Jaja uma quartet

I really wanted to like this one. I have nothing against fluff, I enjoy bottom-kicking heroines with goofy powers, and I have a soft spot for card game themes. The first part even started off quite promisingly in a Saturday-morning-cartoon way. But it all went downhill very fast.

The show looks fine, with even a bit of flair to the overall design. But the plot (what little there is of it) is a mess. There are references to things which are never explained. Supporting characters pop in and out for no clear reason. Even the central conflict is never developed beyond the level of "Chess pieces bad." The character of the black marketeer made me wince and wonder if he was intended as some kind of racist stereotype. There's no character development at all, and with so little plot it's hard to enjoy the show even as mindless action.

Some (many?) of these problems might have been redeemed if this had been the pilot to a series. As two stand-alone episodes, however, it's not worth bothering.