4/5 A Majorly Pleasing Blend
  by Philly Farmgirl (Philly...duh?)
Tweeny Witches is not just a show about magical girls, it's about respecting freedom, respecting power, and not being afraid to change the world. It has the basic element of girl transported to magical realm, but it infuses it with a fast paced story, strong willed characters, and beautiful artwork, with added CGI affects. It's not just fantasy, there are also some science fiction elements as well. The magical realms are full of imagination, and the sprites are all designed in a quirky Gothic style. The end credit sneak peeks for the next episode are definite highlights. The editing may take a while to get used to but when you do, you barely notice it. I think it is a great show for both kids and adults alike. I would recommend it for fans of Harry Potter, Hayao Miyazaki, Tim Burton, and the non-stop adventure series The Edge Chronicles. That's a pretty cool mix when you think about it.

4/5 not just for kids!
  by John Ronald (Sugar Land, Texas)
This Anime is yet another guilty pleasure of mine; although clearly aimed at younger viewers, it is still a lot of fun for adult Anime fans as well. Coming-of-Age stories are always touching, and like another reviewer mentioned, the Harry Potter cinema experience has probably whetted my appetite for this sort of thing. I've not ready any of the HP books, nor do I plan to--but I've seen all the movies and love them. I happened to see a trailer for Tweeny Witches on another DVD I was renting and decided to give this one a try. I was surprised how much they are able to pack into such short little episodes. The visuals are simply stunning. Normally after the first few times, I just skip through the intro segments to most Animes. Not this one. The opening sequences are so stirring to the heart that I just have to let them play, especially as one grows emotionally attached to the characters and their struggles. While I commend Arusu's ecological awareness and concern for the fate of the fairies, who are sentient beings, her strict pacifism is as annoying as it is impractical. She does sometimes fight back, but only with great reluctance. I understand this probably comes from the fact that pacifism is very much a part of Japanese culture post-1945; It was practically imposed on Japan by the US occupation force in the immediate postwar period. But I think Arusu is slowly learning that it is impossible to fight injustice and protect your friends and the things you hold dear without sometimes actually, um, fighting. She does try to stay true to her ideals, and for that I have to give her grudging respect, but I can certainly understand Sheila's exasperation with her at times. Eva in this volume is little more than comic relief and cuteness; We have to wait until Volume 2 before Eva finds her own voice and inner confidence.

My rental copy of this 2-part DVD was slightly scratched and would only play through the first 3/4 of the DVD before my Playstation2 rejected it as unreadable. I had to take it upstairs and finish watching it on my home PC monitor. This happened with both discs, very annoying. I had much better luck with Volume 2.

Although the visuals are very impressive, with just the right mix of CGI and traditional animation, the story is very much driven by the characters and their relationships in the face of a looming Realm-wide crisis. "Tween" is a bit o a misnomer, since Eva is probably 9-10 and Sheila and Arusu are likely around ages 13-14, that is, already young teens ("Tween" tends to describe ages 11-12, i.e. "pre-teens" who are no longer like other children but not yet adolescents who have hit puberty).

Arusu reminds me of other "humans out of their element" heroes like Farscape's John Crichton, or the hero in Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, or Philip J. Fry of Futurama. All rise to the occasion and adapt to their new environment and win the love and respect of the locals. Like other immigrant narratives such as those extolling and renewing the "American Dream", Arusu renews the hope of all (native) witches in the true power of magic.

4/5 Tweeny Witches is a hit!
  by Neil Barto
Tweeny WItches is a cute and action packed anime filled with stunning visuals. Like many Japanese anime, the story starts out with you scratching your head and thinking What's going on? One thing you need to remember is that must anime origins don't start out right away like U.S. animation tends to do. There is usually a build up of different events which than leads to the reveal of how Arusu a young girl from our Human world ends up in a magical world full of witches and warlocks. Arusu believes magic is to make people happy and is devestated when she finds witches using it in unhappy ways. She is mortified that witches capture fairies to aid in witch magic and decides to release the fairies, and along the way making friends with some of them that grant her powers that witches normally have to get by force. Though Tweeny Witches seems to be a childrens anime it is more for teens because of some of the mild animated violence and language.
The special features are at a minimum. There are four trailers and a hidden easter egg for a fifth trailer of the 2nd volume of Tweeny Witches on the first disc. On the second disc is a short interview with the creator about 10mins long and the open and ending credits without words so you can see the nice animation in what they call clean viewing.
I really enjoyed this first volume and recommend it to Harry Potter fans. It's kind of what Hermione would do if set loose to save all the elves in the world but is instead saving fairies.

4/5 Very Enjoyable. Great For All Ages
  by Jeffrey D. Sherwood (Idaho)
I loved this first volume. It was a lot of fun. The three main characters go to the extreme of their personality types, but I think it works. The story opens with Arusu in a forest and talking about how excited she is about magic. At first she got on my nerves, but then I realized she is an energetic kid. Arusu obnoxiousness helps show she is in a place where she doesn't fit in.

The next character is Shiela and she is always mad and mean. She wants Arusu to go away. It never works out that way. Sheila's meannes works, because she keeps the other two on track and moving. Without Sheila it would all fall apart.

Eba is this whiney little third character. She is here so we will have someone to feel bad about and cheer for when she overcomes her fears.

Yes, this is fast paced and a lot of things are thrown at you quickly. You need to pay attention to catch it all. I think the series could have benefited from slowing down a little. I think that is my only complaint with this series.

The artwork in this series is wonderful. There is a fresh look at magical stuff. I especially like the fresh take on fearies. Forget the cute little winged girls. These fearies look like Tim Burton got a hold of the Pokemon creatures. I also really like the music. It fits perfectly with the series. I would like to find the soundtrack.

I don't think you will go wrong with this selection.

3/5 So Annoying!
  by L. B. Bryant (Astoria, OR)
While it was fascinating to see what would happen if Miyazaki and Tim Burton got together for an anime title, there are just too many things that bother me about this series. Arusu is one of the least likeable heroines I've come across in a long time, the story is drawn out and really felt like it went nowhere within the first seven episodes and despite all the plot hooks that they are dangling in front of me, none of them make me want to pick up the second volume. While younger members of the viewing audience might get into this fantasy title a bit more, I think anyone else is going to find themselves bored and wanting to smack Arusu upside the head just as much as I did. Pass on this one and save your money for something else.