and English 2.0 Dolby Digital offerings. For what it is the quality is pretty good though there isn't a lot of directionality and everything really comes from the center channel. The audio was clean and clear with no hints of distortion and for the most part the voiceovers on both tracks are acceptable (though they got on my nerves after a while). The DVD also includes two English subtitle tracks; one for dialogue translations and another for signs only.

The only bonus material on the disc aside from some trailers is clean opening and closing animations. This is the standard inclusion on a Geneon release which is unfortunate, but considering that the show here is rated for the age group of 7 and up you can't expect everything and the kitchen sink to be tossed in.

Bottle Fairy is a show without a diverse interesting range. The subject matter at hand basically means that it's going to appeal most to fans of younger anime or even some borderline loli stuff. Unfortunately I'm not really into either. I dug the idea of teaching Japanese culture through the eyes of cute little anime critters and the material is entertaining for what it is but the lack of development and an interesting story basically makes this one a skipper. The only reason I'm going to assign a rental to it is that some of you may be more open to experimenting with their anime and may dig it. Rent It

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