Anime Review No. 97 (OtoBoku)

OtoBoku: The Maidens are Falling for Me! (2006 TV Series)

Studio-feel.

Director-Munenori Nawa

Writer: Katsumi Hasegawa, Masaharu Amiya, Masashi Suzuki and Tomoyoshi Nagai

Some guilty pleasures are so due to just trashy and full of fanservice. Agent Aika from last time is like that. Yet others are so due to being far out and weird/surreal they are and that you are surprised that anyone would like this, much less give it the time of day. The other 2 entries this month are like that. Let’s talk about OtoBoku.

It is an original story by Caramel Box, based on an eroge visual novel that came out in 2005. The anime adaptation came out about a year after that as OtoBoku came out at a time when visual novel adaptations were king (the Key VN adaptations). The story is a simple setup. Mizuho is a young man who gets roped into going to an all girls school by his grandfather’s last will. Lucky for him he is so androgynous that a simple makeover by confidant/childhood friend Mariya and bears a resemblance to his late mother. With only his teacher knows and headmaster knowing who he really is, he strives to do the best he can at the new situation he has gotten into. He meets various other girls at the school, be it the redhead tsundere Kaichou and her Vice Prez megane babe Kimie-san, the mysterious dark haired beauty Shion and 2 kouhai, the genki Yukari and the cutie Kana among others.

Yesh thats a boy (FFWL i guess xD)

Essentially OtoBoku is a rather gentle, soothing and laidback slice of life school story but with a gender bender twist. Yes this is a sub genre of anime called Otokonoko which is basically pretty pretty boys ending up in situations where they must dress up as girls for some reason or other. Yeah a very high concept idea I know. Of course Mizuho takes it in stride and use the opportunity to become a better person and improve the lives of the other students as best as he can. There are also elements of yuri anime as well here, like the senpai-kouhai pairing and emphasis on female on female relationships as per Strawberry Panic. At times certain elements of the show downright copy Strawberry Panic, not surprising considering this came out right after Strawberry Panic-Elder election is pretty much a ripoff of the Etolie plot line from Strawberry Panic except not as drawn out.

It-its not because I like you or anything gosh -blush-

In fact OtoBoku starts out a bit like Strawberry Panic in that it does little story arcs for the first half with Mizuho coming into his own given his weird situation and real light and fluff. Whether it’s dealing with the rivalry between Takako and Mariya, winning over the student body by becoming Elder or helping Ichiko, a ghost girl, come to terms with her untimely death. Then episode 6 brings in a more coherent storyline that extends to the end, giving the show more a dramatic and serious edge. Granted its more situational stories but there is more cohesion between the episodes. An interesting love triangle develops between Mizuho, Takako (Kaichou-san) and Mariya, though it is mostly due to misunderstanding and lack of proper communication. Yet, the Takako route is the prominent one in the anime series which reveals the the VN origin of this show but I find it works very well. Takako, next to Mizuho, is my favorite character of the show. That comes to mainly how well she is written, though she does start off as a tsundere and rigid authority figure but as the show goes on she softens up to and develop feelings for Mizuho. I feel that the series has a predictable yet satisfactory conclusion. There is an episode 13 that is just a silly chibifest rendition of Cinderella that is really hilarious and full of laughs.

We are soooo blitzed right now xD

Animation is mostly solid if a little unimpressive. Like Strawberry Panic, it has a look not too different from the source material it is based on and goes its intended job without derping or excelling at it. It does have an unique chibi design which I termed ‘fugly chibi’ which whenever it shifts from the more straightforward character design art to this I burst out laughing but given that this was intended for the more LOL moments that is to be expected. The music feels like leftovers from Ouran and the voice acting (in japanese, no dub) is rather solid if predictable in terms of casting and performance, except for one. Mizuho is voiced by renowned seiyuu Yui Horie who isn’t quite adept at sounding more like a boy then as a very girly girl at times. As I mentioned, this is was released by Media Blasters around the same time as Strawberry Panic when they just churn bare-bones releases without a dub. Its so bad in fact that the edition I have contain discs with no artwork on the discs themselves.

Now there is Futari no Elder, a 3 episode OVA made in 2012 with a different director and studio, based on a spinoff manga of the original story. It is a somewhat more somber and serious story granted and has a slightly similar initial incident to OtoBoku but feels enough like a natural sequel and separate story and not a mere copy/paste job of the original series. It is also a nice, short and self-contained story which proves to be a bit more emotionally resonant with me at least then the TV series. It also looks a bit better than the 2006 series, naturally. It gets a recommendation from yours truly though good luck finding it as this hasn’t gotten an official release and I doubt it will but hey a guy can dream.

OtoBoku ED aka Totally Pants xD

So yeah Otoboku is a guilty pleasure that fortunately has enough charm and amusement to it to be somewhat enjoyable, even given the weird and off-putting premise. Next time, won’t be such the case.

Til next time dear readers

Anime Review No. 95 (Strawberry Panic)

“Lesbians!, Lesbians! ~”

Strawberry Panic (2006 TV Series)

Studio: Madhouse

Director: Masayuki Sakoi

Writers: Kazuyuki Fudeyasu, Hideo Takayashiki and Tatsuhiko Urahata

Well February 2015 closes out with a personal favorite of mine, a seminal classic in a sub-genre that if you haven’t paying attention, I really love. The show in question is Strawberry Panic, also slight spoilers.

Strawberry Panic is the story of a new transfer student Nagisa Aoi as she comes to Astraea Hill, the site for 3 interconnected all-girls vaguely Christian schools: Le Rim, Spica and Miator. On her first day, she meets her interesting roommate Tamao Suzumi and the mysterious Etoile-sama, Shizuma who holds some deep and dark secrets. Together, Nagisa does the typical adventures at school-making friends and hanging out with them, and also lesbian relationships.

That is the very much the landmark of a yuri series, a focus on lesbian relationships or relationships between women with lesbian subtext. In Strawberry Panic, at least in the TV series, its the former where there are 2 main plots that are all about relationship dynamics. Shizuma and Aoi is the main (A) plot with Hikari and Amane being secondary (B) plot. Plot A is mainly internal conflict fueled by indecision and inner turmoil on the parts of Shizuma and Aoi. Plot B has more external conflict preventing Amane and Hikari getting together, with Kaname and Momomi (2 senpais who very obviously lesbians) serving as rough antagonists though they act more like cartoon villains in much of what they do in the course of the show. Plot A I find is the more compelling, especially when Shizuma’s backstory is revealed and we understand her a bit more and why she acts the way she does. Granted it does get a bit overdramatic and leans into melodrama/soap opera at times but it is still one of the strong elements in the show.

Goodness, Yaya you are way too good for Plot B's story

Plot B is the weak link of the show, mostly because I can’t really care about Hikari and Amane. Hikari is such a wallflower and Amane is an oblivious bifauxnen. The only interesting aspects of this plot is Yaya you do manage to feel something for because to see how much stuff she goes through in the series and a shame she doesn’t really get anyway by series’ end. Oh well, that’s what fanfiction is for. There is a rather valedictorian feel to the final episodes and the show ends on a satisfactory if a bit telegraphed conclusion.

Granted there are other characters, like Chikaru (student council president of the Le Rim school) and her band of classmates (megane Remon, genki Kizuna and the quiet cutie Kagome with her teddy bear Percival) who provide a lot of the levity to the more sombering drama of the main story. There are side adventure episodes, based on rather cliche situations, peppered throughout the series which do come across as filler at points, but are still enjoyable. Well these episodic plots are a just a bit fresher when the show came out in 2006.

Now, Strawberry Panic is one of the more definitive entries in the genre. In fact it is the show that got me interested in the yuri genre, and thus held in high regard by many yuri fans as their first exposure to the genre. It solidifies a lot of the tropes for the genre presently: The senpai-kouhai pairing and the complex relationship dynamics. There is the main theme like the notion of lesbian love: Forbidden, unconditional, unrequited and lost forever, tied to Shizuma’s past for instance. There is also the fleeting nature of youth and innocence and the regret and sadness that follows that, all of this couched in a cute and soothing slice of life atmosphere and environment, adding in tropes and notions from slice of life and high school stories. It is a tad romanticized, that hey that’s the nature of fiction.

Lesbian cuties hanging out.....and such xD

Strawberry Panic is a nice jack of all trades show. What I mean by that is that it is really good at balancing light-hearted comedy, soothing slice of life and serious drama but doesn’t quite excel at any of them, though it certainly tries. Focus episodes on side/supporting characters like the previously mentioned Chikaru and the Le Rim girls are a highlight for me (episodes 6 and 8 especially).

Chikaru you are best girl ^_^

Now the visual presentation is well-done, but not exactly the best work by Madhouse. It has a real somber and subdued look, with a light and pastel color palette. It derps and dips a bit, but thats nearly expected for a show that’s nearly a decade old. The orchestral music is warm and neo-classical in a chamber music style with woodwinds, strings, light brass and piano music abound. It does remind me a bit of the contemporarous Ouran’s equally flowery and melodramatic OST. The OP and ED songs are pleasant enough.

OP1 OP2 ED1 ED2

Now, this show was released sub only a few times by Media Blasters (singles in 2008, with complete set releases in 2009 and 2012)  just following the economic crash in the States. In fact, it was one of the first series that got this and set a precedence for sub-only releases that we in the States get in recent years. Fact is that dubbing became too costly for every anime acquired and just releasing with subtitles and a bare-bones release is cheaper and you got a better shot at getting your money back. The japanese language track is good and worth a listen, though a lot of the acting is archetypal and typical of how those tracks are done. One of the reason why I don’t usually talk about Japanese language tracks is because as an English speaking fan, I can’t really judge fairly the performance standards of japanese voice acting.

Cute yuri kiss scene ^_^

Overall Strawberry Panic is very good. It is a great exploration of blossoming romance between young women and an examination of an anime genre that recently has gotten some resurgence which I find very pleasing. Granted, its a bloated towards the middle as the story and plots drag in the middle third and does indulge in the melodrama a bit too much, but still worth a look at. And well, the moral of yuri is that indeed, girls can love girls.

Now for Something Completely Related xD

Next month’s reviews will be in a post tomorrow- ‘Til next time dear readers.

Anime Review No. 68-Ah My Goddess, Season 1 Episodes 25-26 (OVA tied to 2005 TV Series)

AH My Goddess Season 1, OVA Episodes
Released December 23, 2005
Studio: AIC, Director-Hiroki Goda, Writers: Takashi Aoshima (E25) and Jukki Hanada (E26)
Now, I am only covering this OVA 2 parter related to the Ah My Goddess TV Series for two reasons. One, I like this show quite a lot but don't quite have the time to cover the series as a whole. Second, the remainder of my reviews for this year will be over OVAs, so it fits within the format. If you want to press me for another reason, I need something to fill in an empty slot and figure that this would be easy filler.

For those reading not in the know for Ah My Goddess, check out my reviews covering the 90s OVA (OMG OVA Part 1, OMG OVA Part 2) and the Movie (Ah My Goddess Movie Review). Also, be sure to watch this two episodes before reading the review as it is spoiler-heavy.
Here are the links to the episodes in question, courtesy of Media Blasters:
AMG Ep 25
AMG Ep 26

Ok, you done now? Let us begin...

Episode 25: Ah! Urd's Small Love Story?

Sake-please drink responsibly

After the incident with the Lord of Terror (final arc of Season 1), Keiichi and Belldandy's life has returned to normal it seems. However, Yggdrasil is running into some problems as it is still recovering, much like a computer recovering from a massive DOS attack or virus. For one thing, Urd has turned into a child and Belldandy has fallen asleep, though she has a nice and cute chibi avatar. After getting some proper clothes for kid-Urd, she decides to go out and just loiter about, with her booze in tow.


I smell a future ufo doll here....

In the course of her loitering, she runs into a young bespectacled boy named Shohei Yoshida, who look likes me back in the day. They bond over some videogames, as you do in these modern times. The poor boy is smitten by her, of course, and they plan to meet again the next day in the park.

Notice that it is POP, not you know, that other mobile gaming device...

Of course, Keiichi and Belldandy are off on a search for moon rocks, which can serve as an alternative power source. But Urd tells them not to worry about, as she is enjoying herself as a kid. One of the things that I like Urd and make her an interesting is her hidden sadness and regret masked by her bold in-your-face exterior attitude. For me , I can see why she is hesitant  to return to normal, as her childhood was, shall we say, less than pleasant. You know, being a half goddess, half demon hybrid; it is explained and explored further in the series proper. 


Words of Wisdom....from Urd?!

So, fun times with Shohei and kid-Urd 'til she ends up rescuing him for falling off a tree. After figuring out that Shohei is a bit of dorky coward, she decides to help him build confidence and get rid of his fear...by taking up to the top of a construction site. She means well, but her methods are a tad extreme to say the least. Nonetheless, Shohei mans up and overcomes his fear. It is quite nice and touching watching the two develop a relationship, only with Urd regretting it later.




So, she turns back to normal and sees Shohei as he had followed her back to the temple home. Of course, he only came back to give back the sake bottle, a nice gesture. She, as the above picture shows, gives him a nice gift in return. It is interesting to see how restraint she is in that scene-the usually boisterous and bodacious Urd.
The episode ends on a cliffhanger as now is Skuld who has become an adult.... Oh noes!!

Yeah, being an adult is too cool..... /sarc

Episode 26: Ah! Being an Adult is Heart-Throbbing?
So, Skuld is now an adult woman, much to the confusion of Keiichi. It is actually another side effect of Yggdrasil being in repair. Of course, the reason for this is quite interesting: The three goddesses govern the three time dimensions, much like the Norns of Nordic mythology: Urd, the past; Belldandy, the present; Skuld, the future. I have to say that is an interesting concept, that unfortunately isn't explored outside of this OVA too much. Perhaps it brought up more in the manga, but it has been so long since I last read it that I can’t properly remember.


Potential shipping ahoy?

Thus, Skuld and Keiichi have some bonding time. Whereas Urd represents the 'what could have been' and the associated regret and sadness, Skuld represents 'what is to come' and the associated anxiety and fear. She has even a run-in with the local play-boy, but thankfully she evades him. In the end, it amounts to the two going out on a date as Keiichi rescues her from that plight.


GAHHH!!!! >.<

Keiichi is a real trooper, I got to say, taking this all in stride. The two of them go out on the town, trying out makeup, shoes, clothes and other things one does with a girlfriend. There is a touching moment where Skuld, Belldandy and Keiichi are on a road, yet when Skuld stops for a bit, Keiichi and Belldandy continue on the path. It is a very poignant moment, with virtually no dialogue, just imagery. This of course leads to some awkwardness between Keiichi and Skuld as it seems that Skuld has developed some feelings for Keiichi. But, once again, this isn’t explored too much in the series proper, thankfully.

Luckily, the system has been restored as Belldandy has woken up. So, in time, Skuld will change back to normal. But before, Keiichi and Skuld share quite a nice, emotional scene. Skuld realizing that she shouldn't rush things and enjoy the present moment, for it is fleeting and the future is always around the corner.
Final scene is well this:


A return to normalcy, at least a certain sense of it.

So, final thoughts: These 2 episodes are a nice diversion between the two seasons of the TV Series. They offer some insight into some secondary characters, particularly Urd and Skuld. It has a few neat and interesting concepts that I wish were more fleshed in the anime proper, but hey that’s life.

The animation is a top notch effort for AIC, in fact its probably the last series AIC has done with this good of animation quality. This leads into something that I must admit slipped my mind: the character design shift. You know, that detail that changed from the 90s OVA to the Movie and carries through to this series. Well, that wasn’t entirely the work of Fujishima-sensei. No, that honor goes to Hidenori Matsubara as well, who also is character designer on Sakura Wars, another project Fujishima worked on and whose career stretches back all the way to Otaku no Video of all things (yay a full circle moment once again). Sorry for not bringing it up before, but it has bugged me ever since my earlier reviews of the franchise.

So, this begs the nagging question: Will I do more on this franchise? Hmm, perhaps. There is material aplenty to talk about, to be sure. Maybe, in the future, I shall see.

So, what’s next on the platter? Well, it’s the story of a shinigami, and no its not Bleach…



Later, dear readers

Anime Review No. 64-Magic Users Club TV

"Can dreams have sequels?"

MUC TV Review
Studio: Triangle Staff, Director-Junichi Sato
Writers: Chiaka J Nonaka, Sasayuki Murai and Michiko Yokote 

Well, now onto the TV Series. For details on Magic Users' Club, see my previous review as that information will help out in this review. So, Magic Users' Club OVA must have sold well as three years later in 1999 the series got a TV show, which ran from July 7^th to October 6^th that year. Junichi Sato returned as director along with Chiaka J. Nonaka doing series composition, which I suppose is a bit like being the head writer/script editor on at TV show. Production was handled by Triangle Staff with help by Bandai Visual.

So, what does this show do? Well, I see it as a very suitable sequel to an OVA that quite frankly is vastly under-rated. It continues the story of the Magic Users' Club, with a lot of earnest charm and fun. Of course, it does take some time to get going. One of the minor quips I have with the series is the first half, where it goes from 'let's wrap the events of the OVA as that is still a dangling plot thread' to 'oh, let's do slice of life stories'. Luckily, the writers decided to, you know, put some actual effort into stories that honestly could have been filler. In addition, some of the first few episodes have some rather interesting ideas when it comes to magic. Yeah, watching this actually makes me pine for more modern anime shows like that where more effort is put in. Granted, those kind of shows still exist, but they tend to be an exception rather then the rule.

Secondly, the characters certainly have grown and continue to do so, especially in the second half of the series. Episode 6 is more or less a turning point of the TV series, where the one-shot type format used in the first half is put aside in doing a definite story arc, sort of along the same line as the OVA. Sae, Nanaka, Akane, Aburatsubo and Takeo get developed to the point where by the end they seem complete. At the end, the message seems to be: be true to yourself.

But, here we hit a bump and that is the animation. The shift from the video/OVA to TV means one thing for most series: severe downgrade in animation quality. Magic Users' Club regrettably does not escape this, as there are several instances of animation slippage or lack of details. It looks a bit on the cheap side is what I'm saying. However, it doesn't deter too much from the charm and fun this series has.

It also doesn't hurt that same voice cast for the English dub returns for the TV series, but that's no surprise since both the OVA and TV Series were released within a year of each other here in the States. Well, for the most part, they somehow replaced the VA for Akane halfway through though the two sound so familiar that is practically a non-issue. Still, its an admirable effort by all involved to be sure.

Overall, Magic Users' Club is a fun and charming series that ought to get more recognition from the anime fandom at large. Great characters, good story, decent animation all sum up to fun time in watching this show. Magic Users' Club is readily available through RightStuf as a bundle with all 7 volumes or through the second hand market on Amazon and eBay. I wholeheartedly recommend this show.

Next time, well, I will take a look at Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and examine it through the lens of 'magnum opus'. This is a review that I have been looking forward to a lot, and for a series that I love very much.

Laterz,

The Eclectic Dude  

Anime Review No. 63-Magic Users Club OVA

"Believe in Yourself"

Magic Users' Club

1996 OVA, 6 episodes

Studio: Triangle Staff; Director-Junichi Sato
Writers: Akinori Endo and Junichi Sato (1), Chiaka J Nonaka (2-6) 

So, now I am doing a run of Magic themed series for the next three reviews, in case that fact escape you from the titles. Why? Because it's my blog, just so there! Anyway, first look is over Magic Users' Club, a 6 episode OVA from 1996 by Studio Triangle Staff and directed by Junichi Sato, who also directed Sailor Moon back in the days.

This show is about Sae Sawanoguchi and her friends in the local high school's Magic Club. Magicians in this world are simply people who can control their thoughts and imagination to make the impossible the possible. However, there exist only a select few. There's Takakura, the nerdy leader; Nanaka, Sae's requisite childhood friend; Akane, glam girl and 'ghost member' and Aburatsubo, the lone gay guy of the group. Together, they seek to blow up an invasion by the mysterious 'Bell' and its minions. However, it isn't just the Bell that they must deal. Be it some curious journalist or a childhood rival, it's all fun and adventure in Magic Users' Club.

Now, there are several things going well for this series, the OVA in particular. At first, it might seem it would be rather trite and cliched. But once the story develops, it goes off like a rocket, not really letting up much. I believe that's down to the writer they brought for the other five episodes: Chiaki J. Nonaka. For those of you not in the know, he's a writer on several other anime, like Armitage III and Serial Experiments Lain. Of course, I remember him as the writer for Digimon Tamers, the 3^rd series of that franchise which was really quite good. Similar to that series, Magic Users' Club has a nice and even blend of the fantastical and the horrifying (especially the Bell which is a nice spin on the 'detached otherworldly invader' concept which has been done quite a lot over time). Regardless of that, there is also this element of excellent earnestness about the whole OVA.

This earnestness is encapsulated into the main character, Sae herself. Not quite smart, a bit ditzy (reminds one of Usagi from Sailor Moon, no doubt), but she means well and tries her best, which makes her struggle quite compelling in parts. I was certainly rooting for her all the way through the story. Fortunately, the rest of the characters are very well-rounded in their own respect. Takakura might seem at first a hapless nerd, but he turns out to be a nice mentor figure for Sae, despite his conflict between being her mentor and being more than a friend shall we say. Nanaka isn't just a nice, kind childhood friend; she does argue with and try to get Sae to strive for more than what she is, to better herself. Akane, the girly girl/ghost member who wouldn't seem out of place in Sailor Moon much less Cardcaptor Sakura, but she actually does play a crucial part of the story. Aburatsubo is perhaps a standout character, one of the rare gay characters in anime that is written with a measure of dignity and respect, giving a rather subtle performance as the group's voice of reason. Even the minor characters (the teacher, Mizuha, the journalist and his lackey) are given enough time and presence as to not feel unnecessary.

The story is helped by the animation immensely. The production was done by Triangle Staff, which also was involved in the original story for this series. Triangle Staff has mostly done assistance on other shows like Lain, The SoulTaker, Sakura Wars, etc and they haven't done much since the early 2000s. That is a bit of a shame since the animation is very good. There are bits of early CG graphics in there, but thankfully they are used to a minimum, at least here in the OVA, with the majority of the show being very good 90s cel animation: fluid and dynamic, tactile, etc. The characters look like they come from Princess Tutu (sharing the same character designer) with my only quip is that all characters, even the dudes, have thick eyelashes when eyes are closed.

Finally, the english dub is fairly good. Though released by Media Blasters, the dub was made by NYAV Post founded by Michael Sinterniklaas, who also directed and wrote the english dub adaptation for Magic Users' Club. It is actually one of the better NY based dubs that I've heard that I don't hate, thankfully. That's due to some soild performances from some US Manga voice actors, like Jamie McGonnigal, Kevin T. Collins and Lisa Ortiz. But I think that the standout performance for this dub is Misty Daniels, who voices Sae in the dub. She's fantastic and hits the right tone in nearly every scene she's in. Bummer she isn't in any other dubs, as this and the TV Series for Magic Users' Club are her only credits on ANN.

So, the OVA is very enjoyable on a lot of fronts, and I recommend this series (both OVA and the TV Series). Next time, I will be looking at the TV Series made 3 years later.

Laterz,

The Eclectic Dude

Anime Review No. 30, "Magical Witch Punie-chan"

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

I’ll start off “Guilty Pleasures” Month with a short series that I came across a few years back. I first saw this on Youtube, then later at anime club at university. The title I am talking about is “Magical Witch Punie-chan”.

Done by Studio Barcelona back in 2006, it was released subbed only by Media Blasters/AnimeWorks in 2007. Last summer, they re-released it with a dub track (actually it was my birthday). This show has the distinction of being a parody of magical girl genre. Granted, it is more of a bittersweet satire then a funny comical parody (a la Detatoko Princess).

The titular character, Punie-chan, is the Princess of a Magical Land. She is sent by her parents to Earth in order to pass some vague test or something (not really explained). Once at high school, she meets up with some other characters, some friendly and some not so much. Teamed with her animal mascot Paya, she proceeds to beat the living crud out of everyone and everything within close range, or be conniving as all heck. That’s about it, oh and the series is 8 episodes, each 12-15 minutes long. 

So, what makes this a guilty pleasure of mine? Well, it boils down to the fact this has to be one of the most insanely awesome series I’ve seen. Well, until I saw Panty and Stocking, but this show is still quite insane nonetheless. There are a lot of the moments in the 8 ‘half-episodes’ are truly WTF, with even more insane moments succeeding.

Also, the main cast is also insane or not quite right in the head. Punie-chan and Paya-tan are quite the most destructive pair of anime characters in recent memory. The path of destruction and mayhem rival that of similar escapades of Excel Saga. Punie-chan, at first, seems like your typical magical girl: kind, gentle and likeable girl. But, it turns out she is very much a hard-nosed, merciless, fierce, and determined to beat the utter crud out of everyone. This is due to the fact that not only is Punie a mahou shoujo (magical girl) she is also a martial artist specializing in submission holds.  Same thing can be said with Paya, a cutie one moment then a bad@#$ the other.

The rest of cast though is basically an ensemble of rather flimsy stereotypes. Anego-san, the first episode antagonist, is a gangster girl with her own group of tough and mean girls at the school. However, after the first episode, she gets sidelined. Tetsuko, who becomes Punie-chan’s only friend at school, is a railroad train aficionado so expect some railroad references sprinkled in throughout the series. Punie-chan has two little sisters, Pyun and Potaru, who just seem to be there to grab fans of moe anime. Yeah, really, that’s all.

The story and animation are very standard. Striped of all the insanity and eccentricity, and it becomes a bittersweet satire of the magical girl genre. As expected, the animation is wonderfully clean and crisp, owning to the fact it being a digitally animated product. Even Punie-chan’s transformation sequence is surprisingly safe, without an ounce of fanservice (her tagline is "Lyrical Tokarev, kill them all" which makes sense). But, don’t worry, the creators make up the lack of fanservice with blood, guts, and hyper-violence. I do have to admit the fighting scenes are very well done. Though, they do have those “so impressive it has to be shown off-screen” moments but overall entertaining.

So, is it all good? Well, not really. MWP has two main problems, apart from the obvious one: being too short. I’ll settle that by saying I think it’s the right length of time. This level of insanity couldn’t be sustained past 2 hours, let alone 3. OK, the problems are linked to what I mentioned previously. Well, this show has a tendency of placing scenes of hyper-violence with scenes of anything else but. It is a bit jarring upon first viewing but after a while it’s not as noticeable. In addition, there are scenes that are crazy/insane that are followed up by even more crazy/insane stuff. I call it ‘WTF ratcheting’.

Another thing I like about this is the English dub. Granted, in the original subbed version it is very good. The English dub, done by AnimeWorks, is not that bad. Some of the references get lost in translation, but what can you do about that? Not much. It does feature Veronica Taylor and Dan Green as Punie and Paya (bad!@# version). It’s good to see them still working even if it’s just AnimeWorks releases. Past that though, the rest of the dub cast aren’t particularly well-known, but they do a great job. Some of them do overdo it sometimes, but considering how crazy this show gets can’t you expect a little ham?

Anyway, would I recommend this? Yes, definitely. It has the right mix of crazy, insane and surreal entertainment that works well. It’s a nice 2 hours of fun. Though, it has to be seen to be believed.

Next week is Golden Boy Part I.

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

Anime Review No. 25, "Genshiken" Episode 1/First Impressions

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

Well, to start off, let me make something perfectly clear. I hear from the various groups of anime fans I've been in that many of them profess to be "Otaku" and be proud of it. However, it is not a term of endearment. It roughly translates to meaning someone who is obsessed with something, in other words, geeks and nerds. What I am trying to say is that no respectable fan of anime would or should call themselves 'Otaku', in my opinion. I prefer to use the term 'anime fan' or 'anime enthusiast'.


Now, with that out of the way, this weekend's review is over Genshiken episode 1. This 2004 TV Series was directed by Takashi Ikehata and produced by Palm Studio and Genco, the series follows a club of anime enthusiasts and their adventures in college. Episode 1 was broadcasted on October 10 2004, which prompted 2 full 13-episode series after this. It is based off of a manga series that ran from 2002 to 2006, with a sequel series running from December 2010. AnimeWorks/Media Blasters licensed and distributed this title. So, what is in the first episode that helped to lift this series? Let's find out.

Episode 1-Study of the Modern Visually-Oriented Culture 
The episode opens quite oddly, as it is showing a scene from an entirely different series (opening scene, Opening song) which leads to some initial confusion. However, it is just TV viewing of Kujibiki Unbalance (the show within the show) from the POV of Sasahara,  the main character of the series. He is a freshman student at Suioh University (made-up i assume) and is seeking clubs to join. He comes across as a 'greenhorn' when it comes to anime. He comes across one group called 'Genshiken' or The Society for the Study of Modern Visual Culture.

At the same time, we are also introduced to Kohsaka and Saki, the first 'couple' in the series. I say 'couple' because it is terribly one-sided, on Saki's side that is. Saki is a snarky, abrasive, yet normal college girl. Kohsaka, on the other hand, is a hard-core 'otaku' so to speak. But, of course, they are childhood friends, so a relationship between the two can't be ruled out.

Anyway, Sasahara decides to join Genshiken. He goes to their club room, off in a secluded building on campus. Now, I like this part, as it reminds of my times going to anime club back at university. The anime club would meet up at one of more older and secluded buildings on the campus. The scenes where Sasahara  is in the club room, and watching anime with the other club members, with the other members offering commentary on the episode, is a very nice touch. Sarahara also meets up with Kohsaka, who is also a freshman. Kudos to the creators for it.

Well, all of a sudden, the club members start to leave, one by one. Before long, Sasahara is left all by himself. So, being curious, he starts to wander around the club room. He notices all the consoles, shelves and shelves of manga and figurines. His mind wanders, however, to why the erotic stuff is, which is in a closed cabinet in the room. He then gets caught peeking into this by the other members, who then coerces him into joining the club. After some more stuff, Sasahara settles in with his new group of friends.

So, what are my thoughts? Well, I have to say it is an average start. Not too great, but not terrible. A pretty standard introduction to a show that is essentially about the culture it is a product of, a la "Otaku No Video".  Of course, they are a bit more subtle in terms of the references in this than in "Otaku no Video". It also has a postmodern feel with the inclusion of Kuji-Un, which adds in some 'meta' humor quite well done. The English dub voice acting is much like the show, dry and dull while still being decent (i.e. listenable). Only one of note, for me, is Carol Jacobanis as Saki, who does probably a bit more effort than need be, but yeah having one character who is loud and lively in a cast of rather dull and dry geeks isn't too bad of a thing.

But one thing I get out of the episode is how it portrayed: rather average and ordinary. Which isn't a bad thing, I must say. I get the feeling that the show will be rather average. Not sure if I will do a full review of the series, since I don't have the full series yet.

So, why bring up Genshiken? Well, it is a good lead into the review I will be doing the rest of the month: Kujibiki Unbalance. Yes, that show within a show became its own series in Fall of 2006, done by a different director and studio. The reason why Kuji-Un was used by the Genshiken series was due to copyright issues. See, using clips from an actual show would cost money, which is a legitimate concern to be fair.

So, the next three weeks will be over the 12 episode series. Four episodes per part, with me doing some analysis and commentary as best as I can given the written format. That and the review in 3 parts will be released on Saturdays for this month.

Laterz,
Eclectic Dude

Anime Review No. 23, "Legend of the Last Labyrinth" (1997 OVA)

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

Well, after 2 weeks of me praising Ah My Goddess (which it deserves), I feel it's necessary to return back to the comfort zone: obscure OVAs from the 90s. So, in keeping with this month's theme of Romance and Relationships, this weekend's OVA is Legend of the Last Labyrinth.
Alternate titles include Princess Rouge and Princess Rouge: The Legend of the Last Labyrinth.
Redundant much?


Never heard of it? I am not surprised. This 1997 OVA was produced by JC Staff, though much of the work was done by Japan Narration and Acting School. It was originally slated for 6 episodes, but only two got made. The creator of this OVA is Aoi Takeuchi, the same guy behind Voogie's Angel (see my review of that  piece of crud back in November). This and Voogie's Angel are the only series that Mr. Takeuchi was involved, so you know that this will be good /sarc. AnimeWorks released the OVA back in 2000. SO, is this any good? Let's find out.

Episode 1 is simply the exposition episode. Yusuke (the main male lead) was riding his bicycle one day when a girl falls from the sky. Somehow, he ends up in a creek with this girl. She (a rather pretty girl with green eyes/hair) turns out to have amnesia. Yusuke takes her home, where during the night, she has weird dreams involving the death of her mother and chaotic war. The, it cuts to some unnamed villain who sends a female minion named Vega to seek and capture 'someone' out (a coincidence eh?). So far, so good. This is followed by a montage of Yusuke and Rouge (thats her name, seriously) going out on the town and getting clothes and other things. Rouge, she is not a good cook but feels safe with Yusuke, since she got amnesia. Yusuke is a high school boy who's out on his own, with money problems that follow.
So, essentially, their relationship is based off of a need to be with each other. Rather basic, if I do say so myself. Then, later that day, Yusuke comes back to his house and finds Rouge's two sisters. Kaige is a fiery redhead with some sword skills, while Meige is a blue-haired calm, smarter one who is a mage. They are here looking for their sister, of course. But, then Vega shows up, saying she has captured Rouge and holding her hostage.
The last part of this episode is a rather confusing but the gist of it is that Rouge is the Princess of the Underworld (yeah seriously) whose king has been recently disposed and her mother killed during the revolution brought upon by the unnamed villain. A Battle commences and Vega is killed. The group of Rouge, Yusuke and her 2 sisters return to the real world. It ends with Rouge's 2 sisters decinding to stay with Yusuke in order to protect Rouge.

Episode 2 starts off with the unnamed villain (now named Raiga) sending Regulus (Vega's sister) to complete  his sister's mission. It is more or the less the same formula that was done in the first episode. Minion comes, tries to take Rouge away, they fight and Regulus is killed. And when it just gets good, it ends on a fecking cliffhanger. The final scene is Raiga preparing to send another minion off to do the same freaking mission again. Third time's the charm, eh?

Now, this OVA doesn't have much good or bad about it, just a mixed bag. The only good thing about it is the blooper reel of the English dub voice cast fudging their lines up and improvising a bit. It is quite a riot.
The mixed bag lies in the animation and English dub voice acting. The animation is rather good in some parts, but at times it has the look and feel of an animation school project. The dub is rather OK. Juliet Cesario and Scott Simpson have the roles of the main couple, and they seem to try and recapture the greatness they had in the Oh My Goddess OVA, and failing, not for lack of trying.
This leads to the bad part of this OVA, and that is the story. Aoi Takeuchi can write a romance story in the way he wrote a sci-fi invasion story (Voogie's Angel), which is to say not very good. He seems to borrow a lot from other supernatural romance series, like Oh My Goddess.
It is so cliched in some parts that I am surprised this got made at all, much less 2 out of supposed 6 episodes. That's the other thing, not only it is unoriginal, it is unfinished. Of course, some guy named 'Nick' decided to write a fanfiction that continues the story;
Here's the link:  http://theanimegarden.tripod.com/princessrouge/fanfic.html (though, read it only if you have seen the OVA otherwise you will be confused a bit)

So, Final Word: An unoriginal and unfinished story of romance between a human and a supernatural being. I would watch it only if you are curious. But, if you avoid it, you lose nothing, which is a very sad thing to say about an anime.

Next weekend concludes Romance and Relationships Month with My Dear Marie.

Laterz ^_^

Anime Review No. 17-Detatoko Princess (1997-98)

Hello, I'm the EclecticDude and I review it for the lolz.
(Sorry was a bit busy the other day)

Anyway, this being the last review I am doing this year, I thought of covering a Christmas special or a Christmas-themed episode from an anime series. However, I came to this conclusion-most of these are pretty crappy. So, instead, I'm doing an obscure entry of one of my favorite genres in anime: Detatoko Princess, a wacky fantasy OVA from the late '90s. Oh, joy to the flippin' world.

This lovely little piece comes to us from the folks at JC Staff, who seemed to do a lot of OVAs in the 1990s, this being one of them. This was also directed by Akiyuki Shinbo, the same guy who directed the 2nd Galaxy Fraulein Yuna OVA (see my review on that back in October). This is also based off of a manga that was out around the time the OVA came out. Unfortunately, it has never made it stateside (and I doubt it will).

Anyway, the plot involves Princess Lapis of SorcerLand and her adventures with her band of friends. She's blonde, ditzy and has a pudding fixation (yes really xD). Her friends include tiny flowergirl Nandre, immortal fighter Kohaku and Jii, Lapis' teacher mage. Their adventures involve running into Lady Topaz, Wicked Witch of the North who has a legion of pretty little girls in pokeballs (She got a thing for them). They also fight off a giant konnyaku golem and finally a trio of sickly fitness brothers. Yeah, it is rather insane.

First off, the positives. For one thing, it is nicely animated, which is a common feature of most OVAs. Also, kudos to the director. Akiyuki Shinbo, as I noted in my GFY Returns OVA, likes doing two approaches to his anime: either dark and disturbing or funny, wacky parody/comedy. Here, he does the wacky, silly parody/comedy shtick. It works for the most time as I was laughing through the whole thing.

Now, my two pet peeves. First, it applies to the phrase "Characters instead of caricatures". There are not really any characters as there are caricatures, exaggeration of common Fantasy RPG characters. Granted, the characters are rather quirky and eccentric (especially Lady Topaz,. a female OTT villain whose got a thing for little girls-only in anime xD). Secondly, the length (again). It is only 3 episodes long, and leaves me wanting more. There is even a sequel hook at the end of the credits of the third and last episode, so odds are they were planning to do more, but didn't. Oh well.  

Final Score is 6/10. It is just above average in terms of story, animation and direction. But it lacks character development and length to sustain a lot of audience attention. However, I would recommend it to fans of fantasy anime at the least. It's a fun little sit and a good way to burn off an afternoon. Of course, if u want something similar, I can recommend "Thos Who Hunt Elves" or "Rune Soldier Louie" for much longer series that are fantasy comedy series.

So, yeah, my last review of the year. I will return with reviews starting weekend of January 7th. I'm sure that will be more to come for this review series.

Until then, laterz-EclecticDude