From the makers of Kanokon, comes something so much better!
At first glance and subsequent glances, Ladies vs Butlers is nothing more than your average ecchi show. So why watch it? Because it is fun!
Animation - It's nice
Personally, I liked the animation. I thought that the character models were refreshing and the way they interacted was great. The facial expressions and even minor movements were well developed and brought a liveliness to the characters. Something that is certainly taken for granted and often goes unnoticed.
As for the backgrounds, most of them are in school settings, hallways, dormatories, shower room, classrooms, etc. They are all wonderfully detailed and blend well with the overall animation. It has been a while since I've seen it, but I don't recall any obvious repeating scenes.
Sound - What do you know, it is nice too
The opening reminded me of another song and I was never able to put my finger on what song... I suppose it didn't bother me that much for me to investigate further to find out. Either way, the opening was a nice catchy song... other than that I don't really remember much about it. The ending... I don't remember much about that either, my deepest apologies.
As for the characters, their seiyuus did a wonderful job. The characters really reflected well the emotions being portrayed. You really got the sense that the seiyuus enjoyed their roles and it reflects well in the show. Every piece of dialogue that I can recall, never once felt like it was a voice reading lines. Kudos to the seiyuus.
Story and Character Development - There isn't much of a story, that isn't nice
The show revolves around Hino Akiharu, your average joe that has the unfortunate attribute of looking like a delinquent. He is enrolled at a school that trains the well to do, whom all happen to be girls, as well as their servants. His first encounter is with Sernia Iori Flameheart, who is accidentally knocked down by Hino. He comments that her hair looks like drills and affectionately calls her Drill for the remainder of the show. Anyway, he lands on top of her and as per the tradition of ecchi shows, his hand is groping her. The rest of the first episode boils down to him being chased by Sernia and causing all kinds of ruckus before finally meeting Saikyou Tomomi, his childhood friend that he greatly fears.
The show revolves around him getting accostumed to student life at the academy as well as his some-what daily life. There is plenty of nudity and most of the characters fit into the stereotypes that come with ecchi titles. There is the girl that doesn't mind stripping, the clumsy girl that causes problems for everyone, the boy that is actually a girl, the tsundere, the game loving principal, the strict teacher, the annoying guy that always gets into trouble trying to sneak peaks, the shy loli type that is actually older than most of the cast, the foreigners that love the male lead but her servant wants him dead, etc.
While all of that may seem like it is annoying, it blends really well and in the right balance that makes this show hilarious. I will tell you, if you can make it past the first episode (it is, admittedly, kind of off putting), the rest of the show is great. While there are some pretty linear story moments and things are predictable, it is still a fun and hilarious watch.
In regards to the character development, there is very little with a few of the characters... mostly people coming to like Hino. However, for the majority there isn't any.
Value and Enjoyment - It is better than Kanokon!
Most places I've seen on the internet seem to agree that Ladies vs Butlers is indeed, better than Kanokon. Although the story is pretty linear and predictable and there is virtually no character development, the saving grace of the show, in my opinion, is that it is funny! Also the ridiculous amounts of nudity certainly won't hurt if you like that, which I don't think you would even be reading this if you didn't mind nudity in anime.
Value-wise, there isn't much to be gained. No deep, interesting, philosophical, thought provoking story concepts, neither is there deep, emotionally connecting, make you cry character development. It is pretty much a mindless nude-fest with lots of humor sprinkled in. Which for that, enjoyment scores pretty high. I enjoyed the series and will probably rewatch it in the near future.
