The Invader Comes from the Bottom of the Sea...and Quickly Conquers our Hearts!

I have to admit, I started watching Squid Girl (Shinryaku! Ika Musume!) because I was curious and bored at the time, but this adorable Slice-of-Life series quickly became one of my favorite animes! The show focuses on the misadventures of Squid Girl, a humanoid squid who decides to invade the surface world to punish Humanity for polluting the oceans. However, her plans are quickly derailed once she sets her tentacles on dry land. Her first target for invasion happens to be a seaside snack bar owned by the Aizawa siblings: The two sisters Chizuru and Eiko and their younger brother Takeru. Rather than take her threats of impending world domination seriously, everyone mistakes her for a new waitress and she soon finds herself waiting tables instead of invading. Then, when she accidentally punches a hole in the store wall while squashing a mosquito, Eiko demands that she work for them until she can pay for the damages. As Squid Girl meets more Humans and learns about life on the surface, she grows more and more attached to the Aizawa family, and they to her.

Squid Girl is designed to be a kid-friendly series, and as such there is very little objectionable content.

Violence/Gore: This category gets a 2. There is no gore, and only mild slapstick violence in the show. One character who refuses to respect Squid Girl's personal space gets knocked away by her tentacles...repeatedly, and has the bruises and nosebleeds to prove it. (more on that character later...) On the other hand, Eiko tends to get rough with Squid Girl when she gets out of line, usually by yanking her tentacles or giving her a noogie.

Nudity/Sexual Content: For a show that takes place almost entirely at the beach, there is actually no fanservice and very little innuendo at all. Many characters are shown in bikini swimsuits, but nothing overly provocative. One of the lifeguards has a crush on Chizuru, and it's hinted that he keeps pictures of her in his room. On a slightly stranger note, Eiko's friend Sanae becomes creepily obsessed with Squid Girl the moment they meet, and stalks her throughout the series. It's never mentioned whether Sanae's a lesbian, but her obsession with Squid Girl does get very strange at times, so that's why it gets a 3.

Theological Themes: 1. In one episode, everyone hangs paper slips with wishes written on them for Tanabata. In another, they go to visit a giant Buddha statue, but there is no mention of any Eastern religious philosophy.

Other: Again, this is a very clean show, so this category gets a 2 as well. Sometimes Squid Girl's lines can sound like she's swearing, she tends to say things like "What the squid are you doing?" or "That kraken hurt!" But there's little to no actual swearing.

Things I Enjoyed: Squid Girl! Seriously, she has to be one of the most funny and adorable characters I've ever seen in an anime. The whole series has a very lighthearted, relaxed feel to it, and it's just plain fun to watch. Squid Girl makes a positive impact on the lives of the people around her, whether they always realize it or not. The bonds developed between Squid Girl and her new family are very sweet, but like any family they have to resolve conflict and work out their differences as well.

Things I Disliked: One word: Sanae. As I mentioned above, her stalker behavior towards Squid Girl is the only thing I disliked about the show. Well, maybe the fact that it's only two seasons, too...

Final Words: I don't usually watch a lot of Slice-of-Life anime, most of the time there's too much inappropriate content or it's just plain boring. But Squid Girl definitely ranks in the top 10 list of my favorite anime series. If you like Slice-of-Life series with a comedic mood and cute characters, than this is the show for you! Beware, if you start watching this series, prepare to have season 1's opening theme song stuck in your head for days!