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 More than just kids and their adorable pets >>> by thundersenshi (09.07.01)
Hanakoganei Hibari has been longing to own a PataPi of her own. So when she receives one from the prince in her dreams, she is ecstatic, and fondly names it Densuke. But something strange is going on. Hibari founds herself being attacked by a mysterious woman who demands that she hands over Densuke. Apparently, there is more to her adorable pet than she first thought--and transforming into an older, female mech warrior version of herself is just one of them. Not only that, she discovers that there are a few other girls like her who own PataPies with similar abilities. But why only them? What makes them so special?
The first time I caught a glimpse of this show, I thought it was another Pokemon rip-off. The PataPi, a popular electronic pet as introduced in this show, is just as lovable as the infamous pocket monsters are. The main characters are a bunch of kids, too (mostly 12-13 year olds, and some very childish ones at that), but that's where all similarities end. ADG actually has a pretty interesting plot that I didn't realize at first. It definitely wasn't as kiddie as I expected it to be. Honestly, though, I had hoped they would deepen the plot more, because it had very original and fascinating concepts. It involved a lovely combination of ancient history and mythology that added mystery to the whole thing. I couldn't help but be a little disappointed that the plot development didn't meet my expectations.
The fabulous mechs called Divas are also reasons to love this show. I found the transformation/fusion sequences quite impressive, both in art and animation. I also like the music. The ending song, "Taiyou no Hana" is in fact, one of my all-time favorite anime themes, which is saying much. It's also usually accompanied with beautiful artwork that changes on ocassion, which is why I never miss to see (and hear) it at the end of the show.
(Thundersenshi's grade: Art - 8, Story and Plot - 8, Characters - 7, Sounds - 9, Overall - 8)
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I'm just glad I didn't pay to see it...>>> by