These are  Kampfer's protagonists, Mishima Akane and and Senou Natsuru, in their normal (i.e. non-Kampfer) forms. Akane is a shy bookish girl whose dirty mind leads her to constantly misinterpret innocuous dialogue as double entendres. Her crush on Natsuru sends her into constant fits of blushing. Natsuru is an average student who is completely oblivious to the feelings of those around him... especially if those feelings are romantic in nature.

Here we have Akane and and Natsuru in their Kampfer forms. As a  Kampfer, Akane's shyness disappears and she becomes engergetic, loudmouthed and vulgar. Her crush on Natsuru drives her into fits of jealous rage whenever she senses competition from another girl. In battle, she wields a big, black Gewehr (gun). Unlike Akane, Natsuru's personality does not change upon transforming into a Kampfer; however, her great beauty makes her the object of every other girl's affections. (Her mere presence turns all of her female classmates into instant lesbians.) Natsuru can use a type of magic, called Zauber, that allows her to shoot fireballs.

Kampfer is equal parts action, comedy, romance and fanservice. The action sequences feature animation that is fairly good, although not ground-breaking. The comedy is hilarious and varied, and managed to make me laugh several times each episode. The romantic scenes are fairly  run-of-the-mill, although unique in the respect that, thanks to a misunderstanding, most of the school believes that the female Natsuru is dating the male Natsuru. This creates a very convoluted love triangle (or quadrangle). Finally, the fanservice is usually enjoyable, although sometimes a bit overwhelming.

The show has a few flaws, too. Some of the plot points can stretch credulity; for example, Natsuru using the same name in both his male and female forms. Here you have two individuals, both named Senou Natsuru, who have the same hair color, eye color, physical features and personality, and NOBODY realizes that they're the same person? He must be taking lessons from Clark Kent. Another problem  is the overuse of fanservice, which comes to dominate the plots of the third and fourth episodes at the expense of showing any Kampfer fights. This was a disappointment for me, since the fight sequences are one of my favorite aspects of the series.

Well, that's Kampfer in a nutshell. If you're looking for a lighthearted action comedy series that doesn't require too much thought, then this might be the show for you.

What I liked:

• Tons of fun. This show is one of the most enjoyable I've ever seen.
• Great art and character designs
• Likable characters across the board. Female Natsuru is particularly endearing... *blush*

What I didn't like:

• Some plot points can stretch credulity.
• Fanservice dominates the plots of the third and fourth episodes, at the expense of action.
• The ending dance is absolutely crazy... in that it looks like performing it would rupture your spine.
• See what I mean?