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The Familiar of Zero starts off with a bang in the Tristain Academy of Magic as another explosion caused by Louise, goes off. In the world Halkeginia, the people are divided into nobles, people who have magic, and peasants, people who do not have magic. Louise Françoise de la Baume le Blanc de la Vallière, a noble, is nicknamed “Zero” because of having no success with any magic. When the summoning ceremony for familiars comes and Louise casts her spell to summon a familiar, she summons a human name Saito Hiraga and thus the story begins.

The Familiar of Zero has superb acting. Many of the main and secondary characters’ voices are definitive, making each character their own person. Though Guiche and Saito’s voices take some adjusting to, Louise, Tabitha, and Kirche’s voices along with Siesta’s are natural and effective. The handling of each character is well done bringing out their personalities as characters and wonderfully portraying their strengths, weaknesses and social structure attitudes. The emotions of each character is well done making the characters respond properly when appropriate. The acting makes the superb script shine.

The fantastic script helps bring people into The Familiar of Zero’s world. The diction is, for the most part, good, coming out smooth and graceful. The lines feel organic and natural for each person saying them. The lines pay close attention to each person’s social status in order to convey a speaking manner fit for their class. This difference is most noticeable when hearing Louise speak versus when Siesta speaks. The script holds down the nicely done animation.

The animation is handled well. The scenery looks vivid and pleasant while retaining the mythical and mystical feel of the series. Character models are handled nicely making each character distinct and unique, even the crowd. Each scene seems well animated, with each character’s movements and interaction animated smoothly. The animation showcases the great story.

The story in The Familiar of Zero is good. The action holds well throughout the series. The fight scenes between Saito and the nobles are fun to watch as looking at how Saito defeats magic through his Gundolf abilities. The magic versus magic fights are solid. The magic of different elements is represented well, albeit slightly generic. Though the drama is not intense, it is effective. Forque’s theft of the Staff of Destruction and the aftereffects convey the urgency of finding the Staff of Destruction. Seeing how Reconquista comes and conquers Albion builds up the tension for the war Albion starts with Tristain. The action is met by the equally good comedic part of the series.

The Familiar of Zero’s comical aspects are executed nicely. Saito’s constant verbal clashes produce a couple of smiles. Guiche makes for good chuckles like seeing him try and fail to make moves on girls and seeing him constantly cower over dangerous situations and people that can hurt him. Louise’s breast jokes are a plenty early on, but get somewhat tiring. Luckily, the breast jokes get abandoned midway through the series. The seduction scenes followed by the 'Saito getting caught in unfortunate innuendo' situations create laughable situations. Slapstick situations such as the constant physical harassment of Saito and the explosions done by Louise provide good solid laughter. Though the action and comedic aspects of the series are good, what makes the story great is its character development.

Character development defines The Familiar of Zero. Louise explores different aspects of herself. From the harsh and snobbish mistress, to the more gentle and caring person, each movement progresses efficiently and translates smoothly. Saito also evolves as a character, transforming from the weakling human to a strong individual while still retaining his mindset about justice and equality. His fighting skills also evolve as his Gundolf knowledge and abilities grow. Tabitha, who comes off as strictly the studious type, actually deepens into a character of daring and conviction. Even Kirche takes on different roles, such as the motherly type, showing off the multiple sides of her personality. Though the series in general is good, there are some slight broad problems that hold back the series.

The problems of the Familiar of Zero span across the board. The execution of lines, though fluid, sometimes get awkward, feeling out of place of what the scene actually needs to convey. This concept is apparent when Saito comes into the world and Louise cannot understand him, but the audience can perfectly understand him. The comedy aspect can get old, especially when people constantly make fun of Louise for her lack of breasts. The animation, though well done, shows off awkwardly designed faces when non-standard poses are in place. The series’ pacing seems to start off well, but then speeds up towards the end making the series seem slightly rushed. Though the problems are existent, the sound covers up most of the flaws.

The Familiar of Zero, in the sound department, is good. The background music helps to convey the mood for the scenes and bring you into the series properly. The sound effects felt in place and natural throughout the series. Though the opening and closing songs sound like standard anime tracks but it gets the job done.

The Familiar of Zero is a great comedic harem series. The story is well thought out and the animation is good. The characters are memorable and the acting and voices are well suited. Though general problems arise with this series, all of the aspects mostly overshadow these problems. The Familiar of Zer