Let's be honest here.  The main reason most anime series get airplay in America has less to do with product quality and more to do with the fact that they cranked out a lot of episodes.  The economics of syndication are such that you must generally have at least 100 episodes (20 weeks worth if played one episode daily) of a series before you can sell it for syndication.    And that means that a lot of shows which would probably be very popular will never see the light of day on American TV.  "Best Student Council" is one show in that category.  With only 26 episodes, its chances of being picked up by a major network are somewhere between slim and none.  And that's a real shame, particularly since it is targetted at a demographic that is woefully underserved - grade school girls.

"Best Student Council" chronicles the adventures of Rando Rina, a new transfer student to the prestigious Miyagami Academy, an all-girls school run by the powerful "Best Student Council."  Council members have as much power (or more...) at the school as the faculty, and are all highly skilled in some way or another. Rino has no apparent skills, but is surprised to be named secretary of the Council by the popular President Jinguuji Kanade - and on her first day!  Her schoolmates are equally surprised, and some iof them are not at all happy about it!

Rino is an everygirl and the perfect underdog.  An orphan, she gets her invitation to the expensive school through the graces of her penpal, Mr. Poppit (whom she has never met).  Uncoordinated, slow-witted,  and shy, she appears to have difficulty at first expressing herself except through Pucchan, the ever-present hand puppet she carries with her.  Pucchan is everything Rino is not - bold, outgoing, experienced, and even a bit rude at times.  He's Rino's only real friend, her advisor, and at times her protector.  The other students can perhaps be excused if they, like the viewer, think he is a mere psychological crutch for Rino.  But as the series continues it becomes apparent that he is much more than that!

Over the course of the series, Rino gains friends, self-confidence, and a sense of belonging, while she and the rest of the Best Student Council deal with the trivial (and not so trivial) problems that go along with running a large school.  Along the way, many questions are answered - Who is the mysterious Mr. Poppit, and what is Pucchan's secret?  Why does Kanade show Rino so much preferential treatment, and what is Rino's real special ability?  Just as important, the major and minor characters form friendships, rivalries, display kindness, jealousy, loyalty, and all of the emotions that real girls do.  The characters have depth and personality, strengths and weaknesses. 

"Best Student Council" is a delightful series that runs for 26 episodes without ever really bogging down or turning into an "enemy of the week" format   The ending is logical and most people I've spoken to about the series were at least somewhat surprised by it, although they were able to guess bits and pieces.  It's highly recommended as a series for gradeschool girls, although its strong character designs and characterizations will probably draw in many of their parents as well, and maybe even their male siblings.

The DVDs feature the standard English and Japanese dubs, with or without English subtitles.  Extras are pretty varied across the six discs, and include "clean" (text-free) opening and closing animation, character art galleries, a "Pilot Episode" (really more of a promotional vehicle for the series containing pencil sketches of the main characters with quotes which shed some light on their individual personalities and outlooks on life), promotional advertisements for the Japanese DVD, TV, Video Game, and CD releases, as well as "ADV Previews" of other anime series.

Parental Advisory: "Best Student Council" is aimed at a younger audience, and the program inself has little if anything that nost people would find objectonable.  Parents should be aware, however, that some of the "ADV previews" contain violence, and some parents may find the "Aniime Channel" advertisement that autoplays when you load the disc to be inappropriate (and possibly frightening to some young children).  I don't know why they included this material on a disc that is intended for children, but they did.  I'd suggest watching these sections of the disc alone if you're concerned (it will only take a few minutes) and making up your own mind.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12