The Familiar of Zero - DVD

Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière is a second-year student at the Tristain Academy of Magic with one persistent problem: she cannot cast a single spell correctly. Every attempt ends in an explosion. Her classmates call her Louise the Zero. The one ritual she cannot fail is the Familiar Summoning — a sacred rite of passage where each mage bonds with a magical creature that will serve them for life. Louise's summoning produces a Japanese high school boy named Saito Hiraga, pulled from modern Tokyo through a dimensional rift. She is horrified. He is confused. The Familiar contract is binding regardless. Saito is now her Familiar — expected to do her laundry, sleep on the floor, and generally accept that his entire existence has been repurposed. He accepts none of this gracefully. Louise retaliates with a riding crop. Their relationship begins exactly as it will continue, and gradually, against everyone's better judgment including their own, it becomes something considerably more complicated.

The Familiar of Zero is a 13-episode romantic fantasy comedy produced by J.C. Staff — the studio behind Slayers, Little Snow Fairy Sugar, Sorcerous Stabber Orphen, and Descendants of Darkness — directed by Yoshiaki Iwasaki (Love Hina, Love Hina Again and specials), and based on Noboru Yamaguchi's light novel series published under Media Factory's MF Bunko J label. It aired on Chiba TV and other stations from July to September 2006. The series was one of the flagship titles of the mid-2000s tsundere heroine wave, with Rie Kugimiya — who also voices Alphonse Elric in Fullmetal Alchemist and performs all four ending themes for the franchise — establishing the template for a character type she would define across multiple subsequent series. Originally released in North America by Geneon Entertainment on three individual DVD volumes; the box set collects all 13 episodes. Sub only — no English dub was produced for any Familiar of Zero release in North America.

Notable Staff & Voice Talent

Director: Yoshiaki Iwasaki (Love Hina TV, Love Hina Again, Love Hina specials)
Series Composition: Hideki Shirane
Original Light Novel: Noboru Yamaguchi (MF Bunko J label, Media Factory, 2004–2011; 20 volumes; completed posthumously 2017 with 22 volumes total)
Character Design: Eiji Usatsuka
Studio: J.C. Staff (Slayers, Little Snow Fairy Sugar, Sorcerous Stabber Orphen, Descendants of Darkness, Revolutionary Girl Utena)
Music: Shinji Ushiro
Opening Theme: "First Kiss" by Ichiko
Ending Theme: "The Real Feeling (Honto no Kimochi)" by Rie Kugimiya

Japanese Cast:
- Rie Kugimiya as Louise Françoise le Blanc de la Vallière (Fullmetal Alchemist — Alphonse Elric, El Cazador de la Bruja — Yunyun, High School DxD — Koneko, Ben-To — Koneko)
- Satoshi Hino as Saito Hiraga
- Yui Horie as Henrietta de Tristain (Kurogane Communication, Love Hina, Fruits Basket, Freezing Vibration additional cast)
- Mikako Takahashi as Siesta
- Nana Mizuki as Tabitha (Vandread, Gate Keepers 21, Hyper Speed GranDoll, El Cazador de la Bruja — Nadie)

DVD Features (Geneon Entertainment Season 1 Box Set)

- All 13 Episodes — Complete Season 1
- Subtitle Only — No English Dub Produced
- Geneon Entertainment Previews

Spoken Languages: Japanese Audio Only, English Subtitles

Edition Details

Japanese Title: ゼロの使い魔 (Zero no Tsukaima / The Familiar of Zero)
Runtime: ~325 Minutes (Complete Season 1, 13 Episodes)
Director: Yoshiaki Iwasaki
DVD Release Year: 2006–2007 (U.S. Individual Volume Release, Geneon Entertainment); Season 1 Box Set also available
Original Broadcast Date (Japan): July 3 – September 25, 2006 (Chiba TV)
Publisher: Geneon Entertainment (Pioneer)
Rating: 14+
Region: Region 1 (U.S. / Canada)
Note: Subtitle only — no English dub produced for any North American Familiar of Zero release. Series continued for 3 additional seasons (Seasons 2–4). Rie Kugimiya performs all four ending themes across the full franchise.
Genre: Fantasy, Romantic Comedy, Harem
Themes: Summoned from Modern Japan, Tsundere Heroine, Magic Academy, Familiar Contract, Rie Kugimiya Tsundere Icon Role

Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.