Louise la Vallière the heroine of the supernatural comedy Familiar of Zero (2006) is a sort of Harriet Potter, studying sorcery at a wizard's academy on another planet. Her classmates refer to her as "Louise Zero" because she can't get a single spell to work properly. Second year students are required to summon a familiar that will serve them for the rest of their careers as mages: Instead of a mythical animal, Louise calls up Saito, a teen-age boy from Japan. Although she insults him, beats him, and makes him do endless chores--especially washing her inexhaustible supply of frilly undies--Saito soon falls for Louise (and vice versa, although she's loath to admit it). Somewhere in the background lurks an underdeveloped plot involving a princess, a revolt, evil courtiers, a ring stolen from a lake spirit, and lot of other supernatural trappings that don't add up to much. To take up the slack, the filmmakers fill the screen with jokes about Louise's flat chest, panty shots, jiggle shots of her overendowed classmate Kirche, and bath scenes. Not a weighty series by any means, but Familiar of Zero delivers plenty of fan service for those who crave it. (Rated 13 and older: violence, risqué humor, brief nudity, tobacco use, stereotypical characters) --Charles Solomon (1. Zero Louise, 2. Commoner Familiar, 3. Feverish Temptation, 4. A Maid's Crisis, 5. Tristein's Princess, 6. A Thief's Identity, 7. Louise's Part-Time Job, 8. Tabitha's Secret, 9. Louise's Change Of Heart, 10. A Princess's Request, 11. Louise's Marriage, 12. Zero Treasure, 13. Louise The Void)
