Anime Review No. 98 (Maria Holic)

Maria Holic (Winter 2009) and Maria Holic Alive (Spring 2011)

Studio-Shaft

Directors-Akiyuki Shinbou (with Yukihiro Miyamoto and Tomokazu Tokoro)

Writers: Masahiro Yokotani and Miku Ooshima

Well, here we are, something that I am sure most people would not expect me to cover. I was not entirely sure that I would get around to covering this show, but circumstances brought it back to my attention and so here it is. This is Maria Holic.

Maria Holic the anime is based off a manga series written by Minari Endo between 2006 and 2014. It is about Kanako Miyamae, a new transfer student to a private all-girls school. She is secretly a closeted lesbian hoping to find her first true love and a bit of a misandrist, well more in that respect due to her condition where she breaks out in hives when men touch her. She gains a new roommate in Mariya Shidou a nice and gentle ojou-sama but turns out to be a male sadist who is forced to crossdress due to the wishes of his dead grandmother who was also a former headmistress of the school. Thus Kanako is blackmailed into keeping Mariya’s secret. In the process she ends up in a series of unfortunate but comical misadventures at school.

What I like about Maria Holic is how twisted the whole thing is. The whole breadth of creative decisions for this story are made in the opposite way that they would normally trend. Be it Kanako who is basically a girl with a male pervert mindset, Mariya the sadist disguised as the nice and kind ojou-sama and her maid Matsurika who turns out to be a deadpan snarker. The rest of the supporting cast are like that and all fit a basic stereotype (tomboy, megane babe, genki girl, etc) and then taking them to a rather unexpected places.

This is quite fitting as Maria Holic is a rather black comedy at its core. The humor is prevalently dark and its funny mainly due to that. Granted there are some laugh out loud hard moments, but most of the time the comedy is met with a nice dry chuckle from yours truly..There is the semblance of a story/plot but Maria Holic relies a lot on gags and sketch comedy segments. What story is there is an interesting parody. This is very related to my previous review, OtoBoku. Whereas that was a gentle soothing parody, Maria Holic is a bitterly tinged parody and a satire of not only yuri but school slice of life and otokonoko sub-genres as well. Of course, at times it openly embraces the conventions it is joking about. The second season is more of the same, except it seems to double down on everything from the first season and it is even more strange and ridiculous.

Maria Holic S2 clip

The animation production certainly helps this out in spades. If you can’t tell from the first episode alone, this is a pure Studio Shaft/Shinbou directed show. All his trademarks are here and in spades, and it is oddly fitting for such a surreal and dark satire show. This includes the various off-point references, use of text in scene, head tilt, art shift (this show has 3 main art styles). The 2 non-consecutive seasons came out during what I consider the peak of Studio Shaft/Shinbou productions (same era as the Zetsubou Sensei, Hidamari and Arakawa series). There are the seeds of other Shaft productions lashed in the people involved in the production of this series: Yukihiro Miyamoto, future co-director for Madoka and ED for Season 1 done by the future production designer for Madoka and the OP was done by the guy who helmed the Bakemonogatari series. The main thing to take away is that it suits the story and characters, supplementing it as opposed to recent Studio Shaft productions where those same tricks are employed only the story and characters aren’t as engaging-cough cough Monogatari, Sasami-san, Meh-kaku cough cough, but moving on.
S1 OP S2 OP2
S1 ED             S2 ED

Now, onto the english dub, which is a treat especially for those of us waiting for it. The series had its 2 seasons released by Sentai Filmworks (S1 in 2010, S2 in 2012) but sub-only bare-bones releases. But then in late 2013, they announced that they were doing dub re-releases of some of the shows they had done sub-only treatment earlier. I was a bit concerned but then the dub cast came out and I did a sigh of relief. I bought both seasons with the dub in early 2014 and it was worth it. Thankfully Christopher Ayres helms the dub and as usual he doesn’t disappoint. He assembles a great cast with some of his regulars sure but he topped it out with 2 great if not perfect casting choices: Jessica Calvello and Monica Rial. I feel that Jessica Calvello’s career doing more dubs again has its origin point with this dub. She is in true comedic form asa Kanako and I have to say this is her funniest performance since Excel Saga and I can’t imagine anyone else in that role now. Of course she is complemented by Monica Rial who plays Mariya and its the surprise in the dub, always fantastic. The rest of the cast is very spot-on if littered with Ayres’ regulars (Carli Mosier, Brittney Karbowski, Meg McDonald, Shannon Emerick, etc). Another honorable mention has to go to George Manley who does the narration (old ADV fans might know him as the narrator for the ADV redub of Gatchaman a decade prior). The dub script, written by Clint Bickham (who plays a minor role in S2), is nicely done adding in some stuff to punch the already comedic material. Overall a great dub that is highly recommended by yours truly.

Overall, Maria Holic is an interesting high concept comedy show that excels in being fun and entertaining. Granted the flavor of comedy might not suit everyone’s taste but that’s ok. I like it quite a lot and its certainly up there on my list of funniest anime I have ever seen.

So that closes out March 2015 aka Guilty Pleasures Month 2.0. Will I do another series of review like this? Hmm maybe next year, but it will be under a different title for sure. April 2015 marks the release of my 99th and 100th reviews. I am keeping the subject of those 2 reviews a secret but in due time you will all find out. Review No. 99 due out on April 12th.

Til next time dear readers…..

Anime Review No. 54-Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt

"Animated Debauchery"

Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt (2010 TV Series)

Well, here starts my three review look at Studio Gainax's works. First, I shall take a look at Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt, which came out in late 2010. I saw it in anime club around early 2011, in subbed format. Last year, when I heard that it was not only getting licensed (by Funimation no less!) but also dubbed, I was all for that in a heartbeat. So, after chatting, my brother got me the complete collection for my birthday last year, and I enjoyed this show quite a lot.

Now, for those not in the know, Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt concerns the adventures of Panty and Stocking, two angels sent from Heaven to defeat evil Ghosts and collect Heaven coins to get back up to the lovely pie in the sky. But, they are too concerned with other affairs: Panty likes to screw every man in sight and Stocking likes sugar to the point where I think she's on the verge of a diabetic coma. In addition, the ghosts are all based on well, toilet humor (ranging from a ghost made of shit to a ghost that makes people fatter than cows). Essentially it is a 'monster of the week' show but made more raunchy and mature than really any shows from that genre. It is definitely not for kids at all.

Well, ok, there is something more beneath the surface. Starting halfway through the show, they try to crowbar in some big baddie who wants to enact 'the end of the world' or something like that. All well and good, but I find it to be rather forced in, no matter how entertaining. This is one of the problems that Gainax has run into since 1995, and that they try to pull this trick in most of their shows. It has rarely worked (Gurren Lagann being one of the exceptions, because it was awesome). Unfortunately, here it just doesn't work as that type of situation requires gravitas and appropriate dramatics, which Panty and Stocking can't support.

Why that is, it is due to the look and feel of the show. While many have noted the aesthetic design being similar to the Powderpuff Girls, its a lot more than that. Gainax has decided to use almost every production trick of the trades when it comes to animation: chibi SD, standard Sadamoto-eque animation, South Park-style animation, models for the ghost explosions, etc. It makes for at least an interesting viewing experience, to say nothing else.

My favorite episode of the entire series is Episode 6, "Les Diabloques". This introduces us to the Demon Sisters, Scanty and Kneesock who become the main antagonists for the second half of the show. Panty and Stocking are fighting ghosts at the local school when they stumble upon a scheme by these two to produce an army of ghosts to conquer Daten City. What ensues is quite possibly the best catfight ever put in an anime. Hiroyuki Imaishi, who directed this and Dead Leaves, seems to put a lot of effort into making this fast-paced and energetic as possible.

But what is really the selling point for this show: the dub. This is probably the only case (that I've come across) where the English dub is not only as good as the original Japanese, it actually surpasses it in almost every respect. Jamie Marchi and Monica Rial are a riot as the titular angels; it had me laughing out loud. It doesn't hurt that Ms. Marchi wrote much of the dub script, as it is full of innuendos and funny one-lines. Chris Sabat as Garterbelt is also good, even if it amounts to a white guy doing a Samuel L. Jackson impersonation. The rest of the dub cast is also very good, nearly a given since this is a Funimation dub. This is also one of the anime I've seen with both language tracks and I would recommend both for your viewing experience.

In the end, Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt, while not particularly deep, it is still a fun and entertaining series. It takes an unique spin on 'monster of the week' shows, has an interestingly diverse production, and is very enjoyable in both Japanese and English. Well worth a look, and then another, etc.

Now, without further ado, my first ever accompanying video:

(Will add in later today or tomorrow at some point)


Next review is on Gunbuster 2, to be released April 13th

Anime Review No. 32 "I Dream of Mimi"

I’m the Eclectic Dude and I review it for the lolz (especially this week).

Sorry, this review is up a day late-it’s a holiday weekend and I got sidetracked a little from the relaxation. Anyway, I’ll make an effort to post on time from now on that’s for sure.

DVD Cover Note the 17+ recommended. It's not a joke I'll tell you

Guilty Pleasures Month closes on “I Dream of Mimi” or Buttobi CPU as it is known in Japan. This 1997 OVA is strikingly similar to another OVA from that same year that I’ve looked at earlier this year. That would be My Dear Marie, an OVA deals with the relationship between a young man and his robot female companion/girlfriend. I reviewed that in February, so check that out for details, but for summary, it is a rather good if criminally under-rated OVA from the 90s, touching on a lot of issues like love, nature of humanity and reality, etc.

What is “I Dream of Mimi” about? Well, none of that interesting stuff. Instead, it’s a soft-core erotica masquerading itself as a sci-fi romantic comedy. Yes, seriously. Not surprising, since the company who made this OVA is Pink Pineapple, notorious for producing hentai (the animated equivalent of porn), though they apparently got some help from Oriental Light and Magic, who are most well-known for Pokemon. Take that what you will.

The premise of “I Dream of Mimi” is as follows: Akira, the male geek and audience stand-in, comes home one day with a box supposedly carrying a new computer. Except it’s not; it’s a young naked woman! He’s very confused, as is the audience (yours truly) and then she turns on. It is revealed that she is a biomechanical computer, state of the art (from 1997!). She then requires ‘memory’ in the form of ‘active molecules’ from her owner. They do make a cute couple, to be fair.

If this sounds a bit familiar, well minus the sexual part, congratulations: You have seen/heard of Chobits, another anime that has a couple consisting of a young average male schmoe and a robot girlfriend. I am convinced that the girls at CLAMP (who are really great mangaka) at some point must have watched this OVA. Granted, I haven’t seen much of Chobits so can’t really say how much it’s different than “I Dream of Mimi”. Then again, one guy on the web says that this is the “R-rated Chobits”, so what do I know?

Sounds like fun, eh? Yeah the stuff in ‘ ‘ stands in for stuff that I shall not mention-draw your conclusions there, just take my word on it. The 3 episodes of this OVA follow Akira and Mimi (the android/bio-computer) as they deal with everyday life juggled with well having Mimi around. The first episode has them dealing with an out-of-control bio-computer in addition to introducing the characters of this little romp. Besides the main couple, there’s Shimada, Junpei and Futoshi. Of course, they have very little to no impact on the storyline, hence why just one statement on them.

This being an erotic piece, one would expect/assume a lot of sexual scenes in the style of a typical romance novel one find at the local grocery store (I don’t read those by the way). Not true here, for you see, the editing has a weird habit of either taking out the critical parts or substituting it for symbolism/convenient censorship. The result is that any sexual scenes aren’t really titillating but are rather unintentionally hilarious. There are also not a whole lot of them, so calling hentai doesn’t do it justice.

The science fiction is nominally better. It is severely dated, as evidenced from the loads of information on computers dispensed within the other 2 episodes. That’s because the other two episodes take place largely in ‘cyberspace’ or the inside of a computer network. I actually like this as the erotica blends well with the comedy. You see, Akira and Mimi end up going there since Mimi isn’t really a person (duh!). So, they are going to hack into a government site and insert false info about Mimi to elude suspicion. But, they ran into Forte, a high-grade bio-computer who doesn’t take kindly to our couple sneaking into her database.

But before punishment happens, another nemesis appears, the Nakinotsh sisters (pfft hahahaha xD). Seriously, I get the feeling the writer of this was a huge Microsoft fan, not that I’m complaining though (been a Microsoft user since childhood). They plan on doing something nefarious to the Japanese market of bio-computers, similar to taking over the world. Oh, and they are stereotypically Amero-centric (God Bless America!). Two of them (Quadra and Centris) show up in episode 2, with a third one (Performa) shows up in the third and last episode. All of them are dealt with by end of the last episode, but promise that they will be back. Haha, fat chance xD.

So, some other things of note for “I Dream of Mimi”: The English dub is absolutely hilarious. And quite a surprise too, as it features V.A.s like Angora Deb, Megan Hollingshead and Jessica Calvello (under a pseudonym-odd).    For the DVD, they include a outtakes track, which is very funny. The animation and music are stock-standard 90s with some neat early CGI, and very high quality more so then really necessary. Finally the opening is the best earworm of music you’ll ever listen to.

Now, I have a problem with recommending “I Dream of Mimi”. You see, it is very hard to find nowadays.  I managed to find it at a local video store (now a dying out species) for about five bucks last fall. Later, I checked to see if it’s available on DVD online. On Amazon.com, last time I checked, the VHS for it was available for about nine bucks (currently unavailable). Thankfully, someone posted them up on Youtube for anyone truly curious to watch this. It is very funny and entertaining, yet doesn’t take itself too serious. It is also fairly short, running a bit under 90 minutes with only 3 episodes. The manga that this is based off of hasn’t had an overseas release, and I doubt it ever will. Good luck finding it!

Well, that’s all. I am still sticking to the Sunday release schedule, as much as I can. Expect a schedule for next month on May 31.

Laterz,

The Eclectic Dude

  

Anime Review No. 26, Part III

Hi, I'm the Eclectic Dude and I review it for lolz.

Well, Kujibiki Unbalance got 4 more episodes. Well it end on a good note, or be mired by cliched mediocrity? Let's find out. 

Episode 9 at first seems a bit directionless. First, there's Chihiro and Tokino being awkward after the sudden confession at the end of the last episode. Then, Yamada (who is an actual girl, not a robot as it turns out) is shocked to see Renko building male robots for some reason other than to have tension. There's also some aliens in the woods for some reason. In no way, connected to this episode I'm sure.

Well, Chihiro's group is given a new task: Deal with VIP guests at a fireworks event later that day. Unfortunately, Yamada has gone a little cuckoo and ran off. They have to find her, then seek out Renko as she mysteriously disappeared. A massive search effort begins, since they need her to assist with their task later. It turns out Renko got abducted by the aliens in order to repair their ship. Oh, these are the same aliens from Episode 6 (love that odd note of continuity). So, they use Renko's new robots to help launch the ship out into space. 

Chihiro and the gang do manage to get back to the fireworks in time. All seems right with the world, when the alien ship gets blown out of the sky by fireworks. This was quite a LOL moment for me, and quite unexpected. This episode is well OK, a decent mix of drama and comedy that works well. It also marks the shift in tone for the series, as the last 3 episodes are much more serious and dramatic.

Episode 10 is more centered on Koyuki and Komaki. Their older brother returns to do something unexplained, at first. It turns out that their father died while on mission for the Student Council, so the brother didn't take it well. He is also mad at the fact his sisters are working with the Student Council. So, he exacts revenge by using Koyuki's psychic powers for some aim not really unexplained. However, his plan is thwarted by Chihiro and Co. (against the Student Council's orders). Only thing of merit is Chihiro's speech to the villain after which they save Koyuki from a mind control device.  In true villain fashion, though, he ends up killing himself.

This episode I don't really like a lot. Much like Ep 3, it really has no staying power. The plot doesn't make much sense. This episode has perhaps the most deliberately cliched episode plot of the entire series. Worst thing, this comes in and out of nowhere, never mentioned again.   

Episodes 11 and 12 cap off the series very well. It ties up most of the plot lines and characters, bringing up the Ritsuko, Tokino and Chihiro "love triangle", developing it to its fullest, and then ending in a rather unexpected ending for this. Of course, the final scene goes full circle back to episode 1, except this time it is Chihiro and Co. becoming Student Council. No more then that, check it out for yourself. 

So, that was Kujibiki Unbalance. Final verdict?

Well, it is a unevenly mixed bag of a school slice of life series. In terms of every aspect of it, from story to animation to VA. 

First, the story has an interesting premise behind it. But, the execution of it is hit and miss to say the least. With the exception of 2 episodes (3 and 10) the rest of the episodes are decently done story wise and fit in quite well. It does come across a deliberate spoof of school slice of life genre, but done with enough talent and work behind it. In fact, one can make the argument that this is a precursor to other student council anime series made later, like Best Student Council, Seitokai no Ichizon and Student Council's Discretion. 

Animation is well, good yet odd. The backgrounds look really good. But, the character designs are quite odd, looking a bit "off". Good backgrounds + odd character designs = mismatch, to say the least. 

The English dub voice acting is well consistently decent, but unremarkable. Only four are of note, Angora Deb as Renko, Rachel Lillis as Vice President Kasumi, Veronica Taylor as Tokino and Lisa Ortiz as Yamada. They a do a good job for a series that really doesn't need it, but I'm thrilled for them being in this dub. The rest are people who never heard of, though they do a consistent but unremarkable job.  

This pretty much sums Kujibiki Unbalance: mostly consistent but ultimately unremarkable. Most of it is ideas taken from better series in the genre. Though, to be fair, it lacks any pretense in being an actual series, it is clear from the get-go that this is a joke. A funny, silly. OTT joke, but a joke. 

If you like parody shows, this will be a treat. If not, well then search out better stuff, which shouldn't be hard. 

Well, like I said earlier, my next review is an April Fools Day's Special. Til again, Laterz 

^_^

   

    

Anime Review No. 26, Part II

Hi, this is the Eclectic Dude and I review it for the lolz.

Well, this is Part II of Kujibiki Unbalance, covering Episodes 5-8. Is it any better, or more of the same cliche but interesting quality? Let's find out.

Episode 5 picks up roughly after the last episode. The semester is over, so summer vacation time yay ^_^. Tokino wants to get the gang together for summer vacation, but Renko (being a lil tsundere) doesn't want to come with the others, for some unspecified reason. This results in Tokino slapping her upside the face, for no real reason other than to create tension. Seriously, I find that straining believability as Tokino is rather a nice girl, so seeing that was a bit much.

Anyway, Tokino, Chihiro and Koyuki decide to go to a seminar house (read summer home) owned by the school for their summer vacation. Now, at this point, I feel like this is going to turn into another beach episode, one you find any anime series. Well, color me surprised as this episode takes a few unique twists, to say the least. Turns out, Renko's summer villa is near the same beach as the others. Tokino tries to reconcile with Renko, but isn't very successful. In fact, she almost put them both in danger. But, Koyuki, for no reason at all, uses some mysterious powers to teleport the whole group to a deserted island.

Once there, the group tries to figure out what to do. I like this part a bit as Renko seems to be the only one willing to think realistically as opposed to the rest's optimism. Of course, when all hope seems lost, Yamada shows up as a plane then promptly crashes onto the deserted island. Fortunately, the gang teams up and remake Yamada into a boat (made out of plane parts, eh? Better hope it floats xD). Well, it does, thank goodness and they make it back to the mainland. There, they meet Renko's parents, who are a bit overbearting and protective, even suggesting that she no longer attend Rikkyouin and stay at home. While I can understand their intentions, this seems a bit of an overreaction. Still, Renko stands up for herself through help of her friends and tell her parents that she is sticking with doing the Student Council work. It is rather a good moment of character development for Renko. Well, after some time passes, school is back and more work to begin. All in all, a good episode, even if it does much of it seems like filler.

Episode 6 starts off on the first day of the fall term. This, of course, means more work for our interns. It is revealed that Koyuki, being a little kid, is treated in not the best way by her classmates as she is rather reserved, shy and keeps to herself, as well as having mysterious powers. She hasn't revealed these powers for fear of further isolation. What an understandable sentiment.

Anyway, the task of the episode for our gang of four interns involves saving the school newspaper get more subscriptions. See, it was once a great newspaper with prestige but due to advances in information technology has now made the newspaper obsolete in a sense. Thus, Chihiro and his group have to assist in finding 'the big scoop'.

The group then splits off for finding a 'big scoop'. Tokino goes to the local horse racing complex and bets on the right horses to win(due to her inherent good luck). Renko decides to take pictures of Yamada doing sexy poses, which is more silly then sexy. Chihiro and Koyuki take pictures of a famous idol singer doing a surprise concert. But none of these are 'the big scoop' that they are looking for.

Finally,Koyuki decides to reveal her powers and use them in order to get 'the big scoop'. So, one evening, she calls over Chihiro to do this. She uses her psychic powers to call up an alien UFO (really?!). Of course, Chihiro doesn't want this to be the big scoop as it wouldn't be good for Koyuki and that he accepts her for what she is. SO, they end using the UFO crash as the big scoop instead and the newspaper sales surged. Another good episode, all things considered. Oh and Koyuki's sister Komaki is the owner of the Umeya noddle shop that Chihiro and his group frequent. This leads into...

Episode 7 is a more serious story, dealing with school spies. Our interns are given a task of rooting out one spy and they have one week to do that. Tokino is put under pressure, as this kind of work rubs her the wrong way, given her kind and nice nature. To support their effort, an agent is assigned to them, who turns out to be a classmate of Tokino's who's a strong, silent type (not much characterization). They split off into three groups: Chihiro-Koyuki, Renko-Yamada and Tachibana-Tokino.

After some time, they set up a trap for the spy so as to capture him/her. Turns out, Tachibana was the renegade spy all along (what a twist! xD). Also, Komaki is a personal assistant for the Student Council and a ninja, apparently. Izumi takes Tokino, which is a dumb move as the Vice President shows up to rectify the situation, as she is a miko and swordmaster, quite hardcore. However, Tokino comes up with a solution, have Izumi be a double agent, which is quite clever. This episode is also really good, due in parts to its drama and tension, much like Ep. 4.

Episode 8, much like Ep.4, is a carefully controlled character piece. Chihiro and Tokino go to Ritsuko's for her birthday celebration. Once there, they hear that Ritsuko is to be engaged to a Mr. Oribe through an arranged marriage. They deliver their presents to Ritsuko, which is a chicken doll and some eggplants. Simple gifts, but its the though that counts.

This episode still carries some aspects from Ep. 4. Ritsuko is still a cold and distant 'ice queen', though she shows signs of opening up to others, including having some 'girl talk' with Tokino. The love triangle introduced in Ep. 4 continues here in full force. Though, Tokino seems to slipping into romantic sadness as she grows concern for Chihiro. The end of the episode has Tokino confess her love to Chihiro on the way home from the party. This takes him by surprise of course.

Well, one good filler episode (can't believe I'm saying that) and three rather solid episodes. Things are looking up for this series. Hopefully the last 4 episodes will continue this trend, we'll see.

Til Next Week,
The Eclectic Dude

Anime Review No. 26, 'Kujibiki Unbalance" Part I (Episodes 1-4)

Hello, I'm the Eclectic Dude and I review it for the lolz.

Well, here it begins: Kujibiki Unbalance. A re-imagining of a "show within a show" used in Genshiken, which is a rather dull and straight look at anime otakus in college, the subject of last week's review. Apparently some one liked the idea of that show and wanted to make it an actual anime. So, 2 years later, in 2006, Kujibiki Unbalance was broadcasted on TV in Japan. It was directed by Tsutomo Mizushima with work done by Ajia-do Animation Works. So yeah different people were doing this then the people behind Genshiken. Will that make or break this? Let's find out.

Now, the concept of this show is simple and interesting: The use of a lottery to determine who gets on a student council at a upper class academy in Japan. So, essentially a school slice of life story this will turn out to be. And for the first four episodes, it seems to be just that.

Episode 1 starts us off with a good opening song, just a Jpop song over character montages, which seems rather standard and not particularly interesting. We are introduced to the main cast of characters in this first episode. First there's Chihiro, your standard male lead character whose had a streak of bad luck followed around by his childhood female friend Tokino, who conversely has good luck. Both are new students at Rikkyouin Academy, the usual "school where the rich kids go to" place. Once they get to school, they are given lots for the Kujibiki, the lottery used to determine who gets on the Student Council. And surprise, both Chihiro and Tokino are selected, each assigned to President and Vice President respectively. Sent to the Student Council room, they meet Renko the candidate for secretary. Renko can be best described as loud, smart, and short stature (source of some jokes). She also has an android assistant named Kaoru, whose function is comic relief. Watching the two banter off each other is very humorous.
Then, the current Student Council (best of the best at Rikkyouin), led by a mysterious blond girl wearing a strange helmet, come in. They explain that Renko, Tokino and Chihiro will act as interns for the current Student Council for one year, then take over and do the actual work the following year. However, any failure at any task will results in expulsion. Wow, what high stakes! Of course, their treasurer is missing. So, their first task is to find that person within the next 12 hours or be expelled.
Well, their efforts seem in vain, until they find out that their treasurer is Koyuki, a female grade schooler at Rikkyouin. After an elaborate chase scene, they track her down and convince her to join up, since she was a bit uncertain about the whole Student Council. They almost don't make it in time, but the President allows them to stay on. Of course, the President is revealed to be "Rit-chan?", someone Chihiro knows apparently.
Overall, a pretty good start.

Episode 2 continues on the story. Chihiro and his pals go through some more tasks for the Student Council. These include working for the student store, cleaning out a dorm with some rodent damage, even defusing a plot to kill the President from a malignant chess club. It's all nicely done, striking a good balance of humor and drama while still being engaging and interesting. However, there is one thing I didn't like about it-introduction to Shinbou, Chihiro's older sister and math teacher at his school. Now, she has "affection" for Chihiro that is quite frankly is a tad unhealthy and also unnecessary in this story. Which leads into...

Episode 3, in which the focus is on Shinbou, unfortunately. It turns out she was a former drag racer, trying hard to be straight-laced, as such a past is socially unacceptable for a teacher at a prestigious school. Anyway, she wants Chihiro to notices her affections (which is just strange) so she has the science teacher Mr. Kaburagi (total nerd xD) to make a love potion. He does, but a mishap causes it to be applied onto Shinbou, resulting in everyone (male and female) falling for her and chasing her down.
Now, as if that was not enough, that is Plot B. Plot A involves Chihiro and his friends tracking down a missing panda from the school zoo, because apparently Rikkyouin has one (yeah i know weird rite?). Both plots do collide in a way I saw coming a mile away. The panda gets returned and Shinbou fails to gain any ground.
Problem with this episode is that it has 2 plots that could be worth an episode by themselves but they crammed the two in just because, and as a result both suffer for it. It is a half-baked mess of terrible.

Episode 4, is an improvement, thank goodness. It deals mainly with Ritsuko, Chihiro and Tokino. Chihrio and Tokino have to go over to the school on a Sunday to get a textbook she left behind. But, a rainstorm happens, and they end up stuck at school. Fortunately, Ritsuko happened to be at the school, working on a Sunday. The two then decide to help her out with work. What I really like about this episode is that it is relatively quiet character piece. It turns out that Ritsuko went away some time ago, then returned without letting Chihiro and Tokino know about it. She is now strict, unapproachable, almost like an 'ice queen'. In the past, she was meek, shy, easy to cry, like most kids I think. Whereas it seems she has changed, in more subtle ways she really hasn't, as the episode shows.
This episode also starts off the love triangle between the three characters. I think this will play out in the end, I hope and not meander off like episode 3.

So, two good yet cliched episodes, one bad episode, one good episode-not much of a good start. Hope things improve with episode 5.

Until next week,
The Eclectic Dude