It’s old news by now, but I have to say: Episode 8 of Strawberry Panic was absolutely adorable. I never would have thought I’d end up enjoying this show as much as I have. The key? Ensemble cast. I love shows with good ensemble casts, and in the case of Strawberry Panic, a strong ensemble cast does a lot to make up for two very weak leads. Honestly, I only find Nagisa and Shizuma tolerable when everyone else is on screen. Tamao, Yaya, Hikari, Chiyo, Tsubomi, and the million other girls living in the Strawberry Dorms… they make the show for me. I just hope they continue to figure prominently in the story even as focus inevitably shifts to Shizuma x Nagisa.
Of course, there are other reasons to enjoy Strawberry Panic. It’s kind of a bonus, really. As far as quality is concerned, Strawberry Panic is no Maria-sama ga Miteru (a show deserving of Omo’s “goodness” distinction, I think), but I dare say it’s very similar to Marimite in the sense that, when it’s serious, you take it seriously, and when it’s not… well, you have some fun with it.
And the shoujo-ai! As far as I’m concerned, Strawberry Panic is shoujo-ai done right: absolutely scandalous, pull no punches, “I’m going doujin shopping NOW!” style shoujo-ai. None of this namby-pamby, “Oh, she just respects her sempai… and enjoys… um… tickle fights.” Nope. These girls are downright randy. One can only imagine what goes on behind closed doors at the Strawberry Dorms each night…
Yup, one can only imagine…
Hold on, I’m still imagining here.
Ahem… anyway… uh… shit, where was I going with this? Oh yeah! Episode 8 of Strawberry Panic was adorable. And the ensemble cast is great. And they’re fun to watch. And at night, they like to put on some soft music… light some candles… slip into something a bit more comfortable…
Strawberry Panic is inconsistent with a focusing storyline. It jumps all over the place with the different characters. Recently it seems that they just have random plots with no real significance to the main story now.
There’s a “main story”?
If you consider the source of strawberry panic (as a series of short stories into which the readers had a degree of voting power) you can see that any “main story” or plot will have to be constructed ad hoc.
oogh, now I’m goiing to have to go back & get some episodes… I quit after the first, but as usual, Jeff-senpai sells me on a show all over again…
Part of the fun in enjoying SPanic is to not take it too seriously in the first place. ;) I admit I have analysed some episodes, probably more than I should have, but regardless, I still find myself enjoying the show.
SPanic is more Fumoffu than TSRaid.
Tamao, Hikari and Amane are the ones who make the show for me. :) Shizuma and Nagisa are fairly charming in their own way, but not the ones I am interested in.
I want to post my thoughts on Ep10( The Grand Conspiracy of Tamao-san), but I will have to wait. :)
From a neutral point of view, I will probably give SPanic an average rating, but from a personal point of view, the series amuses me to no end with its’ cute antics. I know SPanic will never enter the Halls of Fame, but it entertains me nevertheless.
Cheers.
ADD] Oh, by the way.
Are the mouse-overs going to be a regular feature? This one caught me by pleasant surprise.
Also, was the wallpaper from your computer in the previous screenshot from Higurashi?
The mouseovers are just an occasional thing. As for the wallpaper, it’s indeed from Higurashi. It’s not a screenshot, however… you can grab it here.
Candor is good too, Jal. But is Strawberry Panic honest, or just dishonestly modest? Marimite is actually more honest than you imagine, respect or not.
thanks for your commentary on strawberry panic. I was looking up sites to find out, what’s the deal, and came across yours.
We have similar tastes it seems, since I am loving ouran high school host club so much…I adored the manga, and now I get to watch the show, and my god it has perfect timing, perfect casting, and wonderful animation! I itch to watch every new episode.
oh and btw, I do the same thing, let the episodes pile up and then have a few days of wonderful leisure.
The thing that bugged me about this series was the ending, I may be alone on this but I like the NagiasaxTamao pairing better. Tamao was always there, always did her best for her roomate but instead Shizuma wins in the end. Kinda of irritated me,but hey thats just my opinon.