What do you get when you cross Ranma ½ with Video Girl Ai, and throw in a dash of Dragonball Z? A wonderfully funny anime with an outrageous and unpredictable premise... with one of the most unique lead-ins around.

The visuals are nothing to write home about, but coming from the creator of Video Girl Ai, it shouldn't matter. What makes this anime so special are characters that you actually feel for. Karin, Junta, Ami, Kotomi: they all have their quirky phobias and idiosyncrasies. Keep in mind, however, that much of the humor is physical, a la Charlie Chaplin and The Three Stooges, and centers a lot on flatulence and sight gags. Depending on what tickles your funny bone, you may or may not find this anime funny at all. Japanese rock superstar L'Arc~en~Ciel provides the opening Blurry Eyes, one of those songs that most people find hard to hate.

At times, however, the story takes an odd turn, such as the Super Saiya-jinesque miniplot that wouldn't have hurt the story any had it been taken out. Masakazu Katsura's specialty is sweet shounen anime with memorable characters, not action. Well, it isn't all that bad, and it only lasts a few episodes.

All in all, DNA² is a very funny anime that's loved by some, not so by others. Having this anime end the way it did left me satisfied and feeling good. If this sounds like your cup o' tea, then be my guest.